(sound of head exploding)
i didn't plan to keep harping on this, but the quest to waste money continues! a base on the moon? manned trips to mars? how has it come to this? i believe we have truly succumbed to the sci-fi geeks. literally, the best reason i can think of to send a person to mars is because Bush must think "well, they did it in the movies!" now we've got all these Star Trek-addled engineers and physicists with control over NASA's checkbook planning to search other planets for signs of the Lost Tribe of Menarche, who will undoubtedly submit to their every whim. warp speed Mr. Sulu!
and just when i was ready to give Bush some credit for his immigration initiative, even if it is fairly blatant election-year posturing and pandering to the Hispanic community. it would at least have helped members of the lower tax brackets.
meanwhile, thanks to Phil and Claire for info regarding the very first Washington, DC Presidential Primary, being held next Tuesday with the intention of drawing attention to the lack of equal congressional representation for DC residents. while it will be the first primary in the nation, it is non-binding and features only 4 of the Democratic candidates, of whom only Dean has any shot at winning (the others are Moseley-Braun, Sharpton and Kucinich). so how does this bogus vote draw attention to the plight of DC residents, when polls show that most Americans don't even realize that DC doesn't have equal representation? considering that most Americans also seem to be unaware of this vote taking place, i would dare say "it doesn't." Phil makes the good point that holding a vote concerning the presidency may have the opposite of the intended effect to many casual observers who will probably hear about the results and just assume that people in DC get to vote for all the same things they do.
at any rate, t.s.o.a. loves the "taxation without representation" license plates in DC, and especially loved it when lame duck Pres. Clinton decided to put them on the presidential limo.
Comments
youthlarge and sweet plantain saw those new license plates during our last venture to the mid-atlantic.
Posted by: youthlarge | January 9, 2004 04:46 PM
This is more than a comment; sorry in advance...
The Bush immigration bill is not going to necessarily HELP the people of lower tax brackets...
1) the people this bill will "help" currently do not PAY taxes because they are here illegally. They have no SSN and are working the night cleaning shift at Wal-Mart getting paid $2 an hour under the table.
2) Sure, the jobs they may fill are jobs "American's don't want," but are many companies going to want to hire them once they have to pay competitive & legal wages/taxes? US unemployment numbers have dropped, but it's most likely because 300K+ people have given up/or taken a break from looking for jobs in the past few weeks...Plus, trends point to the fact that fewer jobs have been created in the past quarter than those previous...And this was the BIG shopping season - when stores are supposed to be hiring extra help! Then, even if the immigrant employee is lucky enough to get hired, if the said employee isn't fortunate enough to live in an area that has good public transportation they will have to figure out a way to get to work...& my middle income self balks at my monthly car/insurance payment...how can someone subsisting on $5.50 an hour with no credit history even dream of such a luxury? They will end up most likely driving a sub-standard, unsafe car that is not registered and has no insurance...So how long are they likely going to be able to hold on to that job that no one wants?
4) Having just spent nearly 2 years dealing all to often with the INS - there will likely be a thousand problems that they will have to be able to take time off work to deal with since the INS office is generally open from like 7-4; and you'll wait for at least 3 hours, even if you show up at 7...What kind of supervisor is going to be willing to understand that the floors will have to be scrubbed by someone else today because Employee X needs the day off to go to the INS? The temp-visa holders will also most likely have to sign an affadavit stating that they will not accept welfare for the three years that they are here. So again, unless they manage to get a job that offers insurance or discounts on food, how will they pay for any medical needs that arise? along with rent? along with clothes for themselves and their children if they have any... Does the bill even include families?
4) Are people that are here currently illegally going to be silly enough to go to their local INS office to ask for a 3-year temp work visa? Isn't that as ridiculous as illegals wanting to register for a driver's license in CA? Isn't that an open invitation to your home for a guy in a blue INS jacket? Or is America suddenly going to fulfil it's Statue of Liberty docterine under the watch of an oil-hungry monkey?
5) I can also see a big catch-22 coming along - people will most likely have to line up a job first, then apply for the visa, but unless they live in a visa-waiver country - they will need a visa to come here in the first place, so then how can they interview for a job?
6) It is posturing and pandering, but the people it helps can't vote and I don't have numbers to back this up, but I think statistically few people in the Hispanic community do vote...He's mostly going after democratic-leaning swing voters that have a bit of a heart...But I hope those people are smart enough to see thru it all.
Posted by: Michelle | January 10, 2004 07:36 PM
uhhh...i thought there was gonna be more rock less talk here. i'm in over my head. sorry.
Posted by: crispin | January 11, 2004 02:50 PM
I'm sorry Apes, but did Michelle just call you an oil-hungry monkey? I always thought you were more of a baby powder lovin' primate.
Posted by: Dan | January 11, 2004 04:10 PM
Speaking of the D.C. primary, being a good Democrat I was perusing the voters guide that was mailed to me this week. One of the people on the ballot is curiously named Vermin Supreme. The first line of his candidate statement: "Vermin Supreme, a friendly fascist, a tyrant you can trust." He then goes on to state that "Proper dental hygine is essential to proper social order" and "Effective tarter [his spelling] control will prevent the need for crowd control later."
Best...candidate...ever! Also, the best use of taxpayer money ever (I'm assuming tax money is used to pay for the voter's guide).
Posted by: Matt | January 11, 2004 06:27 PM
damn Michelle, i wasn't expecting to get blind-sided from Michigan! good points all. and don't worry, i'm not falling under some bush-induced hypnosis.
Crispin, it won't always be this heavy/heady. my intention was not to turn this into a hotbed of rhetoric. i'll try to lighten the mood a bit.
Posted by: jamie | January 12, 2004 11:14 AM