Well...one of the purposes of blogs seems to be to expound on matters political. It just so happens I'm in a political mood today, having been exposed to the pratting on by one of my professors. During his lecture on 16th Century Europe, he felt the need to take repeated shots at "Republicans"...."You had no right to remain silent when confronted by the Counter-Reformation forces. Republicans are taking away that right" and "It's increasingly a Republican world, so reason is right out the window..." Now, I may not be the sharpest guy when it comes to Reformation-era Europe, but I don't recall the Republican Party (founded in the 1850s to fight slavery) beign involved.
There's a lot of crap being spewed by both sides this year, so I figure its time for someone to cut through the static of the party propaganda. Republicans are not ruining the planet. Neither are the Democrats. Key to understanding the cesspool that is Washington is this: people who run for office have no marketable skills. If they did, they'd be out making money or doing something constructive. The political class is filled with useless people that believe they are absolutely brilliant and indispensible, and think that -- as the elite -- they should be paid attention, given accolades, and obeyed. Both sides. No exceptions. So stop expecting them to do anything intelligent, and certainly don't expect them to do what the proles want. You only matter when they want to be reelected (and believe me -- they HATE having to depend on us for their jobs.)
To the issues! The big one is immigration. This will be the big one for '06 and '08. After that, there's a few movements on the horizon that will be big, but aren't on any politicians' radar....they're too busy still arguing about the New Deal. (Don't believe me? Social security. Racism. Jobs and the economy.) People are sick of the swarm of illegal imigrants. Most people claim racism, and with the lack of OTH (other than Hispanic) immigrants in the marches, I might be convinced it is an element...for the migrants. Where are the Koreans, Chinese, Russians, Irish, Africans, Vietnamese and Indians..? Perhaps working? Most people I've talked with who are for doing something, usually throw in they want the immigation system streamlined to allow people in easier. But come in legally.
Why legally? Because if you are working under the table you are not paying taxes. Don't try to say otherwise. You need a social security number to pay taxes, and if you are paying on a false number, you'll be caught. (One thing the government can do is track tax evasion.) If the employer is paying you under the table, he's not paying taxes, unemployment insurance, or anything else. That's hurting people when you use services you did not pay for. Beyond that, and rarely mentioned, is the $54 billion in capital flight illegals generate -- that's money sent home to their families that leaves the US economy. That hurts the US economy...and is keeping the Mexican economy afloat (hence the panic in Mexico City over ideas like the wall.)
The other issue is Iraq. The situation looks dire in the news. However, the dozen or so guys I talk to regularly who are serving there say it's going well. Not swimmingly, of course. We underestimated the level of hatred between the various groups in Iraq, and did not anticipate the arrival of the masses of Muslim (not radical Muslim, Muslim) terrorists. Fortunately for the troops, the majority of the damage and death is being incurred on the Iraqis. Frankly, I'd rather they were expending their energies on each other than on us, here. That said, it's coming up on time to get out. Not bug out, but we've done about all we're willing to do. (We don't seem to have the stones to impose a new government, McArthur-style, on the Iraqis. This is a major mistake, in my opinion...but no one's asking me.)
The last real issue is terrorism. We're doing a bloody good job, despite the idiocy and internecine fighting of our respective intelligence and law enforcement services. How can I say that? There's only been a handful of events here in the US that are terror-related (but are usually downplayed as just a disgruntled lone nut.) The DC sniper, the guy in LA at the El Al station, and the SUV driver at Chapel Hill -- commonality? Muslim. This is not about lone nuts. It's a cultural war that we must win, particularly if you are 1) secular, 2) female, 3) homosexual, 4) any other variant of "liberal." Stop worrying about Christians -- secular society developed in Christian societies; they're not the problem. The very obvious problem group, the common thread in terror throughout the world is Islam.
I'd love to hear some ideas from the Democrats on these situations. I'm not holding my breath. I'd love to see the Republicans do something about the first, but they won't -- other than a few show arrests.
Well, there's my first rant for posterity.
There's a lot of crap being spewed by both sides this year, so I figure its time for someone to cut through the static of the party propaganda. Republicans are not ruining the planet. Neither are the Democrats. Key to understanding the cesspool that is Washington is this: people who run for office have no marketable skills. If they did, they'd be out making money or doing something constructive. The political class is filled with useless people that believe they are absolutely brilliant and indispensible, and think that -- as the elite -- they should be paid attention, given accolades, and obeyed. Both sides. No exceptions. So stop expecting them to do anything intelligent, and certainly don't expect them to do what the proles want. You only matter when they want to be reelected (and believe me -- they HATE having to depend on us for their jobs.)
To the issues! The big one is immigration. This will be the big one for '06 and '08. After that, there's a few movements on the horizon that will be big, but aren't on any politicians' radar....they're too busy still arguing about the New Deal. (Don't believe me? Social security. Racism. Jobs and the economy.) People are sick of the swarm of illegal imigrants. Most people claim racism, and with the lack of OTH (other than Hispanic) immigrants in the marches, I might be convinced it is an element...for the migrants. Where are the Koreans, Chinese, Russians, Irish, Africans, Vietnamese and Indians..? Perhaps working? Most people I've talked with who are for doing something, usually throw in they want the immigation system streamlined to allow people in easier. But come in legally.
Why legally? Because if you are working under the table you are not paying taxes. Don't try to say otherwise. You need a social security number to pay taxes, and if you are paying on a false number, you'll be caught. (One thing the government can do is track tax evasion.) If the employer is paying you under the table, he's not paying taxes, unemployment insurance, or anything else. That's hurting people when you use services you did not pay for. Beyond that, and rarely mentioned, is the $54 billion in capital flight illegals generate -- that's money sent home to their families that leaves the US economy. That hurts the US economy...and is keeping the Mexican economy afloat (hence the panic in Mexico City over ideas like the wall.)
The other issue is Iraq. The situation looks dire in the news. However, the dozen or so guys I talk to regularly who are serving there say it's going well. Not swimmingly, of course. We underestimated the level of hatred between the various groups in Iraq, and did not anticipate the arrival of the masses of Muslim (not radical Muslim, Muslim) terrorists. Fortunately for the troops, the majority of the damage and death is being incurred on the Iraqis. Frankly, I'd rather they were expending their energies on each other than on us, here. That said, it's coming up on time to get out. Not bug out, but we've done about all we're willing to do. (We don't seem to have the stones to impose a new government, McArthur-style, on the Iraqis. This is a major mistake, in my opinion...but no one's asking me.)
The last real issue is terrorism. We're doing a bloody good job, despite the idiocy and internecine fighting of our respective intelligence and law enforcement services. How can I say that? There's only been a handful of events here in the US that are terror-related (but are usually downplayed as just a disgruntled lone nut.) The DC sniper, the guy in LA at the El Al station, and the SUV driver at Chapel Hill -- commonality? Muslim. This is not about lone nuts. It's a cultural war that we must win, particularly if you are 1) secular, 2) female, 3) homosexual, 4) any other variant of "liberal." Stop worrying about Christians -- secular society developed in Christian societies; they're not the problem. The very obvious problem group, the common thread in terror throughout the world is Islam.
I'd love to hear some ideas from the Democrats on these situations. I'm not holding my breath. I'd love to see the Republicans do something about the first, but they won't -- other than a few show arrests.
Well, there's my first rant for posterity.
posted by Black Campbell at 14:19
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