Category: Politics

Immigration

The subject of immigration seems to keep coming up. Many people want stricter laws in place for immigration while others want looser laws. Those clamoring for stricter laws claim immigrants are coming into the country and taking jobs from resident Americans while people on the other end of the spectrum point out the fact that the only people in this country who aren’t immigrants are the Indians.

Personally I’m all for bringing new productive citizens into this country. Because of this I have a potential solution to the overly complicated immigration system in this country. Should anybody want citizenship in this country who has a job, education, or other valuable skill we will grant it immediately. In order to balance out the system and ensure our population doesn’t explode though we will export one politician to the new citizen’s country of origin.

If a man from India with a Ph.D. wants into the country that’s perfectly OK, we’ll let them on in and send a worthless senator back to India in exchange.

I think this is a good system that will ensure more productive people come into the country while worthless baggage is sent out without any increase in population.

The Oxymoron of Socialized Medicine

Big surprise here but I’m not a fan of socialized medicine. My reasoning is different than a lot of peoples’ though. I’m not against it because it creates longer wait times, causes rationing of medicines, and empowers insurance companies. My problem with socialized medicine is the violence required to implement it.

This is actually a problem with all forms of socialism, not simply socialized medicine. Let’s look at how insurance works. People purchase insurance from an insurance company with the agreement that should something horrible happen the insurance company will be there to foot the expense. In order for this to work there needs to be on key thing, more money being paid into the system than removed.

Socialized medicine is sort of a larger scale of insurance except every person in under the force of law pays into the system in the hopes of generating enough money to pay for those who can’t afford medical care. It sound so nice when you explain it that way but there is one major problem with socialized medicine that never gets brought up, it requires the force of a gun.

In a market based health care system each person pays their own way or gets involved with insurance. It’s not a perfect system obvious as not everybody can afford either of the two options but there are still options for those who can’t pay (charity, pro bono work, family members pitching in, etc.). The main advantage though is the fact that it’s voluntary, you’re not being forced to participate. If you don’t with to receive medical care you don’t have to pay into the system.

There is no such option with socialized medicine, much like social security there isn’t an option to opt out. To ensure everybody participates the government uses their monopoly on use of force to make everybody participate. If you refuse to pay into the socialized medical system you’re usually fined or your wages are garnished. If you refuse to pay the fine the police will come to toss you into prison for the crime of not allowing your money to be stolen, and if you resist arrest physical violence will be brought against you.

Does it seem like an oxymoron to use physical force to steal money from one person in order to pay for the medical care of another? Doesn’t it even seem more of an oxymoron when you realize the threat of physical violence is being used to steal from more people than will be needing medical care? When using socialized medicine you’re actually harming more people (theft if harm in my book and if you refuse to participate you will be physically harmed) than you’re helping.

Yet people tout socialized medicine as a good thing that will help people. So long as you ignore the force required to create and operate such a system I guess you can make a claim it helps some people.

They Were Just Kidding About That Whole Constitution Thing

When the Republicans were running for the House and Senate they made a “promise” to their constituents. The promise was simple, all bills introduced would be accompanied by an explanation of how the bill was constitutional. I didn’t buy it and neither did most people who hold the idea that all politicians are crooks. Our politicians have been doing this for years already but they just keep citing the “general welfare” clause.

Scott Garrett, a representative of New Jersey, put forth an amendment to the whole “constitutionality” requirement. The amendment would prevent law makers from citing the “general welfare” and the “necessary and proper” clauses in the Constitution. Well the amendment failed so it looks like business will continue as usual (did anybody expect anything else?).

I’m Glad They’re Working on the State Budget

While Minnesota is facing a $6.2 billion deficit it seems at least one representative is looking to introduce a bill that would build a subsidized stadium for our state football team:

Three days after the collapse of the Metrodome roof, Sen. Julie Rosen, a Republican from Fairmont, said she planned to introduce a bill in late January to build a new Minnesota Vikings stadium with public subsidies.

According to the laws of physics as we understand them the fasting speed anything can travel is the speed of light. What modern physicist haven’t studied is the speed at which the state of Minnesota hemorrhages money because it’s faster than the speed of light by a long shot. Even though Minnesota is bleeding money several state representatives are willing to diverge state money to build a stadium for millionaires… again (fuck you Twins and your stadium which I’m paying for part of).

I guess we’ll just have to jack up the sales tax in Hennepin county again so those worthless fucks can have a new stadium (because as we know patching that easily patchable roof would be so fucking difficult).

You Just Don’t Get it Do You

Wikileaks wikileaks Wikileaks… did you hear about Wikileaks? The Air Force has decided that they will prove themselves to not be hypocrites and only block Wikileaks. Now they’re blocking several publications that released information on the leaked cables:

Air Force users who try to view the websites of the New York Times, Britain’s Guardian, Spain’s El Pais, France’s Le Monde or German magazine Der Spiegel instead get a page that says, “ACCESS DENIED. Internet Usage is Logged & Monitored,” according to a screen shot reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The notice warns that anyone who accesses unauthorized sites from military computers could be punished.

The Air Force said it had blocked more than 25 websites that contained the documents, originally obtained by the website WikiLeaks and published starting late last month, in order to keep classified material off unclassified computer systems.

I don’t think the Air Force really gets it. Once something is online you can’t censor it, you can prevent people from seeing it by blocking a few sites, the information has spread out to more sites than you can ever hope to censor. Once information has his the Internet it’s game over as far as controlling it. The only real option available to the Air Force is the creation of a white list of sites that it’s employees can access as opposed to their current blacklist of sites you can’t access.

Mandatory Health Care

A Virginia federal judge just ruled the clause in the Insurance Company Enrichment Act requiring peasants citizens of the United States to purchase health insurance is unconstitutional:

Judge Henry E. Hudson ruled Monday for the state’s claim that the requirement for people to purchase health care exceeds the power of Congress under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause or under the General Welfare Clause.

“It is not the effect on individuals that is presently at issue — it is the authority of Congress to compel anyone to purchase health insurance,” wrote Hudson, who was appointed to the federal bench in 2002 by President George W. Bush.

I’m glad somebody understands the fact that the federal government doesn’t have the power to put a gun to your head and make you purchase something. What’s interesting are the reactions from my liberal friends. Many are citing Social Security and Medicare as validation for the clause in the Insurance Company Enrichment Act. I don’t quite understand how using two unconstitutional programs as justification for another unconstitutional program really works.

Does that means it’s OK if I break into their home and steal their television if I’ve already broken in and stolen their computer and stereo? Two wrongs usually don’t make a case for doing yet another wrong.

I am also at a complete loss as to how somebody can justify government theft. Each of the programs mentioned in this post give the government the authority to use their monopoly on force to coerce you into buying into something. It’s interesting that these same people are against anybody besides the government stealing from them, but once it is the government that theft is deemed OK. There has to be come major cognitive dissidence to believe that.

Either way I hope this ruling actually amounts to something since the Republicans already “compromised” with the Democrats and agreed to fund the Insurance Company Enrichment Act until September (you guys really only want to hold those seats for a short while huh?).

Racism, We’ll Find it Everywhere

The best thing about racism is that you can find it everywhere:

Students for Transit Equality is a recently formed group of University of Minnesota School of Social Work students who are concerned about racial and economic inequalities in Twin Cities transit and transit planning.

Emphasis mine. What’s their case?

The purpose of this information campaign is to draw community awareness and publicity to the lack of any bus shelter at the bus stop at 7th Street and Nicollet Avenue. This bus stop is primarily used by buses bound for north Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center. Despite being the most-used bus stop regionwide, this stop has no shelter or any other amenities. Meanwhile, bus stops on the rapid-transit routes of Marquette and 2nd Avenues, serving primarily suburban commuters, are equipped with heated and lit shelters, real-time arrival displays and large transit maps.

Obviously this is a clear case of racism! But wait:

The city of Minneapolis has slowly realized this inequality and has begun planning for an east-west transit spine through downtown Minneapolis that will potentially equip all bus stops along 7th and 8th Streets with shelters.

So… the group exists and is trying to raise awareness of itself even though their gripe is already in the plans to be fixed? What the fuck? I wonder what the next case of racism on Minnesota public transit will be. Wait the last time I took the light rail I remember there being far fewer white people on board than people of other races. RACISM!

Priorities

The Minnesota Vikings are whining that they want a new stadium or they may search for a new home. Caving to sports teams is like caving to terrorists, if you do it once they all expect you to do it again. Needless to say since Minnesota caved to pay part of the Twin’s new stadium with tax money the Vikings want the same:

There have been discussions about raising liquor taxes or possibly using “racino” money to help finance the project. Bennett has even suggested going to the old blackout days and charging people a small fee to get the game on TV, but he’s been told that can’t happen.

Oh, did I mention Minnesota is facing a $6.2 billion deficit? Priorities… we have them.

Close the Washington Monument

I think Bruce Schneier just posted one of the best article’s he’s ever tossed up on his blog. The post calls for closing the Washington Monument:

Securing the Washington Monument from terrorism has turned out to be a surprisingly difficult job. The concrete fence around the building protects it from attacking vehicles, but there’s no visually appealing way to house the airport-level security mechanisms the National Park Service has decided are a must for visitors. It is considering several options, but I think we should close the monument entirely. Let it stand, empty and inaccessible, as a monument to our fears.

I think he’s dead on here. Let’s just shut down the Washington Monument and let is stand as a testament to the fact we let the terrorists win by being allowed to be terrorized in the first place. We’ve tossed away so many of our rights and liberties in the false promise of security from terrorism that there is no doubt that the 9/11 attacks were a complete success.

Our politicians will claim that America refuses to be terrorized while at the same time justifying out of control legislation such as the PATRIOT Act and actions such as allowing TSA agents to sexually molest American citizens. But the actions of our politicians are done by preying on our fear of the terrorists meaning we have been terrorized. We let fear guide our willingness to turn over power to others who promised protection from that which we feared. This is how tyranny starts ladies and gentlemen, but surrendering our rights and liberties to those who claim to offer solutions to our perceived problems.