Imperial Instability

Does ANYONE in government have intelligence these days? When I see that certain lawmakers in Maine trying to give voting rights to non-citizens: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=247244&ac=PHnws
It makes me worry. One of the things that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire was that the powers of the citizenry were watered-down: essentially, anyone within Roman territory had the rights and obligations that a full-on Roman citizen was entitled to. It was done as a tax-increasing measure, but also devalued the citizenship that was the pride of the Empire. The legislators who proposed this bill (Sen. Justin Alfond and Rep. Brian Bolduc) should be forced out of office by their enraged constituents. These men clearly never paid attention in school, and don't seem to understand the signifigance of citizenship in this country. That being said, I'm all for enabling people to become citizens. If these aliens are truly interested in having citizens' rights, they should go through the process of gaining them legally. These boneheaded legislators should focus on offering aliens help with immigration exams and paperwork, not just handing them citizenship's rights because "they're here". The argument that it "thwarts the power, potential, and promise f democracy" is childishly ignorant and a bogus statement on it's face. The current system does discriminate against those who are not citizens - but since a LEGAL, CLEARLY-DEFINED METHOD ALREADY EXISTS for these people to become citizens, then these people are already capable of having their voice heard in elections, and are already capable of throwing off the illusory "shackles of oppression" that apparently hold them back because they cannot currently vote.

Get a ***** green card, kids. I have friends who went through naturalization, and are now full-fledged U.S. citizens. Giving these rights to anyone who wants them cheapens my friends' experiences and sacrifices. It cheapens my rights, and dilutes the rights of ALL citizens.

I also have a beef with the idea currently floating aroud in Congress to tax employer-provided healthcare benefits at a heavier rate in order to pay for universal healthcare.

link here: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-health-tax28-2009mar28,0,6232958.story

My issue is that both my girlfriend and I currently pay OUT OF OUR PAYCHECKS for healthcare provided by our jobs. The premiums aren't too terribly bad, but it's still expensive. However, it's worth it when one of us needs a doctor visit, or needs to visit the emergency room. Health care is something that everyone needs. But why should I have to pay more for someone who is unemployed and has 3 kids to be able to have health insurance?

News flash for Congress: If you hit the lower class with more and more taxes, then dilute the benefits that they're paying more for, THE LOWER CLASS WILL REVOLT. It has happened REPEATEDLY in history, and no American has ANY excuse to not realize this - it's how our nation gained it's independence. Governmentally-enforced "social equality" is a damnably foolish idea, and frankly doesn't work. Socializing the healthcare sector will destroy the overall quality of the care provided (look at Europe), and I am not happy about being considered a "cash-cow" for people who can't afford medical care.

But for these people, I have a quick question: Why can't you afford it? I work at Kroger. I make less than $12,000 a year - technically, I don't even qualify as having to pay taxes. The government takes 10% of my check EVERY WEEK. Howver, I also have healthcare. My company provides it for me (because I pay for it every week out of my paycheck). There are a great many options available for people with no healthcare - free clinics, low-cost providers, and employer-based benefits all exist in many different forms in this country. If none of these options are viable for a person - they need to get a job and quit being a drain on my economy. Unemployment may be skyrocketing, but I can go to the GA Dept. of Labor website and find (and apply for) a job online....right now. AS I AM TYPING THIS BLOG, there are dozens of jobs LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO WORK THEM shown on the GDOL website( http://www.dol.state.ga.us/ )

Note to Congressional Democrats: The unions are your backbone. My union sent out stacks of literature during the last election, pushing me to vote for the Democratic candidates in my state.
If the Democratic lawmakers in Washington are to stupid to realize what attacking organized Labor (which is what this idea amounts to) will do to one of their KEY DEMOGRAPHICS, then I have no sympathy for a clearly-doomed party. Hopefully in the next election cycle, these filthy greedheads will be flogged out of office and some actual balance will return to the government.

ARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/18/fannie-mae-pay-bonuses-g-execs/

DAMMIT, people!! Why can't we get some accountability in the federal government?!?!?! All I want is a promise; just a simple agreement that WILL BE HONORED to not just throw taxpayer dollars at corporate executives for "employee retention". I've never heard such a hideous joke in my life - unemployment is skyrocketing, and these same schlubs that drove the corporations into the ground are getting MORE MONEY?!?!?!?

Did I slip into a wormhole somewhere?? Is federal responsibility and competence dead???

I'm going to bed before I have to read any more about this.

The "New" JFK?

On October 28th, 1962, President John F. Kennedy and The Secretary General of the U.N. managed to negotiate the withdrawal of Russian bombs from Cuba. This was the ending of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Now, it seems, the Russians want to ensure their influence in the Western Hemisphere:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/14/russia.cuba.bombers/?ic

Unfortunately, Barack Obama is not John F. Kennedy. His administration has shown itself repeatedly to be both corrupt and incompetent (from his handling of domestic issues, namely the financial situation in this country; also, his cabinet is rife with members under investigation and even some (Geithner comes to mind) who are flagranty inept. President Obama seems to have enough trouble trying to manage the economy (and failing - 82% of Americans are concerned about the massive increase in the deficit, and 69% are worried about the rapid growth of government under Pres. Obama). His open-handed fiscal policies are simply an outgrowth of inexperience. Such a green candidate lacks the resolve to deal properly with International affairs. Kennedy was a decorated war hero, actually wounded in the line of duty saving a fellow sailor. Obama admitted to drug and alcohol abuse, and used to "hang out" with military service-people.

Even as AIG uses federal bailout funds to hand out $165 million in executive bonuses (after posting record-setting $40 billion, no less.), the federal government has made no secret of the fact that it plans to ask for more money to continue to prop up failing businesses. A rational, intelligent leader would, at this point, nationalize AIG and other companies that follow the flagrantly exploitative business model portrayed here. Any company that can receive $70-odd-billion in bailout funds and STILL post $40 billion losses does not deserve to be privately owned. If these companies weren't being publicly-funded, it wouldn't be a problem, but the situation is definitely getting out of hand. I wonder if these huge companies will still exist in the forms we know in a year's time, or if they'll be nationalized or seized by irate citizens whose taxes went straight into executive pockets.

So, should the Cold War start back up, does President Obama have the backbone to stand up to the Russians? Does he have the competence to be able to deal effectively in global affairs? I certainly hope so.

The Youth of the Nation

When I see stuff like this, I can`t help but wonder about the future of this country. As the recession mounts, more and more 20-somethings are being kicked out of the workplace and forced back into their parents` houses. I`ve been personally very fortunate thus far, but everywhere I look, more and more of my demographic is being marginalized. It`s like no one even thinks about us.

Here we are, staring down the barrel of the largest debt in this nation`s history (which we`re going to be paying down for the rest of our lives), and now we can`t even get real jobs. President Obama would do well to examine this situation again. The same youth vote that got him elected 4 months ago is going to massively turn against him as the economy gets worse. Young adults with no jobs, money, or hope are a major problem for any nation - just look at Greece, Iceland, China, Latvia, France, Ireland, etc. Historically, wars have provided a means with which to employ some of these youth (World War II helping to end the Great Depression, Continual border wars in Rome, and so on), but in the modern world, all we have is the ``War on Terror``, an extremely unpopular conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I`m not advocating war, by the way. Bloodshed is horrible, and should NEVER be condoned or accepted as ``part of life``,but I`m more interested in truth than idealism. If President Obama would avoid the protests so rampant in other parts of the world, he should look at the situations that caused these violent riots: corrupt officials (which are universal) and economic downturns, followed by massive unemployment among the youth (also found in this country). As more and more young peope realize that their government has ``sold them up the river``, I believe that there will be an escalation of violent protests - maybe not for a few months, but as the recession worsens....