Arizona

I’m sure you’ve heard by now the new immigration law that Arizona has passed. It’s stirred up a hornet’s nest of controversy that has been mainly full of lies and mis-information. Let’s dig into this, shall we?

Argument number one: “It’s unconstitutional”

Actually, it isn’t. Here is a section from the actual bill that addresses this issue:

A. NO OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR
OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE MAY ADOPT A POLICY THAT LIMITS OR RESTRICTS THE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS TO LESS THAN THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY FEDERAL LAW.

That basically means that Arizona can’t do anything that violates federal law.

Argument number two: “It’s a federal issue”

This is not the case. Back in 1996, President Clinton signed a bill that allows states to deal with immigration issues.

Argument number three: “It’s racial profiling”

Actually, it isn’t. There is nothing in the law that says to target any person of any specific nationality or race. In fact, here is the part of the bill that says how they will determine immigration status.

B. FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY
OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON. THE PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c).



What this basically means is that if you come into contact with the cops for whatever reason; getting pulled over for some moving violation in your car, being arrested for theft, or any other reason the cops deal with you; they can check your immigration status if they have reasonable suspicion that you are an illegal alien. Reasonable suspicion isn’t skin color. Reasonable suspicion is the lack of a driver’s license, car registration, or any other proof of identity. If you have any of the normal stuff you carry on you all the time, you’ll be fine. The idea here is that illegal immigrants typically don’t have these items.


It’s clear to me that the President, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and all the other political hacks who are criticizing this bill haven’t actually read it based on the words coming out of their mouths. I’m sure this is going to be challenged, and there will be lawsuits, and all that jazz. That ought to be interesting, and here is why…

The main reason Arizona passed this bill is because the federal government wasn’t doing anything to deal with all the problems that illegal immigration has brought to the state. It’s not just people coming here to work. I’m talking about violence, kidnappings, and other crime. The people of Arizona have been waiting for the federal government for years to do something, and they decided they didn’t want to wait anymore. They are essentially asserting their 10th amendment right here, and if the feds start jerking them around, then the feds will be in violation of the constitution. If that happens, there could be a shitstorm on the horizon, and it’s somewhat possible that Arizona could secede. Yeah, I know, that sounds crazy, but it could happen. It’s not likely, but the way things are going, you never know what could happen.

In terms of my own personal feelings on this bill….I’m conflicted. The libertarian in me says that all people are free no matter what geo-political land mass they hail from. Free people should be able to travel freely from one place to another. Just because they cross an imaginary line on the ground doesn’t make them illegal, in my book. However, if Arizona wants to make a law like this one, they are well within their right to do so. I can’t see anything in the bill that is illegal or unconstitutional. I may not agree with it, but it is what it is.

What is really grinding me is how politicians are calling for boycotts against Arizona . Really? What’s the logic in that? Boycotting Arizona will result in lost business and tax income, won’t it? Won’t that lead to a loss of jobs? Won’t that hurt the people they are so concerned about? Makes no sense, but then again, I shouldn’t be surprised at that.

The real solution to this immigration mess is something that you won’t here in mainstream media or from politicians. One big thing the government could do is decriminalize drugs. Mexico is literally involved in a civil war between the government and the drug cartels. The drug cartels exist because there is a demand for those drugs here in the states. Whenever there is a demand for a product or service, someone will fill that demand, legal or not. Since drugs are illegal, it’s a high risk game that these cartels play getting the drugs into the U.S. If drugs were legal, the demand could be met locally with local growers, or hell, even foreign growers and be done in a legal matter. This would save lives, money, and time.

If Mexicans want to come work here, they should be allowed to, and be paid fairly for their work. Since many of them are “illegal”, they fly under the radar. They get paid under the table and don’t complain about work conditions or low wages because they are afraid of being deported. If they could just come and work here, and be covered under the same labor laws that you and I are, then there wouldn’t be an issue here. The free market could handle this no problem.

If you want to read the actual bill, go here: http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070s.pdf

Tea Baggers and the Tea Party movement

I have conflicting thoughts on this whole “tea party” thing. Let’s start with the good.

It’s good to finally see people become active in openly criticizing the government, rather than worshipping a candidate. It’s nice to see people are doing this in large numbers. This affords not only republicans to get together and share ideas, but it allows for more freedom oriented people (libertarians, minarchists, and the like) to attend the tea parties and interact with the other people there and expose them to the true ideas of liberty. It’s a good networking opportunity. It lets the government see that people are upset.

Ok, the stuff that I’m conflicted about….

It’s about damn time. Where were you people the past 8 years? Didn’t the Patriot Act get you angry? Didn’t the medicare prescription drug bill get you angry? Didn’t all the lies get you angry? Sure, it’s convenient to get all upset at the democrats because they are in power, but when the republicans were in power, government grew by leaps and bounds. Spending skyrocketed. Bush trampled all over our rights. He started the TSA. You know…that organization that frisks old ladies and makes my boys go through a secondary screening. The Bush administration was full of corruption and just plain evil people. During the time the republicans were in power, they didn’t do anything to fix government.

So, my question is this: What do these tea party people really want out of all of this? What is the end goal? I have my own personal goals as far as freedom is concerned, and I have my own ideas on how to get there. I get the feeling that these people just don’t know what they want or what to do. They are just finally pissed off enough to gather in large groups and hold signs saying that somewhere in Kenya a village is missing an idiot. “We are going to take the nation back!”, they say. Really? How do you plan on doing that. Voting for…I don’t know…a republican? Those folks that really screwed things up before Obama is screwing them up even more? Yeah, that’s right. Just vote in “your guy”. That doesn’t work, people. Just read my post on “you can’t take the nation back”. These tea party people need to step things up. I’m not talking about using violence. I’m talking about non-cooperation. Don’t like the government? Alright, stop paying for it. Stop using government entitlement programs. Oh, you like those entitlement programs? Oh I see, you like a little bit of socialism, but more of that socialism that you are dependant on is bad….I get it. See the inner conflict here? See why the tea party people are getting so heavily criticized in the media? See why Sarah Palin looks like even MORE of an idiot now than she ever did? The republican politicians well tell you to vote for them because they will make things right. Really? What evidence is there to support that? I’m not buying it.

You teabaggers ought to just declare personal independence and stop paying. Have the balls to stand up for what you believe in rather than vote in someone who is going to force their political ideals on other people….you know…the same thing that is happening to you that you don’t like because it’s the other team. Oh, but it’s alright if our guys force the other team to do what we want because they are bad and we are good. It’s majority rule, after all, isn’t it? That’s what democracy is….two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for dinner.

The Han Solo Effect

There is a reason why so many people prefer the original Star Wars trilogy to the prequel Star Wars trilogy. This is the Han Solo Effect. I'll explain.

First, we have to show how the prequel trilogy is similar to the original trilogy. Both had movies directed by George Lucas. Both had writing by George Lucas. Both had crappy actors. Luke was a whiny brat, and Anakin was a whiny brat. Like father like son, I guess.

Han....he's the guy that's the voice of the audience. When Obi Wan mentions the force, Han is like "wft?". He's the voice of reason. He's trying to cover his ass. He owes people money, and has bill collectors coming after him. He just wants to get paid.

The ride of his? The Millennium Falcon? That's the equivalent of a beat up 1970's Lincoln Continental that has the really little tires with gold wire rims, but it's still primered and hasn't been painted yet. It's cool enough and fast enough to do the job...and has room to smuggle stash, but it's barely holding on. It always needs something fixed. It needs to be whacked to get going. The Flacon is probably the only relatable vehicle in the star wars universe.

The prequel trilogy lacked the human element. Yes, I know there were humans in them, but there wasn't somebody that the audience felt like was their voice in the movie. Instead, we got an annoying Gungan named Jar Jar Binks. Probably the only good guy in any of the Star Wars movies that the audience wanted to see killed in a violent way.

The Census

Have you filled yours out? I tore mine up and threw it away. I did this for a few reasons. First of all, I was greatly offended that the federal government is using tax money to pay for ads on TV promoting it. Second, it asks a lot of invasive questions. Third, they already have all of that information anyway.

I can’t begin to tell you how angry I was when I saw a Census ad play during the super bowl. To begin with, it wasn’t even clever, like the “Green Police” commercial Audi did. Second, if they didn’t twist the arm of the network to get it aired for free, it cost us a lot of money. After that, they keep playing them, like I didn’t notice the “you’ll get your census soon” notification in the mail. Well…it’s quite possible many people missed that notice seeing how the postal service seems to lose mail all the time. But really? They are going to spend tax money on tv commercials promoting a government program? That’s wrong.

Now, if you received yours, did you look at the questions? How many questions do they need to determine just what type of Hispanic someone is? For me, there is just “white”. Not “white of eastern European descent”, or “white of western European descent”, or “white of whatever other place white people come from descent”. That just didn’t sit right with me. It was at this point that I tore it up and threw it out. Oh, I also threw it out because it was addressed to “resident”. My name isn’t “resident”. If I get mail addressed to “resident” it is considered junk mail and goes right in the trash.

One big question in my mind is “don’t they already have all this information?” If you fill out your tax forms, all that info, and more, is on there. Can’t the IRS and the census people hook up and swap info? If you don’t fill out your tax forms, all that info is in other places, like your employer, schools, libraries, the banks, all over the place. If the government can raid my bank account, they can take the time to count me and my kids in a much smarter and more efficient way than sending a long form (which is not very “green”, I might add), which I will throw away (screw you recycling). Then, they are going to send a person (one of those “jobs” that obama has claimed to create) to my house to pester me. My wife was a little upset that I threw out the census form. Not because she thought that it was our civic duty to fill out, but because now some government schlub is going to come to our house. They will make 3 attempts to contact you in person. If you are like me, and don’t answer the door for government people, then they will actually go to your neighbor’s house and bother them to try and get info from them about you. If that fails, then they just give up. They threaten you with a fine of some sort, but whatever, they can go pee up a tree.

I’m tired of these commercials on tv and the radio about “stand up and be counted”, and “our community deserves our fair share”. I call B.S. on that. I don’t want to be counted, and that money that is “our fair share” is money that was stolen from other people to begin with. The idea that it is fair in any way is just ludicrous. I don’t want that money. Leave me alone. I can decide how to spend my money better than some government hack can.

What's next from Obama and the Dems

Now, I’m no conspiracy theorist type person. However, I have to say that it is quite apparent to me that Obama and his clan obviously have some long term plans to turn America into the next country to join the socialist European union. I see a large monster coming over the horizon, and that monster is the VAT.

What’s that? Never heard of it? You will. VAT stands for Value Added Tax. It is essentially a national sales tax. But it’s not that simple. It’s a tax that will greatly increase the cost of goods and services in America , driving more manufacturing overseas (which will probably end up having an import VAT anyway…go figure).

Here’s how the whole scheme works. Let’s take an item you might find at your local target…something lots of people have, and are starting to use more and more this time of year. It’s your friend and mine, the grill. I love my grill. My wife bought one for me for my birthday. We use it a lot. I made some great burgers on it last night, as a matter of fact.

Anyway, what the value added tax does is tax each level of production of that grill. Still confused? Yeah, so was I until someone explained it to me. Let’s use a basic Weber charcoal grill. First off, that grill is made out of metal. That metal has to be made in wherever it is made. The smelting/whatever plant that makes that metal pays for the raw materials. On top of that, they pay VAT. Ok, now they’ve made their metal things and sell those to Weber for the actual manufacturing of that grill. Weber pays the people that made that metal for the metal, and yet another VAT. Weber sells that grill to Target, who pays for the grill, and another VAT. You go to Target to buy a grill, because hey, it’s spring, it’s time to grill. You pay for that grill. You pay for the state income tax…AND you pay another VAT. The idea here is that whenever value is added to an product, there is an arbitrary tax put on that item, no matter what stage of the manufacturing process it is in.

Right there is 4 levels of taxation. That ends up being a lot of money. Sometimes 50% of the value of the item being sold. How do I know this? Well, I used to sell pro audio equipment for the tv and film industry. I had customers all over the world. Those poor guys in Europe had to pay a VAT for anything that came into the country. I was instructed by these guys to mark the value of whatever I had sold them significantly lower than what the item was actually valued at due to the VAT. If I sold a recorder that was $13,000 (yes, they cost that much), I had customers tell me to put the customs invoice at something like $1000 so they wouldn’t get raped on VAT.

I bet you are asking why the government would even consider something like a VAT. Well, since Obamacare has passed, and there is no way to pay for it, some people in government have been advocating the idea of a VAT. Remember that promise to not raise taxes on the middle class (which has already been broken) that Obama was touting during his campaign? Well, this VAT would break that promise in a big big way. I’m not saying it’s a sure thing, but the way things are going, it’s going to come up within the next few years for debate in congress. This would be a national sales tax on top of state sales tax.

Aren’t we taxed enough? To think that some people in government think this is a good idea shows just how out of touch with the real world they really are. I advocate for not paying income tax, but this VAT is something that couldn’t be avoided, just like sales tax. You can’t tell the people at target you refuse to pay the sales tax because it is morally objectionable. They’ll look at you like you have two heads. You can’t get out of it. That’s why websites like Amazon.com are so popular. I can buy stuff and not pay tax on it. It’s great. Maybe I’ll pay shipping, but most of the time the shipping is either free for super saver shipping or is less than tax.

Anyway, look for the VAT discussion within the next year or so. I’d be surprised if it isn’t at least floated out there as an idea to get people talking about some sort of tax increase on Americans. You know, to soften us up. Propose something that’s really bad, knowing it’ll go down in flames to only have us put up with some new tax that is only a little less offensive.

Another great piece not by me.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/04/paying_the_price_for_obama.html

Link to a great blog post

Since I'm really busy these days, and I keep up on another friend's blog, and that blog had a really interesting post recently, I had to share it with you fine folks.

Basically, it explains how there were lots of lies when it came to people calling congressmen "nigger" and spitting on the them and other things that just didn't happen when people were protesting the day of the health care vote.

Thanks to Richard Lightstone for this post. It's his blog, and he offers a great perspective on politics.

http://angelinoview.com/2010/04/02/the-left-is-out-to-get-you-and-the-tea-party/