Polimom writes about something that’s always gnawed at me. The polarized 2-party system we have in this country doesn’t allow enough candidates whose views are actually in alignment with their constituents rather than the party bosses to make it through the process. The surge in special interest money that drives this polarization hasn’t been effectively…
Category: Politics
Space Cowboy
Dubya evidently doesn’t think being a black-clad gunslinger here on Earth is enough, judging by a couple of juicy quotes lifted from the administration’s still partially-classified space policy docment. Consistent with this policy, the United States will: preserve its rights, capabilities, and freedom of action in space; dissuade or deter others from either impeding those…
Dave Winer, Geek Equivalent of Babs Streisand?
I’ve been reading Scripting News for a good while now because Dave Winer, best known as an evangelist for RSS, is a techno-dilletante extraordinaire and seems to be leading the life every geek (like me) longs for. But that’s not what’s interesting at the moment; DW’s recent political coming out is. Witness this piece, this…
Gay Republicans: To Purge or Not to Purge
The answer clearly is the former. Republicans have, at incredible volume, trumpeted themselves as the defenders of American family values and the champions of the Christian plurality for so long that their betrayal absolutely reeks of the worst kind of hypocracy. Six months ago the idea of voting for a Democrat wouldn’t have entered my…
Congress and Its Dirty Tricks
Declan McCullagh agrees with me that Congress is screwing us by lumping unrelated spending measures and regulations together with other bills. Specifically, McCullah lists the following tech-related measures that may come home to roost soon if Congress isn’t stopped: The Real ID Act, which creates a national ID card starting in 2008, was glommed on…
Illegal Immigration, V
In previous posts I’ve discussed the illegal immigration situation and offered a couple of directed suggestions that might help to reduce the problem. But it’s fair to say that cutting off access to medical facilities and schools won’t solve the problem completely; only a comprehensive strategy can do that. However, as the folks in A.A….
Robert X. Cringely Rant
Robert X. Cringely tells it like it is re Congress’ recent stupid action. But there have been so many lately! From the essay: Last Saturday the United States Congress passed a port security bill that carried an amendment banning Internet gambling. This was a huge mistake, not because Internet gambling is a good thing (it…
Illegal Immigration, IV
As discussed previously, illegal immigration is (still) a crime in this country. While some would paint those in opposition to illegals as being mean-spirited, it’s really a question of cost to those of us who have to bear them. There is also the much-discussed question of security, not from the migrant workers who are the…
Republicans Have Failed Our Trust
One always has to take the NY Times with a grain of salt, but the latest reports that Republican leaders in the House of Representatives knew about an improper relationship between Rep. Mark Foley and an underage male page has the stench of truth about it. Now that they’ve been found out, Majority Leader John…
Illegal Immigration, III
Illegal immigration is fueled by the illegals’ desire to find work that pays a decent – this being a relative term, you understand – wage to provide a better life for themselves and their families and American business’ desire to cut costs. In industries like farming, dairy, etc., illegals’ lower wages can mean the difference…