Friday, May 12, 2006

Liberals are the Real Conservatives

I consider myself to have a liberal viewpoint. I've noticed, however, especially since Bush took office, a lot of my ideas are much more conservative than his and other so-called conservatives. For example:

  • I believe in conserving natural resources, all of them, including fossil fuels and the environment. That should make me conservative, but the conservative position is not to conserve, but rather search for more whereever necessary including wilderness preserves. That's not conservative, it's wasteful and short-sighted.

  • I believe in fiscal responsibility, again a traditionally conservative viewpoint. If you had no frame of reference beyond the current administration, you would probably think otherwise. We have a higher deficit today than at any time in history and it's growing everyday. If we continue to send manufacturing jobs overseas, we are essentially giving money away with no chance of getting it back. The benefits of cheap products today are diminished by the future reality of our country being dependent on whatever country around the world (AKA the "global economy" by the conservatives) is willing the enslave a large portion of their population to work in the very same substandard, dangerous, and unacceptable conditions American workers rights groups have fought hard to eliminate.

  • I believe the taxes paid to the federal goverment should be used to benefit the people who paid them in the first place. I do not believe income is a fair way to assess taxes, however, and this is where I think I disagree with everyone . It makes more sense to have a federal sales tax. I've heard the argument this would disproportionally penalize low income earners and I disagree because it doesn't take into consideration black market income. A drug dealer may have a part-time job at McDonald's and get welfare from the government based on that income level, but spend the cash he makes dealing drugs without ever paying federal tax on it. According to the IRS, he is a low income earner, but most of his income will never be reported. I'm not suggesting that everyone in the low income bracket has a dubious source of income, but the same principle can be applied to illegal alien income and anyone who regularly receives tips.

    On the other end of the spectrum, a corporate CEO can buy a multi-million dollar property and take it as a deduction from his taxable income, thereby neutralizing his tax payment. If the tax was collected on purchases rather than income, no one would stop buying the things they are buying now, they would receive full compensation for their work and pay a little more for every purchase. Eliminating the current tax collecting policy is something that if ever implemented, needs to be handled by a competent administration, in other words, not the current one.

So while other points of view make me a Liberal like equal rights for everyone (which I'm sorry if you are a bigotted, hypocritical, right-wing Christian "Conservative", but everyone includes gays, lesbians, and those of ambigious sexual appearance), a woman's right to choose to have a baby or not, and the one that gets less attention, but is just plain common sense, marijuana legalization, I guess you can say I'm more conservative than "real" Conservatives, but it's really what makes me Independent.

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Thursday, May 11, 2006

Here Comes Kinky!

Kinky for GovernerKinky Friedman arrived in Austin today with more than enough signatures to add his name to the gubernatorial ballot as an Independent. For everyone who laughed at the idea of his candidacy this must be quite a surprise. For those of us, however, who are frustrated and disgusted at partisan bickering and the inabliity to accomplish even the most banal task, here's a fresh perspective at last!

While Kinky may look like an old Texas cowpoke, you only need to listen to realize he may indeed be our next Governor. The other formerly Republican now so-called Independent, Carole Strahorn, will manage, I'm sure, to alienate REAL Independents by continuing to pretend she's among us. Sorry Grandma, it takes more than realizing you have absolutely no chance of wrestling the Republican nomination away from Rick Perry, especially with two of your sons employed by W himself (oops, make that one, bye bye Scott) for you to be Independent.

Real Independents choose candidates based on the individual issues thay stand for. We vote for candidates, not parties.
One of Kinky's strongest issues is advocating the use of bio-deisel and he's got a lot of high profile friends to help with fundraising. For years Kinky's Utopia Ranch outside San Antonio has been an animal sanctuary with both Ann Richards and (cringe) Laura Bush on the board of directors. So for those of you who laughed when I said I was voting for Kinky, buckle your seatbelts, you're in for a bumpy ride. Texas politics is getting Kinky!

Kinky's Top Issues:
  • The state of our public education system,
  • The lack of affordable healthcare for Texas children,
  • Our border relations with Mexico, and
  • Our reliance on foreign fuels, which would be lessened by the introduction of renewable energy sources such as biodiesel and ethanol.

Other Issues:
  • Kinky believes in a woman's right to choose.
  • Kinky supports gay marriage and equal rights for homosexuals.
  • Kinky is not anti-death-penalty, but he IS "anti-the-wrong-guy-getting-executed."
  • Kinky favors optional, non-denominational prayer in school.

Kinky for Governer website

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Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Demand More of U.S. Automakers

I've gotten into the habit of flipping over to CSPAN every time Bush holds a press conference. Today while the mainstream media was covering his briefing, I watched the House Committee on Energy & Commerce session on Gasoline Prices, Supply, and Specifications. Amazingly, committee chair Rep. Joe Barton (R) Texas responded to comments by Mark Cooper (Director, Consumer Federation of America, Research) regarding the need for increased research, development, implementation, and integration of renewable and sustainable non-fossil fuel energy sources by suggesting he had not addressed the need for increased oil refining capacity in the U.S. market. He also questioned why Cooper was not advocating exploration and drilling in ANWAR and other areas to increase U.S. oil sources.

When will elected officials stop pandering to lobbyists and realize there is a finite amount of fossil fuel available? Not only are fossil fuel emmisions directly responsible for increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we are, as a country effectively passing on the opportunity to lead the world into a better, healthier, and less damaging future. The business of energy has been focused for so long on fossil fuels they seem to have not only lost the ability to comprehend any other technology, they have lost the ability to be competitive in ways other than "tightening the market" by reducing capacity.

What happened to American ingenuity? Has the executive class really gotten so lazy they can only see what's directly in front of them? They should see this opportunity for what it is: the chance to be innovative. We've already fallen behind Brazil in the ethanol race, can we stand by and watch from the sidelines as other "third world" countries make leaps and bounds in the alternative energy market?

We as consumers have the power whether we realize it or not. Instead of continuing to buy vehicles with low fuel efficiency standards that operate solely on gasoline, we should demand that U.S. automakers make vehicles available without waiting for government legislation.

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Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Increased Illegal Immigration a Symptom of the Failure of NAFTA

Back in the early 90's I was a supporter of NAFTA. This was, of course, before I had the opportunity to read the full text. At the time I believed the way to promote a better way of life for the citizens of Mexico was to enable a free trade environment, reducing taffifs and trade barriers. What I didn't know was that greedy U.S. multi-national corporations were salivating over the opportunity to dump their lazy, overpaid American workers in favor of building factories in Mexico and Central America then filling them with workers who should be grateful for the pittance they would be paid.

Now, 10 years later, armed with cafefully selected data proving the limitless benefits of NAFTA, no one in the U.S. government can explain why Mexicans by the millions are willing to die in the desert rather than stay in their own country. If NAFTA is so beneficial, why are they willing to emigrate at any cost?

While I do have a certain degree of empathy for anyone willing to work hard to improve their quality of life, I cannot support amnesty for people who have chosen to break into the United States even if they do just "get to go to the end of the legalization process line". It is equivalent to breaking in, setting up residency in someone else's house, then expecting the homeowner to accept me and pay for the emergency room when I get sick because I sent all my money somewhere else.

While there is a provision in NAFTA dealing with labor standards, they don't seem to be working. The news coverage of illegal immigrants demanding preferential treatment yesterday was proof of that. They should be demanding a better quality of life in their own countries, not disrespecting the American people who followed the rules to become legal citizens. It is a privilege to become a citizen of the United States, not a right. Giving birth to an "anchor baby" is a despicable way to try to stay in this country. I respect my friends who waited years to take their citizenship test and were so proud to become Americans. My ancestors came to the United States, not by sneaking in, but emigrated from Europe, learned English, and waited many years to become citizens.

The fact that America has millions of illegal aliens is only a symptom of a much larger problem. The problem is that the United States government has nurtured a business trade policy where it is not only allowed, but expected that cheap foreign labor is necessary to maintain the standard of living. Instead of leading by example, rewarding companies for manufacturing on U.S. soil and treating American workers fairly and honestly, our elected officials are selling the country to the lowest bidder by giving tax breaks to businesses outsourcing American jobs. Average Americans could not survive without their credit cards. Illegal aliens are not taking jobs Americans don't want to do, they are taking jobs American teens used to do, and adults would do for a better wage. They are driving wages down.

America is the land of opportunity, but it is no longer self-sustaining. Without cheap foreign manufacturing most Americans could not afford to live here. The manufacturing jobs lost in the past decade will likely never return, but we should take the opportunity now to replace those with advances in sustainable and renewable energy technologies. Our dependence on foreign products and fossil fuels is a much bigger problem that will further reduce our ability to deal not only with the illegal alien problem, but every other problem facing the country. It is nonsense to think amnesty or a path to legal citizenship for people who have already broken the law will solve the problem.

If we truly value freedom and democracy we will insist that our lawmakers effectively enforce our borders with Canada and Mexico and heavily sanction employers who hire illegal aliens. Instead of blind acceptance, every American should make a conscious decision to stop supporting businesses who outsource to cheap foreign labor markets, hire illegal aliens, and incorporate in foreign tax havens to avoid paying U.S. taxes. Be proud to be an American by supporting America.

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Blame Yourself

Everyday there is a new political bandwagon to jump on, and today it is once again the price of gas. Instead of analyzing the problems which created the energy shortage in the 1970's and finding a comprehensive solution, American car makers built bigger vehicles and we bought them. Now that we are once again facing an energy shortage with the increased demand of Chinese and Indian drivers, we are still trying to find someone else to blame for our own failure to demand alternative fuels. The US auto makers are increasingly losing market share to forward thinking foreign competitors, laying off American workers in favor of cheap labor outsourcing, and scratching their heads trying to figure out where they went wrong.

Most Americans think of our South American neighbor Brazil as a third world country. No longer, my friend. The leaders in Brazil did something American politicians have been unable to do and that is to learn from their mistakes. They stopped repeating the conventional wisdom here in America (I'll repeat again it in case you haven't heard it 10,000 too many times - "the solution to the energy problem is increased exploration and refinement capacity" - 10,001 now and it still isn't true) and found a real solution to make their entire vehicular population run on sugar cane ethanol. And surprise! They are driving GM flex-fuel vehicles. Brazil will be energy independent by the end of 2006. It can be done here too, but not by staying the course and continuing to rely on fossil fuels as our primary source of energy.

If you want to point the finger of blame at someone you only need to look in the mirror. Look at your car, look how and where you drive it, and try to remember the last time you walked more than a few feet to get somewhere. It's so easy to jump into your gas-guzzler to drive a couple of blocks. Get off your fat ass, out of your car, and walk. This country also has an obesity epidemic and you are the problem. You could be a small part of the solution by simply walking more and driving less.

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