....well, maybe I', not anymore. I don't agree with much of that.
Although....the business about moving jobs out of America and big companies paying less in taxes: If we tax the hell out of a big company, we encourage them to go abroad. Tax incentives for big business are a lure to keep that business in America where they generate jobs and revenue. There is no way to enforce another solution that isn't some kind of ultimatim, like "you move out of the country and we will ban your imports." That becomes a trade barrier and we don't want those - prices on everything will skyrocket.
Cities will often offer incentives to get big companies to move in. Indianapolis recently got the NCAA home office, and we gave them some goodies to choose here instead of someplace else. They bring in jobs, sporting events, etc. People need to realize that corporate tax credits are necessary evils.
Racial profiling - should be made legal. The Israelis do it to the arabs and look how safe their airline is. We Americans are absolutely stupid about race. It is one of those issues constantly pushed to the front by radicals who will never be happy and can never be pacified. I'll give you an example: When I was in college, a local computer store put flyers around campus encouraging student sto buy a new computer. The hook was that is showed a "naked" student, striking the "oh my gosh, I'm naked in public!" pose, but with a big banner covering up any hint of naughtiness. Somewhere on the ad it said "Going to college without a computer is like going to class naked!" No problems, right? The model was a young black man and it caused quite a stir - local black leaders were appalled, naturally. Even the model, who was actually a student there, said he didn't feel exploited and that he was happy it was a black student because it implied that he (a black man) was going to college, which he saw as a positive. Still, plenty of people were happy to step up and tell him how he didn't know enough to be offended and didn't realize he was being exploited. The story lasted in the school paper for weeks.
Look, if young black men in a certain kind of vehicle are shown to be more likely to be breaking the law, then we would be stupid to turn a blind eye to it because of this oversensitivity to race. Yes, there is a problem when more blacks are being arrested than whites, but the problem isn't with enforcement.
In short - Bush is a crook, Saddam needed to be killed but it wasn't our job, and Israel needs to learn how to live with it's neighbors. Thank you, come again.
Israel needs to learn how to live with it's neighbors
Actually, we need to stop being hypocrites and telling Israel it can't beat the hell out of the terrorists attacking THEM the way we felt we were justified in attacking Afghanistan and Iraq. Imagine 9/11 had taken 100,000 American lives. Adjusted for population differences, that's the number of Israelis who've died since the latest Intifada started. At least last I checked. It's no doubt higher now.
But, hey, they have to 'play nice with their neighbors' - when they are in imminent danger of attack at any time - but we don't have to abide by the same rule. It's okay for us to ship our troops half-way around the world on some kind of commando tent-raid to avenge 9/11? Bullshit. If Israel reacted the same way WE do to terror, there'd be little left in the Middle East except a smiling tribe of Jews, who'd be in control of all the oil.
Hey, I'm not saying HOW they need to do it, but as long as the US supports Israel, and Israel continues this namby-pamby billshit, America will take the hurt from these camel fuckers. The US needs to get our intrests out of there, and if that includes cutting off Israel from the MASSIVE aid we give them, then so be it.
Yeah, Israel is in a shitty position, but they need to find a solution because it is costing American lives as well as Israeli lives. If it happens to be a "final solution" then that's just the height of irony. Israel won't have peace until they A: kill all arabs, B: are eliminated themsleves (the grave is mighty peaceful), C: give the Palestinians a homeland and quit fucking with them (and even then they'll get he occasional jerkoff with a Semtex jock strap), or D: enclose themselves in a wall high enough and thick enough to actually keep them separated from the rest of the world. I don't think the Jews and Muslims are mature enough or forgiving enough to live together now, and I understand both sides of the argument.
America should not be in Iraq and it shouldn't be used as an example of what is OK. We need to just take Israel off the leash and let them choose their own path, for good or ill.
i was referring more to this case (http://www.courttv.com/news/2004/0414/dna_ap.html) than airline security.
police in virginia are looking for a black male suspect in a rape case, so are cheek-swabbing all the black males they can get their hands on. that would be fine if they did the same in all cases (the police spokesperson in the article syas that they'd do the same if the suspect were white, asian, or female) - but the fact is, they don't.
uneven enforcement is the problem. it's not as though whites, asians, and females don't commit crimes, even violent ones, in vrigina.
I don't see a problem. They aren't canvasing the street and knocking on doors (hey, ya got any black men in there?) - they are responding to reasonable (well, I guess tat is debatable) suspicion that the guy might fit some of the facts of the case. If he was white and this was going on, we would never have heard about it.
If there is a rapist in my building and the woman describes him as fat, balding and dead sexy, then I'll be happy to provide the swab to prove my innocence (cuz I'm just about the only guy in here who fits the description, and it wouldn't be me.) Hell, I'd be happy to give them the sample and have them keep it on file. Maybe someday it will be needed. I'm smart enough to know that gov't has no reason to keep tabs on me for anything other than extraordinary reasons, so I'm not concerned about Big Brother.
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ninetydegrees
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additions to the list
- it's wrong to be different, and
- racial profiling is a-ok.
i weep for our nation.
As a republican.....
Although....the business about moving jobs out of America and big companies paying less in taxes: If we tax the hell out of a big company, we encourage them to go abroad. Tax incentives for big business are a lure to keep that business in America where they generate jobs and revenue. There is no way to enforce another solution that isn't some kind of ultimatim, like "you move out of the country and we will ban your imports." That becomes a trade barrier and we don't want those - prices on everything will skyrocket.
Cities will often offer incentives to get big companies to move in. Indianapolis recently got the NCAA home office, and we gave them some goodies to choose here instead of someplace else. They bring in jobs, sporting events, etc. People need to realize that corporate tax credits are necessary evils.
Racial profiling - should be made legal. The Israelis do it to the arabs and look how safe their airline is. We Americans are absolutely stupid about race. It is one of those issues constantly pushed to the front by radicals who will never be happy and can never be pacified. I'll give you an example: When I was in college, a local computer store put flyers around campus encouraging student sto buy a new computer. The hook was that is showed a "naked" student, striking the "oh my gosh, I'm naked in public!" pose, but with a big banner covering up any hint of naughtiness. Somewhere on the ad it said "Going to college without a computer is like going to class naked!" No problems, right? The model was a young black man and it caused quite a stir - local black leaders were appalled, naturally. Even the model, who was actually a student there, said he didn't feel exploited and that he was happy it was a black student because it implied that he (a black man) was going to college, which he saw as a positive. Still, plenty of people were happy to step up and tell him how he didn't know enough to be offended and didn't realize he was being exploited. The story lasted in the school paper for weeks.
Look, if young black men in a certain kind of vehicle are shown to be more likely to be breaking the law, then we would be stupid to turn a blind eye to it because of this oversensitivity to race. Yes, there is a problem when more blacks are being arrested than whites, but the problem isn't with enforcement.
In short - Bush is a crook, Saddam needed to be killed but it wasn't our job, and Israel needs to learn how to live with it's neighbors. Thank you, come again.
Re: As a republican.....
Actually, we need to stop being hypocrites and telling Israel it can't beat the hell out of the terrorists attacking THEM the way we felt we were justified in attacking Afghanistan and Iraq. Imagine 9/11 had taken 100,000 American lives. Adjusted for population differences, that's the number of Israelis who've died since the latest Intifada started. At least last I checked. It's no doubt higher now.
But, hey, they have to 'play nice with their neighbors' - when they are in imminent danger of attack at any time - but we don't have to abide by the same rule. It's okay for us to ship our troops half-way around the world on some kind of commando tent-raid to avenge 9/11? Bullshit. If Israel reacted the same way WE do to terror, there'd be little left in the Middle East except a smiling tribe of Jews, who'd be in control of all the oil.
Re: As a republican.....
Yeah, Israel is in a shitty position, but they need to find a solution because it is costing American lives as well as Israeli lives. If it happens to be a "final solution" then that's just the height of irony. Israel won't have peace until they A: kill all arabs, B: are eliminated themsleves (the grave is mighty peaceful), C: give the Palestinians a homeland and quit fucking with them (and even then they'll get he occasional jerkoff with a Semtex jock strap), or D: enclose themselves in a wall high enough and thick enough to actually keep them separated from the rest of the world. I don't think the Jews and Muslims are mature enough or forgiving enough to live together now, and I understand both sides of the argument.
America should not be in Iraq and it shouldn't be used as an example of what is OK. We need to just take Israel off the leash and let them choose their own path, for good or ill.
Re: As a republican.....
i was referring more to this case (http://www.courttv.com/news/2004/0414/dna_ap.html) than airline security.
police in virginia are looking for a black male suspect in a rape case, so are cheek-swabbing all the black males they can get their hands on. that would be fine if they did the same in all cases (the police spokesperson in the article syas that they'd do the same if the suspect were white, asian, or female) - but the fact is, they don't.
uneven enforcement is the problem. it's not as though whites, asians, and females don't commit crimes, even violent ones, in vrigina.
Re: As a republican.....
If there is a rapist in my building and the woman describes him as fat, balding and dead sexy, then I'll be happy to provide the swab to prove my innocence (cuz I'm just about the only guy in here who fits the description, and it wouldn't be me.) Hell, I'd be happy to give them the sample and have them keep it on file. Maybe someday it will be needed. I'm smart enough to know that gov't has no reason to keep tabs on me for anything other than extraordinary reasons, so I'm not concerned about Big Brother.
Re: As a republican.....
the point is, if he was white, this wouldn't be going on.
it's not like cases where they have a description of the person and a reasonable suspicion, as you mentioned above.
I'm smart enough to know that gov't has no reason to keep tabs on me for anything other than extraordinary reasons
....i really wish i could believe that.
but i don't.