Comments on: Let Foreigners Be President

By: navy sis

navy sis — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:43:16 +0000

Dang and I thought my husband was tall!

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:42:07 +0000

I go close to 6’6″

By: Snatch

Snatch — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:30:41 +0000

Mike Kilo’s pretty stout. Almost as much as me.

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:25:41 +0000

27: No, Sandy, that’s not what I’m talking about. What happens if or when the people who feed the machine decide to no longer feed it? What if all the people who could afford to do so disengaged, for a year or two, from any and all endeavors for which they could be taxed?

When/where did I call you extremist?

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 03:59:21 +0000

(I said it was rhetorical, dg. Now you’re making do more typing.)

Yeah, I know; and we’ve gone all through that a few times. I’m not naive about the political process, trust me. I just don’t like it. I’ve worked in several regulated industries, and I know we need more statesmen and fewer politicians.

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 03:48:47 +0000

I’m taller than Mike Kilo, but I’m wiry.

By: Snatch

Snatch — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 03:45:32 +0000

Nice Sh*t stick. I know a few libs around here who need an attitude adjustment:twisted:

By: dg

dg — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 03:44:04 +0000

RE: #46
“…how much butt-kissing, bowing, scraping, knob-polishing and genuflecting does someone, not on a certain committee, have to do to get something out of committee and onto the floor for a vote? I bet a lot of good legislation (and if it’s good it doesn’t matter from which side it originates) never see the light of day because of the games that go on.”

A lot of legislation dies because of politics, but there would be no way every member of congress (435 Congressmen; 100 Senators) could read and hear witnesses to every bill that is introduced. It is impossible. All bills are entitled to a public hearing. The committee system is the only way to give as many bills as possible the opportunity of a hearing.

You have the right to testify before congress about any legislation you wish. Do you have time to babysit every bill you want passed? Of course not. That’s why we hire lobbyists.

Lobbyists are hired by whatever special interest to babysit legislation through both houses of congress. The more money you spend, the more bills you can push (or kill) with your hired team of lobbyists.

Lobbyist can take legislators on trips or to dinners or whatever to encourage passage or defeat of a particluar bill.

Unions, Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood the ACLU, all have lobbyists. But they have less money than big corporations, so guess who has more lobbyists in Washington? And guess who has more money to spend on lavish gifts and entertainment? What isn’t covered by the state, is written off by the lobbying firm as a business expense.

My view has always been that whoever has the most money can most influence government. Big corporations have the most money and they support Republicans over Democrats 17 to 1. They have more money, which allows them to hire more lobbyists to pass more laws that WE have to live by.

Consider this; the pharmeceutical companies have 623 lobbyists for 535 members of congress. It’s no wonder drug costs are so high. It’s the same with oil companies, bankers, utility companies, etc.

Just follow the money.

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 03:42:56 +0000

75: I have a 6 D-cell mag lite with the jaw breaker handle and a 3-foot length of heavy chain. Just in case some attitudes need to be adjusted.

By: Snatch

Snatch — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 03:41:27 +0000

Hey, come on, I’m just a little guy. I’d bet Sasha would beat my ass all up and down the yellow brick road.

I’m a munchikin.