1.28.2005

Racism and Social Security...

By using blacks' low life expectancy as an argument for privatization, Mr. Bush is in effect taking it as a given that 40 or 50 years from now, large numbers of African-Americans will still be dying before their time.
Is this an example of what Mr. Bush famously called "the soft bigotry of low expectations?" Maybe not: it isn't particularly soft to treat premature black deaths not as a tragedy we must end but as just another way to push your ideological agenda. But bigotry - yes, that sounds like the right word.


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/28/opinion/28krugman.html?th

1.27.2005

Esslinger on Racism....

One of the many reasons I do not support his candidacy for Oshkosh Mayor.

http://www.wordexchange.net/eyeonoshkosh/racism.htm

Politically Correct Racism
(editorial submitted by Paul Esslinger, Feb. 03, 2003)

The following letter I’m sure will upset some people (liberals), but I wanted to touch on something that has been in the news lately, affirmative action, which I call politically correct racism. I’m sure I’ll even be labeled a racist, but that’s usually what happens when liberals don’t like what you say, it just defaults to “you’re a racist.”

I watched with interest the latest edition of Eye on Oshkosh, with Chancellor Wells as the guest. I was very pleased with what the Chancellor had said about the involvement of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in regards to the Meritor/AxelTech situation. It is obvious the Chancellor is very concerned about the workers, the potential losses of employment for the City of Oshkosh and, of course, the university. Therefore, the majority of the show (about 25 minutes of the 30 minutes) was great.

Now I have had the great pleasure to meet Chancellor Wells. He has a great many attributes: He is intelligent, he takes his job very seriously, and has not only opened the doors of the University to the community, but has opened the doors to his office directly. He also realizes that the City of Oshkosh and the university need to work hand in hand with many issues like the possible development of the riverfront near the university.

The problem I had with the Chancellor was the answer he gave when asked about why he had a problem with the Bush Administration’s lawsuit with the University of Michigan in regards to their affirmative action policy. I think the Chancellor has fallen into the same trap many have fallen into, which is we need to give minorities special treatment to get them ahead in life.
Now I thought that allowing someone to have an advantage because of the color of his or her skin, or sex was racism and sexism, isn’t it? Then why do we allow minorities to have preferential treatment when applying for jobs or college?

I’m sure the liberals are going to say, “it’s because they have an unfair advantage growing up, and that they don’t have access to good schools, etc., etc., etc.” This argument is nonsense. The business and political world have several minorities doing a great job, and not because of some ridiculous affirmative action policy, or because of some other tax-loving government program.
In Oshkosh alone we have several minorities in prominent positions, or have served in prominent positions (Eileen Connely-Keesler: Executive Director or the Oshkosh Community Foundation, Ron Montgomery: former Winnebago County Board Supervisor, Carla Craig: former Chair of the Oshkosh Chamber Board of Directors, Melanie Bloechl: former Mayor of Oshkosh, Jane Van De Hey: Winnebago County Executive) The list goes on, but I think you get the point. I’m sure these people got where they are/were because they worked their butts off, and didn’t ask for any special help.

In Wisconsin we now have a minority as the Attorney General, Peg Lautenschlager, and nationally we have several minorities in the Bush Administration.

With the global economy we have in the world, and the competition that the U.S. has, we cannot afford to ask, “what color skin do you have, or what sex are you” when applying for a job, or applying for college. Other industrialized countries don’t ask what color skin they have, or what sex they are, they find out whose the most qualified, and put them in the position.
There are some intelligent minorities that realize that affirmative is really an insult. I remember one African American on a talk show who said, and I’ll paraphrase; by having affirmative action, you’re telling me that I’m too stupid to get ahead in the world so you need to give me an advantage because of my skin color. I’ve been hearing other minorities saying the same thing.
Why can’t we just put everybody on the same playing field, and don’t give ANYONE any advantages? You should win by being the best at what you do, not because of your skin color, or sex.

If affirmative action is supposed to make things equal, then I guess some people will just be a little more equal than others are.

1.25.2005

Torture in Iraq still routine, report says

Torture in Iraq still routine, report says
Detainees beaten, shocked by Iraqi jailers, rights group finds


Legal safeguards are being ignored, political opponents are targeted for arrest, and the government of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi "appears to be actively taking part, or is at least complicit, in these grave violations of fundamental human rights," the report concludes.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6863916/

Does this mean we need to invade again to free the Iraqi people?

Let's go to the tally of reasons for the war:

WMD = None
Connection to Al Quaeda = None
Gassed his own people = Saddam did that when he was our ally

Freeing the Iraqi peopl is all that is left, and that is now 100% false as well.

1.24.2005

Buyer's Remorse....

"At age 40, he suddenly pushed the bottle away. Good for him. Most people who booze their way to middle age pay a price in terms of career or family, but since his last name is Bush, all was forgotten. He boarded the gravy train two years later by buying a $600,000 stake in the Texas Rangers and later selling it for $14 million. His spectacular return was courtesy of the Arlington, Tex., taxpayers, who funded the new stadium that inflated Bush's investment (Arlington's taxpayers are to Bush as Teresa Heinz is to Kerry)."

Where was this 3 months ago?

More at:

http://www.tomahjournal.com/articles/2005/01/24/opinion/02rundiocolumn.txt
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0501230406jan23,1,5380526.story?coll=chi-business-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

For anyone that thinks the new integrated world economy is easy......

By the Numbers: The U.S. After 4 Years of Bush

By the Numbers: The U.S. After 4 Years of Bush
January 20, 2005

Poverty Rate2000:
11.3% or 31.6 million Americans
2003: 12.5% or 35.9 million Americans

Stock market

Dow Jones Industrial Average
1/19/01: 10,587.59
1/19/05: 10,539.97

NASDAQ
1/19/01: 2,770.38
1/19/05: 2,073.59

S&P 500
1/19/01: 1,342.54
1/19/05: 1,184.63

Value of the Dollar
1/19/01: 1 Dollar = 1.06 Euros
1/19/05: 1 Dollar = 0.77 Euros

Budget
2000 budget surplus $236.4 billion
2004 budget deficit $412.6 billion
That's a shift of $649 billion and doesn't include the cost of the Iraq war.
Cost of the war in Iraq$150.8 billion

American Casualties in Iraq
Deaths: 1,369
Wounded: 10,252

The Debt
End of 2000: $5.7 trillion
Today: $7.6 trillion
That's a 4 year increase of 33%