Among the Green Leaves

"Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manners and of morals engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."

Political Observations" (1795-04-20); also in Letters and Other Writings of James Madison (1865), Vol. IV, p. 491

in the current debate (if it can truly be called a debate due to the clueless not understanding the meaning of the word) about health care in this country there have been townhall meetings. during these meetings there has been a proliferation of people using the word NAZI to describe the president and his policies.

my question is this to those who are making said comparison:

when did adolph hitler push for health care reform for europe?

auto bailout talks collapse

the washington post is reporting that there will not be a bailout for the automakers. seems the UAW wasn't willing to cut pay for its members to parity with the nonunion workers on US soil for toyota and honda.

i wonder just how far stocks are going to fall tomorrow. 500 points? 750? 1000?

~sigh

i was finally getting a little of my previous losses over the last four months back. i suppose i shall wave goodbye to it when the bell rings in the morning.

methinks there will be violence as a result of this. historically, there always is.

Construction of Imperial Valley water reservoir begins l.a. times.

a reservoir is being constructed in the imperial valley to store water that would otherwise be "lost" to mexico. here are some choice quotes from the article.

But it will mean less water for Mexico, where farmers and cities are suffering from drought and a leaky infrastructure that has trouble delivering water to its customers.

For decades, the United States has allowed Mexico to receive more water from the Colorado River than it was assured under a 1944 treaty.

oh, and this choice one.

"It's not Mexico's water," said Stella Mendoza, a member of the Imperial Irrigation District board. "It's California's water. Mexico has been using it for free all these years. They should have realized that someday it would stop."

isn't the water coming from colorado? doesn't that make it colorado's water. yeah, i know. there are water agreements/treaties, what have you.

this does not bode well for the future.

hmmm... let's see what the bailout in addition to further making this a socialist country contains in the bill according to CNN.

oh, lookie!

Archery

The proposal includes an excise tax exemption for a very specific type of arrow used by child archers. The estimated cost of the proposal is $2M over ten years.

Oregon senators Ron Wyden, a Democrat, and Gordon Smith, Republican were the initial sponsors of the arrow provision. According to Bloomberg News, the earmark provision would be worth $200K to Rose City Archery in Myrtle Point, OR.

Cyclists

A measure would cost taxpayers $10M would allow employees to provide benefits to employees who commute to work via bicycle, such as help buying or maintaining a bicycle.

Movies

In order to keep movie production in the US, production companies would be allowed to deduct the cost of producing the films from their taxes. Rep Diane Watson, Democrat from California, has been one of the program's biggest supports, the measure would cost taxpayers $478M over ten years.

Racetrack

Owners of a motor sports racetrack follow a seven year depreciation schedule and write each year's depreciation off their taxes. The IRS wanted to increase the depreciation timetable to 15 years, which would mean the track owner's depreciation would be cut in half.

The measure in the bill keeps the seven-year depreciation schedule for two years and would cost the taxpayers $100M.

Rum

One measure provides a tax break on rum from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It would cost taxpayers $192M.

A $13.50 per gallon excise tax is placed on rum imported into the US. The measure extends to December 31, 2009 a refund of $13.25 per gallon tax back to PR and the Virgin Islands. The refund has been in place since the early 1990s.

Wool

The bill includes a measure that would help US worsted wool fabric makers and clothing manufacturers. The bill extends provisions through 2014 or 2015 that were originally sponsored by Res Louise Slaughter, D-NY and Melissa Bean, D-Illinois, in 2007. The measure would cost taxpayers $148M.

today i joined the ACLU

why? because i am pissed. i am tired of the loss of commonsense in this country. this is no longer a country i am proud to be a citizen of.

the impetus?

this article in the NY times

A Hong Kong computer programmer who had legally resided in the US for 15 years (since he was 17) and fathered two American children went for his final green card interview and was locked up, detained until he died of cancer that the DHS refused to treat him for. He had overstayed a visa (the DHS sent a key notice to the wrong address), and this prompted the DHS to lock him away and demand that he waive all right to immigration appeal and be immediately deported. In detention, his complaints of excruciating back pain were treated as fakery, and he was dragged around in shackles after he lost the ability to walk, taken on long, bumpy drives while official demanded that he drop his immigration appeals. The jailers who caused his death were private contractors with fat deals with the DHS to lock up immigration detainees.

As he lay dying, his family -- wife and two children, aged 1 and 3 -- were denied access to him while the warden considered their request to visit.

"Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses..."

the united states is no different than china, darfur, russia, north korea or any one of a number of countries we look down our noses at and "tut tut".

some interesting tidbit i read in the news.

the possiblity of chelsea clinton running for prez.

ok, let me get this straight. should hillary clinton prevail and become prez through some miracle, she could conceivably be elected to two terms. chelsea could run and be elected as she will be of age to be eligible at that point.

no. please. no.

this country is a democracy, not a monarchy. we do not need a dynasty in the white house!