NJ: in-state tuition at public colleges and “driving privilege cards” for illegal aliens

Friday, January 9, 2009

http://lonegan.com/Where_Steve_Stands.aspx  

*** begin quote ***

NO IN-STATE TUITION AND DRIVERS LICENSES FOR ILLEGALS!

Last night I was on Fox 5 News talking about a report from a Corzine-stacked panel of left-wing liberals endorsing in-state tuition at public colleges and “driving privilege cards” for illegal aliens.

I strongly oppose these ideas and have urged legislative Republicans to stand united against these proposals.

There’s no doubt that state spending is out of control and needs to be reduced, not increased as the in-state tuition proposal would do. And giving illegal aliens drivers licenses — regardless of the name, not only makes our state a magnet for illegal aliens who are a net drain on taxpayers, but also tells our children that the law is a joke.

One potential candidate against me in the primary has endorsed the Corzine Administration position that illegal aliens are “here to stay” and we should give them not just amnesty but the same rights as those who came here legally. I respectfully disagree. Strong enforcement actions in states like Arizona have completely turned around an out-of-control situation where illegal aliens were straining social service budgets and creating enormous burdens on the health care system.

As a society we must send a message that those who laugh at our laws will not be coddled any more. The politically correct liberal way has failed and New Jersey is the best example anywhere of that. While conservatives in Congress like Scott Garrett will be working to stop Illegal Alien Amnesty in the next two years, we can take steps right here in New Jersey to tell those here illegally to go somewhere else and that is to end government benefits to illegal aliens — not expand them.

It’s as simple as that.

*** end quote ***

Well, there are many problems in the whole area of immigration.

I don’t want to put a plastic garbage bag over the Statue of Liberty.

As a little L libertarian, I think there are so many issues with all that the gooferment does. Force creates problems.

Why is the gooferment involved in education and “licensing” driving in the first place?

Let’s take the in-state tuition issue. Why is the state gooferment involved in it at all? Spin them off to survive on their own. End of a political issue. And, a whole lot of bureaucrats are now out in the economy.

Let’s take the “licensing issue”. Why is the state gooferment involved in it at all? Insurance companies might care. We care (supposedly) that all cars are insured. (Ignores the fact that I’ve heard that ¼ of the cars on the road are uninsured.) So, let’s outsource DMV licensing (and registration) to the insurance companies.  End of a political issue. And, a whole lot of bureaucrats are now out in the economy.

Seems obvious to me!

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RANT: Judge Green’s Bell breakup did more than ruin people’s lives.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

FROM LINKEDIN

News Discussion: AT&T Alumni
Does the AT&T Break UP Still Matter? – NYTimes.com
From: New York Times | December 19, 2008

*** begin quote ***

   When AT&T grudgingly agreed to break itself up 25 years ago, it was seen as a truly momentous event in the history of the teleco Read more at New York Times »

*** end quote ***

Gene Russell
   * This article was submitted on December 19, 2008 at 09:00 AM PST

*** begin quote ***

I wrote the marketing and financial sections of the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph “Evaluation of Post Divestiture Provision of Customer Premises Equipment” Business Plan while on Jim Moberg’s team reporting to Sam Ginn. Ultimately many of Judge Green’s rules and regulations destroyed a lot of business strength and growth opportunities. For example the newly minted baby Bells were prohibited from manufacturing telephone equipment i.e. CPE. Ultimately we went off shore and created an intense stream of jobs to go away. We went to LG in Korea, some minor players in Hong Kong and ultimately to China. This lightly written and short article needs a much more serious study and review of all aspects of the break up, the restrictive rules imposed by a Judge without a business background. Many people speak about the break up in terms of their personal experience with their phone and phone service. The deeper industrial and corporate wastage and inefficiencies need to be given serous academic review. PhD proposal anyone?

By Gene Russell President and CEO

*** end quote ***

I know first hand the personal disruption this caused. Family and friends were hurt. I landed on my feet. In some ways, much better off. However, those friends and family never recovered. My mom was forced out after 45 years. She was expecting to work for another 5 years. They did give her 2 years pay. But, she was “her job” and never recovered. My friend was bounced around, ill-treated in the spin outs, and basically tossed. He was out for several years trying to find a slot. There went his “retirement”.

As a country, having been at the Labs a few times, that was the country’s crown jewel. That was nuked.

Western Electric, the manufacturing arm, was nuked as well.

A tremendous cost in people, hardware, and potential.

Down the drain by a bureaucrat in a funny dress.

Argh!

Collective stupidity.

Supposedly to save money?

I just shake my head.

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INTERESTING: Historians battle Wal-Mart over key Civil War site

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090102/D95F79I00.html

Historians battle Wal-Mart over key Civil War site
Jan 2, 3:06 PM (ET)
By STEVE SZKOTAK

*** begin quote ***

LOCUST GROVE, Va. (AP) – Wal-Mart wants to build a Supercenter within a cannonshot of where Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant first fought, a proposal that has preservationists rallying to protect the key Civil War site.

*** end quote ***

Can’t preserve everything? Can’t deny WalMart and the benefits of Chinese plastics?

And, the local politicians need the money!

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VETS: Closing the Speicher Case? The People need to “help” the politicians and bureaucrats!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2009/01/closing-speicher-case.html

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Closing the Speicher Case?

*** begin quote ***

The Navy will hold a hearing Monday on the status of Captain Scott Speicher, the F/A-18 pilot who disappeared on the opening night of Operation Desert Storm almost 18 years ago.

Members of the Speicher family believe that Navy Secretary Donald Winter is moving toward changing the aviator’s status from missing/captured to killed. Speicher was initially listed as killed in the hours after his jet went down over Iraq in January 1991. However, his status was changed to “missing in action,” based on an absence of evidence that he died.

A decade later, in October 2002, the service revised Speicher’s status again, listing him as “missing/captured,” although the Navy never explained the reason for the change. The revision came just months before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

*** end quote ***

Now no one would suspect that the Navy might want to save a few bucks. I smell politics between the “pentagon perfumed princes” and “congress critters”.

But then I am always suspicious of them and their actions. It’s not like the put servicemen first.

We, the People, need to “help” them understand that they can’t sweep this out of view!

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RANT: More spending covered by “tax cuts”. Argh!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

http://online.wsj.com?mod=djemalertNEWS

From: “WSJ.com Editors” <access@interactive.wsj.com>
Date: January 4, 2009 6:52:21 PM EST
Subject: WSJ NEWS ALERT: Obama Eyes $310 Billion Tax Cut

__________________________________

NEWS ALERT

from The Wall Street Journal

Jan. 4, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are crafting a plan to offer as much as $310 billion in tax cuts to individuals and businesses, a move aimed at attracting Republican support for an economic-stimulus package and prodding companies to create jobs.

The size of the proposed tax cuts — which would account for about 40% of a stimulus package that could reach $775 billion over two years — is greater than many on both sides of the aisle in Congress had anticipated, and may make it easier to win over Republicans who have stressed that any initiative should rely relatively heavily on tax cuts rather than.

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All you youngsters better speak up or we’ll all be in the “national poorhouse”. We’re probably half-way there already!

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POLITICIAL: Health Care is NOT a right

Friday, January 2, 2009

http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=1761

The health care mess: Functioning in the belly of the beast
Liberty For All
by Roderick T. Beaman

*** begin quote ***

“With Barack Obama’s presidency, the clamor for some type of universal medical coverage system is on a crescendo. The cry today is for a ‘single payer system.’ That type of system is a monopsony, where there is but one buyer for a good or a service, as opposed to a monopoly where there is but one seller. It was Pres. Harry Truman who first proposed government-funded health care service for Social Security recipients. It was a corner piece of John F. Kennedy’s presidential platform in 1960.” (12/23/08)

*** end quote ***

In college, I was forced to take courses unrelated to injineering. In Economics, we were taught surprisingly that there were “viewpoints”. I remember one lesson, the prof was teach about “elastic and inelastic” demand curves. (Simple versus “Field Theory” curves and equations) He had many examples of elastic demands (cars, food, money) and only one of inelastic.

Medical care.

No matter what the supply, what the price, demand was infinite.

The only cure was some type of rationing.

In the “old days” of my Mom’s generation, I remember my appendix operation. There were bills. Doc, Hospital, Surgeon, Gas passer, and Surgical Operating Room. My Mom had insurance but it was different then. She paid all the bills, assembled a big folder, and submitted it to the insurance company. They paid 80% of the total. It was very complicated.

She had limited choice since it was an emergency. But, whenever there was a choice, she was a price conscious shopper.

Today, no one shops. They just demand.

That’s what’s wrong!

Health care isn’t a right. Rights are negatives. If it’s a positive, then someone else is OBLIGATED to provide it.

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INTERESTING: What’s wrong with “copyright” law

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2008/12/making-of-holiday-classic.html

Thursday, December 25, 2008

The Making of a Holiday Classic

*** begin quote ***

By any standard, It’s a Wonderful Life qualifies as a holiday classic. Frank Capra’s 1946 film has earned its place in the pop culture pantheon, becoming a Christmas tradition for millions of viewers around the world.

*** and ***

You may have noticed that, in recent years, It’s a Wonderful Life comes on only once or twice per Christmas season, and only on a major network (NBC). [That’s because] The original copyright holders managed to reassert their rights, something that is virtually unheard of. But the rights associated with the background music, as well as the copyright protection stemming from the short story on which the movie was based, had not yet expired. That gave Republic Pictures the hook in needed to reassert its control of the film.

*** end quote ***

Wasn’t “copyright” and “patent” law supposed to speed up innovation?

Intellectual Property, or as most libertarians call it, “imaginary property”, has apparently done the opposite.

Never ending succession of small changes allow the Big Media to retain a choke hold on “stuff”.

Time to revisit that “law”.

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RANT: Autoworkers Union Keeps $6 Million Golf Course

Sunday, December 28, 2008

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,472304,00.html

Autoworkers Union Keeps $6 Million Golf Course for Members at $33 Million Lakeside Retreat

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And we are BAILING everyone out?

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GUNS: Will Plaxico become a RKBA advocate? UPDATED

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

http://www.keyc.com/node/14010

November 30, 2008 at 5:39am

*** begin quote ***

After allegedly shooting himself in the right thigh Friday night at a popular Manhattan nightclub, New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Buress faces charges.Buress’s attorney telling the AP, the N-F-L er will turn himself in on Monday and will likely enter a plea of ”not guilty.”Buress faces the charge of criminal possession of a weapon, it’s not clear whether he has a permit for the gun.

*** end quote ***

Interesting. Now, will he have the courage to mount a Constitutional challenge to the draconian NYC “Gun Control” aka “victim disarmament” laws!
Hope he does!
# # # # #
In a far more lucid explanation:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/kramer/kramer22.html

*** begin quote ***

In a free society, Burress would be responsible for paying his hospital bill and for any damage to the nightclub, after which he could put the whole unpleasant accident behind him and get on with his life.

Instead, the State is going to ruin Burress’ career and life, and cause unspeakable anguish for his loved ones, by locking him in a cage inside a socialist hellhole for a “crime” that hurt no one except for himself – and even that, just barely. The only victim in this “crime” is Burress.

*** end quote ***

AND, he has an absolute Constitutional right to defend himself with what ever tools he deems necessary. Mayor Mike Bloomberg did NOT get all upset about the football celebrity friend of Plaxico who was robbed at gunpoint earlier that week.

Indeed, if we “convict” Plaxico of anything, it would be “failure to properly equip himself” with a suitable holster.

Guns don’t go in waistbands. (That for the movies.) And, you certainly don’t point the end with the hole anywhere near your family jewels.

All in all, after you finish laughing at the idea of a wide receiver fumbling the gun, you should be outraged at the politicians who put us in this absurdity int he first place.

By the way, when Mayor Mike takes his famous subway ride to work, he had FOUR armed cops as body guards with him AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE. Sure, he’s for “gun control” aka “victim disarmament”; he doesn’t need to protect himself!

Argh!

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UPDATE: 12/20/08

The life and death cost of gun control
Hawaii Reporter
by John R. Lott Jr.

“Banning guns is in the news. India practically bans guns, but that didn’t stop the horrific Muslim terrorist attacks this last week. A football player concerned for his safety violates New York City’s tough gun control regulations by carrying a concealed handgun, and people call for everything from banning NFL players from carrying guns to demanding that the athlete serve many years in jail. Where is the sympathy or debate in either case over letting people defend themselves? Given that the terrorists smuggled their machine guns in with them, would anyone argue that India’s extremely strict gun licensing and artificially high prices for guns helped prevent the terrorist attacks? In fact, the reverse is more likely the case.” (12/17/08)

http://tinyurl.com/4n2cpt

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Update

12/23/08

*** begin quote ***

NEW YORK (CNN) — A 9 mm handgun, a rifle, ammunition and clothing were confiscated during a search of the home of New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, police said Wednesday.

*** end quote ***

How dare he pretend to be an armed citizen in the Pepuls Republik of Nu Yuk!
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POLITICAL: Gooferment bailouts mere prolong the inevitable

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

http://www.lewrockwell.com/tucker/tucker115.html

The End of the US Piano Industry by Jeffrey A. Tucker

*** begin quote ***

Today government is even more arrogant and absurd, and it actually believes that by passing legislation it can save the US car industry. It can subsidize and pay for uneconomic activities, and pay ever more every year. The government can also pay millions of people to make mud pies because mud pies are deemed to be an essential industry. You can do this, but at what cost and what could possibly be the point? Eventually, even the government will have to accord itself to the reality that economics reminds us of on a daily basis.

*** end quote ***

It’s hard to envision a sadder time in American History.

The gooferment bailing out the UAW union.

That’s what this is all about.

The unions wield enormous political power.

And, like a parasite, they eventually kill their hosts.

Look at the Teacher’s Union and education. The ports with their union. The railroads with their union. Government workers and their unions.

And, don’t make the mistake that the Union is looking out for its members.

Sure, they do from time to time, but that’s to preserve the illusion.

Example, State of New Jersey hasn’t contributed to the pension plan for several administration. It’s under funded by 3T$. Think the Union has grabbed the politicians by their privates and insisted. No, they are all in bed together.

Example, UAW hasn’t insisted that Automakers align the executive’s interest with the worker’s. It’s a scandal that a CEO makes more than the line worker in salary. CEO’s shouldn’t make more than a 1$/year anytime. Give them stock options that vest in 5 year increments (i.e., 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, …). Then stand out of the way as the thinking shifts to long term value.

Example, the Delta bankruptcy screwed all the retired pilots. Hear anything about that?

Unions are an institution that needs to be reinvented.

Where’s my “union” for bloggers?

Argh!

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