Ed Schultz has really been raking Arizona over the coals lately for the new, racist law that is just waiting for the governor's signature. It ended up being longer than I intended so I thought I'd post it here:
ED:
This is the most complicated issue we have today and I really don't think there is a good solution. And both sides are split on it, each having reasons for and against.
For the Right, the business owners want cheap wages first, and to drive down wages in general. But the rest of them want all the brown people out of their country.
On the Left, first there is just plain old compassion for people in trouble, people who left everything and risked everything to find a better life. And we are a country of immigrants, it's just a matter of when our ancestors came here. On the other hand, they are driving down wages for all workers, and in some cases, such as construction here in SoCal, have pretty much destroyed the industry for American citizens. And if you happen to be an American born Hispanic good luck getting a decent job with a decent wage.
There is a price for Mexico, too. All the best and brightest, the strong and brave, are leaving to come up here. These are just the people Mexico needs to bring their country out of poverty. The only real solution is for Mexico to improve enough that it isn't worth it to come up here, but how does that happen when all the entrepreneurs, the risk takers, are up here?
Amnesty is a bad idea, when Reagan did it there were 2 million illegals here, 25 years later and there are 12 million of them because amnesty was great advertising.
I've worked in a business for 30 years where the entire warehouse crew is always Hispanic, most not speaking English. These are very nice people, when my wife died they all chipped in and bought a big bouquet of flowers to throw on her ashes when we spread them out at sea. There is no way for any employer to tell who is legal and who isn't. Every place I've been at was very strict about every employee having the correct ID, and all the illegals had them, it's a big business down here.
The Republicans always come up with draconian solutions that are always unworkable, and frankly, evil. That's what this law in Arizona is. Not only is it racial profiling so that any dark skinned citizen will get stopped and maybe go to jail because what citizen has "papers"? But it makes the police the enemies of immigrants, illegal and legal. None of them will call a cop if they are robbed. None of them will come forward to be a witness or even talk to a cop if they can avoid it. This means evil people will prey on them and the cops will not be able to do real police work.
Here in California a few years ago there was a big stink about illegals at ER's, getting expensive medical care the state had to pay for. The stink was so bad that illegals stopped going to the ER when they needed to and we started to get a TB epidemic. One idiot even put it on the ballot that all ER workers, doctor's, nurses and everyone else who worked there was supposed to keep an eye on everyone and call the cops if anyone looked suspicious. That's all we need, doctors and nurses moonlighting as immigration workers.
A busy intersection was ahead, the traffic no longer halted by the terrified police who now had no idea what was occurring.
“We’ve got half of four horsemen here, a full one-fucking third of the unholy trinity!” Richard Dawkins shouted from the passenger seat. “I told you to get a car with a sunroof! My plan required a sunroof! I’ll never hit him at this range.” Dawkins drew his sidearm, a long-barreled Colt Anaconda with the phrase “Malthusian Solution” engraved across the grip, which was inlaid with the actual shell of a Galapagos tortoise.
“Make a new plan!” Hitchens snapped. He wheeled around an old woman with a baby carriage. Dawkins leaned out the window with his .44 and fired, but the bullets hit God’s Protection – 40 mm of armoured glass and plating.
I love this guy! Outspoken with a real attitude and a unique style. Don't let his name and look fool you, this is a guy because you can see his Adam's apple. I hope people have heard about that small town in Mississippi that canceled their prom because one girl wanted to wear a tuxedo and bring her girl friend, what assholes! ZJ explains the whole situation, what they ended up doing, and tears them a new one.
Of course I hated Bush and just about everything he did, but last Sunday on 60 Minutes they did a story that surprised me. It was about probably Bush’s one great success and something that was a great humanitarian deed that I don’t think won Bush many points at home. I never heard about and I pay attention to these things, so very few Americans would know it happened.
It has to do with AIDS in Africa. The Bush administration set up a program to get generic anti-retrovirals to Africans with AIDS. This has saved many lives, prevented much suffering, and has changed many minds about America for the better. A great success all around. Republicans, spending money to save the lives of poor, dark people in another country, and they sought no political points for it, amazing.
I practically cried when I heard it, because I was so glad something good came out of the Bush regime. All their actions weren’t pure evil, damaging America and the world around us. They did one thing that was simply a good, caring thing to do.
Unlike that America-hating Rush Limbaugh I NEVER want to see my president fail, because that means my country has failed as well and will usually be damaged by it. But Rush doesn’t care about America, he cares about himself, his money and conservative values and couldn’t care less if he brought America down as long as those 3 things - in that order - were preserved.
As for me, I’ll salute Bush and give him the respect he is due for this one, very great thing.
Over on the right they are wailing over the mandate to buy insurance and how the penalty for not having it goes through the IRS and there will be thousands of new agents hired and swarming over the population to take people to jail for not paying this tax.
Total bullshit, outright and blatant lying. Here it what is ACTUALLY written in the bill:
1: “In general, the penalty provided by this section shall be paid upon notice and demand by the secretary. And except as provided in paragraph two, shall be assessed and collected in the same manner as an assessable penalty under Subchapter B of Chapter 68.”
2: “Special rules—notwithstanding any other provision of law—a waiver of criminal penalties in the case of any failure by a taxpayer to timely pay. Any penalty imposed by this section, such taxpayer shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution or penalty with respect to such failure.”
B: “Limitations on liens and levies. The secretary shall not file notice of lien with respect to any property of a taxpayer by reason of any failure to pay the penalty imposed by this section or levy on any such property with respect to such failure.”
What does all that mean? Quite simply that there is NO penalty for not paying the tax for failure to get health insurance.
This means that even though there is a mandate to buy insurance the failure to do so will not be punished in any way, which means there really is no mandate at all.
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