Since my inaugural post about Arizona Senate Bill 1070, I've received countless emails and response asking me what I thought of this controversial and seemingly polarizing little piece of legislation. It seems like everywhere you go these days, whether at the water cooler at work, or standing in the never-ending line at Subway while an over-weight, 27-year old named Jake tries to see over his giant nose-ring to "create" his next masterpiece and not cut his finger off; everyone wants to state their emphatic and "original", yet misguided and transparently plagiarized opinion on the merits of this bill.
Inevitably, as you sit quietly, nodding your head and listening to these "enlightened" souls spill out their latest canned jargon gleaned from the shock-jock on the radio on the way into work that day, they get around to asking you your opinion.
When I shrug my shoulders and say "I agree with what you said"....it seems to come off as an affront, or rude indifference to their "ingenious commentary".
The truth is.......Where I stand on the bill is irrelevant. Really - It doesn't matter. The truth is....this BILL is irrelevant.
Yes folks - sorry to disappoint you all, and as anti-climactic as it sounds - the soft, cushy, 3-ply toilet paper hanging way too low in my bathroom right now is worth more than anything written in Arizona State Senate Bill 1070.
That's right - All of the boycotts, mayor-on-state, state-on-state, mayor-on-state, etc., rhetoric and over-hyped media extravaganza that we've all been following like an all-girls nude tennis match, is much ado about NOTHING.
While certainly giving motivated and exploitative politicians, activists and other attention-craving public figures a convenient way to exploit this emotionally invigorating bill to get their names in the headlines, this bill accomplishes little else.
Simply put - this bill, whether overturned by the courts as unconstitutional, or indoctrinated into permanent public policy and then copied in other states; DOES NOTHING. Let me explain.
First off, if a bill this "revolutionary" - as heralded by the right......or this "outrageous" - as coined by the left, is so unprecedented, then ask yourself why the bill is an almost carbon copy of an existing Federal Law? If this bill was going to change anything whatsoever, why wouldn't the Federal Law already in tact been sufficient to do the same? If your answer is "Well, because now the State can enforce the law, whether the Federal Government does or not"....well then....read on.
As we all know, any bill put into law is only as effective as the particular government's ability to enforce that law.
In the State of Arizona, the divide in support and opposition of this bill is as strongly contested as the rest of the country. So much so, that even the Mayor of Arizona's largest metropolitan area, Phoenix - which politically speaking, is as influential a City to Arizona as a combination of Los Angeles, Sand Diego and San Francisco would be to California - is outwardly and adamantly opposed to this new legislation.
This means, that even if the Left's propaganda machine-created scenario of local police ripping innocent Hispanic Grandparents out of their cars on the side of the freeway and taking them from their starving children to deport them to the southern border of Mexico were to ring true, the synergistic effort it would take to implement the deportation and vilification of poor Mr. Rogers, would be virtually impossible to see through.
Start with the Local Police. These are human beings. These are people with families and children of their own. They are also people who's jobs have performance criteria that demands they focus on tasks such as crime prevention, DUI enforcement, crime-solving, traffic ticket distribution, etc., etc. Does anyone really believe that we are going to see individual police officers on the streets blindly arresting other-wise harmless, law-abiding people just for being Hispanic and not having identification?
Let's just say, for argument's sake - that the answer is "YES, we will see that kind of reckless, mercenary behavior from our local law enforcement". The state will still need to prove, under the burden of proof established by law, that the perpetrator is in fact, in the country illegally, and then, get a judge to order deportation. This requires a District Attorney, willing to add a case of "Grandpa-needs-to-go-home-just-because-this-law-says-so" to his already crippled and inefficiently over-crowded court docket. Times this by the 1,000's and tell me you're going to find a D.A. in the entire country, let alone the State of Arizona, who is going to utilize already scarce taxpayer funds to prosecute a case as benign and meaningless as this. Furthermore, the political ramifications of a move like this, especially without the support of the Federal Government and/or I.C.E., is tantamount to a political bullet to the temple for a District Attorney. No D.A. in this county is going to want to touch these cases whatsoever, regardless of their personal convictions regarding the bill.
Now - let's say that all of the above is wrong. The local police have rounded up 250 illegal grandparents, good Samaritans, and religious missionaries and taken them from their families.......and a D.A. says, "let's go ahead and use our resources to incarcerate these individuals and then prosecute"..........
Now what? - Reportedly, this bill was pushed through the legislature to help mitigate and/or offset the perceived costs of illegal immigration and to help re-balance the State's woeful budget. Now - let's go ahead and add in the cost of arrest, incarceration and full deportation of all of these innocent clergymen and Nobel Peace Prize Winners.
The deportation process is NOT an inexpensive process and it is widely known that almost 85% of individuals from south of the border who are deported from the U.S., are back into the country illegally within one (1) month.
So - is this revolving door of the continual deportation and re-deportation of individual "illegal aliens" going to save the State of Arizona ANY money whatsoever? Is this deportation effort going to do anything but ADD to the cost to fight this Civil War? One need no further evidence that the scenario(s) above are accurate, than to understand that Government is not looking for ways to add to their budget. If you play the nuances of this Bill out and look at it objectively from an enforcement standpoint, you will easily derive at the same conclusion I have - This bill is useless.....This bill changes Nothing.
This may lead to the obvious question - "why was the bill passed?".
That is an easy one.
The Republican Agenda includes, among other causes, the promulgation of the upper class......or the un-checked exploitation of Capitalism and the never-ending pursuit of the American Dream - which for many of them in Washington, includes yachts for them, the Fountain of Youth for their mistresses and bought-and-paid-for Ivy League Educations for their children. What is a way to ensure this "American Dream" is accomplished.....? ......CHEAP LABOR FOR BUSINESS OWNERS.
This may offend some people reading this, but pay attention - If the Republican Party really wanted to SOLVE illegal immigration, rather than capitalize from it.....they would focus on the actual Solution. We all know in our heart of hearts how to solve the problem if we really wanted to. It's not a cancer or heart disease issue for God's Sakes, it a "people keep coming into our yard and stealing our money" issue. How hard is that to solve?
Both Republicans and Democrats alike understand that to actually STOP illegal immigration, it starts in the workplace and ends at the border.
The start - Business. Take away the job opportunities, thereby rescaling the wage assignments in this country - and you'll take away their reason to come. Crack down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants....come up with a REAL way to identify citizenship....and prosecute businesses found to be exploiting the downtrodden immigrants by hiring them at sub-par wages and providing no benefits.
To End - The Borders. Fix the Immigration procedure so that real people who want to come here and contribute to society, have a means and an avenue to gain citizenship the legal way.
It's easy....and yet, we pass a bill that essentially does nothing...why? Because they DON'T want to solve the problem, but they DON'T want you to think that they don't want to solve the problem.
So, from a strategic standpoint, passage of this bill was genius. The Republican Party was able to pass a bill that allows them to continue their slave-labor exploits, while fooling their constituency into believing that they are "Fighting for you"....and/or....."Getting TOUGH on illegal immigration".
So far, I've noticed both parties falling lock-step in line with the master-plan. The Left legitimizes the Right's SmokeScreen....
...and from what I've seen....the Republican faithful are following like blind sheep or mindless Lemmings.......there is a cliff coming up though, and if the Sheep don't open their eyes, they are going to find the bottom. That's when they realize that all they've accomplished was putting Amnesty and Driver's Licenses, and health care and equal rights, for the very illegal immigrants they are trying to eradicate, right into the forefront of their opposition's political agenda.
That's my opinion. Thanks for reading.....
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Senate Bill 1070 & Sports.......An Unfortunate Barometer of a Disturbing Political Trend
Unless you've been serving warm chai tea to Osama Bin Laden in a cave in Afghanistan over the last month, you're more than aware of the polarizing debate that currently grips America over the recent legislation passed in the Arizona State Legislature.
Americans everywhere are up in arms over the passing of Senate Bill 1070 - and it seems everyone - from local politicians and Civic Leaders, to pandering media personalities, to the usual cast of self-righteous and over-zealous, out-of-touch celebrities, to the President of the United States, to simple, everyday Americans - has an opinion about this new Bill.
Regardless of where you stand on this issue, as polarizing as it is.......every so often a political controversy will arise that threatens to, or even unsuspectingly succeeds in, offering a launching point for some of History's most ugly and destructive political paradigm shifts.
Senate Bill 1070 is one of those bills. This bill is dangerous.
More succinctly, the emotionally-driven backlash currently boiling beneath the surface has the potential to be downright catastrophic.
I will leave the content of this bill for others to argue about.......because for the purposes of articulating the very real threat posed by this ever-present underlying danger, the merits of the bill itself are irrelevant.
Allow me to elaborate.
Recently, local, geographically insignificant governments and influential, capital-rich organizations and entities have begun calling for and supporting a boycott of Arizona and anything remotely construed as capable of supporting the struggling economy of that state, in an attempt to voice their opposition to Arizona's new legislation.
In addition to State and local governments' attempts to disregard and upstage the long-held, Constitutionally-supported principle of Individual State's sovereignty by publicly pressuring their constituents to participate in these boycotts - a move which in and of itself should cause outrage as a very transparent and unnerving political power-grab and game of one-upsmanship that has no business in our political landscape - a major Nation-wide movement has placed extreme pressure on, of all things, National Sports Organizations, to participate in, and even accelerate, the oppositional agenda of this Bill's opponents.
This is what America should be concerned about. Not the Bill.......but the backlash.
In much the same way controversial Labor Issues that plagued this Nation in the 1920's and '30's propelled previously benign and well-intentioned Labor Unions and their lobbyists to that of immovable political forces within our government, and eerily similar to how the Savings & Loan Scandals of the 1980's introduced rampant legislation that fundamentally shifted the role that banks and financial institutions play in our economic landscape, to essentially that of an Altruistic Demi-God Capital Dictator - moving markets and making the rules as they go; the opponents of Arizona State's Senate Bill 1070 are on the verge of launching a proverbial nuclear warhead that, once introduced into the stagnant air of our broken, yet still functional political environment, has the potential to cause an irreparable shift in how legislation is introduced, passed and implemented in this country.
Imagine if you will, that one or all of our professional sports organizations in this country; Major League Baseball, the National Football League, or the National Basketball Association, succumbed to the political pressure of this movement and staged a boycott of the State of Arizona and refused to host events in that state. The financial ramifications of the cancellation of all 80 scheduled Arizona Diamondback games in the City of Phoenix, coupled with the countless scores of Minor League Games held all over the Valley of the Sun, by the MLB alone, would be insurmountable and would be the equivalent of a financial deathblow to the already faltering economy of that State.
While this may be exactly what the opponents of this Bill are after, what is the message? What is the lesson? What are the REAL consequences of this action to the future of this Nation and its political process?
The answer: ANY billion-dollar entity with enough clout, influence and determination, can exert their smothering financial influence to abrogate the political process dictated and protected by the Constitution of this Country.
The real threat posed by this scenario, is the premise that any local, State or Federal Government legislation that is passed by any means of Constitutionally-protected due process - i.e., by duly elected officials or by a vote of the constituents of that jurisdiction; to presumably solve or address a problematic condition that exists within that government's geographic or economic boundaries, can be simply dismissed by any corporation or capitalized entity who does not agree with that legislation.
Is this the America we are ready for?
Example: If a particular Government or constituency determines that what is best for that particular economy is to increase a tax on a good or service provided by an industry that is near monopolized by a Billion-Dollar Corporation (Microsoft comes to mind in this example), and that Billion-Dollar Corporation sees this legislation as a threat to its bottom line, how is the Democratic process preserved or even remotely familiar when that corporation can simply use its overtly leveraged position to bypass the political process and extort the American people into repealing the legislation for fear of what amounts to severe economic sanctions?
The Answer: It is NOT.
Should we allow the private sector further access to the political process through what amounts to financial extortion, the very integrity of our long-preserved political due process will be compromised, to an extent that dwarfs that which we have already seen in the worlds of Banking, Labor Unions, Political Campaign Financing and to a certain extent, the Federal Food & Drug Administration.
What's next......the pharmaceutical companies threatening to discontinue patented Heart Medication needed by the elderly unless the newly-found cure for Cancer is not found Unconstitutional?
America is in a battle to save its very foundation......and it has Nothing to do with anything actually written in Arizona Senate Bill 1070.......and EVERYTHING to do with our reaction to it.
Whether you are opposed to this Bill, or believe it to be the penultimate legislation that will cure all of America's immigration problems in one fell swoop, All Americans should be steadfast and vehemently opposed to allowing those feelings to provide a platform for the Communistic-influenced fundamental shift in the way this county legislates, to that of a PUBLIC AUCTION - where our legislative direction is for sale to the highest bidder.
The preservation of our very foundation is on trial here..........and America needs to be united in the cause to preserve this Land of the People, by the People, and for the People...............
Let's let our Major Sports Teams entertain us, our big business sustain us, and our government ordain us, and never allow these roles to be up for debate.
Americans everywhere are up in arms over the passing of Senate Bill 1070 - and it seems everyone - from local politicians and Civic Leaders, to pandering media personalities, to the usual cast of self-righteous and over-zealous, out-of-touch celebrities, to the President of the United States, to simple, everyday Americans - has an opinion about this new Bill.
Regardless of where you stand on this issue, as polarizing as it is.......every so often a political controversy will arise that threatens to, or even unsuspectingly succeeds in, offering a launching point for some of History's most ugly and destructive political paradigm shifts.
Senate Bill 1070 is one of those bills. This bill is dangerous.
More succinctly, the emotionally-driven backlash currently boiling beneath the surface has the potential to be downright catastrophic.
I will leave the content of this bill for others to argue about.......because for the purposes of articulating the very real threat posed by this ever-present underlying danger, the merits of the bill itself are irrelevant.
Allow me to elaborate.
Recently, local, geographically insignificant governments and influential, capital-rich organizations and entities have begun calling for and supporting a boycott of Arizona and anything remotely construed as capable of supporting the struggling economy of that state, in an attempt to voice their opposition to Arizona's new legislation.
In addition to State and local governments' attempts to disregard and upstage the long-held, Constitutionally-supported principle of Individual State's sovereignty by publicly pressuring their constituents to participate in these boycotts - a move which in and of itself should cause outrage as a very transparent and unnerving political power-grab and game of one-upsmanship that has no business in our political landscape - a major Nation-wide movement has placed extreme pressure on, of all things, National Sports Organizations, to participate in, and even accelerate, the oppositional agenda of this Bill's opponents.
This is what America should be concerned about. Not the Bill.......but the backlash.
In much the same way controversial Labor Issues that plagued this Nation in the 1920's and '30's propelled previously benign and well-intentioned Labor Unions and their lobbyists to that of immovable political forces within our government, and eerily similar to how the Savings & Loan Scandals of the 1980's introduced rampant legislation that fundamentally shifted the role that banks and financial institutions play in our economic landscape, to essentially that of an Altruistic Demi-God Capital Dictator - moving markets and making the rules as they go; the opponents of Arizona State's Senate Bill 1070 are on the verge of launching a proverbial nuclear warhead that, once introduced into the stagnant air of our broken, yet still functional political environment, has the potential to cause an irreparable shift in how legislation is introduced, passed and implemented in this country.
Imagine if you will, that one or all of our professional sports organizations in this country; Major League Baseball, the National Football League, or the National Basketball Association, succumbed to the political pressure of this movement and staged a boycott of the State of Arizona and refused to host events in that state. The financial ramifications of the cancellation of all 80 scheduled Arizona Diamondback games in the City of Phoenix, coupled with the countless scores of Minor League Games held all over the Valley of the Sun, by the MLB alone, would be insurmountable and would be the equivalent of a financial deathblow to the already faltering economy of that State.
While this may be exactly what the opponents of this Bill are after, what is the message? What is the lesson? What are the REAL consequences of this action to the future of this Nation and its political process?
The answer: ANY billion-dollar entity with enough clout, influence and determination, can exert their smothering financial influence to abrogate the political process dictated and protected by the Constitution of this Country.
The real threat posed by this scenario, is the premise that any local, State or Federal Government legislation that is passed by any means of Constitutionally-protected due process - i.e., by duly elected officials or by a vote of the constituents of that jurisdiction; to presumably solve or address a problematic condition that exists within that government's geographic or economic boundaries, can be simply dismissed by any corporation or capitalized entity who does not agree with that legislation.
Is this the America we are ready for?
Example: If a particular Government or constituency determines that what is best for that particular economy is to increase a tax on a good or service provided by an industry that is near monopolized by a Billion-Dollar Corporation (Microsoft comes to mind in this example), and that Billion-Dollar Corporation sees this legislation as a threat to its bottom line, how is the Democratic process preserved or even remotely familiar when that corporation can simply use its overtly leveraged position to bypass the political process and extort the American people into repealing the legislation for fear of what amounts to severe economic sanctions?
The Answer: It is NOT.
Should we allow the private sector further access to the political process through what amounts to financial extortion, the very integrity of our long-preserved political due process will be compromised, to an extent that dwarfs that which we have already seen in the worlds of Banking, Labor Unions, Political Campaign Financing and to a certain extent, the Federal Food & Drug Administration.
What's next......the pharmaceutical companies threatening to discontinue patented Heart Medication needed by the elderly unless the newly-found cure for Cancer is not found Unconstitutional?
America is in a battle to save its very foundation......and it has Nothing to do with anything actually written in Arizona Senate Bill 1070.......and EVERYTHING to do with our reaction to it.
Whether you are opposed to this Bill, or believe it to be the penultimate legislation that will cure all of America's immigration problems in one fell swoop, All Americans should be steadfast and vehemently opposed to allowing those feelings to provide a platform for the Communistic-influenced fundamental shift in the way this county legislates, to that of a PUBLIC AUCTION - where our legislative direction is for sale to the highest bidder.
The preservation of our very foundation is on trial here..........and America needs to be united in the cause to preserve this Land of the People, by the People, and for the People...............
Let's let our Major Sports Teams entertain us, our big business sustain us, and our government ordain us, and never allow these roles to be up for debate.
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