Apoplectic Over Arizona

A state which it believes is being overrun by foreign nationals wants to enforce our nation's immigration laws and everybody from former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo to the Reverend Al Sharpton wants to vilify them.  Why?  1) Because nobody wants to be seen as demonizing a whole race, and the fastest growing voting block, namely Latinos, and 2) Because the new Arizona law may be too effective.  There you have it.  America's debate/divide on immigration reform reduced to its simplest form.  Say what you wish about Arizona's new law to fight illegal immigration, but lawmakers abhor a vacuum and the only reason why the Arizona legislature has pressed this issue is because our federal government has failed to do so.

As silly and toothless as the Secure Fence Act sounds, that's exactly how the U. S. Congress chose to fight illegal immigration, international terrorism and drug cartels in 2006.  A $1.5 billion down payment was authorized to build a 2000 mile fence along the US/Mexico border.  Obama's stimulus added another $2.5 billion.  To date, roughly seven hundred miles of the fence, and another 28 miles of "virtual" fence have been grudgingly constructed.  But nobody is happy about it.  As recently as a week ago, Department of Homeland Security personnel have complained to Congress that the fence, and the whole Secure Border Initiative is a "complete failure."  Kinks, bugs, cost overruns and overall ineptitude has done little to stem the tide of illegal border crossings and violence from drug smugglers spilling into U. S. border towns and communities.  Is it any wonder then that some states feel the need to take matters into their own hands to protect their citizens?  Of course not.

So everyone just take a deep breath and allow the Arizona law to be vetted under practice as well as utility.  It will soon become apparent whether its practical application can be just or whether or not it passes Constitutional muster.  We don't need another rush to judgement like President Obama made after the bill was signed into law.  He called the bill "misguided" and "irresponsible", and even said that such a law might "threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness...as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe."  Like when he himself undermined the basic notion of fairness and the trust between police and the community of Cambridge, Massachusetts, by calling their arrest of a Harvard professor "stupid."

The his testimony before Congress, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin said that DHS is "reviewing each sector along the US/Mexican border to figure out what technologies would help them secure their areas against smugglers and illegal immigrants." Arizona state lawmakers and their governor just answered that question with SB 1070.

Who'll Stop the Rain?

Federal, state, and local lawmakers need to step up and end the protection, care and feeding of public sector unions.

http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/12576

EDITORIAL: Public-sector unions bankrupting America - Washington Times

Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be

Once again I find myself, as do many others I'm sure, confused by the back-and-forth between the Democrats and Republicans in Washington over the proposed re-regulation of Wall Street's financial industry.  Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) says his reforms will do X, while Sen. McConnell (R-KY) says those reforms would do Y.  Bipartisanship is once again illusory even though our economy is now just emerging (maybe) from the (supposed) near collapse of our financial markets and their subsequent bailout less than two years ago.   I use the term "maybe" for obvious reasons.  Unemployment still remains painfully high, despite some signs of recovery, but no end in sight to the monstrous appetite for spending by Obama, Reid, and Pelosi.  I use the term "supposed" because I remain skeptical of the need for TARP when within months, the very firms that plead for their lives, and the very future of the world, were just as quickly reporting record profits, paying unseemly bonuses, and repaying their loans with interest, back to the government.  How do you get from there to here so quickly if the hole you dug was as deep as you said.  It just doesn't add up.  Same with GM and Chysler, but that's another story.

Then again, it's not hard to imagine that the two sides are still miles apart.  We just spent a year and a half arguing the pros and mostly cons of Obamacare.  And again, even after two years and a preponderance of evidence, there's no shared agreement on the reasons or culprits of the collapse.  Sure Wall Street firms created questionable products to sell even more questionable securities, but weren't they doing so at the behest and assistance of Washington?  Wasn't the social engineering of extending cheap credit to risky borrowers in the name of expanding home ownership behind the whole mess?  Sure it was.  And wasn't Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac the originators of such trash, all the while being protected, aided and abetted by many in Congress?  Sure they were.  Remember Rep. Barney Frank and the House Democrats obstruction of Fannie and Freddie reforms in 2008?  How about the Senate Democrats, led by then Senators' Obama, Dodd, and Kerry?  Were those three in opposition to reform because they were in fact the three biggest recipients of campaign contributions from Fannie and Freddie, and that one of them remains the biggest believer in the practice of social engineering?

Which reminds me, where are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the the Dodd bill?  Or the House bill for that matter.  Why are they not part of the discussion?  According to the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/22/why-fannie-mae-freddie-ma_n_508934.html) these wards of the state, paid out $40 million in executive compensation and bonuses without anyone batting an eye.   Additionally, their loans may ultimately cost U. S. taxpayers $380 billion and by most accounts will never be repaid.  So much for reform.  To paraphrase the words of economist Milton Friedman, if a service or product fails in the private sector it goes out of business, but in the public sector, a failure is usually rewarded, if not replicated.

An Environmental Avatar

James Cameron, the award-winning creator and director of Avatar, was on the set of Morning Joe this morning extolling the virtues of his film's influence on world environmental policies and practices.  He's currently in the process of fighting a dam project in Brazil.  Seems Brazil wants to join the modern world by supplying its growing population and emerging industry with abundant, non-fossilized, clean hydroelectric power.  But thanks to experts in the field of environmental energy and engineering, like Mr. Cameron, a large dam in Brazil could upset the delicate balance of Mother Nature and further inflame global warming.

Pat Buchanan, Morning Joe's conservative relief man and resident foil for liberal guests, questioned Cameron on why the people of Brazil shouldn't benefit from the same kind of cheap energy that helps fuel superpowers like the U.S. and China.  Indeed, we were told that since the western expansion of the U.S. and the massive displacement of Chinese to build their Three Gorges Dam, we have learned that wind and solar generated power are far superior, even if they do cost a little more to produce.  When Buchanan again intervened to question Cameron on the fraudulent science of global warming, as exposed by the East Anglia Climate Research Unit emails, Sam Stein of the Huffington Post, after a limp attempt to defend enviro geek science himself, redirected the attention back to Cameron with "you can comment better."  In other words, since you Mr. Cameron are an artist and a film director of Academy Award fame, disarm this conservative neanderthal with your vast experience and overwhelming knowledge of all things Al Gore.  As John Stossel says, "Give me a break!"

Mr. Cameron called for ending our addiction-like dependence on foreign oil.  I agree we should.  But not at the expense of ignoring our own proven reserves of oil and natural gas, clean coal technologies or nuclear power.  There is also a growing misconception being proffered by the left that if we end our dependence on foreign oil, the need for American soldiers fighting in the Middle East will evaporate.  Wrong.  While I  would agree that much of the money we pay Middle Eastern nations for our energy needs is being used against us in evil and deadly ways, we should reject the notion that without their oil there would be nothing to defend or fight against.  Unless Israel intervenes, because we won't, Iran will soon have a nuclear weapon.  This alone will require our presence and capabilities to fend off aggressive and hostile nation-states looking to expand their own nuclear programs or defend themselves from Iran.  While one day it may no longer be necessary to defend oil fields in foreign countries for our own consumption, the plight of freedom and democracy will forever endure.  Despite Mr. Obama's temporary injunction against it.

You Decide 2010

The Great Lakes Bay Area Republicans put on a successful forum for Republican gubernatorial hopefuls in Birch Run Monday night.  Three of the five major candidates attended the event which was held just of I-75 at the Expo Center.  Pete Hoekstra, a veteran congressman from Zeeland and the current leader in most polls attended, as well as Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, and State Senator Tom George from Kalamazoo.  David Kniffen, a young entrepreneur from Troy, also took the stage and was greeted warmly, if not enthusiastically, by the audience.  About 500 people came out to see the candidates in person, while thousands tuned in to a live simulcast broadcast by WSGW 790 and FM TALK 100.5.  CBS affiliate WNEM Channel 7, lent their anchor Sam Merrill as emcee, and Art Lewis of WSGW conducted additional interviews of other candidates in the audience.

For more information on the candidates who attended the forum, please visit these websites:
hoekstraforgovernor.com
bouchardforgovernor.com
georgeforgovernor.com
votekniffen.com

The Great Lakes Bay Area Republican Candidate Forum was organized and sponsored by the Saginaw County Republican Women's Club,  Republican Women's Conservative Alliance of Genesee County, 5th District GOP, Bay County GOP, Genesee County GOP, Midland County GOP, Saginaw County GOP and Tuscola County GOP.  Thanks to all of these groups for their efforts.  Special thanks to Sandra Kahn, president of the Saginaw County Republican Women's Club, for her extraordinary work in putting this all together.

Space Cowboys

While on vacation in Florida, I saw the launch of STS-131 from my vantage point in Tarpon Springs.  Even though I was 150 miles from Cape Canaveral, it was still spectacular.  The early morning launch of the shuttle Discovery, on April 4th, was clearly visible from the west coast of Florida and lasted a good nine or ten minutes before it rocketed out of sight.  Even then, the shuttle's contrail dominated the early morning sky for another two hours.

There are only three remaining flights of the Space Transportation System (STS), better known as the shuttle, before NASA scuttles the whole program.  The remaining shuttle missions are planned for May 14, July 29, and September 16.  After that, NASA plans to pay the Russian space agency Roscosmos $51 million for every U.S. astronaut they ferry to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard their Soyus spacecraft.     Currently, NASA spends about $450 million for each shuttle mission.  Despite the Obama administration cutting back on manned space flight, NASA still has a healthy budget to support.  I wonder how much the Russians will charge for the first piece of checked luggage?