Florida says, "Now let's eat the baby!"

This state gets absurd sometimes. Our state legislature, having been encouraged to do so by the populace, is now on a rampage to destroy the evil property-tax-monster. However, the citizenry seem not to have realized that their property taxes aren't just gobbled up by the big-government-demon, but actually provide particular funds that have to come from somewhere.

So my fellow Floridians will soon discover that, whichever of the various plans being suggested in Tallahassee wins (9.25 % sales tax is being seriously considered!), they are stuck with a massive cut to the budgets of local government.

Yes, I obviously care that this may impact my own existence (I work for the city, in a public library), but the idea of cities shutting down their libraries, recreation centers, and parks (and probably more in some cases) scares me. It makes me start shivering and not really stop. I think it should make other people shiver too, once they realize what they've really done here.

Stumbling through the election?

We just got home after several hours sitting outside our local polling place with a "Samm Simpson for Congress" sign. Especially here in Florida, one is obviously concerned about things going smoothly (or not). So far there's no sense of the magnitude, but there have been problems in a few states today. For a few tidbits of information, if you're as impatient and fidgety today as we are, take a look at:

VoteTrustUSA

or

VotersUnite! - News

or my favorite concept,

VotersUnite! - Election Problem Log - 2006

And I'll assume you've already voted, or are planning to. If not, I hope you have a damn good reason.

Let's keep our fingers crossed, my fellow humans.

Politi-Quiz

You Are 92% Democrat

You are a card carrying Democrat, and a pretty far left one at that! There's no chance anyone would ever mistake you for a Republican.

How Democrat Are You?

Bush vs. Muslim Brotherhood

Watch as the Bush administration shoots itself in the foot once again... And proves its commitment to 'democratizing' the Middle East.

"State of Denial" - Stephen Glain - The Nation

"Terrorism" yani e?

The latest on where all those Homeland Security dollars are not going:

FBI Agents Still Lacking Arabic Skills (washingtonpost.com)

This one speaks for itself, or should anyway. And we're talking about the FBI, not Rumsfled's crew or the CIA. The FBI is the only agency that might actually stand a chance in hell of hiring any Arabic-speakers. The FBI should have been out for the last 5 years at least, looking for anyone who could say khara convincingly. They should have even called people like me, if nothing else worked. (And no, I'm not interested, and you really don't want me anyway).

Starting bloodshed and drama in other people's countries will make bad guys go away, but hiring a few Arabic-speakers to look for all those bad-guy-cells-among-us is too difficult? This war-on-terror being a front for other things, however, it makes perfect sense. I wonder if any Houston-based companies have any Arabic-speakers working for them? Or maybe Wolfowitz's friends could find some. The FBI should try asking around.

Doh!

The end of a revolution?

TIME Magazine's cover story this week is "End of the Revolution", by Karen Tumulty. The Great Republican Rampage is clearly faltering at the moment. But this article puts the whole thing in a (slightly) longer-term historical context.

I was born during Reagan's first year in office and wore anti-Newt shirts in high school. This is my lifetime. And if 'the revolution' is really over, I say we celebrate.

You reap what you sow...

It's been said a thousand times before, in hundreds of ways, but as a country, we seem to be blind to this fact. If I have a field, and I spend a few billion $$$ on farm machinery, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides (organic), I'm probably going to grow some crops sometime. Why else buy all the stuff, right? So, substitute a few billion or trillion $$$ on bombs, tanks, planes, depleted uranium, etc, and the only obvious outcome is that I'm going to make war sometime. Truman warned, beware the military-industrial complex. War is a self-fulfilling prophesy, in that if you keep it onhand as your strongest bargaining tool, with more invested in weaponry than in any other options, weapons are your tools of choice when the time comes to resolve a conflict. I just can't stand to hear someone trying to make some 'sanctity of life' argument against funding stem cell research while voting to increase spending on war in the next breath. What exactly do they think those depleted uranium bullets and cluster bombs are being bought for???

Results of the Quiz Carey Gave Me

You Are 32% Capitalist, 68% Socialist

You tend to be quite wary of businesses, especially big business. While you know that corporations have their place, you tend to support small, locally owned shops. As far as the rich go, you think they're usually corrupt and immoral.

Are You a Socialist or Capitalist?

Capitalism vs. Socialism

Wow. I don't know that I've ever tried to place myself so precisely on this particular line, but there we are...

So is this why I feel like a space alien lost in America sometimes?

I know this is a hideously simplistic little quiz, but I'm really curious where the people I know, or even the 'average American' (not the same thing at all) land on this scale. Hmmm.

You Are 8% Capitalist, 92% Socialist

You see a lot of injustice in the world, and you'd like to see it fixed. As far as you're concerned, all the wrong people have the power. You're strongly in favor of the redistribution of wealth - and more protection for the average person.

Are You a Socialist or Capitalist?

"politics" and what-not

I would hope so...

I don't think I like Dean as mascot though.

You Are a Liberal for Life

You've got a bleeding heart - and you're proud of it. For you, liberal means being compassionate, pro-government, and anti-business. You believe in equality for every person, and you consider yourself universally empathetic. Helping others is not just political for you ... it's very personal too.

What's Your Political Persuasion?

Speaking truth to power

George Galloway on Sky News

More of us need to be saying these things out loud. I'm becoming increasingly convinced, we all need to get a hell of a lot louder. The status quo is hard of hearing.

Team Bush vs. MySpace

The newest front in the Team Bush crusade against information and thought:

Social-Networking Sites (aka Operation Die-MySpace-Die)

Go read it for yourself. This is so absurd, it really should be self-explanatory and self-incriminating. Congressmembers might need to read it twice.

that's me..

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 5% Conservative, 95% Liberal

Social Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?