Friday Not-My-Pet Blogging Mark III

Have I been very serious lately, talking about how I support things that will take away personal earnings and lower current benefits, and how I think that's the best we can do, right now? Well cheer up, because this post is about travelling stuffed animals.

One bear went to Disney World in Orlando and another went to Disneyland in southern California. Not one but two bears attended Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville.

Nothing depressing about that! Unless you hate football, I guess.

Getting What I Want

OK, I've been reading Enlighten New Jersey. You might have guessed. It's important to me to see what people that I disagree with are saying, especially because I want to know *why* they believe what they do. Today they point to a piece on Michelle Malkin about Social Security.

I think that's the first time I've ever linked to Michelle Malkin!

BusinessWeek says Congress and the White House are inching toward a compromise on Social Security. Private accounts will not be part of the plan. Instead, the compromise would include (a) reducing the rate of growth in benefits paid to upper-income beneficiaries (as President Bush has suggested) and (b) sharply increasing taxes on upper-income taxpayers (i.e., those that earn more than $80,000 $90,000 per year).

BusinessWeek is less upset about it than Malkin is, by the way.

Anyway, this is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for. I think this will help. I think this will help, and this is what might happen. What's the catch?

Life is Inconvenient

I'm busy with work projects. If I get something up today, it will be late.

NJ Conservatives

I had no idea how upset N.J. conservaitives were with the trends we have towards paying public employees comparatively well. I had no idea people were so very angry about the way that voting tends to support public social programs rather than leaving the burden of charity to private institutions.

I've been reading a lot of conservative NJ blogs the past couple of days. I see some things that I can get behind, but mostly I see opinions that I cannot at all comprehend. Today's most amusing remarks are located in the comments section of a PoliPundit post. Examples:

the Republican party in NJ is hopeless. America starts in Pa (and seems to be moving to Ohio)

Or my favorite:

The NE is kinda like France.

Hey, cool! After visiting Paris in high school, I've always thought that France was *beautiful*! When does Trenton's makeover get started?

A Precarious Balance

Foster peace efforts without giving up strategic military defense positions. This is the issue facing Israel today.

I truly believe that the current leadership does not want the fighting. I don't' know how much they're willing to concede, though. Both sides believe that they're entitled - by god, no less - to the same pieces of land, and that's what makes this "road map" to peace so difficult to travel. This morning I've read both the Reuters' version and the Ha'aretz version of the story on Abbas' visit to the states. The Ha'aretz version is more skewed towards Israeli interests, of course. While the Reuters' version speaks of how Israeli settlements in the West Bank harm the peace effort:

"Palestinians welcome the prospect of taking over Gaza but say that if Israel keeps larger tracts of the West Bank as the trade-off, it would be impossible to set up a viable, territorially contiguous state."

The Ha'aretz story speaks of how the settlements are indispensable in that effort:

Sharon, who received enthusiastic applause from the 4,000 delegates at the AIPAC conference, said the disengagement would enable Israel to ensure that the large settlement blocs in the West bank remained an inseparable part of Israel.

Israel does not feel secure in the idea that giving up large sections of land will make them *safer*. The Palestinian Authority does not feel that non-contiguous lands serve their purpose for a united homeland. Tricky issues, to say the least, and I haven't even thought about mentioning the religious stuff.

I can't say as I have any faith in our current administration's ability to help reach a compromise. Actually, I'm not sure I have faith in anyone's ability to work this miracle.

Wake-up Call - Think For Yourself!

Ever read something and feel like you're being slapped in the face? That's how I felt yesterday when I read "Enlighten-New Jersey" for the first time. It's not just that they're spouting pretty much the opposite of what all my opinions are, it's that they're being, well, snide about it. The overall tone is just so "if you disagree with us, you're stoooopid!" that I'm having a hard time making it through all the posts. Actually, now I feel really guilty about anything I've ever written with that tone.

I try to be fair, although I don't know why, since this is, after all, just a forum for my opinions, so I'll point out the fact that this site has *really* good writing. The style has impact, and keeps you reading through the end of the post. I don't think I do that as well as they do, actually. But the opinions! Woo! Harsh! I just wasn't expecting to see things like this from something with "New Jersey" in the name.

Let's take today's post for example. It's about the Corzine suggested health plan.

How dumb does Corzine think we are? Upfront indeed.

How dumb does he think we are? That is so not helpful. I posted a comment:

Nice tone. You guys do understand that "up front" means the *first* round of money, right? And I'm sure that you get that the $19.33 figure is what it takes to get the program started, not how much it will cost to run it.

Programs cost money. Taking care of people's health is worth it.

I think that this is a good time to repeat my constant line: "Programs cost money, and someone has to pay for them". Property taxes in NJ are too high? Cut programs. Programs aren't the problem, you say? Re-work the spending. My daddy used to tell me, "Tami, you know what the difference between Democrats and Republicans is? Democrats tax and spend, and Republicans borrow and spend".

Want to see what Corzine has proposed in his own words? Go ahead, read it yourself. See if there's an idea in there that you can't agree with.

On the Republican side of the house, go ahead and read Doug Forrester's proposed reduction of property taxes. See if you can find out exactly where the 30% will come from. Which state jobs are "unnecessary"? What are the differences between Democratic programs and Republican ones that indicate the "Democrats' spending addiction"? The explanations just aren't there. How am I supposed to make an informed decision if no one is informing me?

There's a quote on the top of the page at Enlighten NJ: "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." I agree, people - arm yourselves.

So Unsavory That I May Cry

Go read this over at Shakespeare's Sister. You'll be sorry, but not that you read it. It's about Neal Horsely, and what a sick (insert swear words here) he is.

Standing Up for Himself

Someone asked me how I felt about the Galloway statement delivered to the Senate the other day (as reported in The Times Online)

I'll put up two quotes which I think capture the tenor of the statement pretty accurately:

"Now you refer at length to a company names in these documents as Aredio Petroleum. I say to you under oath here today: I have never heard of this company, I have never met anyone from this company. This company has never paid a penny to me and I'll tell you something else: I can assure you that Aredio Petroleum has never paid a single penny to the Mariam Appeal Campaign. Not a thin dime. I don't know who Aredio Petroleum are, but I daresay if you were to ask them they would confirm that they have never met me or ever paid me a penny.

"Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 people paid with their lives; 1600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies.

So how do I feel about this? I feel appalled that this man should be publicly accused of being involved in the oil-for-food scandal. I feel astonished that it seems very clear that the only reason his name was brought into the investigation was to discredit a man who so obviously disagrees with U.S. policies and U.S. actions. I also feel quite delighted that he had the nerve, the confidence to stand up for himself and declare the truth as publicly as he could, instead of cowering in fear at the behemoth that is our country. Mostly, though, I'm angry, shamed, and surprised that this kind of smear attempt got so far that his public denial was necessary. Deep down I'm so naive.

Laying Blame

Via Atrios:

Perhaps we should stop blaming Newsweek.

General Myers also told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday that the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Carl Eichenberry, disagrees with the reports that protests in the city of Jalalabad were caused by anger over the alleged Koran incident.

"It is the judgment of our commander in Afghanistan, General Eichenberry, that in fact the violence that we saw in Jalalabad was not necessarily the result of the allegations about disrespect for the Koran, but more tied up in the political process and the reconciliation process that President Karzai and his cabinet are conducting in Afghanistan. He thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine," he explained.

Usually Wolcott Is So Amusing...

Normally, when I read James Wolcott, I find myself smiling, even laughing out loud. Even when dealing with very serious subjects, his wry wit finds its way into the conversation, leaving me in awe of his snarky skills. (Skillz?)

Today, though, his post on the US and the future of the UN is just so serious that I'm not smiling at all.

Hands Off, Indeed

Today, there is a rally in Trenton with the theme "Hands Off Our Benefits!" This is a rally to let NJ government officials know that state employees like teachers and policemen do not want their pension plans changed. Talk of "entitlements" is inflammatory, and people wish to make their point that they work hard, and the benefits they receive are what they were granted in contract negotiations. Teachers and police officers receiving pensions are not living off the fat of the land, they worked hard doing tough, important jobs, and a degree of security in their old age is something they earned, not something that New Jersey is providing them out of generosity.

In this article, Hopefuls call for pension reforms, William G. Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities is quoted as saying,

"In many cases, it's too late (for reform)," Dressel said. "The police and fire system is one of the richest that exists in the nation. The teachers system is one of the most generous. It's indicative of the powerful interest groups they represent."

Perhaps it is one of the richest in the nation. I don't' have that information available to me, so it's a bit hard for me to tell. But I wonder, is it second richest in the nation? Because according to the U.S. Government's Census Bureau, NJ is number 2 as far as average personal per-capita income goes. When you factor in that NJ is consistently in the top ten highest rated states for cost of living (actual rankings I found averaged out at number 5), it only makes sense that our pension plans are "rich". How much do you want to bet that the amount of money we give our state retirees is not ranked second? The biggest complaints about spending in New Jersey is about how property taxes pay for schools, so school spending obviously has to be cut to lower the taxes. You think of the fifty states we rank second in school spending? I assure you, we do NOT.

I have read what the politicians are saying about the pension reforms they wish to make, and all of them cite people who take part time government positions and "tack" together the pension plans available from these minimal-effort jobs into an amount of money that mimics what a full-time worker makes. You hear that someone worked 5 jobs that required 10 hours a week of their time put together, and that now they'll receive a pension of $60,00 a year, on *top* of any income they receive. No, I don't think that's fair. No one thinks that's fair. Surely, though, there's a way to take care of this that doesn't penalize other state workers? The talk is of eliminating the possibility of pensions for part-time positions. This sounds fair until you think about a fire fighter in a 35-hour-per-week part time position for 20 years. Or a person working as a classroom aide who is considered part time because that will never be "classified" as a full-time position. These are people's careers, and appropriate pensions should not be denied them.

We need to find another way to eliminate this problem, a way that doesn't punish the people who have been generous enough to spend their working years making the rest of our lives better and safer.

Properly Grateful

Today, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo has added me to their blogroll. Because I asked!

By the way - if you don't want to turn your brain to mush, never, ever, EVER visit Kitten War. It almost killed me.

Friday Not-My-Pet Blogging Mark II

I know that Ron and Jazz have done an admirable job of posting about the new rodent discovered in Laos, but in my opinion, they missed the most important line:

Dr. Timmins said he was not tempted to feast on a rock rat and never thought to ask what it tasted like. A trip to the market, he said, made it clear that "in Laos, pretty much everything gets eaten."

Luckily, I don't have any need to make this stuff up.

Blog I'm Watching

This guy really doesn't like being represented by Michael Ferguson.

No, not at all.

Go With the Flow

Since EVERYTHING I read today seems to be about sex, I thought I'd pose a question about the few-days-old story about Neal Horsley and his early-life mule girlfriends.

OK, so this man believes that everyone who grew up on a farm learned about sex by having it with animals. Does he mean girls, too, or do you think that girls aren't "people" to a man like that?

Performing sex acts on animals is not anything like engaging in a relationship with another consenting adult (or even another consenting teenager - there's nothing like that). Anyone who deigns to compare these two simply makes themselves look ridiculous - and kind of demented - in my mind.

My Kind of Mouthpiece

Please, if you're not the type who's read this already, head over to Dear Abby for today's date, May 11th, 2005. She has a letter from someone who calls himself "Leonard in Lynchburg". I feel terrible quoting her column, I worry that I need permission but I simply must. I'll just take from the middle of Abby's reply:

"Homosexuality is simply a variant of sexual orientation. Those who claim it is "unnatural" should direct their attention to Dr. Joan Roughgarden, a biologist at Stanford University with a Ph.D. from Harvard, who states that more than 300 vertebrate species have been found to practice homosexuality. (A visit to any zoo might confirm it.)"

Abby, whom I often think of as an example of as pure Middle American Values-Oriented as you get, apparently thinks that scientific facts and tolerance are values. I applaud her.

More Cross Posting Goodness

A post I've put up at Running Scared:

Reading Terror ties at a Middle Eastern bank?, I am struck by both sides of the issue, yet again.

Side one: you should not help terrorists.
Side two: you should deposit money in bank accounts, if the correct deposit slip is used and you're a bank.

I think that a bank should do business as usual, and shouldn't be peering in to every transaction in every one of their customer's accounts by any means. As true as this is, though, it's also important that things like terrorist watch lists are recognized, and when someone opens a new account, references like that one should be checked. If a person is affiliated with a terrorist organization, an International bank should not be issuing them an account. I don't think that's an unreasonable request.

It's funny, my first thought when reading this was "It's a bank, it's supposed to move people's money around for them". As I read, though, I came to the above conclusion. Terrorist "watch lists" and "wanted lists" exist because people are breaking laws and hurting other people, and they're in place for the greater good. (I will not get into whether or not people who are on the lists belong there).

I do not know whether or not the Arab Bank has terrorist ties, they certainly protest loudly enough that they do not. I do believe that it is wrong of them to assist in moving money for people involved in terrorist acts, and I sincerely hope that their efforts to prevent this from happening in the future are successful

Face the Truth

Newsflash: Ancient Egyptian artists - not big liars!

CT scans reveal King Tut's face
"Archaeologists discover images are strikingly similar to ancient portraits"

I'm so relieved!

Humanitarianism and Realism

Not two words that you hear put together all the time, but I think that they work here.

I don't know if you've been over to The Huffington Post yet, but it's HUGE. There's post upon post upon post to read, and I don't know how one person could ever get through it all and get anything else done. So, it was no surprise to me that The Opinion Mill had found a post that I missed yesterday, by my own state's Senator, Jon Corzine. The Senator says:

But even if you put aside the moral case for ending genocide for a moment, consider our own interests in the matter. The failed state that is being created in the wake of this horrific crime will be a hotbed for global instability. I was there, and I saw what’s happening. As I stood in the refugee camps of Eastern Chad, into which hundreds of thousands of desperate people are pouring over the border, I realized how dangerous to America the situation has become. Not only is Darfur a lawless part of an unstable state, but the conflict there is destabilizing Chad.

The refugees, even when they are receiving food and shelter, have nothing to do. Resentment is building. And Eastern Chad, which has insufficient resources for its own population, cannot accommodate the refugees for long. We must stop this genocide, and we also must bring about a long-term political solution to this crisis. With two million people in refugee camps in Chad and camps for displaced persons in Darfur, we are creating the conditions for the collapse of law and order in an entire region and, potentially, for terrorism.

There you have it. An argument that we should help our keep our fellow man from getting slaughtered, if only to protect ourselves against future terrorist attacks. The only bigger motivator in today's world seems to be people's pocketbooks, and one can certainly argue that terrorism is costing the US more and more money every day.

When we headed over to Iraq with guns blazing I posted that I wondered why it was important to liberate those people, but not the ones in the Sudan who were being killed in frightening numbers for no reason at all. I still don't know why people wouldn't think this is important.

Going for the Sleaze Factor

Rather than blog about something lofty today, I thought I'd point out a newspaper article that I had the good fortune to stumble across. It's about a prostitution bust, and I think we all know that if you can talk about sex, you really should.

Prostitution is latest Morris target
We start out with this:

Authorities in Morris County arrested 18 people this weekend in a prostitution sting in Rockaway Township, part of a campaign to root out sex crimes, gambling and drugs, the county prosecutor said yesterday.

A little further on down the line, though, we get this:

Investigators chose Rockaway Township for its proximity to major highways such as Routes 80 and 46, not because the township is a center for prostitution, the prosecutor said.

...

Rockaway Township Mayor Louis Sceusi said he is pleased that local and county authorities worked together on the sting, but he emphasized that the township is not plagued by prostitution.

So these escort services weren't located in Morris County at all? I am disappointed. I was looking forward to reading about how crime-riddled one of the more affluent NJ counties was! Oh, well. At least I can take comfort that this is brought up far enough down in the article that a lot of people will miss it. My party conversation starter remains safe!

Another thing I'd like to point out about this article - it gives the names of the female NJ residents taken in to custody. Was that out of consideration for men who'd like to look them up in the future? I hope those ladies have unlisted numbers.

Odd thing #3 - two of the women listed are mentioned as "working in child care". I wonder if prostitution business is so slow that you need a second job.