The Immigration Debate

Immigration - a term which evokes emotions from bitter resentment to compassion. But any controversial subject has several myths associated with it. In this case, we will start with three, two of which are mythical in a least certain parts of the country.

The first is that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from American citizens. This may be true in certain parts of the country, but not in the Mid-Atlantic states. For example, John Livingston, a business developer for the Beltsville, Md.-based Manganaro MidAtlantic, a concrete and masonry company where immigrants comprise up to 75 percent of the work force said his firm has not been able to fill its staffing needs without immigrants for more than a decade. There is also evidence of this in Colorado, a state which has one if the toughest immigration laws in the country. There is such a shortage of labor there that there is talk of using prisoners to fill the gap

The second is that they sell their labor cheap. Once again, this is not true, at least in the Mid-Atlantic states.

The third myth has to do with drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants. Ex-Governor Elliott Spitzer of New York reasoned that these people, if not employed, would become a burden on the city, county and state in which they lived. Depriving them of a driver's license would, in most cases, make it impossible for them to support themselves and pay the taxes they should. The myth is that a driver's license would allow them to board airplanes in the United States. On the contrary, Governor Spitzer had the approval of the Office of Homeland Security, because it is a restricted license which clearly states the words "not for federal identification purposes."

"If illegal immigration came to a standstill, it would disrupt the economy," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "It would lead to higher prices for many goods and services, and some things literally would not get done. It would be a major adjustment for our economy, for sure."


Of course, the alternative to all of this is mass deportation of all the 12-14 million of them. This would suit the likes of Lou Dobbs and Pat Buchanan, who seem to favor mass deportation, but not before they were all given 15 lashes for their transgression.

Tim Russert Dies at 58

Tim Russert simplifying the 2000 Presidential election

We were saddend to hear about the passing of Tim Russert, moderator of Meet the Press for 17 years and NBC Bureau Chief on Friday, June 13, 2008. Tim was 58 years old. In this day of commentary and editorializing, Tim exemplified unbiased reporting in broadcast journalism. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family, his NBC family, friends and viewers.

Fist Bump, Pound, DAP, Knucks, LIST - DOs and DON'Ts

We found this great list about the "fist bump heard 'round the world" (here credited to Mr. Wonka & Tasty Booze Team on Breaking Media Network and posted on digg):

1. If sports are involved, fist bumping is always acceptable.

2. If you are wearing a suit, you may only fist bump if you are drunk. (we take issue with this one. The stuffed shirts and empty suits have been doing this for awhile and it has humanized them to the degree they can be humanized so we say bump away if you're in a suit) Or if you have just wrapped part of your suit around your forehead.

3. You may not fist bump under any circumstances, in a hospital. Unless Rule #1 (or Rule #2) applies.

4. Do not fist bump someone else’s misfortune, even if it helps you. Just look down, furrow your brow, and nod sternly.

5. No fist bumping between the hours of 7am and 10am. And if you’re watching sports at this time, it’s probably soccer or NASCAR, and then you should really not be fist bumping. High fives will suffice for both.

6. Do not fist bump in a meeting. Even if you are drunk.

7. Do not fist bump your children. Unless you’re drunk, then it’s OK.

8. Girls can fist bump anytime they want. And yes, guys think it’s cute.

9. Do not refuse a fist bump. If you, as a bumpee, believe the bumper is violating a rule, speak to him afterwards. Refusing his bump is not going to help anything.

10. Do not fist bump yourself.

With all the controversy surrounding this casual friendly greeting that has been in the main steam for a number of years now, come on people, get a grip! Give it a try and and do follow the DAPiquette as outlined above.

Booboisie via VIVA CHUCK TODD

Now you can access us through the world famous site, VIVA CHUCK TODD! How cool!

On Majority Rule

Many people assert that America is a country of majority rules. We are in agreement with Senator James A. Reed from Missouri when he spoke in 1926. The following are excerpts from that speech:

“I am getting a little tired of hearing about the sacred rights of the majority; that this is a country ruled by the majority; and that the majority has the right to have its way. This is not a country ruled by the majority. This is not a country of majority rule. The Constitution of the United States was written, in large part, to prevent majority rule. The Declaration of Independence was an announcement that there are limitations upon majority rule.

The fact that a majority of 1 or 10 vote for a bill in the Senate is not a certification that the action is right. The majority has been wrong oftener than it has been right in all the course of time. The majority crucified Jesus Christ. The majority burned the Christians at the stake. The majority drove the Jews into exile and the ghetto. The majority established slavery. The majority set up innumerable gibbets. The majority chained to stakes and surrounded with circles of flame martyrs through all the ages of the world's history. The majority in China believe in a doctrine and follow a code of ethics different from ours. Either they are wrong or we are wrong. The majority in India follow a different code of ethics and have a different set of ideas than we, and they far out number us. Either they are wrong or we are wrong.

Majority rule without any limitation or curb upon the particular set of fools who happen to be placed for the moment in charge of the machinery of a government! The majority grinned and jeered when Columbus said the world was round. The majority threw him into a dungeon for having discovered a new world. The majority said that Galileo must recant or that Galileo must go to prison. The majority cut off the ears of John Pym because he dared advocate the liberty of the press. The majority to the South of the Mason and Dixon line established the horrible thing called slavery, and the majority north of it did likewise, and only turned reformer when slavery ceased to be profitable to them.

Notes on James Alexander Reed:
James Alexander Reed (1861 - 1944), was born in Ohio; but after a brief sojourn in Iowa, settled in Kansas City, Missouri in the 1880s. At the turn of the Century, he was the Prosecuting Attorney in Kansas City, where he obtained 285 convictions in the 287 cases that he tried. From 1911 until his retirement in 1929, he served as a Democratic Senator from Missouri.

Furthermore, James Madison wrote in Federalist Paper 51: "It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure."

It has often been debated that we should do away with the Electoral College and, most recently in our election, that debate has surfaced again. Mr. Rick Garlikov writes in his essay The Need for Formal and Informal Mechanisms to Prevent "Tyranny of the Majority" in Any Democratic Government, “The Electoral College, though different now from the way it was originally established, still operates intentionally in opposition to majority rule in this same way. In a system of electing the President by mere simple majority, a candidate or party could win by appealing to 51% of the voters united by some particular characteristic. And while Madison was correct that it is not easy in a free society to find 51% with an overriding affiliation to some philosophy or set of ideological policies that affect favorably all the various aspects of their lives, still it can happen. It happens, so far in America as of this writing, with some regard to race, with some regard to religious affiliation, and with some regard to gender. It happens also, though in alternating cycles, with regard to what are currently deemed generally "conservative" versus "liberal" values. It also can happen with regard to demographics along age lines or along urban/rural lines. By requiring a candidate to get at least some widespread support across a set of divergent groups, and not just simple majority support, the electoral college serves as a partial safeguard against those who might be able to find and win over a majority group based on some simple or single characteristic. It is not foolproof as a safeguard in this way, but it is important, and sometimes formidable.

When my younger daughter was in sixth grade, she attended a new middle school that opened its first year with just two of the three grades it would subsequently have. It began with sixth and seventh grades and would from then on, have sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. They held a student council officer election in the spring of the school year for student government positions the following year. For some reason, there were far more seventh graders than sixth graders that year, and because they voted for "their own", the seventh graders won all the officer positions. The sixth graders felt that was unfair but were told that was just how democracy worked. Well, it is not how American "democracy" (or at least American government) works, nor how it is supposed to work, regardless of the misconception. Had there been a mechanism, something like the electoral college system, whereby sixth and seventh grades were represented in a more equal way to make up for their unequal population numbers -- a way that required the assent of some implicit coalition of both groups -- either there would have been some sixth graders elected to the student council offices or at least some seventh graders might have been elected who were more acceptable to the sixth grade class. Potential seventh grade officers would at least have had to court some part of the sixth grade vote instead of being able to ignore it altogether. That is the purpose, or at least a feature, of devices such as a bicameral legislature or an electoral college.

Mr. Garlikov goes on to say:


Effective, heeded representation will happen naturally in those bodies comprised of sensitive, compassionate, and honorable members with discerning judgment who care about the needs of all people. There are not likely to be such bodies. Therefore mechanisms are necessary to prevent 51% of people from controlling 100% of the decisions in a democracy simply by having majority rule that allows them to win every vote without having ever to take into account the needs of the 49%. When those needs are intolerably and unreasonably ignored and thwarted, there is a tyranny of the majority. (used by permission of Rick Garlikov when we wrote our Letter to the Editor,The Evening Sun, Hanover, PA with sincere thanks to Mr. Garlikov)

We must get away from this idea that the majority rules. America was never intended to be a country of rule by the majority and many obstacles were put in place to prevent majority rule. We must protect the individual, the minority. It is what our great country is all about.