US Governmment to Import 10,000 Syrian Refugees? Thanks, but No Thanks!

I have been catching some heat this weekend for campaigning to stop the future influx of Syrian refugees on the US taxpayer's dime...mostly because people are illogical and irrational dolts.  I mean, why wouldn't someone want to reach out and help these people who are in very dire straights?  I must be insane, right?  I am, but not about this.  This is a teaching and learning moment for all Americans.  The shit stops here.

Reason the first:  This one is really 18 trillion reasons.  We don't have the money.  With over 18 trillion dollars in US debt, we simply cannot afford it.  It is time to stop doing things which we cannot afford.  If you want to help Syrians and other refugees, then fix the damn tax code. Close the loopholes.  This has gone on long enough, and don't say, "Oh, we have the money for this and that, but we can't help out these refugees?"  Bullshit.  We don't have the money for any of any-fucking-thing.  Period.  If we want to do something, then we start with reigning in corporate welfare and fix the tax code.  We have been putting that shit off for long enough.  Get on your congresspeople and get this fixed now.  By the time we get through the red tape and the background checks for these refugees who need help it will have been at least a year.  Therefore, we have one year to fix this and it can be done.  The clock starts this week, so y'all better get on the phones.  If you give one flying fig about helping anyone, then this is the first step.  If you don't feel like calling your elected officials, then STFU about refugees or pretty much anything because I don't want to hear it.

Reason the second:  We have people living like refugees in this country that we obviously give zero shits about.  According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness there are over 500,000 homeless in this country on any given day.  All you liberal jackasses looking east and hollering about refugees better turn around and look behind you.  Once your heads are firmly out of your asses you will see that we have a huge fucking problem right in our front yards.  Am I completely nuts or should we maybe look at this first?  Let's make sure the people already here have food and clothes and homes and treatment for mental illness and addiction.  On top of homelessness, we have people living below the poverty level, children going to school hungry, and an underfunded education system.  Americans are reactionary and the press absolutely feeds into this.  Everyone is hollering about 10,000 people and we are perfectly content to turn a blind eye on people who are in need at home.  That is completely irresponsible and total political bullshit.  Let's get our own house in order and handle our moral and financial obligations at home before we start reaching out to the world. We always want to address what is current and catchy in the headlines because it allows us to forget the obligations we already have and choose to ignore.  Fix the tax code, develop some income and use that money to fix the non-flashy issues (of which there are plenty!) here in the US.

Reason the third:  Our government sucks at pretty much everything they do.  I think that is pretty clear at this point.  So, while we're working on the first two things on this list, let us just leave the US government out of the refugee business.  I do not reject the idea of bringing Syrian refugees to this country.  In fact, I am ecstatic about it.  What I reject is that we place the responsibility on our government to handle this.  Somewhere in the last 60 years we forgot the words of John F. Kennedy.  We should not be asking how the government can help these refugees.  We should be telling it how we Americans can help them.  Here's a brilliant idea.  Let's have a list.  This list will be a contract of sorts.  That contract will say that whoever signs it, provided they can maintain a certain income, will house an entire refugee family of a given size for a given time.  Our government will run a background check on refugees (they'll suck at it, but it needs to be done anyway).  They can run checks on whoever signs this list as well and approve the list.  When the refugees get into DC, or NY or Miami or wherever the hell, then the people who signed that list will go pick up that family.  These American homes will get no reward other than perhaps a tax break.  Based on the list we will then know exactly how many refugees these homes could handle.  Maybe we wouldn't get enough signers to get to 10,000.  Maybe we would get so damned many that we could have backup homes!  Have social workers pop in every month or so to make sure these people aren't being turned into slave labor and generally find their conditions livable.  I have discussed this idea with my wife.  She would encourage me to sign this list and offer our home to a family of 3 or 4 Syrians.  I am grateful for her.  I hate to use this term, but in a traditional sense this solution is the "Christian" solution.  This is giving of ones self selflessly to help a family in need.  This is taking the bull by the horns and not letting our impoverished government shoulder and mismanage the task.  

As I was telling people that I was against this influx of government supported refugees I was called things like "heartless", "over-comfortable", and "immoral".  My response was along the lines of, "If you are unwilling to support a government that operates in the black and to stop feeding our debt while ignoring hundreds of thousands of Americans in need for a flashy fix for the few, and pawn this 'obligation' of helping everyone off on the US government rather than lifting a finger yourself, then fuck your irrational, hypocritical morals and phony empathy".  I'm too busy trying to save the world to listen to that shit. 

Please share this if you believe that logic, reason, and true heart beat a catchy headline every time.

Caustic the Clown

We're Talkin' Candidates - Part 2 of Not Really Sure Just Yet

In part two of this series I’m going to discuss current Republican second placer, Dr. Ben Carson.

Understandably Dr. Carson has some folks excited.  For one thing, he’s a doctor.  That tells us something about his intelligence and commitment to completing tasks.  Becoming a doctor isn’t easy, especially when you're starting off as a poor kid from Detroit.  And Dr. Ben isn’t just any old doctor.  He’s a neurosurgeon!  And he’s not just any neurosurgeon; he’s a Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon!!!  He’s not just a Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon; he’s the first neurosurgeon to separate conjoined twins attached at the head!!!!!!!!!!  Sadly he’s retired, but I believe he’s earned that.  Even more sadly he has proven well that intelligence and wisdom can be mutually exclusive and that a great doctor does not a great scientist make.  We’ll come back to that.  Let us get to the issues.

We will start with that old chestnut, abortion.  Dr. Carson used to be pro-choice.  Like many pro-choicers he felt that abortion was awful, and yet was unwilling to legally force that opinion on the women of the country.  He has since tidied up that stance to become pro-life.  He feels that abortion for convenience is repugnant and that no abortions should be performed after 20 weeks post fertilization for any reason.  Up until that point he does allow for abortion where the mother’s health is in jeopardy.  I will not reiterate my thoughts on pro-lifers who have no adopted children.  If you search for his thoughts on abortion over the last 20 years you see a bit of fluctuation.  I cannot fault that.  It is not a simple issue.  For me, being pro-life does not preclude my possibility of voting for you…but it is a step in the wrong direction.

Dr. Carson believes in the free market system while I am for limited but specific regulation.  As we have seen time and time again in this country, corporations refuse to do right by the environment, the consumer, the government, etc…  He also wants to cut spending in every government agency by 10%.  We know there is an indescribable amount of waste in the government, but across the board cuts don’t make sense to me without some serious research.  Let’s combine his economic strategies into strike one.

The good doctor has some thoughts on civil rights.  He believes homosexuality is a choice.  He accepts that gay marriage is the law, but does not support it.  He does feel that minus marriage, gays should have the same rights as straight folk.  He equated homosexuality to pedophilia, though he later apologized for that one.  He feels that because he pulled himself out of a bad situation in his youth that we should eliminate race based entitlements like affirmative action.  I don’t think we’re quite ready for that…yet.  His beliefs that gays should not be able to legally marry and that minorities should all be able to rise above their upbringings (a beautiful concept, but I feel not accurate) I shall combine into strike two.

Dr. Carson is for medical marijuana.  That is a plus.  We are seeing more and more cases where marijuana treatment is helping patients of all ages.  He is against the recreational use.  This clown quite honestly loves the ganj.  Strike three.

Big Ben has spoken widely on education.  In 2015 he likened public education to a propaganda system.  He and I both agree that proper education equals liberation.  He feels that classes like math should take more priority over athletics.  That is hard to argue against, methinks.    He likes some God in his public schools.  I don’t much care for that.  He wants the “ethics” of creationists to enter the classroom.  I’ve seen those so-called ethics.  We don’t need them.  He is a huge fan of education in general and feels that this is the key to helping minorities, keeping youth on track and fighting oppression.  These are all true.  I’m not sure how he can do this by cutting 10% of federal school funding.  Lastly he is a creationist.  Did you know that there are folks who believe in creationism and evolution?  I like that.  Those ideals are not in opposition provided you can be a little flexible with your interpretations.  Unfortunately, Ben is not one of those people.  He has infamously asked, “…how does something come out of nothing?”  He and I have different definitions for “nothing”.  Clearly he is not a scientist.  Straight up Jesus riding on dinosaurs creationism I cannot tolerate, eliciting a fourth strike for Herr doctor.

To wrap this up let me speed through the rest of these.  I am way past TLDR status.  Dr. Ben Carson has not been very vocal on the environment other than to say that both socialists and capitalists should be protective of the planet.  Kind of vague if you ask me…though I do agree.  He hasn't publicly reconciled this generic environmentalism with his free market economic beliefs.  He feels that we need fossil fuel independence and that the climate debate is not relevant.  He is a “drill, baby drill” candidate.  Um…no.  He has equated the decline of the US to the decline of Rome and based these declines are caused by immorality.  Nope.  He feels that the government is bloated.  I’m with him on this one, but he wants a 5 year hiring freeze for government jobs.  To me this seems like a great way to stymie the intellectual growth of the government.  This is not the way to keep government small.  He is against the Affordable Care Act, and has called Obamacare the worst thing since slavery.  Seems overstated to me.  He is pro-torture.  Seems Christian to me!  He believes a pathway to citizenship for illegals is unfair to people who have done it the right way.  This is true, but doesn’t make a pathway a bad idea.  He is partially anti-union.

There are some more strikes in there.  I lost count.  Dr. Carson found God as a child after wanting to stab a classmate over an argument.  Finding God is not a bad thing.  Giving credit to said God for passing freshman chemistry is a bad thing.  Dr. Ben Carson is not a candidate for the poor and working classes.  Dr. Ben Carson is not a candidate for union clowns.  Dr. Ben Carson is not a candidate for single women and couples who make mistakes during intimacy.  Dr. Ben Carson is not a candidate for democratic socialists who believe in a hand up.  Dr. Ben Carson is not a candidate for me.

Caustic the Clown

 If you would like to personally verify the veracity of my summation of Ben's platform, then please visit these sites:

 http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/ben-carson-abortion-stance-121456

http://www.ontheissues.org/Ben_Carson.htm

https://www.bencarson.com/issues

 

We're Talkin' Candidates - Part 1 of Who The Hell Knows

Obviously were are very early into this election cycle.  Nevertheless I feel that I have most likely made up my mind on whom I will be supporting.  This is part one of a multi-part series where I will discuss each of the candidates which I think are relevant to next year’s election.  First let me get one thought off my mind.

All of the Republican candidates are varying levels of pro-life.  There is nothing inherently wrong with that stance and I would never chose a candidate on one issue alone.  People who get abortions are some sick mother-fuckers with loose morals and a disturbingly skewed sense of right and wrong.  If there is a God, then these people will surely go to hell for blatantly sacrificing the gift that He gave them.  Abortion makes me sick.  That being said, I am anti-abortion and absolutely pro-choice.  I am not a woman, so it is not for me to decide.  I will not put my Judeo-Christian morals on other people.  There is not an efficient system in this country for handling unwanted children.  Lastly and most importantly I am not adopting any children.  If you do not adopt children and you are pro-life then you are a fucking hypocrite, you have zero credibility, and you are not part of the solution.  You do not get to be pro-life unless you are actively helping to make the lives of unwanted children better by bringing them into your home.  Also, as I've stated before calling yourself pro-life when you are for the death penalty is utter bullshit and in my expert opinion, unchristian.

Now on to the first candidate, Donald Trump.

The Donald may be my favorite Republican candidate and not simply for his love of hats or because he is every bit a clown like myself.  One of the best things about him?  He is not afraid to say that this country sucks giant hairy balls.  He acknowledges that we are not the greatest country in the world...a concept which seems to terrify or completely incense some Americans.  The only way to get back on top is to finally admit to ourselves that we are not in fact, anywhere near the top.  In 1999 he proposed increasing taxes on the rich by 14.25%.  He still feels this way today.  This is a good idea, though it may not be enough without closing existing loopholes.  He believes that giving a withdraw date from Afghanistan was a “stupid mistake”.  That is spot on and I couldn’t agree more.  Trump feels that China is a huge danger to US business and labor.  This is not a brain buster.  Additionally he feels that we as a country should not do business with countries that have a poor human rights records or where the people are oppressed by the government.  Obviously based on where manufacturing is centralized these days this is a tall order, but his heart is in the right place.  He believes in smaller government, which I am a huge fan of, but we differ on where the cuts should be made.  Trump thinks we should get the fuck out of the Middle East.  I concur.  There is no victory there for us.  Trump is pro-gun and against assault weapons.  This mirrors my own beliefs.

Trump is rather vocal on immigration issues.  Just for schnitzengiggles I got into a debate with my daughter about whether “anchor-baby” is a racist or appropriate term.  CNN is discussing this ad nauseam.  Guess what?  It doesn’t matter.  Yes these kids are US citizens.  Yes, some of their parents may have had these babies to give themselves a footing in this country.  I don’t mind the term “anchor baby”.  It seems apt to me, but I can see where some would find it offensive.  Certainly this term should not be the center of the debate.  It deflects conversations from the deeper issues.  Why are people fleeing Mexico and South/Central America?  They are fleeing because some of those places blow big-time and on many levels.  We know this.  So what do we do?  Trump wants to build a giant wall on the Mexico side and have Mexico foot the bill.  As a NIMBY libtard this sounds like a fine idea to me!  The wall will be damned ugly.  People will still somehow get over or under it because people are like water; they are both unstoppable and will find a way.  I would hate to live on that border and see a giant prison wall on a quarter of my property line.  Also, you have to make allowances for animal migrations and natural water-ways.  Betcha Trump doesn’t have a good solution for either of those.  We cannot deport US citizens, so what do we do with these “anchor babies”?  We leave them and their parents alone; even though every single one of these people will turn out to be a rapist and/or murderer.  Yes, we need more patrols.  I think a wall would be expensive if we cannot get Mexico to somehow pay for it not to mention ugly and unfeasible.  The logistics for deporting every illegal in the country seem insurmountable…especially for a government that sucks at pretty much everything.  So let us fast track who is already here.  Let us step up border patrols which would put people to work as well as stop new folks from coming in.  The Christian thing to do would be to welcome these people in as brothers and sisters in humanity and help them in every way possible.  Thankfully, I am not a Christian so I don’t think this is necessary.  Also, we already have loads of people here who need plenty of help.

That being said, I cannot vote for Trump.  We clearly disagree on immigration and he is a racist who is not afraid to make broad sweeping generalizations about an entire group of people.  He is a “drill baby drill” candidate.  He is not pressed about sustainable energy.  He does not support farm subsidies and is for cuts in the USDA and FDA.  He somehow thinks that the US is the highest taxed country in the world.  Spoiler alert…we aren’t even in the top 5.  Trump dislikes our current education model, which I do as well, but he has not provided solutions other than eliminating the Department of Education and handing control to local and state governments.  Look at Texas and tell me if that is a good idea.  Trump is against same sex marriage which is kind of a deal breaker for me.  Forbidding people to have something which you have, in which giving it to them in no way affects your life, seems pretty lousy to me.  He is against the Affordable Care Act, but has no suitable replacement in hand.  Finally, Trump is a lousy and savvy business person.  He and his companies have filed for multiple bankruptcies, but he personally always comes out on top.  Sometimes he creates investor projects that fail, but his contracts are written so that he shares little of the risk.  He has even made profits on failed investments while his partners suffer all or most of the losses.  He doesn’t play the business game well, but has expert legal advice.  Therefore he always works the system so that he comes out ahead either through use of contracts or through litigation.  Stay classy, Trump.

No to Trump in 2016. 

Caustie el Payaso

http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/Trump/Issues.php

https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/how-does-trump-repeatedly-file-for-bankruptcy-and-still-stay-on-top