Sunday, October 05, 2003

The Rush Limbaugh Thing. It's a two parter, and you need to separate them.  I note a mixture of Republican reaction on Right Wing News.  I also note that there's significant mischaracterization of leftward positions on this issue.  I'll clear it up for you. Let's make the assumption that Limbaugh has purchased large quantities of this drug, large enough to trigger trafficking laws.  Do I think he should go to jail?  No.  I also don't think that if some black guy gets caught on the street with N+1 painkiller tablets, where N is the number you need to trigger trafficking, that he should be sent to jail either.  The problem is these mandatory sentencing laws.  We have to be able to trust our judges to look at these situations and do the right thing; they've got to be able to weigh facts like medical condition, first offense, and so forth.  There is just no way that Rush Limbaugh is a drug trafficker.  Why, then, should he be at risk to a conviction on drug trafficking laws?  Why should another, lesser known, person be? If you are on the Right, this is something you're going to need to work out for yourself.  You either believe that the law should be applied evenly, or you believe that this is a bad law.  You can't believe that this is just a bad law in this case, because Rush is X.  It doesn't matter whether X is rich, famous, first time offender, or anything else.  The law puts him in jail, as currently written. The fact that the Florida police have apparently indicated that they're not interested in pursuing Rush, even though he may have had the triggering number of pills in his possession, will surely be of great comfort to the thousands of people currently serving their minimum sentences, for much of the rest of their lives, for a similar offence. Yes, I know that there are real drug traffickers, and real drug offenders, in jail.  I have no problem with that. Part Two: The "McNabb Situation".  Give the guy a break.  We all say things that are dumb now and again, and this was his.  Pro sports broadcasting is tough, and the pros who work it have to be controversy-free for decades at a time.  It's hard work.  Find me someone Rush's age who hasn't made a mistake now and then and let the past sneak up in his mind. I'm 36 and I know I have.  Once or twice in my life (literally) I've quite inadvertently made a sexist remark.  It stays with you and you think about it.  And maybe you don't do it again.  But then again, I grew up in the 70s, and maybe it will.  I need to look at myself on the whole, and know that I am not that kind of person. 8:25:48 PM     | comment [] | trackback []

H1-B Realities. Chiara has recently written on this subject.  You should read what she said, and take the time to read the report she refers to.  There are a number of forces at work, and they're not working in favor of us programmers here in the US... Cheating is rampant.  Companies abuse the H1-B process to find cheap labor.  They falsely certify that they are unable to find appropriate employees already able to work in the US. Corruption is present, and may be common.  There are people out there who "broker" H1-B positions; they're in a position to hire and fire, falsify certifications, and so forth.  Employees are often required to pay to get their position, or give part of their pay. L1 abuse is becoming more frequent.  This does an end run around the entire visa process; consulting front companies use the L1 process to import additional consultants, who are farmed out at cheap rates.  Fear means silence.  Current H1-B holders are often scared to complain about long work weeks, low pay, paying a "toll" to get their job, or giving part of their pay to some organizer.  What we've got is a system with good intentions (to allow American companies to import the specific, skilled expertise they need), that's resulted in a lot of cheating and imbalances.  In the interests of full disclosure, I'll point out that I am a Canadian working in the US.  Fortunately, Canada and the US have a bidirectional visa program, whereby Americans who work in certain professions can easily get a visa to work in Canada, and vice-versa.  Our two cultures are very comparable in just about every way, so that program has worked well for both countries, and given the citizens of each substantial additional freedom. 8:08:39 PM     | comment [] | trackback []

Dirty Pool. More Schwarzenegger allegations have hit the airwaves today, and they're being furiously dissected everywhere.  The predictable reactions are taking place -- Dems saying "I told you so", or "do you want this man for your governor". GOP are saying that this is just the very worst of partisan politics.  Both sides are right, I guess...this is the essence of hardball politics.  The Dems definitely, specifically waited until this point in the campaign to get maximum mileage out of the announcement. That being said, if you're a voter, you have some decisions to make.  If you're a Republican, you need to think through your position, if you've just cried "Partisan!".  There aren't that many possibilities: He never did any of this.  All of the women are lying. He did some of it, but only the playful stuff.  Some of them are lying.  He did some of it, and he did some of crappier stuff.  Some of them are lying. He did all of it.  They're all telling the truth. If you pick any of 2 through 4, you get to as yourself the next question: Does it matter to you?  If he has done only playful things, then maybe it doesn't matter to you.  If he's done some of the lousier things that have been reported, it might be harder to make that same assumption. You could try to tell yourself that it's in the past, that he's put all that behind him.  And that could be true.  I heard on Chris Matthews' show the other night that Schwarzenegger has given a ton of money to various Jewish causes over the years.  If that is true, then I think the whole Hitler thing is quite unfair. Bottom line is, you need to parse it through.  You choose which of the accusations to believe, if any.  Then for each, you decide if you think it makes a difference.  Then you vote, or write. But don't simply call "Partisan".  Do the exercise.  Prove to yourself that it is, simply, partisan. 7:51:03 PM     | comment [] | trackback []