Current issues
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[edit] Dishonorable politicians
We are told to address legislators and judges as "honorable", yet in fact they are generally very dishonorable persons:
- Many members of Congress have criminal records, according to Capitol Hill Blue [1]
[edit] Corruption
- The scandals of the Bush administration are documented by Salon.com [2]
- Corruption in Iraq (both UN and US) CS Monitor: Corruption under CPA may dwarf oil-for-food scandal
- Crony government in the Bush administration:
- David Safavian, President Bush's top procurement official, arrested for lying and obstructing a Federal investigation into corruption. [3]
- Michael D. Brown, director of FEMA during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, resigned amid criticism that he was not qualified for the job and only recieved it because of his friendship with [[wikipedia:Joe Allbaugh|Joe Allbaugh], himself a political appointee and profiteer from the Bush administration's policies.
- Congressional leaders Bill Frist and Tom Delay are both under investigation for ethics violations: [4]
- NPR's 'Morning Edition had a great story on 15 November 2005 about how government-subsidized crop insurance has become a free-for-all for fraud: [5]
- 29 Nov 2005: Congressman pleads guilty to taking bribes. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a Republican Congressman from the San Diego area pled guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and others. "Cunningham was known on Capitol Hill for his interest in defense issues and his patriotic speeches on the House floor, including one in favor of a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning." [6]
[edit] Resources
- Project on Government Oversight
- A collection of corruption related links (includes several focused on the drug war)
[edit] Deception
[edit] Social security reform
President Bush proposes a fundamental change to the social security system: the creation of individual retirement accounts. This reform is desirable from a libertarian perspective, but still limits the choices of individuals and seems to benefit certain special interest groups. This is central to a broader plan to create an "ownership society".
[edit] English as an official language
In many states with a high Spanish-speaking population, there are arguments over whether non-English languages should be used in government work, including government schools.
[edit] Gay marriage
The state discriminates on the basis of sex and lifestyle. This relates to the social security debate, as social security benefits are one of the tools that the state uses to discriminate against gays.
[edit] Medical Marijuana
Many states have passed laws allowing the medical use of marijuana. The Federal government is fighting this. The Supreme Court is currently examining this issue in the context of federalist principles.
- Andrew Sullivan briefly discusses the case of 27-year old quadriplegic Jonathan Magbie in this entry from 23 September 2005. Sullivan occasionally documents some of the more egregious offenses against madical marijuana users in his blog.
[edit] Drug War
The drug war is funneling billions of dollars into criminal and terrorist organizations. It is destabilizing poorer countries and corrupting their governments. It is fueling real crime along our borders and damaging our relationship with neighboring countries, such as Mexico. [7]
[edit] Commercial regulation
The state is involved in regulating the most minute issues of commerce, often blocking progress and otherwise harming the public interest. Often, these regulations do not come to the public's attention until a substantial push has been made to repeal them. However, as an illustration of the extent and nature of such regulations, the following list is provided:
- The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has blocked the integration of fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles into the city's taxi fleet.
