Politicians Suck – Page 21 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Cigar Tax: 20,000% Increase

They want to take it from 5 cents to $10 dollars. No word yet on what Hillary’s position is on the cigar tax, but I’m betting she’s for it. This will be sure to create a burgeoning black market in tobacco products, which will, of course, become violent. The federal government won’t outright outlaw tobacco, but they will tax it out of existence.

I’m really glad to see those Democrats protecting people’s civil liberties against the evil Republicans, let me tell you.

UPDATE: Sigivald points out:

Closer reading suggests they want to raise it from 5 cents to 54 percent, with a cap of $10.

Not $10 per cigar, flat.

Not good, by any means, but not the same as a $10 tax on a $8 cigar.

One of the problems with blogging is not always having the time to read everything very carefully. Â Corrections and clarifications are always appreciated.

Of course, I still think it’s a crappy tax increase.

Ban Bike Tires, For the Children

I’m always wondering what New Jersey is going to stoop to next.Â Â Apparently, it’s banning quick release bike tires for tires under a certain size.Â They are prone to accidents:

(AP) TRENTON, N.J. Certain bicycles with quick-release wheels couldn’t be sold in New Jersey under legislation approved Monday by the Assembly. The bikes allow wheels to be removed without tools so they can be quickly secured with a chain lock or transported in vehicles. Lawmakers said they are prone to accidents. Under the bill, it would be illegal to sell bicycles with quick-release wheels if the bicycle has a front wheel less than 20 inches in diameter. Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, a Democrat from Gloucester, said the bill mainly targets children’s bicycles.

How many times did we fall off our bikes when we were kids?Â Several for me, and I’m just fine. Â Of course, others would say that explains a lot.

What is This? Pre-Soviet Russia?

Can we get the political establishment to please banish the term Czar from the vernacular?Â Â Can we get people to agree to toss politicians who suggest we need a [insert favorite issue here] Czar out of their asses?

Via Hit and Run:

A leading critic of China in the U.S. Senate called on Sunday for creation of a new American “import czar,” saying the current maze of federal oversight has failed to protect consumers against harmful Chinese imports.

A statement issued by Schumer’s office said federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration have proven ineffective at protecting American consumers from dangerous Chinese products including pet food and toothpaste tainted with industrial chemicals.

“There are more than a half dozen federal agencies responsible for monitoring, testing, and blocking dangerous or tainted shipments,” the Schumer statement said.

It’s bad enough we have a drug czar.Â Do we need more?Â I’m starting to think I’m mistaken in my impression I live in a free country.Â Kerry Howley tears that one apart. Â Read the whole thing.

Are You Kidding Me?

Pennsylvania has long held its primary so late as to be nearly irrelevant in national politics at the primary level. By the time Pennsylvanians get around to voting, the pool of candidates has already been largely decided by other states. That’s why this quote from the Pennsylvania Republican Chair, Robert Gleason, pisses me off to no end:

With an older electorate, do we really want to force our voters out during conditions that could jeopardize their health and safety?

Are you serious? Look, I’m already quite sick of having to constantly bend over “for the children”, and my useless contributions to the various government run ~~pyramid schemes~~ social security systems annoys me enough as it is in regards to our “older electorate”, but this has to take the cake. Let’s make Pennsylvania relevant! We’re the 6th largest state in the union, and I think we should count for something.

What I’m Settling On

After thinking about this NICS deal, and how it seems to be playing out, I’ve decided that it’s not really much to get worked up about at this point, either for good or for ill.Â The Democrats had a chance to build some trust and rapport with the shooting community, after years of sticking it to us, and they are failing.

While I think this deal does some good things, this was a good opportunity for the Democrats to address some real issues with the system, and help allay some of our long time concerns with it. Â I’m not going to demand the Democrats dismantle all federal gun controls, make it legal for me to own a machine gun, or anything like that.Â I know what the political realities are.Â But there are some very legitimate issues in regards to the mental health and misdemeanor prohibitions, just in regards to language and rule clarifications, that I think could have been addressed here, that were not.Â Taking this in combination with Carolyn McCarthy being sponsor of this bill, they have slapped us in the face.

Am I going to pull out all the stops to oppose this bill?Â Well, not unless they tack on something more onerous to it.Â As it stands now, it’s not a bad deal, it’s just not nearly as good as I think it could have been.Â Am I mad at the NRA?Â No.Â I think the bill could have been a real problem for us, and they at least managed to turn it into something that’s, even if only minimally, a good deal.Â Am I convinced the Democrats have finally given up on gun control and are now our friends?Â Not by a long shot.Â If the Democratic party wants to impress folks like me, who certainly have no love or affection for the Republican Party, they are going to have to work a lot harder than this.

Gonzalez Sucks Round IV

The Brady Campaign are singing the praises of our Attorney General:

Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, wrote to Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez yesterday praising a Justice Department legislative proposal that would help prevent suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms and urging passage of the related legislation by Congress.

Paul Helmke knows a political gift when he sees it, and Gonzalez handed it to him on a silver platter. Come out against the bill, and the meme is “The NRA and the gun nuts want terrorists to have guns!”, and the media will happily lap it up and repeat it. Helmke can count on no one criticizing the administration for, once again, trampling on constitutional liberties in the name of the “War on Terror”.

This is the administration that was supposed to be so good for our second amendment rights? Given the three stooges the Republicans are currently putting out there for 2008, I’m seriously wondering if I need to switch my registration to Democrat from Independent so I can vote for Bill Richardson in the primaries.

This isn’t about terrorists getting guns, it’s about due process, and this proposal makes a mockery of our constitution.

Colorado Democrats Can Kiss My $$ Goodbye

The Democrats in Colorado just limited reciprocity to resident permits only.Â Â That means my Florida permit is now worthless in Colorado.Â Â Pennsylvania does not have reciprocity with Colorado.Â You can see the text of the bill here.

Clarifies that a person cannot use a permit to carry a concealed
handgun that is issued by another state if the person does not reside in the
issuing state.

I had plans to do a big hiking trip in Colorado.Â Â I will now take my business to a state that will allow me to defend myself while on the trail.Â Especially considering it’s Colorado that’s had problems with cougar attacks.

The general assembly hereby finds determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate23 preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.24

Any bets on whether the Colorado General Assembly can find even a single case of an out of state permit holder causing a problem?Â I’ll bet they can’t.Â Folks in Colorado, you have some politicians that need to be thrown out on their asses next election.

Hat Tip: Jeff SoyerÂ

Gonzalez Sucks Round III

You know when you make John Ashcroft look good, it’s time to think about resigning.

Comey testified Tuesday that when he refused to certify the program, Gonzales and Card headed to Ashcroft’s sick bed in the intensive care unit at George Washington University Hospital.

When Gonzales appealed to Ashcroft, the ailing attorney general lifted his head off the pillow and in straightforward terms described his views of the program, Comey said. Then he pointed out that Comey, not Ashcroft, held the powers of the attorney general at that moment.

Gonzales and Card then left the hospital room, Comey said.

“I was angry,” Comey told the panel. “I thought I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man who did not have the powers of the attorney general.”

Now, as civil liberty violations go, I never thought this program was a big one. But I think there are legitimate questions as to its legality. This was a pretty low tactic on the part of Card and Gonzalez.

Bush has stood solidly by his longtime counselor’s side; calls for Gonzales’ resignation have waned in recent weeks.

Bush’s loyalty is admirable, but it’s hurt him politically. He’s held on to people far too long after they have become liabilities for him, and Gonzalez is just the latest example of this.

Gonzalez Sucks Round II

Gonzalez wants to criminalize attempted copyright infringement:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is pressing the U.S. Congress to enact a sweeping intellectual-property bill that would increase criminal penalties for copyright infringement, including “attempts” to commit piracy.

“To meet the global challenges of IP crime, our criminal laws must be kept updated,” Gonzales said during a speech before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington on Monday.

What is an attempt to commit copyright infringement exactly? And why are Republicans pushing for these draconian copyright protections? Most of the people who benefit from these are core Democrat constituencies.

I’ll put my biases here up front, I believe in much weaker copyright laws than we currently have, but I also don’t think this is good politics for the Republicans. Also, we have this:

Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software. Anyone using counterfeit products who “recklessly causes or attempts to cause death” can be imprisoned for life. During a conference call, Justice Department officials gave the example of a hospital using pirated software instead of paying for it.

In addition, it’s also calling for expanded civil asset forfeiture for DMCA violations. It also requires the RIAA to be notified by homeland security “when CDs with ‘unauthorized fixations of the sounds, or sounds and images, of a live musical performance’ are attempted to be imported.” I guess because terrorists aren’t as big a threat to the American way of life as copyright infringers. Seriously, when college kids who copied a song start getting thrown in federal prison for years, and have their lives ruined, something has gone horribly off the rails. I can’t blame Gonzalez for enforcing the laws Congress has already passed, even though I don’t agree with them, but asking for more is simply unconscionable.

It is time for Gonzalez to go.

Because I Don’t Already Pay Too Much

From Captain Ed, we learn the Democrats want to enact the largest tax increase in US history:

The bill set to reach the House floor today (resembling the Senate version) would raise taxes an average of $1,795 on 115 million taxpayers in 2011. Some 26 million small-business owners would pay an average of $3,960 more. The decreased number of Americans subject to income taxes would all pay higher taxes, and 5 million low-income Americans would be returned to the rolls.

But it’s going to go to balancing the budget right?

The House version would increase non-defense, non-emergency spending by $22.5 billion for next fiscal year, with such spending to rise 2.4 percent in each of the next three years. To pay for these increases, the resolution would raise taxes by close to $400 billion over five years — about $100 billion more than what was passed in the Senate.

The Democrats are just as bad or worse than the boneheads they replaced.Â I already pay way too much in taxes to the federal government, upward is really not the direction I want to see my tax bill going.Â Apparently the Republicans have decided that they need to give more than lip service to cutting government and fiscal responsibility:

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the fifth-termer who is the House Budget Committee’s new ranking Republican, has proposed an alternative resolution. It not only retains Bush tax cuts but also proposes deep reductions in spending, protects Social Security payments and runs down the national debt.

Heh.Â The authors closing statement sums up my feelings exactly: “Why was no such resolution advanced during the 12 years the GOP was in the majority?”Â Good question!