Letters to my senators

Every single Republican senator has decided to oppose Wall Street reform. All of them. Some of these people are actually pretty sensible. But standing up for what they believe, and for what their consituents want by an overwhelming majority, would be political suicide if it means going against party leadership and against their biggest donors.

So tonight I sent the following letter to both Texas senators, Hutchinson and Cornyn. I don't expect more than a canned answer thanking me for sharing my concerns...

Dear Senator:

I am disappointed by your vote against moving forward on Wall Street reform. Self-regulation has failed. Let's learn the lessons of the S&L collapses, the Wall Street scandals of the early 2000's, and the more recent banking debacles and abuses, and enact the reform and controls this country needs to stand tall once again.

Incidentally, please reply specifiying what amounts you've accepted in campaign contributions from the Financial Services industry. Your sworn duty is to the citizens and consumers of this nation whose tax dollars fund your paychecks, not to the irresponsible profiteers whose reckless greed nearly collapsed our economy and whose deep pockets and undue influence on Congress continue to threaten our democratic process.


Sincerely,


Bruno Sarda

Irony and reciprocity

As I read about all the emotions surrounding this question of illegal immigration, I can't help but find some irony in it.

Those who advocate cracking down on illegal immigrants in the US primarily argue that 'illegals' commit crimes and consume public services like schools and emergency medical care without paying for them.

First, let me say I believe anyone who comes to this country should do so following the law, arduous as it is to keep up with and navigate immigration laws. But the idea here is that demonizing an entire class of people who came to this country without proper status, sometimes decades ago, is terribly misguided.

Now, as far as I know, undocumented workers in the US are actually much less likely to commit a crime than the population at large. The vast majority just want life, liberty and the freedom to pursue happiness. And like with any large group, there are some who commit crimes, and those should be prosecuted for their crimes, no more or less than anyone else who commits the same crime. But to paint this community as 'dangerous' or 'a threat' is pure fear mongering.

And the fact is these 'illegals' actually pay into the system as well. They rent houses and apartments. They buy cars. They consume services in their communities. They pay sales taxes. And many of them actually do pay payroll taxes, even if they have no prospect of getting that money back. Those who argue that illegals are a financial burden to their communities may want to broaden their perspective, and not just look at what public services these individuals use, but in fact what they contribute to their local economies. Border states like Arizona and California would experience severe economic consequences if these populations should disappear overnight.

Now here's the ironic part. The people who complain about the illegal status of these immigrants and the so called burden they create in their communities should apply the same logic as basis to question US policies and practices abroad.

For example, the US regularly engages in illegal activities on foreign soil - illegal per United Nations charter, Geneva Convention, International Criminal Court, etc..., but also local laws. Where's the outrage? Surely if it's a crime for a foreigner to be in the US illegally, then it is no less of a crime for the US to be in another country illegally, and/or to engage in activities there that violate local and international laws?

Also, it is widely documented that multi-national companies, many emanating from the US, unfairly and sometimes illegally plunder natural resources across the world, exploit cheap labor under conditions that are illegal in the US, etc... If you think illegal immigrants are a burden to US communities, go ask local communities across the world if they feel US corporate activities and practices are net positive or net negative for them? When some countries muster up the courage to say enough and try to protect their borders from the invasive and destructive practices of corporate interests, it is usually reported as defiance to our sovereignty. As if we should have unlimited rights and access to their resources, yet we don't believe in reciprocating?

The politics of fear, combined with media conglomerates that only care about the business value of news, not the accuracy or fairness or objectivity of what they report, add up to a toxic recipe leading to large parts of the population being misinformed and unnecessarily fearful. History teaches us that's never good news.

Double standard

I was late getting to work yesterday. The freeway I usually take to get to the office was closed. Turns out a car had overturned and resulted in a fatality. I don't know who the victim was, but my heart nonetheless goes to their family and friends.

The scene that resulted was almost surreal. An entire freeway was completely closed to rush hour traffic. As I drove - very slowly - onto to the off-ramp, I could see there must have been a dozen patrol cars on site. Multiple officers were taking photos and video of the scene. Other officers were collecting pieces of broken glass and other debris. Others were taking measurements. Senior officers were overlooking this whole undertaking. And I thought wow, what a level of effort expanded to determine why this life was lost, to make sure justice is done.

Then my mind wandered to places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Where a long, brutal war kills blindly on a daily basis. Where many innocent victims will die needlessly just in hopes we might hit a bad guy, whatever that is and whoever gets to determine what that is. And it seems that rather than expand energy and resources to investigate and shed light on things that go wrong, to make sure justice is done because after all a life is a life, energy is instead expanded on covering up and keeping the truth from coming out.

The parallel struck me. That as a society we expect exact answers on things like what caused this car accident and who will be held accountable for the damages. But that when we learn our government - or its private contractors - indiscriminently kill and main and destroy private property in another country (or sometimes in this one!), we do not expect they should be held to a similar level of accountability and transparency.

Why is that? Are we saying a human life over there is worth less than a human life here?