Bordering on Ridiculous

There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that Tom Tancredo has plans, if he's the GOP Presidential nominee, to balance his ticket with a prospective Vice President who is an undocumented immigrant. I don't know where that one started.

However, if Tancredo did somehow become the Republican candidate, he'd be getting a huge boost from the Department of Homeland Security.

The geniuses at DHS have done it again. This time, they were so surprised by the number of prospective naturalized citizens who were applying to beat a fee increase, that there is now a huge backlog. The result is that thousands upon thousands will not be eligible to vote by election day.

Imagine that. They will not be able to exercise that basic right of citizenship and cast their ballot. Imagine how unhappy that will make most Republican candidates, not just Tancredo, who have made anti-immigrant zealotry such an article of party faith. How unhappy? Not very.

But for those who suspect that this is some sort of plot to give the GOP an advantage I agree with the DHS spokesman who calls that "ludicrous."

It's not because I think they're above such political shenanigans, it's just that I believe they're far too incompetent to pull off anything that clever.

When it comes to matters of border control our government has a record that is mind bogglingly inept.

Most recently we witnessed the passport debacle, just a recent example. And it's not just the State Department and Homeland Security who provide a constant reminder that so much of our tax money is simply thrown down the toilet.

When was the last Pentagon project we heard about that didn't cost billions in cost overruns. When did the last major highway construction finish on time and on budget?

It seems that wherever we turn we witness one wasteful screwup after another.

If government were a consumer product, where we had any choice, we'd have stop buying it long ago. Of course we don't have any choice. We are legally required to pay taxes, at least those of us who don't manage hedge fund must, and I'm not advocating that we refuse to. We have to have government.

But wouldn't it be nice if we had public officials who delivered what we were promised. And wouldn't it be great if they did their job to protect against the companies who have no social consciousness beyond the bottom line?

Maybe then, the political demagogues wouldn't find it so easy to exploit everyone's anger and create scapegoats, like immigrants. Maybe then the Tom Tancredos of this world would be laughed out of the room.

Comments

[thinklib]

Mr. Franken is absolutely right when he said, "If government were a consumer product, where we had any choice, we'd have stop buying it long ago." He mentions several government departments and programs that are corrupt and wasteful.

Why, then, would we trust the government to run health care?

Just asking.

[winzme]

The costs were increased to cover improvements that have been needed for a long time. Improvements that will hopefully in the long run help provide faster service.

The citizen petitions are just that, petitions for perspective citizenship. Citizenship in this country is valued, and doing the checks required takes time. Election in 2008 or not, it is more important that the perspective citizens be properly checked according to our laws.

One could just as easily slam the Democrats as Republicans on this issue. Both parties should be responsible and fund agencies if they desire high immigration numbers, and citizenship numbers. Democrats are just as guilty on wasting taxes, corrupt government, and all the things the Republicans are accused of. Agreed, the current administration has taken some things to a new level, but even the Democrats have largely fell in step with the administration on that.

I've heard talk about lowering the standards to make it easier and faster processing for immigration and citizenship. I cannot help but feel that the media attention on the current backlog is just another political ploy do just that.

[pwb3]

Daybreak: it is amazing that socialists (which I assume you are based on the exploitation bit) like yourself constantly accuse people like Dobbs of racism and xenophobia. How is it racist to resist illegal immigration? We already have a legal path to citizenship; you apply with everyone else and wait in line. Granted it takes quite awhile, but our sovereignty is to some extent predicated on control of the border. Sure Lou Dobbs is monomaniacal, but he"s certainly not a racist. Furthermore, Socialism breeds mediocrity and would ruin this country. Have you even read Marx, or are you just upset that some people have more money then you?

[Errour]

The number of our undocumented brothers and sisters in this country working or looking for work has been vastly underestimated, just as the success level of our fellow citizens in green uniforms--our Border Patrol--has been vastly overstated. Now politicians on both sides of the spectrum are smelling blood, since they see an issue on which they can talk tough and win the hearts of the mindless.

The border fence is a preposterous idea equivalent to Mr.Bush's shipment of pallets of cash to Baghdad. The immigrants who began the settlement of our part of North America ran bigger risks and faced more fearsome obstacles to pursue prosperity, and those living south of our borders are no less brave or resolute.

As our "system" of dealing with the problem now stands, we contribute to inhumanity against the best friend we have in our war against terrorists--Mexico. Don't we have any sharp Republican businessmen in Washington who can cut a deal with Mexico (one of whose businessmen recently passed Bill Gates in the piggy bank department)? How about some green cards for some oil and gas, hermanos?

[Mormondude]

Why do you think Mitt Romney's message and record of competence are reverberating with so many voters?

The myth of a 'hypercompetent' government has been destroyed so many times over in the past 4 years that it's not even funny.

Of course the ultimate example of this was Katrina. A disaster that was predicted over and over and over again. And one that after all the predictions and warnings, when it finally struck we had a week or more of lead time to prepare for the actual event. And one during which EVERY level of government utterly failed. From the city and county, up to the state and the federal. NOBODY performed competently.

We saw the government's true colors. The state and local leaders pointed fingers, and the federal leaders threw ridiculous quantities of money into the region to try to atone for the lacking ounce of prevention. And we had plenty of speeches from them all.

Anyone that puts blind their faith and trust in government needs their head examined.

[SamLC]

What's ridiculous is the ongoing Republican faith in the "base" rallying to the candidate that blows the most bombast. Simple solutions appeal to the simple minded.

[esl]

Tell it to your comrade at CNN, Lou Dobbs, the greatest demagogue since McCarthy.

[daybreak]

There wouldn't be poor people if the rich (especially the superrich (corporate rich) didn't have most of the resources and exploit people for cheap labor here, in Mexico and overseas.

Its not poor people causing the economic problems - ITS THE GREEDY e.g. the free market experience NAFTA (much of this courtesy of Clinton) and the war profiteers (Halliburton, Boeing, oil corporations) who rob others such as small farmers in Mexico of their livelihoods.

Brown "illegal immigrants" are native peoples who have inhabited these continents for thousands of years. They didn't demand a green card from Columbus. Lou Dobbs and other hate mongers are targeting native peoples rather than point to the corporate controllers of this economy. VIVA LA RAZA!

[realpolitic]

I think this post is more of an indictment of the incompetence of the Bush administration than government in general. Bush hates government. Therefore, under his leadership it will not be responsive. FEMA worked under Bill Clinton, not so under Bush.

[tomsfork]

I may grow old (another two or three days, now) and will never understand the neocon philosophy.

They always want to give the government unlimited powers over the people - warrantless wiretapping, loss of habeas corpus rights, more death penalties applied to lesser crimes and younger kids, etc. etc. etc. And boy! - don't EVEN use the words "right to privacy" around one! Having given the government unlimited rights, they then scream about their gun rights, to protect themselves from the government when the government comes after them. Am I missing something here? Seems to me, if you had a weak government dominated by the people, rather than a powerful government dominating the people, you wouldn't need to protect yourself against the government with guns. Peaceable redress of grievances would work fine.

But sometimes I do understand. They want us to believe that all government is corrupt and incompetent. Considering that all their heroes are Republicans, the world's most corrupt and incompetent leaders, I can see where they are coming from.

[GeorgeWRumscroft]

Thank you Bob for pointing out that Tancredo and all of his right wing presidential candidate clones are trying their darndest to appeal to the racist and immigrant hating "base" of the Republican party. But please don't forget that even incompetent people can try a little less hard when it comes to projects that they really don't want to see succeed.

However, as to your question "When did the last major highway construction finish on time and on budget?" the answer is September 3, 2007 when the San Francisco Bay Bridge opened 11 hours ahead of schedule. http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_6791893?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com&nclick_check=1

And before that, on May 25, 2007 when the MacArthur Maze was reopened in just 26 days after the tanker fire which had damaged the overpass -- more than one month ahead of schedule and exactly at budget if you don't count the massive early completion bonuses earned by the contractor. http://www.yourtv20.com/programs/11259681.html

And before that, the United States put a man on the moon in under the ten years promised by John F. Kennedy. And of course there are dozens, hundreds, even thousands of other more mundane examples of government projects working out as intended.

Please do not acceed to the Republican talking point that all government is incompetent. It is simply improper to jump from "The Bush adminstration -- the most incompetent and corrupt administration in our history -- cannot satisfctorily accomplish any basic governmental task (eg. Katrina, Walter Reade, Abu Ghraib, passports, port security, airport security, etc." to "all government is incompetent". When a government is controlled by a political party whose basic premise is that government is incompetent, it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. If Republicans were honest they would campaign on the slogan "Elect me and I will prove that government is incompetent." But it is totally inappropriate to conclude that because of the sorry, pathetic record of the past 7 years that all governments are bad and should be reigned in as much as possible.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Mexico is attempting to vote itself en masse
via proxy into the United States. Just go
ahead and say 'Mexico', so we know what we're
really talking about, here...

One of the reasons that Congresser hasn't hit
upon a bona-fide, viable, functional, sensible
workable immigration(and deportation) policy
is because they talk PARAGRAPHS to define
a 3-word concept.

Illegal immigration equals runaway growth,
'bums rush' expansionism. But, karma's a bitch,
the unintended consequences thing, and failing
to adequately and effectively address the
lack of stuff like a dysfunctional(they STILL
fall behind) immigration enforcement office,
well, what it is is like trying to stop the
tide with a teaspoon. But, the tide would turn
if Congress were to face the issue head-on
and say things like 'no, Mexico can NOT move in'
and strive to reach other decisions like
addressing yawning debt, things like that.
But, that's why they get the Big Bucks, to
make those Big Decisions, co-equal and all
that...right? Right? Hello? Anybody home?
Hello? Hey, they all left...but the lights
are still on...? Hmmm...

[NABNYC]

The fees are going up, so people are rushing to file before the increase. And therefore, there will be some delay. Okay.

The real question is why are the Democrats so worried about whether a few million more immigrants become citizens and presumably will vote for them? First, I wouldn't assume the vote goes Democratic. Many Asians, and of course Cubans, and lots of the immigrants who sided with right-wing dictatorships then come here for protection, all vote Republican once they become citizens.

Beyond that, the idea that the Democrats believe they can blow off 200+ million working Americans, support sending jobs out of this country, reducing wages, failing to take a stand to end this war, and spending most of their time soliciting bribes from corporations, yet hope they can pull out an election because some immigrants may not have caught on -- is just absurd. Are they kidding?

The Democratic base is legally able to vote. They are watching. They are waiting to see the Democrats do something - anything - that deserves a vote. If the Democratic politicians don't get off their asses and start working on behalf of the working people in this country, those people may just stay home on election day.

[TuffPosh]

I kept scanning, expecting some slight insight, and I didn't see any. As for laughing Tancredo out of the room, I'm sure those who profit from illegal activity would love it. The corrupt Mexican government would cheer, the banks who are trying to profit from illegal activity would let out a big whoop, and the corrupt politicians who are paid off by the banks and the other crooked businesses would throw a party.

What a wonderful scam: to be able to hide illegal activity behind false charges of scapegoating.

[LindaJay]

I wish I could believe that incompetence was the sum total of it. I think it's far more sinister - that it's PLANNED incompetence. The neocons have long had the goal of destroying government from the inside and reducing it down to nothing. One of the ways they do that is put totally incompetent people in charge of the different departments. They use those posts to not only destroy their respective department, but to loot it at the same time. Then they can go out and campaign about how inefficient government is, how everything should be privatized, and how all the programs that actually help people should be cut. This has been their modus operandi at least since the Reagan administration.