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If You Vote Democrat, How Happy Are You About The Following? National Issues: 1. According to a recent report in the respected English medical journal the Lancet, 100,000 civilians have died in Iraq since the American invasion. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3962969.stm Kerry & his rival Democratic Presidential candidates in 2004 (Dean etc) support keeping troops in Iraq. 2. The US military tortures people at Abu Ghraib, in Afghanistan, in Guantanamo & 'renditions' people (transfers them to the secret police of another country for them to be tortured there). http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/dailystar/21552.php Do you think torture is ethical? How reliable do you think is the information obtained by torture? "It won't happen to me" - If the government believes in torturing suspected terrorists, what difference does it make to the government if the suspected terrorist lives in Afghanistan or in Philadelphia? http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/dia_threatened.htm The US government puts more people under surveillance than Saddam Hussein did http://www.lewrockwell.com/roberts/roberts93.html . 3. The government spends $1500 every second on the War on Drugs, yet the street price of drugs falls yearly. Some people use marijuana only to relieve the nausea of taking medications against HIV or multiple sclerosis, yet the government imprisons them: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=13238 4. Federal (Medicare & Medicaid), state, and local governments spend well over half of all the health-care dollars spent in America. In addition, insurance companies spend another quarter of the health-care dollars (because for 30 years they used to get tax write offs). Healthcare was cheaper & more responsive to what the customer wanted before the government became involved from around 1970 onwards. Healthcare should have become cheaper over time, like computers became cheaper. Don't be surprised that healthcare becomes expensive when the government is doing the purchasing - do you remember how the Dept of Defense paid thousand of dollars for screws? Are you aware that the government requires that certain treatments that you will never use must be provided by your insurance provider? http://www.harrybrowne.org/articles/HealthCare.htm Yet the Democrats want the government to raise taxes to provide health care for children and the uninsured. Philadelphia issues: 1. The City of Philadelphia spends millions arresting people who consume drugs just like it used to arrest people who consumed alcohol during Prohibition. Yet there is on average one homicide per night in Philadelphia, one rape every 8 hours, a robbery every hour, a burglary every hour & a car is stolen every 45 minutes: http://www.ppdonline.org/hq_statistics.php Even if you do believe that the Police should arrest those who want to take drugs, wouldn't you rather the police first concentrate on protecting you from your chance of being murdered, raped, robbed, burgled & your car stolen? This is after crime statistics are massaged downwards: http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/crime/ Try calling your local precinct & asking how many crimes were committed last week to see how helpful they are to inform you about their progress. It is inevitable that many policemen become corrupted by the high profits available in the drug trade and defend some dealers, sell seized drugs and give false testimony: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/corrupt.htm Recently 39th District officers sent thousands to jail including a church going grandmother who served 3 years before being released: http://www.ndsn.org/oct95/philly.html 2. When the Republicans held their Convention in Philadelphia, the Police declared the right to demonstrate is limited to areas out of sight of the Republicans in what is now called Free Speech Zones. This is contrary to our right to peacefully assemble: http://www.constitutioncenter.org/explore/FoundingDocuments/BillofRights.shtml Hundreds who protested closer were arrested, jailed on $30,000 to $1 million bail & after the Convention released without charge. Police raided a West Philadelphia warehouse hours before the demonstrations and destroyed signs and banners. In jail protestors were denied medication & in 23 hour lockdown. To get around the prohibition on Philadelphia Police officers infiltrating political groups, the Philadelphia Police used State Troopers: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/090700-01.htm These are exactly the tactics of the KGB. The City of Philadelphia runs the Police. 3. The government now requires you to remove your coat & shoes when going through a metal detector at Philadelphia Airport, allows searchers to randomly pat you down & swipes carry on baggage for illegal drugs. http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=44&content=09000519800cdb11 The Bill of Rights says: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. http://www.constitutioncenter.org/explore/FoundingDocuments/BillofRights.shtml Therefore all searches by the TSA (which are without Warrants) are unconstitutional & illegal. The City of Philadelphia owns the Airport. 4. Only 1% of the City's budget goes to help the homeless. The City is spending $3.5 billion in total in 2005, of which $37 million goes on Shelters for the homeless. The City could instead use 37 million (assuming a cost of $100,000 per house) to buy and give away 370 houses a year to the homeless. 5. The City gave 400 million (30% of the cost) to the multimillionaire owners of the Philadelphia Eagles & Phillies to finance new stadiums: http://pennpirg.org/reports/stadium_11_29_00.pdf Players are paid millions, (McNabb $115 million for 12 years) & their pay rises faster than yours - where do you think that money comes from? http://www.oldcity.org/stadium1.htm Research on subsidized stadiums consistently concludes that subsidies do not benefit the local economy: http://www.philadelphiacontroller.org/overview.PDF Part of the subsidy was financed by a new rental car tax in Philadelphia. 6. The City spends $35 million on the schools, & together with State taxes spends an average of about $8,000 per pupil. Parents complain that kids don't learn and that the schools are unsafe. There are endless squabbles about what should be taught e.g. Evolution versus Creationism. 3 million kids a year are told by the government to consume medication to improve their attention span. Wouldn't you prefer to pay no City Wage Tax & no real Estate Tax & pay for your child's education at a school of you choice? Without a law requiring children to attend school would that mean that no-one would learn? Prior to 1840 about 95% of the (non slave) population was literate: http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/toc1.htm. The tragedy of mass schooling as it is today is how it forces homogenization & obedience to authority & immaturity instead of individuality, quiet reflection, original thought & kindness. "There are more good cars than good schools in the ghetto." What is the conclusion? The conclusion is government doesn't work. It never achieves what the politicians tell you it will achieve & there are always harmful consequences that they lie about. The only way for all sections of our society to make progress together is by voluntary cooperation and not by one part of society using force against another. |