So the auto makers say to the government: now that people aren't spending money they don't have, they're not buying cars they don't need and there's nothing left for us to make. If we go out of business, look at all these people who will be out of jobs. You can't let that happen.

The government will hem and haw long enough to make it look like they don't want to do it, but eventually they will have pity on all these people who will be out of jobs and give billions of dollars to their employers.

The auto manufacturers will say thanks for the cash but we're still a little bit fucked, so ... we're still going to have to lay these people off.

At which point we'll look at all these people who are now out of jobs and say: was this really worth it?

When the government's done hemming and hawing I think it would be better if they said you know what? The auto industry has been opposed to the government meddling in their affairs for years and maybe now is not the time to start. So this multibillion dollar bailout package goes to the employees caught in the middle when you go out of business.

Could somebody tell me why that's crazy?

- Z

Cat and Girl sums it up for me:



- Z

'Yes' on Proposition 8? Since when are the Mormons an authority on traditional marriage?

Update from my west-coast correspondent:

fuck, man.... if the entire rest of the insane country (read:midwest) hadn't gotten involved and funded the shit out of "Yes on 8", no would've passed.... don't get me started.

- Z

There is a proposition on the ballot today, which may be difficult to find on your voting machine. It will be at the very top, above all the candidates for office.

All candidates for government employment need to pass the Civil Service Exam. Veterans who were disabled in the line of duty are eligible to get extra points on the exam, but only if they are currently receiving disability benefits from the VA. Vote 'yes' if you approve of eliminating the second restriction; vote 'no' if you'd rather it be retained.

- Z

Don't just go in there and start flicking levers. Don't vote the straight ticket just because you think it looks nice when all the flags are lined up. Don't vote for John Doe (Democrat) if you should have voted for John Doe (Working Families). Don't give up the opportunity to have a say in your local government just because you don't recognize any of the names that aren't in Column A Rows 1 and 2.

There will be one proposal on the ballot. In addition, the following offices are also up for election. If you don't know which districts you live in, follow the links to find out.

United States President
United States Representative in Congress (districts 26-28)
New York State Supreme Court, (district 8 - all WNY)
New York State Senate (districts 58-62)
New York State Assembly (districts 142-146, 148)
Erie County Court Judge
Erie County Family Court Judge
Erie County District Attorney
Niagara County Sheriff

The League of Women Voters puts together an informative voters' guide for every election and makes it available for free Read it to find out more information about the offices and candidates' experience, endorsements, and opinions.

You may be wondering what it means if a candidate is listed under more than one party. Suffice it to say that a vote for a candidate counts just as much on the Democrat line as it does on the Liberal or Working Families line. However if your beliefs are more aligned with a minor party, voting on their line will give them leverage with the candidate's platform. In close elections, endorsements by minor parties do make differences [in the opposite way of the Nader Effect] so most politicians are loathe to put third-party endorsements at risk. Here's kind of a long explanation


- Z

If you don't love politics read this instead.

I try to steer away from political stuff since there are already too many commentators on the Internet. But I can't resist now that McCain/Palin has jumped the shark and half a dozen schoolbuses on a motorcycle while wearing a wookiee suit and singing Blaze of Glory.

First we got John McCain over here calling his second time-out of the game. No man, you can't stop the roller coaster when you want to get off. If he's trying to grab headlines, the liberal press just keeps giving him the wrong ones. Yesterday a Google News junkie such as myself would have seen 'agreement in principle' in the afternooon, 'John McCain arrives' in the evening, and 'partisan chaos' by nightfall.

And then there's the debate tonight. Seeing as how you can't have a debate without two people and a moderator, I'm totally geared up tonight to see Barack Obama, Jim Lehrer, and King Friday XIII.

Then we got Sarah Palin over here. She's been a VP nominee for a month and they still won't let her talk to the press. Now we know why. She finally gives an interview and manages to make Joe Biden look like William Jennings Bryan. The VP debate is going to be a train wreck with tankers full of vinegar and boxcars full of baking soda.





- Z

So locally it looks like the Obamists got out earlier with their campaign signs but the Clintonites used their late arrival to their advantage - all up and down Delaware Ave there's a Clinton sign posted three inches directly in front of every Obama sign. Do people really look at these signs and say, you know what? I was going to vote for Obama but I see someone's stuck a Clinton sign in front of it, so maybe she'll be a better leader of the free world. Or, my favorite, there's always the dense cluster outside the polling place, as close as is legally possible, because you'd get out of your snuggy bed, put on your coat and shoes, leave the house, and go to your assigned polling place without having already made your decision.

They're saying that since I'm not registered as a Democrat or Republican that I can't vote in the primary today. Fuck that shit, I say.

Everybody enjoy a good protest? Says something weird about our generation that we're protesting against Tom Cruise harder than we're protesting against the war, but I can't disagree that he's a total asshat. It's close enough to RPCI, you guys should stop by and hang out. If we covered their protest, do you think they'd stop hanging out in our office?

From: buffalo anon <buffaloanon@gmail.com>
Subject: Demonstration against Scientology in Buffalo

I am writing to request that you cover an upcoming demonstration against of the Church of Scientology in Buffalo. The demonstration will be held on February 10th at 11AM at their Main St location in coordination with with similar protests outside of every church of Scientology around the world.

More information regarding this day of protest can be found in recent media coverage in the Guardian and the Economist.





I feel that the protest is especially relevant to Western New York since it is here in 2003 that the Perkins tragedy occurred.



The Church of Scientology is a dangerous cult that destroys lives, tears apart families, and can be harmful to its members mental and physical health. Church members are not allowed to remain in personal contact with anyone who speaks against their church or their founder or who seeks medical care they do not permit, a rule which has destroyed families as people end contact with their parents, children, and siblings in order to remain in the cult.

Again, I ask that you consider covering both the global movement against Scientology as well as the local protest on Sunday.

Regards,
Anonymous

- Z

Has the American conservative movement lost its focus? According to the statistics page from 'Conservapedia: The Trustworthy Encyclopedia,' it seems as though American conservatives are just as preoccupied focused as ever.

- Z

"Cat and Girl" is a different kind of awesome.

- Z

1: Facebook is quite addictive

2: Usually I stay away from politics, but here's something to chew on.

Both major political parties have diverse, complex, and often contradictory platforms that go far beyond the simplistic conservative/liberal split. What is interesting is how they take sides when an issue is not addressed by the traditional party platform.

To whit: the electoral college. Republicans typically support it, and Democrats typically oppose it. Both sides can come up with long lists of lofty ideals that support/oppose it, but what it comes down to for both sides is that the electoral college elected a Republican twice in a row.

In the electoral college, most states use the Winner Takes All method but two states [Maine (D x4) and Nebraska (R x5)] use an alternate approach that arguably gives better direct representation. The Democratic Party proposed switching Colorado (R x9) to the new system in 2004, and failed.

Now it seems Republicans are all about more direct representation in the electoral college, but only in California (D x55). And who is defending the status quo? Yeah, the Democrats.

Conclusion: Only losers want election reform, but only the winners have the power to do it.

- Z