Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Posted here Tuesday, August 31, 2004 at 9:46:45 AM     Michael Moore in USA Today. excerpt http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2004-08-30-moore-gopamerica_x.htm   I've often found that if I go down the list of "liberal" issues with people who say they're Republican, they are quite liberal and not in sync with the Republicans who run the country. Most don't want America to be the world's police officer and prefer peace to war. They applaud civil rights, believe all Americans should have health insurance and think assault weapons should be banned. Though they may personally oppose abortion, they usually don't think the government has the right to tell a women what to do with her body. There's a name for these Republicans: RINOs or Republican In Name Only. They possess a liberal, open mind and don't believe in creating a worse life for anyone else. So why do they use the same label as those who back a status quo of women earning 75 cents to every dollar a man earns, 45 million people without health coverage and a president who has two more countries left on his axis-of-evil-regime-change list? I asked my friend on the street. He said what I hear from all RINOs: "I don't want the government taking my hard-earned money and taxing me to death. That's what the Democrats do." Money. That's what it comes down to for the RINOs. They do work hard and have been squeezed even harder to make ends meet. They blame Democrats for wanting to take their money. Never mind that it's Republican tax cuts for the rich and billions spent on the Iraq war that have created the largest deficits in history and will put all of us in hock for years to come. The Republican Party's leadership knows America is not only filled with RINOs, but most Americans are much more liberal than the delegates gathered in New York. The Republicans know it. That's why this week we're seeing gay-loving Rudy Giuliani, gun-hating Michael Bloomberg and abortion-rights advocate Arnold Schwarzenegger. As tough of a pill as it is to swallow, Republicans know that the only way to hold onto power is to pass themselves off as, well, as most Americans. It's a good show. So have a good time, Republicans. It could be your last happy party for awhile if all the RINOs and liberal majority figure it out on Nov. 2. I think this is quite right. RINO's are skeptical about democratic capacity to control costs. Gore's Reinventing Government was the best approach to this I know. and it was killed internally by the political handlers for Clinton, and by Gore's domestic policy advisors. ********

Posted here Tuesday, August 31, 2004 at 8:36:24 AM     History moves in a muddy way. Just as something seems clear, most people are reacting in ways that are contrary to the major trend. Its a bit like a river overflowing its banks and seeking many little new ways to get on. The result is muddied and indefinite. For example, this action will make a difference, contrary to major trends. from http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A47284-2004Aug30?language=printer Saudis Fight Militancy With Jobs Private Posts Formerly Held by Foreigners Are Offered to Locals By Scott Wilson Washington Post Foreign Service Tuesday, August 31, 2004; Page A01 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 30 -- The government of Saudi Arabia is drawing on a multibillion-dollar oil windfall to place hundreds of thousands of young Saudis in jobs traditionally held by foreigners, betting that greater economic opportunities in the kingdom will counter the rising Islamic militancy challenging the royal family. Millions of dollars are flowing into job-training, technical schools and cash incentives for Saudi companies to hire local citizens. In a process known as "Saudization," some of the foreigners who have long been the backbone of the kingdom's private-sector labor force are returning home. Fahad Amri, a 34-year-old Saudi, greets shoppers at the new Azizia Mall. Such service jobs have traditionally been held by foreign workers. (Scott Wilson -- The Washington Post) The new approach was on display this week at the grand opening of the Azizia Mall in downtown Riyadh, where Saudi men in head scarves and black-cloaked women were strolling along cool marble aisles, holding cups from Seattle's Best Coffee and wandering past a McDonald's, sporting goods stores and boutiques. ********