All of Gaul Is Divided Into Three Emails
Today, we have three letters worthy of reply, or as any of the six remaining speakers of Esperanto might say (and rightfully so): «Mi parolas la stulta bastardo langugage de Esperanto.»
First up, Operative DH has a thought about distaffing women:
| O Most czarist Czar ever: About the war on women. I say that the big advantage of the left is that they can promise stuff. They believe big government can solve everything, they just need to point it in the right direction, and feed it enough money and the problem will be solved. Of course, all of this is nonsense, but no one seems to notice. I don’t think it’s an accident that the left prospers in two situations: When things are really good and when things are really bad. What is interesting is that they are able to make people believe both things simultaneously. The War on Women is a good example. They have created the image that Wymyn are in a victorious crusade against an evil and powerful empire of antifeminism. I personally believe the victories are overated, and that there is no actual enemy. But without the drama, we don’t have the emergency that demands a big government solution to the problem. And the fact that there is no actual enemy means that any movement at all, in any direction, can counted as victory. But without the drama, people start noticing the actual sequence of events. We declare a War on Poverty, but people are still poor. We declare a War on Drugs, but people are addicted. We declare a War on Women, but after all this time, are there really any winners? Certainly the role of women in our own society has changed over the last 50 years, but I think the proportion of happy vs. unhappy women has remained the same. It’s just a different skillset that is now unhappy. I think if Republicans are going to deal with the whole “war on” mentality, they need to figure out a way to lessen the drama. Look at the promises. Look at the results. Was it really worth the cost? But of course drama is fun, so I’m not sure how you push actual reality in a society that is more concerned with the drama of the reality show. |
Of course, this is all correct. The Czar will merely underscore the readers’ understanding that the Left’s War On… approach of course dates back to the Wilson era. We’ve had two outstanding conservative/libertarian periods in American history since then—Coolidge and Reagan—and numerous conservative Congresses, which shows that ultimately the War On… strategy produces zero results for Progressives or against Conservatives. It’s just a thing we have to keep getting through every other generation.
| Just FYI: I used to work for Polaroid’s DL/ID (Driver License / ID) division – I was responsible for implementations in WV, IN, and CO – so this is something I do actually have real knowledge of. AAMVA, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, is a cross-state organization that every DMV/RMV either belongs to or subscribes to. AAMVA publishes standards for driver license contents, specifies many of the “devices” that appear on licenses (organ donor info, restriction info such as eyeglasses and artificial limbs, additional certifications such as motorcycle or CDL, etc.), and even sets standards for the contents of magnetic strips, 2D/3D barcodes, and implanted “chips.” Yes, you must obey each individual states’ laws when driving in each state, but AAMVA determines the means that help guarantee identification of the driver. And AAMVA also provides for a cross-state demographics transfer when states wish to retrieve the driving records of individuals moving into their states (although they are not bound to either accept or use that data, which is why “points” usually don’t follow you but your previous address and DOB info do). Just thought you’d be interested, that’s all. (MA issues driver licenses to illegals, so a MA DL can’t be used as ID for entry to military establishments or taking an airplane – but that’s not the fault of AAMVA: it’s the fault of MA. But those licenses still implement AAMVA standards for look and content.) Operative BJ |
Of course, this is exactly the sort of arcane thing you would expect the Czar to already know, but amazingly, the Czar did not. And Operative BJ was right in anticipating the Czar would indeed be interested by this. Yes, this makes a great degree of sense: your driver’s license should be easily looked up in any of the other 49 states and handful of protectorates (there are 57 states, yes?), so it makes sense to have standardized reporting. And the idea that one’s body-part-donation can be verified in other states is very useful for accidents when you’re on the road.
The Czar of course does not donate his body parts to other people, but is awfully quick to take them when angry. Often well before folks are finished using them.
| I’m standing in the gallery cheering at the idea of removing Government from the marriage equation. Let folks apply for domestic partnerships at city hall and get “married” by the religious officiant of their choice. And while we’re at it let’s take medical insurance out of the benefits package and let folks buy their own. Those two ideas would solve a host of problems and get the government and your employer out of your business. I know it’s more complicated in the long run but I think it would help swing things in the direction of personal responsibility. |
Operative FR is right, but let us educate some of our readers on the history of health care benefits.
During World War II, the statist jackass F.D. Roosevelt, who was President a little after Coolidge, had the incredible audacity to fix salaries by government mandate (executive order 9328). Imagine. Why, it’s almost as stupid an idea today.
In order to lure top talent to companies, who couldn’t offer pay incentives due to the salary cap, employers began to offer numerous benefits to job candidates. Chief among these, as it turned out, was healthcare insurance. And lo, soon this was extended to middle management and eventually lower-level job applicants. Before long, everybody was getting healthcare insurance picked up by the employer.
When executive order 9737 rescinded that portion of 9328, folks weren’t too keen on giving up on the new benefits, and employers found them particularly useful in the post-war hiring boom. So here we stay, with employers paying for something that doesn’t necessarily help them attract talent the way it used to.
Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.