On the News
I've been working at lot from home, doing mindless stuff on the computer. To keep myself from going crazy, I listen a lot to news radio, namely iTunes podcasts. Lots of things happen in the world, my goodness. I've had some opinions on some of them, so here we go. (I know, it's just something for me to do to procrastinate)
New Immigration Law:House is trying to pass a new immigration law today that allows a lot of things, among which is making illegally staying in US a criminal offense (right now it's a civil offense). Meaning a police officer can arrest you for not having VISA. Another part of the bill says that a child born in US to illegal immigrants will not be granted citizenship, discouraging immigrants to give birth in US so that they can get citizenship through the child.
I don't know the whole story of the bill, so I can't say if I'm for it or not. But here's my general take on illegal immigrant. I think illegal immigration should be just that, illegal!! Do you know how much shit I have to go through and how much money I (and my employee) have to pay in order to keep my ass in US soil legally?? And I've been doing this for YEARS, and will probably have to for the next many years. I don't care if you're here to earn a PhD in Neuroscience or if you're here to earn a handful of dollars a day to put food on the table. You wanna be in US, go through shit that I do. If you wanna be here illegally, then live under the fear and risk that any time you can be apprehended.
Why do illegal immigrants come here anyways? Cuz there are jobs for them. We should more strictly enforce that law that says it's illegal to hire illegal immigrants. It's way too easy and too profitable to hire illegals right now.
Now, it's not that I'm against immigration. I agree with most people that US economy is so dependent on immigrants (especially those who are right now illegal). So I say make it easier to be legally here. Tax the immigrants, but also give them rights and privileges. Americans complain that immigrants are taking their jobs away from them. Show me that you guys are willing to work the jobs that immigrants are taking at the pay that they are working for. It's everybody's fault. Immigrants are bad for coming here illegally and come up with all kinds of schemes to get citizenship (like having kids). Employees are bad for giving these people incentive to come here illegally. Americans are bad for thinking that just having a citizenship grants them a job. The government is bad for letting all of this slip under a rug.
Tookie dies, was that right??The co-founder of the infamous Cripps was executed in California a few days ago. This is the man who turned himself around in prison, became an anti-violence, anti-gang activist (oh, how ironic life is). He insisted that he was innocent for the precise crimes that he died for, although he repeatedly apologized for starting one of the most deadly gangs in US. A lot of people were outraged by Governator's refusal to grant clemency, and there's a renewed movement to ban capital punishment in CA.
I don't know if Tookie was guilty of those crimes. I don't know if Arnold was being a racist. But in general, I'm against capital punishment. Not because I think killing for any reason is wrong, or because I think everyone should be given an opportunity to change their ways and repent, or any such humane reasons (although I do believe in those things).
I don't think capital punishment is just, because it's too fucking easy to die. You killed these people and you tortured these people and you did all these horrible things, and all you have to do to atone for all that is to die??!! That's it??!! Anyone can die. Lethal injection isn't even painful, you just go to sleep. If someone did something horrible to me, then I want that person to suffer and repent for as long as they can. I want horrific criminals to live a long long life in prison without any chance of getting out, and suffer from guilt (or if they don't feel guilt, then suffer from all sorts of pain). I mean, putting all the PCness aside, wouldn't you?? I do wish Tookie had lived a very very long life, fighting against gangs and violence that he himself had created. I think that's just.
MTA wants a city-wide strike cuz 9% raise over the next 3 years isn't good enough. There are many other reasons why they're threatening to strike, and they all sound reasonable enough. I'm the last person to support or justify MTA, as are many people in NYC. But here's something that bothers me and my friend about this whole strike issue.
These MTA workers... most didn't even go to college, some barely speak English, some are illiterate, and their job is to stand around and yell into megaphones, or sit around and make announcements that no one can understand, or walk around and pick up trash. I'm not saying these are easy jobs. But guess how much these people get paid. Base salary is $45K, with overtime it's $56K. Plus full benefits. That's double what I get paid. I, who's working for a Ph-fucking-D, working day in and day out to better our knowledge in general, doing research that one day may (or may not...) lead to some breakthrough miracle drug that cures everything!! (okay, I'm exaggerating a little) gets paid $25K. And once I do graduate and work as a post-doc, I'll get paid $35K. It'll be years before I reach the $45K mark, and even then I don't get overtime pay. Now, I'm not saying my job is some saintly thing that should be on a whole new level. I'm not saying I work much much harder than these people. I'm not saying I live near poverty line, or that all these people live in a million-dollar mansions. I'm not even saying I should be paid more than the MTA people.
I'm just saying I'm fucking bitter, dammit.
New Immigration Law:House is trying to pass a new immigration law today that allows a lot of things, among which is making illegally staying in US a criminal offense (right now it's a civil offense). Meaning a police officer can arrest you for not having VISA. Another part of the bill says that a child born in US to illegal immigrants will not be granted citizenship, discouraging immigrants to give birth in US so that they can get citizenship through the child.
I don't know the whole story of the bill, so I can't say if I'm for it or not. But here's my general take on illegal immigrant. I think illegal immigration should be just that, illegal!! Do you know how much shit I have to go through and how much money I (and my employee) have to pay in order to keep my ass in US soil legally?? And I've been doing this for YEARS, and will probably have to for the next many years. I don't care if you're here to earn a PhD in Neuroscience or if you're here to earn a handful of dollars a day to put food on the table. You wanna be in US, go through shit that I do. If you wanna be here illegally, then live under the fear and risk that any time you can be apprehended.
Why do illegal immigrants come here anyways? Cuz there are jobs for them. We should more strictly enforce that law that says it's illegal to hire illegal immigrants. It's way too easy and too profitable to hire illegals right now.
Now, it's not that I'm against immigration. I agree with most people that US economy is so dependent on immigrants (especially those who are right now illegal). So I say make it easier to be legally here. Tax the immigrants, but also give them rights and privileges. Americans complain that immigrants are taking their jobs away from them. Show me that you guys are willing to work the jobs that immigrants are taking at the pay that they are working for. It's everybody's fault. Immigrants are bad for coming here illegally and come up with all kinds of schemes to get citizenship (like having kids). Employees are bad for giving these people incentive to come here illegally. Americans are bad for thinking that just having a citizenship grants them a job. The government is bad for letting all of this slip under a rug.
Tookie dies, was that right??The co-founder of the infamous Cripps was executed in California a few days ago. This is the man who turned himself around in prison, became an anti-violence, anti-gang activist (oh, how ironic life is). He insisted that he was innocent for the precise crimes that he died for, although he repeatedly apologized for starting one of the most deadly gangs in US. A lot of people were outraged by Governator's refusal to grant clemency, and there's a renewed movement to ban capital punishment in CA.
I don't know if Tookie was guilty of those crimes. I don't know if Arnold was being a racist. But in general, I'm against capital punishment. Not because I think killing for any reason is wrong, or because I think everyone should be given an opportunity to change their ways and repent, or any such humane reasons (although I do believe in those things).
I don't think capital punishment is just, because it's too fucking easy to die. You killed these people and you tortured these people and you did all these horrible things, and all you have to do to atone for all that is to die??!! That's it??!! Anyone can die. Lethal injection isn't even painful, you just go to sleep. If someone did something horrible to me, then I want that person to suffer and repent for as long as they can. I want horrific criminals to live a long long life in prison without any chance of getting out, and suffer from guilt (or if they don't feel guilt, then suffer from all sorts of pain). I mean, putting all the PCness aside, wouldn't you?? I do wish Tookie had lived a very very long life, fighting against gangs and violence that he himself had created. I think that's just.
MTA wants a city-wide strike cuz 9% raise over the next 3 years isn't good enough. There are many other reasons why they're threatening to strike, and they all sound reasonable enough. I'm the last person to support or justify MTA, as are many people in NYC. But here's something that bothers me and my friend about this whole strike issue.
These MTA workers... most didn't even go to college, some barely speak English, some are illiterate, and their job is to stand around and yell into megaphones, or sit around and make announcements that no one can understand, or walk around and pick up trash. I'm not saying these are easy jobs. But guess how much these people get paid. Base salary is $45K, with overtime it's $56K. Plus full benefits. That's double what I get paid. I, who's working for a Ph-fucking-D, working day in and day out to better our knowledge in general, doing research that one day may (or may not...) lead to some breakthrough miracle drug that cures everything!! (okay, I'm exaggerating a little) gets paid $25K. And once I do graduate and work as a post-doc, I'll get paid $35K. It'll be years before I reach the $45K mark, and even then I don't get overtime pay. Now, I'm not saying my job is some saintly thing that should be on a whole new level. I'm not saying I work much much harder than these people. I'm not saying I live near poverty line, or that all these people live in a million-dollar mansions. I'm not even saying I should be paid more than the MTA people.
I'm just saying I'm fucking bitter, dammit.