Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Go directly to Prison:

http://www.overcriminalized.com/

See the john stossel item on the left of the screen.
Everything is now Illegal:

It really has gotten out of hand. Everytime I see a new law being proposed I view it as if it were a job application, ie the government is looking for a job and wants me, the taxpayer, to hire them. If I would not pay a contracter who came knocking on my door to do that job then why would I want to pay the government? I wish more of the general populace would think about it in those terms before they get suckered into hiring the government to do more useless stuff.

I mean what person or family, etc. living in say Ohio would pay a private contractor to keep their property free of invasive pythons? Or who living in Arkansas would buy python insurance to cover damages that might be caused by released pythons that might become established near their property? The anwer is nobody. Nobody in those states and most other states seriously feels threatened in any way whatsover by the invasive python problem yet somehow the government is able to sell them this idea that they need to be protected from a problem that doesn't exist. If a private company had sent a salesman to their doors asking for a check to provide python control services they would kick him off their property and tell him never to come back or they would call the cops. It's downright fraudulent some of the things the government wants people to pay for nowdays.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

Aaron, that really puts it in perspective. Well said. More should be made of your point.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

np
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www.hcu-tx.org/

We actually live in a "free" country where the hightest percentage of the population has been incarcerated at one time or another. Additionally under the title 50 codes there is NOT a single herper who hasn't committed a felony knowingly or unknowingly because of the Lacey Act which it's use today was never intended when it was promulgated. The business of prison is just that "a business" and it's use is in some cases of a political nature and not based on real crimes or threats to society at large...I don't recognize the great nation I was born in as it surely has changed....
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

>>We actually live in a "free" country where the hightest percentage of the population has been incarcerated at one time or another. Additionally under the title 50 codes there is NOT a single herper who hasn't committed a felony knowingly or unknowingly because of the Lacey Act which it's use today was never intended when it was promulgated. The business of prison is just that "a business" and it's use is in some cases of a political nature and not based on real crimes or threats to society at large...I don't recognize the great nation I was born in as it surely has changed....
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Tom,

What's even worse is that same "progressive" forces that are making responsible people criminals also seem to want to let true dangers to society (ie, violent criminals, pedophiles) off the hook. Even in the face of cold, hard facts about recidivism and violent criminals/pedophiles re-offending, we still constantly see them being paroled, put on probation, supported by anti-death penalty folks, having sentences shortened, etc. I've got a "neighbor" who raped twin 5 year old girls. He spent only 10 years in jail. Another example:

http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/8755937/

This nice gentleman had THREE prior convictions for violent crime and a prior violation of a protective order. Yet he was walking free, and almost murdered someone.

And soon we'll be criminals for owning snakes and/or a gun (for which there is supportive Constitutional amendment) to protect ourselves.

We have offically entered bizarro world...

I play gigs for a local club owner who is Albanian. He escaped from Yugoslavia to come here to the U.S.. He is one of he most patriotic people I know of btw. I was in his club last week and he was telling someone that he likes the old america he escaped to , but that at this point there is more freedom in Russia than there is in the United States and that in fact the modern U.S. reminds him now of the U.S.S.R. he escaped from.
I didn't hear this from some talk show host I heard it from somebody who actually lived it. It makes me sick to actually hear that and to repeat it hear. Our founding fathers must be turning in their graves.

I know a woman who was in the process of becoming a U.S citizen who decided to go back to Russia because she felt she had more freedom there. Things are getting scarry here and i am convinced we are less then 10 years away from a major revolt against the government.
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"We don't inherate the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children"

Another fine example of our government "Keeping us safe"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40678788/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/?GT1=43001

Btw if you have time read some of the comments there are some good ones
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"We don't inherate the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children"

We hate the gov't until we need it.

speak for yourself on that one.

Didn't live in Katrina's path, eh?

The problem is we tend to see all gov't as bad....forgeting (or ignoring)all the real benefits that the various levels of gov't that really help us. It's considered popular to knock the gov't, but ALL of us get real benefits from various services it provides. Obviously there's a limit to what we want from out gov't, and anarchy doesn't work, either. Can't lump it all together. When we don't like certain officials, we do our best to get rid of them. Hey, the system isn't perfect, but at this point it, present the alternatives. What I would like is more than 2 political parties for real change.

I don't see it as an either or type thing. I mean it's not you either hate the government or you love it. I believe the earth and it's resources ultimately belong to nobody. No matter how good one is at exploiting those resources, ie earning money, you did not create the resource, that is a simple objective fact. I believe this means you do have some obligation to your fellow man and to the earth itself. It can also be very hard to quantify just where obligations end and earning begins.

There is certainly a place for government but at the same time governments are notorious for exploiting their subjects and those subjects are the only ones who can keep the governments in check. Government will not keep itself in check.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

>>There is certainly a place for government but at the same time governments are notorious for exploiting their subjects and those subjects are the only ones who can keep the governments in check. Government will not keep itself in check.

Well said. This is what I was referring to when I mentioned the "big lie of the Left." Despite thousands of years of evidence to the contrary, "progressives" still preach that the "private sector" is evil and corrupt, while the government is somehow exempt from greed and corruption. Greed and corruption are HUMAN problems, not only privae sector human problems. How anyone can believe that the government does things better (than the privae sector) either morally or practically is mind boggling to me. Certainly limited government is necessary (ie, military, police, etc.) but the best we can do is have as much competition and checks/balances to avoid one entity from becoming too powerful.

Yes, there is a percentage of the population that buys this crap and wants the government to "take care" of them. But imo that is not the majority of Americans. The majority needs to start fighting back.

Thanks,
Ed

We are to be the good stewards of the Earth. How perverted does that get! You are exactly right.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

and I did quite well for myself thank you very much. While all the silly little government dependent people were waiting in line for handouts of food from the government in Orlando after frances I was kicking back here in Paisley eating my own homegrown Pineapples and Guava for breakfast.
I also saw a lot of fraud and abuse of those government handouts that consisted of MY tax dollars. I work for my own money and grow a lot of my own food and the only thing your almighty government does is stick their greedy hand out for more and more of that money and then proceed to put more and more roadblocks in my way to make it harder for me to make my own way in life.
Here's a deal for you, I'll keep my freedom guns and money (and reptiles) and YOU keep the change.

I think the problem with government is: It is not a very efficient or very accountable step in the use and flow of money and capital. Bureaucracies (government) are by their very nature inefficient. Too many people feeding at the trough, so to speak.

In other words, there is no VALUE ADDED as the money stream moves through the government. And by it's very nature is highly inefficient in the use and distribution of said assets/resources.

In manufacturing terms, it would be considered a non-value added operation. For example, Inspection would be considered a non-value added operation in the manufacture of goods. Whereas, machining or assembly would be considered a value added operation.

In retail, non-value added operations would be considered similar to what we call the Middleman. The Insurance Industry is a prime example of non-value added middlemen that drive up cost for goods and services. While answerable to shareholders, still a very inefficient use of resources. In this case efficiency is not measured in product end user satisfaction, but rather by profit to shareholders.

jsc

Just ask me. I'm a pretty fart smeller...I mean smart feller. Pop thought I was such a bright kid he called me sun [son]. lol

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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I see this, too. "Let them eat cake" is a serious reality these days.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

This is what I see --- I see preferential treatment for a certain socio-economic class here in America. Those newly arrived low wage service workers that provide unskilled labor, lawn care and landscaping, construction and building trades, restaurant, hospitality and entertainment services for the upper middle class and above. That socio-economic class is indeed subsidized by our Federal, State, and local governments through a ever growing network of social services and government dependence, paid for by the very ones that are being discriminated against, the Middle Class Blue Collar Worker in America.

Illegal Alien is the socio-economic class I'm speaking of. Their benefits include, but are not limited to: 1) Sanctuary Cities - Municipal, 2) "Lone Star Cards" - State Welfare, 3) WIC chits - Federal nutritional subsidies, 4) Federally mandated free educational, nutritional, health and medical services - County/State, 5) Federal, State, and private international financial services (money laundering schemes). This only scratches the surface. There are innumerable private and religious NGO's and charities involved, as well (Blue Santa, Brown Santa, Coats for Kids, Books for Kids).

After all, the wealthy do need their servants to provide for their lifestyle. Only bad thing is, the working blue collar citizens pay for it, while at the same time, they see their economic status crumble.

jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Illegal Alien is the socio-economic class I'm speaking of. Their benefits include, but are not limited to: 1) Sanctuary Cities - Municipal, 2) "Lone Star Cards" - State Welfare, 3) WIC chits - Federal nutritional subsidies, 4) Federally mandated free educational, nutritional, health and medical services - County/State, 5) Federal, State, and private international financial services (money laundering schemes). This only scratches the surface. There are innumerable private and religious NGO's and charities involved, as well (Blue Santa, Brown Santa, Coats for Kids, Books for Kids).

To be clear, your beef is with illegals receiving these kind of charities?

My beef is with the hypocrisy in government...all that liberal political correctness is squeezing the American Middle Class to extinction.

I always understood that the principles of common law and statute law were not applicable as remedies if the underlying tort or issue of equity had it's foundation based in a criminal act.

Here's an example: If I'm driving drunk, and someone hits me and it's their fault, I have no right of recovery for damages because I was breaking the law at the time of the accident. I get to go to jail... Make sense?

In other words, crime does not pay. People who are here illegally are criminals. They should in no way be rewarded for that fact, especially if government is doing the rewarding with my tax dollars. Has absolutely nothing to with race, religion, or place of national origin.

Is that clear enough?

jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I forgot to mention the misuse and abuse of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution with the "Anchor Baby" policy of today.
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, that of birthright citizenship was only intended for the citizenship of freed slaves born here in America prior to the Civil War, following the Civil War. That amendment has been conveniently misinterpreted by certain factions under the guise of a humanitarian moralistic banner.

Naturalization of the parents becomes a certainty under that humanitarian banner. Do you know how many pregnant foreign national women come here illegally, just to have their children born her? Do you know who pays for that prenatal and delivery, as well as the lifelong educational, nutritional, health and medical needs of those children? You and I do. Do you know who's the benefactor of their labor here? Those that require low wage, unskilled labor, that's who. Those that require people to serve them (i.e. the service industry).

Haven't even gotten to the judicial, criminal, and incarceration costs; as well as victim loss and compensation costs.

It's total hypocrisy in the name of high minded humanitarianism, by those with money to burn and too much time on their hands. Those same ones squawking about Obama raising their taxes too high. They've even convinced those they are screwing to join their bandwagon for some perverse reason that escapes me at the moment.

Poor Dumb America. Land of the Sheeple, where instant gratification and the sound bite rule. Where the use of one's Gray Matter and responsibility for one's self are vanishing commodities.

Got a little off track. Hopefully, you get the idea.

jsc

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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Gotcha....I thought you had a beef with programs like WIC in general, and as I was in a situation with my second child were I had to turn to WIC to help me buy this ridiculously expensive formula ($80/can) for her...well you could see where I would think otherwise. I do agree however, that the naturalization clause is widely misinterpreted and illegals (and their IMO illegal children) should not have a right to any of the programs that legal immigrants and natural citizens do.

John, very eloquently stated and SO TRUE....
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

In the words of Benjamin Franklin when asked what kind of government the founders had given us--"A republic, madam; if you can keep it."

The government has grown into what it is because we as a species have a very hard time maintaining true republics. We seem to want to be controlled, to be told what is good to do and what is not, we don't want to take responsibility for our own actions or lives, but rather let the "great protector" (government) take the initiative for us. Republics require active citizens. Let's face it folks--the majority of people in this country would rather let a bunch of rich politicians make all of OUR decisions for us, so long as that means they don't have to pay attention. We are supposed to be a government by the PEOPLE--not the politicians/special interests groups, etc. Do we need rules and laws? Yes. Do we need to have a safety net for people who fall on hard times (for instance, house fire, loss of the primary earner, etc.)? Yes, but with limits on how long one can be helped out with taxpayer money. Do we need the government to protect us from all threats, both foreign and domestic? Yes. Do we need them to tell us what kind of animals we can keep in our homes? No. We, as a people, have a responsibility to remind the government when they are overstepping their bounds. Theoretically, it is the responsibility of the media to alert the people as to when the government is overstepping their bounds. This is why we have a first ammendment. Instead, we choose apathy and the media chooses to side with government, not the people. I don't care where you get your news either--they all favor the government, it's just a matter of which party they favor (CBS and Fox News come to mind immediately).

Looks like at the rate we are going, we will not be able to keep our republic, and who knows what our republic will turn in to.

One of the greatest political tragities of the past 100 years happened when FDR first refered to the U.S as a Democracy instead of a republic this is what started the shift to get us to the point now. In my oppion he did more lasting damage to the country with this statement then any other presedent in history.

I'm not sure who said it first but the following becomes more true each day.

The average citizen dosen't want to be free they only want a fair dictator
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"We don't inherate the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children"