Life After Congress May 25, 2008
Posted by Resident Egoist in : Interventionism, Law and Government , add a commentMost people in this country lead their daily lives with the illusion that there exists some sort of fundamental difference between our two major political parties; namely the Republicans and the Democrats. Here’s and interesting passage from an article by Congressman Ron Paul that should put an end to the entertainment of this folly - not that I’m naive enough to think that it actually will:
[After leaving office, former members of Congress] find it quite convenient to associate with other former members of the opposing party and start a lobbying firm. What might have appeared to be contentious differences when in office are easily put aside to lobby their respected party members. Essentially no philosophic difference of importance exists — it’s only a matter of degree and favors sought, since both parties must be won over. The differences they might have had while they were voting members of Congress existed only for the purpose of appealing to their different constituencies, not serious differences of opinion as to what the role of government ought to be. This is the reality of bipartisanship. Sadly our system handsomely rewards those who lobby well and in a bipartisan fashion. Congressional service too often is a training ground or a farm system for the ultimate government service: lobbying Congress for the benefit of powerful and wealthy special interests.
This article from the Washington Post, though a bit old, offers greater (financial) perspective on the subject as well. Don’t miss it.
So You Want to Work in These United States? June 2, 2006
Posted by Resident Egoist in : Interventionism, Law and Government , add a commentApparently there is just a tiny little price to pay … well, sort of.
Live Science reports:
Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has proposed implanting the company’s RFID tracking tags in immigrant and guest workers. He made the statement on national television on May 16.
Silverman was being interviewed on “Fox & Friends.” Responding to the Bush administration’s call to know “who is in our country and why they are here,” he proposed using VeriChip RFID implants to register workers at the border, and then verify their identities in the workplace. He added, “We have talked to many people in Washington about using it….”
The VeriChip is a very small Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag about the size of a large grain of rice. It can be injected directly into the body; a special coating on the casing helps the VeriChip bond with living tissue and stay in place. A special RFID reader broadcasts a signal, and the antenna in the VeriChip draws power from the signal and sends its data. The VeriChip is a passive RFID tag; since it does not require a battery, it has a virtually unlimited life span. [Links remoded -- Editor.]
Well, I did say it was tiny and little … but let’s hear some more first:
RFID tags have long been used to identify animals in a variety of settings; livestock, laboratory animals and pets have been “chipped” for decades.
… on second thought, no comment.