Steven Colbert testified before Congress this morning after being invited to Capitol Hill by San Jose’s congresswoman, US Rep. Zoe Lofgren. The visit occurred following Lofgren’s Tuesday night appearance on The Colbert Report, where the mock-Republican mock-newsman interviewed Lofgren, whom he identified as “the Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, and notorious Mexican-hugger.”
Lofgren aquitted herself quite well during the trademarked Colbert grilling:
Colbert: “We don’t get get our food from farms anymore, we get it from the grocery store.”
Lofgren: “And we get our weather from the Weather Channel.”
Colbert: “What?”
Zoe Lofgren on The Colbert Report
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Fallback Position - Migrant Worker - Zoe Lofgren | ||||
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Stephen Colbert on Capitol Hill
Mr. Colbert is not mocking Americans or Congress. He is stating the fact that Mexicans do the jobs in this country that Americans WILL NOT WORK at because the work is too hard for lazy Americans. Or maybe Americans are PUSSIES and can’t do that hard work. I guess Mexicans are more TOUGH than Americans.
Yolie,
You exemplify reversed racism, ignorance, and bigotry at its finest. It is thanks to the service and dedication of our “Lazy” American Military Veterans (of ALL races) that you have been granted the right to free speech to spout the garbage you just did.
No race suffers a shortage of both hard working and “lazy” citizens. To stereotype Americans as lazy and unwilling to do the dirty jobs others do is just plain ignorant. Regardless of race, anyone in this country with integrity and a sense of responsibility who needs to house, feed, and clothe their family would/will do whatever job they need to do just that.
Kathleen,
Where does Yolie’s post make any reference to military veterans? And where does he call our nation’s military veterans “lazy”? Hmmm…
Yolie, and Colbert, make a valid point. Does it make any sense whatsoever that with unemployment around 12% illegal immigrants are picking America’s crops, working in it’s slaughterhouses or processing poultry? Simply stated, these are difficult, unpleasant jobs that most Americans, even unemployed Americans, refuse to do.
While I personally would not use the word “lazy” to describe the situation I think it’s fair to say that Americans have “devalued” farm work to the point that it’s now pretty much unthinkable to demand unemployed Americans do farm work. Instead, we give our unemployed government benefits, so they can purchase food produced by foreigners. (At the same time we wring our hands about “illegal immigrants taking jobs!” Welcome to American Culture, circa 2010.)
It’s something to think about over your next salad.
Reader,
I think you’ve misunderstood my comment. Yolie said, “He is stating the fact that Mexicans do the jobs in this country that Americans WILL NOT WORK at because the work is too hard for lazy Americans. Or maybe Americans are PUSSIES and can’t do that hard work. I guess Mexicans are more TOUGH than Americans.” I say that is BS. I have picked fruit and worked on a farm and I know many other WHITE people who have and still do.
Yoile’s comments are a slap in the face to this country and frankly I’m tired of this “us verses them” attitude. Illegal is ILLEGAL period. Set aside all this crap of who will and won’t do crappy jobs and stay focused on the REAL issue here, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS and big business who exploit them.
And I must say that when I’m eating a salad in restaurant servers of ALL races, not just “Mexicans,” usually serve me.
I’ve watched WHITE pickers, and laborers work in fields in Half Moon Bay, and back east, and bought fruit and veggies from WHITE farmers too.
Having said that, I do agree, as I’ve stated MANY times before that, work visas and an over haul of our immigration laws needs to happen fast quick and in a hurry, but stop scapegoating and deflecting the law breaking done by these workers to garner sympathy for them. It doesn’t win Brownie Points with me.
It’s great to know your views, but I still wonder why you take Yolie to task for supposedly calling American military veterans “lazy”, which he clearly does not do in his post. You accused Yolie of criticizing veterans, but nowhere in his post does he even mention veterans.
That was MY point.
Reader,
Speaking directly to your point!
NO! He did not refer to the military. I was referring solely to him calling Americans lazy, and to his inference that only Mexicans work hard, in doing so I mentioned the military, just like some referred to the show, “Dirty Jobs.”
If he/she thinks working in a field is as hard as being in the military, he needs to join up and ship out. There is no worse DIFFICULT, UNDERPAID, unappreciated job than serving in the military!
You have to admit one thing; this “us against them” argument is really old. We all bleed red and we’re in this together. Let’s start working together and stop all this racism and pettiness. It doesn’t help change a dam thing.
BTW- What is so great about the way Mexico hurts its citizens?
“Simply stated, these are difficult, unpleasant jobs that most Americans, even unemployed Americans, refuse to do.”
Why would they, if they can get 100+ weeks of unemployment benefits for sitting on their dead asses?
There are few myths bigger than the one that says illegal immigrants take jobs away from Americans.
“I think it’s fair to say that Americans have “devalued” farm work to the point that it’s now pretty much unthinkable to demand unemployed Americans do farm work.” Shit, in most of the USA we don’t require folks who have been on welfare for generations to do ANY work.
Why not gather up the chronically unemployed and tell them that to continue to receive benefits, they have to replace an illegal immigrant in the fields, and send those illegal immigrants they replace back to their country of origin?
Harsh? U bet, but these are harsh times. On the other hand, very few would accept those conditions, and the ACLU would file suit against it.
“…I’ve watched WHITE pickers, and laborers work in fields…”
Oh, come ON, K, they are the exception. Most farm workers in the USA have brown skin.
JMOC, this may be a first but I agree with you. (The heavens open and the angel choir sings…)
I bugs the heck out of me that we pay unemployment benefits while non-citizens harvest California’s crops, work in the slaughterhouses, poultry plants and other food production facilities where most workers are typically non-citizens.
In ReaderWorld the unemployed would get 2 months of benefits. After that, if still unemployed, they would be required to get on a bus to the Central Valley and pick crops for one week out of every month (during harvest season) in order to receive extended benefits. Out of harvest season they can pick up trash, fix potholes or do other jobs government says it can no longer afford. The agribusiness farms would pay 100% of the “wage” into the state unemployment pool.
No work, no benefits. Period. (And anyone who HIRES an undocumented worker goes to jail. Period.)
I hear the howls: “I could NEVER do THAT kind of work! It’s beneath me!” Despite public perceptions, there is no shame in farm work. True, it’s physically demanding and the pay sucks, but no one should be so high and mighty that they cannot help produce the food we eat.
I suspect that when faced with a week in the fields a lot of the chronically unemployed would quickly find work! I also think it would pretty much eliminate the controversy over illegal immigration. The working conditions for farmworkers would also dramatically improve because unlike the current work force, VOTERS would be working the fields.
It’ll never happen though. It makes too much sense.
JMO,
Exception or not, it is a fact no one talks about.
I went back east and to Oregon and saw plenty of white faces in the fields.
“Regardless of race, anyone in this country with integrity and a sense of responsibility who needs to house, feed, and clothe their family would/will do whatever job they need to do just that.”
So, what does that say about those who go on welfare for generations, Kathleen? Clearly, that they have NO “integrity and a sense of responsibility .”
You didn’t REALLY mean to say that, did you? But you did.
JMO,
My statement stands. There are plenty of disabled and elderly people on SSI, which is also deemed as “Welfare,” and shouldn’t be treated as lazy Welfare recipients, but they are.
Generational Welfare recipients are solely the fault of government. They should provide for elderly and disabled, and those who PAID into the system and need help for a short time, but healthy able bodied people need the boot and a job!
There is a show on TV called Dirty Jobs, I suggest you try watching it.
Americans are willing to do anything but only if they are paid fairly. Its called pride son.
The real fact is that Mexicans do the jobs in this country that Americans WILL NOT WORK for $1.00 an hour.
Americans will work in 140 degree coal mines but you’re stupid enough to think we won’t pick strawberries?
If you are an example of a typican Mexican then its no wonder your homeland is the armpit of the western hemisphere.
Yoliesux,
Well said and very true. Illegal immigrants working at these jobs drive DOWN wages. But let’s not deal in facts, let’s just use one lame argument to try and win sympathy for law breaking immigrants, and ignore exploiting big business who are making money hand over fists by under paying them.
Kathleen—“Well said and very true”??? You really think calling Mexico “the armpit of the western hemisphere” is “well said and very true?” And to think you used to blast people for saying much less offensive things than this on this site.
Have you really gone to the dark side with the other cretins on this site who can only support their arguments by stooping to insults and untruths? Say it ain’t so.
Just Sayin,
I agree with the point being made about dirty jobs not with the verbiage used by Yoliesux.
Let me ask you one thing though, if Mexico is so great, why are its people flocking over here by the millions? Why are its Police and government so corrupt, and allowing its people to starve? Why aren’t THEY doing better for their own people? Why aren’t they guarding their boarders to ensure that their people don’t come here illegally? MONEY that’s why. If we do it for them then they don’t have to.
On a different note:
I thought I’d share this article with SJI readers. Re-enforces the facts about how over crowded the US is becoming, how willful law breakers are, and how badly we need immigration reform. Other countries limit immigrants so why are we being bad mouthed for doing the same?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-09-28-migrants28_ST_N.htm?csp=24
Lofgren did well against a comedian!?! Is that why she is in Congress? From her record, I guess comedy is the best she can do.
> Lofgren aquitted herself quite well during the trademarked Colbert grilling: . . . .
Which brings to mind the famous joke about Honest Abe:
“Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play.”
This is tone-deafness on steroids.
1. The REAL unemployment/underemployment/gave-up-looking-for-work rate is TWENTY-TWO PERCENT, not the regimes’ phony “9.5% unemployment” rate.
2. We just learned that Obama wrote his own strategic plan for the Afghanistan war in which the goal is not winning, not American security, but an “exit stratgy”.
“Sons and daughters of America! Spill your blood for an exit strategy”.
3. The President’s Justice Department is refusing to enforce the Voting Rights Act to protect all Americans, only blacks.
4. The annual deficit now exceeds a trillion dollars, the accumlated debt has DOUBLED over all previous administrations, and interest payments on the debt will inevitibley become the ONLY thing in the federal budget.
And Zoe Lofgren thinks that using her office to command a personal minstrel show for herself is the most important thing she has to do?
All of the sane people have long since left the Democrat Party and only those self-absorbed, ‘it’s all about me’, narcissists are all that are left.
I am told that Zee-Roe is running for re-election unupposed, in safe gerrymandered district, courtesy of the ruling class. I guess that means that we WILL have Zee-Roe to kick around, at least for the next two years.
But the upcoming mass extinction of Democrat politicians will still leave the country with major unfinished business, and in 2012, Colbert, The Obamagogue and Zee-Roe will, without a doubt, get their richly deserved come uppance.
There are actually two candidates running against Zoe Lofgren in the 16th District ie., Republican Daniel Sahagun, and Libertarian Edward Gonzalez. Of course, they have no chance of unseating her in such a gerrymandered district.
> Of course, they have no chance of unseating her in such a gerrymandered district.
Especially so, if as customary, they split the opposition vote against the statist Lofgren.
Doesn’t really matter if they split the opposition. Lofgren was re-elected in 2008 with over 71 percent of the vote. She’ll get a few points less this year,* but still over 60 percent. Probably around 65.
*Along with almost every other Democratic Congressman in the USA.
Tragically, you’re probably right about Zee-Roe’s re-election. The Big Democrat Godfather in the Sky thoughtfully arranged a district for Zee-Roe with splendidly cherry-picked reliably robotic Democrat voters.
Still, out there in America, I think there will be many Democratic congress creatures who will become victims of mass extinction.
Stop watching Fox News. Your repeating of their tired distortions of the truth just makes you look like a fool.
> Stop watching Fox News
Dear Sting:
Thank you for your thoughtful concern about my news viewing habits.
If you will provide me the source of the correct talking points that you and other open-minded individuals find so persuasive and compelling, I will be more than happy to become your pet lemming.
It is quite thoughtful of me, isn’t it?
You don’t have to be anyone’s pet lemming if you just open your mind and watch/listen/read real news sources. I don’t have any talking points for you. But you do seem to need them given to you. That’s unfortunate.
> I don’t have any talking points for you.
Sting-ky:
“Stop watching Fox News” is not very original. It’s easily confused with a talking point.
> Stop watching Fox News.
It’s amusing how obsessed “liberals” are with safety and hygiene.
A. They wear condoms so that don’t pick up any icky germs while practicing “safe sex”’
B. The wear mind condoms so that they don’t pick up any icky ideas when practicing “safe learning”.
Makes about as much sense I would expect from a conservative.
> Makes about as much sense I would expect from a conservative.
Hmmmm. Maybe this is progress.
Have you ever expected anything beyond nonsense from a liberal? Were you ever surprised?
All Mr. Colbert did was make an ass of himself. He did nothing to further the cause of any group.
Making an ass out of himself is Mr. Colbert’s job. And he’s frankly rather good at it; he usually makes me laugh, on those infrequent occasions when I bother to view his antics. The question is, not why did Mr. Colbert act like an ass before Congress, but why did the Congress invite a professional ass to testify before them on a serious topic of genuine national significance? Are we also electing asses to Congress these days? It would seem so.
This Congress is the most imcompetent group of idiots I can remember in my lifetime.
Meanwhile, across the street, Holder’s justice department being exposed for the racists they are, no media present.
“For more than 25 years many of us have raised our voices for the Latino workers undervalued, exploited, defenseless, deprived of their dignity and pushed around in poultry plants and agricultural industries and service jobs.”
To prevent Latino workers from being exploited like this is exactly why we need to secure the border.
Love the Legal Immigrants,dislike(Not hate) illegal immigrantion. Not at all complicated—why even a California democrat might, possibly understand!
I grew up in a really odd age of San Jose. I watched as the last bits of family ranch land was paved over for housing. The ranch and the barns I spent my childhood playing on got demolished.
A lot of folks say, “Americans won’t take the jobs” but that’s bullshit. A lot of young people (non immigrant) worked the farms around San Jose. My grandmother spent her summers cutting apricots, as most folks did. This was during a time when there was no money, post depression (sort of like now) and paying for a lot of their own clothes and things were expected of kids.
When you look at what jobs are available, it’s gotten to be pretty slim pickings these days. When I was 11 I had a paper route, but now that job is gone.
If you asked kids age 10-18 “Would you like a job?” many of them would answer yes. Due to labor restrictions, kids under 16 can’t work unless it’s for family, and kids 16-18 require a workers permit issued at the discretion of the school and at their parents discretion. This isn’t even taking into consideration the restrictions placed upon the employers insurance policy, which may be void if an employee is underage.
One of the bigger issues for us here in San Jose is these types of farm jobs left long ago.
My dad picked onions out by Gilroy during the Kennedy administration.
uh, sure, yeah, a ten year old wants a job. until they do it.
i know 20 year olds now who live with parents, are poor, and refuse to work at mcdonalds. i don’t think migrant worker makes their cut.
and back in whatever day you were referring to…
well now we don’t HAVE to work.
because i can have a credit card and dig myself into debt.
i dont know why people are complaining.
a lot of migrant workers who are illegal never get paid.
because co. owners hire them, knowing they’re illegal… then call immigration right before pay day.
co. owner thinks: pay an american…. or hire an illegal, call immigration, and get free work….
hmmm, no wonder illegal aliens are “taking” american jobs. i think co. owners would RATHER hire them….because they’re FREE labor.
lol,
Exploitation of America workers of all races isn’t new. Why do you think Unions were formed?
The time has come for huge corporations to suffer some mega fines for hiring illegals. They’ve gotten a way with illegal hiring for way to long.
I’m all for work Visas. Any one who wants to come here legally, and get an education, or earn a living is all right in my book.
BTW- SOME of our youth is a lost generation. They have been pampered and spoiled for way too long. Its time they get off their butts and help their families the way we old timers did. I picked fruit in orchards, scrubbed toilets, stood over a hot grill, and scrubbed floors, all while getting my college degree, and I’m dam proud of it because I worked hard to earn every cent I got. It taught me responsibility, gave me integrity, a good work ethic, and self-respect. Something that money just can’t buy.
Laugh if you want but..
From the time I was 6 till 10, I (begrudgingly) worked for my dads firewood business. He did other stuff, like bought a sawmill, and tried to sell lumber. My jobs were rolling the logs to the splitter and loading / unloading the truck.
This didn’t include my daily chores, like braving the big red rooster in our chicken coop while I fetched eggs.
When I was 11 I had a paper route for the SJMN.
When I was 14 I worked for my grandmother cleaning up the family ranch. 15-16 I worked in a retirement home as a kitchen person. I think I slacked off after that till I was 20, then I got a job at great america.
This wasn’t some magical far away place.. This was San Jose in the late 70-s to mid 80’s for me. I know my experience is unique to yours, but I actively sought work. I didn’t even have a credit card till my mid 20’s.
I see entrepreneurial kids all the time with lemonade stands. We have a few kids in the neighborhood that will babysit for you, or sweep your driveway for $5. Maybe you don’t see them, but I bet you have some in your neighborhood.
Robert,
I said SOME youth not all……
I know you didn’t mean me
I grew up on a farm in Indiana and my summer jobs were picking up rocks and cutting corn out of the beans. Those 20 somethings that live with their parents and wont even work at McDonalds are created by their parents. Quite honestly now that I’m almost 54, if I could find somebody to take care of me the rest of my life so I can go out and play golf everyday I would do it.
So, we’re having comedians appear to testify before Congress, in character, with respect to important matters? Welcome to Clown Government.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU !!!
Mr. Colbert. Your testifying before Congress on the plight of the immigrants was priceless. For more than 25 years many of us have raised our voices for the Latino workers undervalued, exploited, defenseless, deprived oF their dignity and pushed around in poultry plants and agricultural industries and service jobs. Your testimony on your “vast experience” of back breaking, under the sun work made headlines. “Truthiness” triumphed, finally! Receive my gratitude for your compassion and courage to mock those self-inflated with puffiness and faithful to empty rhetoric as the lives of defenseless people endure much pain and injustice in this country.
Very poignant. Very touching.
Perhaps we could liberate some of those “defenseless people” who “endure much pain and injustice in this country” by smuggling them out of this oppressive society and into Mexico.
Oh, and cut off any Social Security payments that may be mailed to them from any unjust or oppressive country.
I fear Mr. Colbert may need a backup soon after watching these clips. As for Rep. Lofgren, bringing Colbert to testify was incompetence of the highest order. Clearly, Lofgren did not aquit herself well at all.
Then again, would this hearing have received any media coverage had Lofgren not brought Colbert in to call attention to these issues?
Reader,
The media has never covered all aspects of this issue fairly, nor will they. Like farm workers, they “pick and choose” what they want to report and ONLY what appeals to big business and sells advertising spots.
Honestly, can you see them pounding big business DAILY and nation wide on violating Fedral Immigration Laws, or breaking employment laws on exploiting and under paying workers? Or how illegal immigrants settling for lower wages drive DOWN the wage in America? Or how insurance companies make a fortune off of Medical and Medicare fraud when illegals or others get those services! Or how illegals steal Social Security Numbers to work or get credit, or drive up the cost of car insurance by driving illegally? Or how many illegals are kept here and NOT deported when they commit crimes? The list of these effects on the US is endless, LOL! Not going to happen my friend.
Well, I just entered the word “Colbert” into the Google News search engine, and it came back with links to 3,335 articles!
As to if you (or I) would consider any of those articles “fair” is, of course, entirely subjective. But the point is, as a result of Colbert’s appearance there IS coverage of an issue that otherwise probably would have not generated even a ripple.
Reader,
I agree. It is too bad that the solution to this problem won’t happen for a long time if ever. People on both sides of the issue are suffering while our government plays Blind Man’s Bluff” about addressing it.
I feel pretty bad that innocent children are being brought into this. In the end, they suffer most.
The coverage only served to put the big spotlight on Zoe and highlight what a moron she is and how out of touch she is for pulling such a stunt.
All bow and scrape before Queen Zoe of our beloved Washington District of Criminals ruling class.
Elect Edward Gonzalez! Zoe Lofgren has disgraced the office of congress by asking Cobert to attend. We the people paid for congress to be entertained by Mr. Colbert at a cost of 100K? Congress should be ashamed of their conduct.
Ron,
Did Logren really pay him 100K to do this?
NO. All the witnesses, Colbert included, volunteered and paid their own way.
The hearing cost ZERO dollars, Colbert and the others witnesses paid their own way to testify. And guess what, the staff and members already work their and the room already belongs to the government.
I thought it was hilarious and informative.
Uh oh, America…
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16185517
Nam Turk,
Too bad they don’t add how many MILLIONS of dollars these companies make off a LOW paying, back breaking job, without benefits, like this isn’t it? They just want to make it look like this is a great deal.
Is this the wage they are paying illegal immigrants, or is this just a business strategy to embarrass Americans into allowing business to hire illegal farm workers?
I too and worried about how this country will survive without our manicured lawns.
BLT’s will cost a dollar more. The horror.
Face it people. We are up the creek in a canoe and soon to be without any illegal immigrants to paddle.
Desperate times call for great leaders. That’s why I think we should put Al Gore and Van Jones on the case.
These are green jobs after all.
I love the fact that Colbert got people talking about this issue in both emotional and insightful ways (though maybe not at the same time.)
I like the fact that Lofgren had the humility to let a fake-republican infotainment guy dispoil the dignity of a House committee hearing..
I like that people are talking about this issue even though as far as the policy agenda goes, immigration reform is dead in the water until at least 2012 because it doesn’t pay to spend political capital on really tough issues like this for either incumbents or aspiring office holders. It would actually take a President with leadership and courage (and probably no plans for re-election) to push this issue towards productive resolution.
Expect the status quo and petty incrementalism for the immediate future both locally and nationally as we talk about but do nothing to fix our immigration problems.
> Expect the status quo and petty incrementalism for the immediate future both locally and nationally as we talk about but do nothing to fix our immigration problems.
Maybe not.
The Tea Party Movement represents really BIG change, unlike the phony “hope and change” of a notorius teleprompter reading politician with large ears.
What the combination of Obama and the Tea Partiers managed to do is an enormous amount of “values clarification”.
And the “values” that many Americans got clear in their heads is that they didn’t like big government that told them what kind of light bulbs to use, how much water to use to flush a turd, and that borrowing and spending gobs of money on buying union votes made any fiscal sense for future generations.
What the Tea Party Americans got particularly clear was that the smushy, wishy-washy, sort-of-like-Democrats-but-not-quite-as-much RINO Republicans like Arlen Specter were the problem and not the solution.
So, the Republican “Party” has changed big-time. It is not Gerald Ford’s or Bob Michael’s permanent-minority, go-along-to-get-along, satisfied-with-a-nice-story-in-the-New-York-Times party.
It’s a throw-the-bums-out, clean-out-the-stables, get-back-to-basic-common-sense party. And 2010 is just the BEGINNING. Tea Partier’s understand that in spite of our best efforts, the Constitution only allows us to throw out about half the bums that need throwing out in one election. It will take at least two elections to finish the necessary changes to get the ruling class to get their hands off our wallets and their bureaucrats out of our lives.
I’m hopeful that change is a’comin’. But we need to realize that 2010 is just a down payment.
I’ll give Zoe credit for coming up with a new way to make a cheap political point, this time by wasting taxpayer dollars to have a comedian perform on Capitol Hill… you know, the place where serious debate and discussion is supposed to occur; the place we used to show some respect for in this country.
Many people dismiss this incident as being “all in good fun,” and while parts of the stunt could be considered funny, this certainly was not the place for it to occur. Ms. Lofgren needs to learn to make the distinction between Comedy Central and Capitol Hill.
– Paul Crockett
President
Santa Clara County Tea Party
Good one. “…learn to make the distinction between Comedy Central and Capitol Hill.” Very funny, especially coming from the head Tea Party guy. Why don’t you learn to make the distinction first between good public policy and what the Tea Party advocates, then you can work on Congress.
Paul,
While I agree that this issue isn’t the least bit funny, and that some of the interview above is rather stupid, I think our electeds have ignored Immigration Reform for too long. Sometimes comedy has a way of serving the purpose of bringing light to serious issues in a way that people can hear.
We do need Immigration Reform to be a priority. We have cities battling over whether or not Police should assist ICE, millions of illegal immigrants are being exploited by big business, crimes are being committed by illegal immigrants to stay here and work, families are being torn apart, excess spending on illegal immigrants is also a real concern. The list of things that result from illegal immigration is endless. Our electeds keep ignoring the problem and this comedy routine is meant to kick them into action.
Many studies have been done, tons of professionals have testified to the problem and yet NOTHING has changed. People on both sides of this issue are being hurt. My fear is that the issue of illegal immigrants will result in hate crimes, and illegal immigrants being scapegoated for government’s inaction to the problem, big business breaking the law without consequence, and the deflection of government overspending.
No one I know has a problem with Immigration Reform, Work Visas, or LEGAL immigration if it is done correctly. But therein lies the problem. Our Immigration laws/problems are out of control, and the buck stops with our government. They need to get off their butts and do something to resolve it NOW! Use the power of your vote to make the change you want to see. Stop re-electing the old guard and vote in people who get how serious this issue is.
Fact don’t usually get in the way of dislike for Congress, but it is worth repeating that ZERO taxpayer dollars were spent bringing Colbert to Washington. He paid his travel, hotel, and all expenses out of his own pocket. His part of the hearing took less than 1/2 hour. And the result was actual awareness of the issue and news coverage that would have been lacking otherwise. So I say it was a brilliant move by our local Congresswoman.
> Fact don’t usually get in the way of dislike for Congress, but it is worth repeating that ZERO taxpayer dollars were spent bringing Colbert to Washington.
True, only if Colbert sat on a toadstool in a park and made his statement to a flock of pigeons.
Try picking up the full accounting costs for a 1/2 hour of Congressional hearings.
Entrepreneurs think in terms of cash “burn rate”.
The burn rate for Congressional hearings, with all the Congress critters, highly paid staffers, experts, stenographers, pages, security cops, caterers, ego fluffers, technicians, janitors, and mistresses, not to mention the lavish premises, is undoubtedly very significant.
You really pride yourself in proving that you don’t know what you are talking about, don’t you?
There is no “burn through rate” when you actually know what you are talking about…
Reps and all the other assorted staff (by the way, there where no caterers according to the articles I read, the only thing provided was tap water) would have been at the Capitol regardless since Congress was in session.
Also, insulting Zoe, does nothing for your already diminished credibility. You just come off as another ill-informed tea bagger.
Got to love the tea bagger hypocrisy… “I’m against government, unless I’m the one getting farm subsidies, or using federal student loans, etc…”
And by the way, burn through rate, should not take into account fixed costs. It obvious you have no clue what you’re talking about either politically or in business.
And now we know the true colors of the tea party with their endorsement of Prop 23. They are in bed with out-of-state big oil companies who don’t care about our health or our environment.
In fact, the tea party is starting to make some Republicans look moderate. Good going, kids. What’s next? Going to try to dismantle our health care system? Oh right, you already want to do that.
Even Colbert couldn’t make-up stuff this crazy.