From: bsmart@bsmart.TTI.COM (Bob Smart)
Subject: Re: Quayle/Bush Competency?
Reply-To: bsmart@bsmart.TTI.COM (Bob Smart)
Organization: Citicorp+TTI
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 03:11:48 GMT

In article <1992Aug25.114434.2017@wkuvx1.bitnet>, barnejd@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:
>   Though a registered independent myself, I find myself drawn to the
> defense of our President and Veep.

It IS a real challenge, I salute your ambition!

> A good deal of crime in the southwest US can be attributed to illegal
> immigrants.

Well, THAT was nice and quantitative, and not a bit racist, no sir!  Or
were you perhaps referring to the immigrants who began coming here from
Europe in the 15th century, and their descendants who were never
naturalized into Indian nations, as "illegal immigrants?"

> Now while this bill won't stop the flood of ill-imm's, it does address
> the issue that if our neighbor (Mexico) prospers, we will prosper some
> as well (fewer ill-imms).

You got that right, bucko.  All that damn cheap labor from Mexico is
keeping me from getting that janitor job I've always dreamed of.  And
all those migrant physicists are making it impossible for anybody else
to get professional work, too.  It's about time we started picking our
own crops and scrubbing our own toilets, by gum!  Let's hear your
heartrending story of the high-paying and prestigious day-labor job some
filthy immigrant displaced you from, it'll do you good to get it off
your chest.

> If they fail, that failure will cause
> thousands of people willing to do almost anything to support them-
> selves and/or their families to flee to our country.

What?  Hordes of people who want to work hard and do unpleasant jobs for
a living?  You're right, they have no place in THIS country!

> Unable to find
> jobs (or at least decent jobs) here, they turn to crime, the one
> occupation which never seems to suffer from economic hard times.

I can't wait to see the citation.  NCIC?  FBI?  Where did you find this
massive trend toward crime by immigrants?  Most of them, in fact, don't
even go to the police to REPORT crimes where they've been the victims,
because they're afraid that if they draw the attention of the
authorities, they'll get deported.

They don't apply even for the public-assistance benefits they're
actually entitled to, because A) they don't realize or don't believe
they have any rights at all since they're non-citizens here illegally,
and B) they don't want attention, see above. So they're not soaking up a
life of luxury on welfare, they're working for subminimum wage in
sweatshops and too afraid of deportation to complain about even the most
scandalous practices by their employers.  Besides, considering where
some of them came from, even a sweatshop in an LA slum is a BIG step up
in standard of living, at least soldiers don't come and rape your
daughter every night like in the old country.

None of this is as exciting as a crime wave by swarthy, oily furriners,
of course, so you've definitely outclassed me in terms of creativity.

> Losing a few jobs now may very well wake up the American people.

I doubt it.  Americans have shown great determination about not waking
up, so far.  It was "morning in America" ten years ago...but we seem to
have punched the snooze alarm with regard to education, housing, child
care, health care, and industrial policy.  We sure told those nasty ol'
A-rabs and homosexuals what we thought of 'em, though.

> The fact is, liberals who know Quayle's
> past record, who know what Dan Quayle really is like, are _scared_ of
> him; they have been since he was named.

I know *I* am.  The thought of Dan Quayle driving an automobile scares
the bejeezus out of me, let alone the thought of Dan Quayle "leading"
the country.  Be afraid.  Be VERY afraid.

> Quayle isn't some bumbling idiot; he's a very competent politician.

This is a non-sequitur: Dan is living (?) proof that one can be BOTH a
bumbling idiot AND a competent politician.  I'm just not convinced that
he can be a competent President.  Or a competent fry cook, for that matter.

> The liberal media looked so hard for something to smear Quayle with

Actually, it wasn't hard at all.  It's hard to OVERlook.

> It's always easier to laugh at someone
> than intelligently and reasonably deal with the issues they espouse

What "issues" were those, please?  Farm policy, maybe, from our cornfed
former Senator from Indiana?  Let's see:

	Target prices?  How that works?  I know quite a bit about farm
	policy.  I come from Indiana, which is a farm state.  Deficiency
	payments--which are the key--that is what gets money into the
	farmer's hands.  We got loan, uh, rates, we got target, uh, prices,
	uh, I have worked very closely with my senior colleague (Indiana Sen.)
	Richard Lugar, making sure that the farmers of Indiana are taken
	care of.

	Following this expository miracle, Dannie's press secretary cut short
	his press conference.  Elapsed time: 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Or was his expertise more in the area of defense?  That seems plausible,
he certainly spent enough time in the National Guard to qualify him as a
military man.  Let's tune in, when Our Hero tells us:

	We should develop anti-satellite weapons because we could not have
	prevailed without them in "Red Storm Rising."

Well, maybe defense isn't his forte, either.  How about space policy? 
He's chairman of the National Space Advisory Council, so he's just got
to be up on that, right?  His pearls on that topic:

	For NASA, space is still a high priority.

Well, THAT'S a relief.  He also says:

	Mars is essentially in the same orbit...somewhat the same distance
	from the Sun, which is very important.  We have seen pictures where
	there are canals, we believe, and water.

Maybe his strong suit is environmental policy?  After all, he works for
the Environmental President, and Dandroid boasts that "I have a very
strong record in the environment in the US Senate."  His incisive analysis:

	It isn't pollution that's harming the environment.  It's the
	impurities in our air and water that are doing it.

I'd go on, but this is too much like shooting fish in a barrel.  Now,
you might think it's churlish of me to bring all this up, but Danno
himself said, "I stand by all the misstatements I've made."  Who are you
to gainsay him?

>    Third, no, Bush has not been the best of Presidents.

But almost certainly better than Quayle, no?

> And, more significantly, he didn't
> shirk his responsibility in regard to the matter; he willingly took
> the blame, something I don't ever remember another politician doing.

Actually, I don't remember Bush doing it, either.  He started out that
way, but it didn't take him long to start sniveling about how the nasty,
bad Congress was mean to him, so nothing is his fault after all.  Bush
takes to responsibility the way most people take to a rectal exam.

>   That's my opinion - it ought to be yours.

That must be an example of this Republican "inclusivity" that I keep
hearing so much about?

---------

A fanatic is someone who does what he knows that God would do if God knew the
facts of the case.

Some mailers apparently munge my address; you might have to use
bsmart@bsmart.tti.com -- or if that fails, fall back to
72027.3210@compuserve.com.  Ain't UNIX grand?