Friday, May 05, 2006

Last night a storm knocked down a large portion of the tree in front of our condo. It came to rest less than an inch from our window (the leaves were pressed up against it). We never heard a thing. I think I was even awake and just on the other side of that window during the storm. It's funny how close potential destruction can come and we never see it.

On the flip side, I'm convinced potential joy and friendships and opportunities pass by just as frequently. More frequently, judging by the amount of good things that manage to find me compared to bad things.

Might be looking to buy a car - it's been interesting looking for winning models. I probably worry too much about gas mileage, but I bet a lot fewer people think that than when gas was under $2. Test driving should be interesting - I'm usually crammed into any car, but I've been convinced to look at small SUVs and wagons so mebbe this will be a different ballgame.

Speaking of ballgames, the defending champ Spurs are slowly crushing the Kings in Game 6. Go Spurs!

Been trying to put together a rational position on illegal immigrants. I believe that any solution has to include taking a strong control of the border so that we can deal with the problem as it exists rather than expecting the number of illegals to grow (thanks to Mac for pointing this out). As to those who are here, well, yes, they committed a crime. A crime the government and employers winked at as they built much of the economic growth of the last decade on employees who couldn't even demand minimum wage (continued housing boom, anyone?). So I don't think it's fair to blame this one entirely on the immigrants themselves. My preference leans most often towards offering a process for earned amnesty - registering, fines, working towards citizenship - but recognizing America's role in their situation by granting residency. If they don't follow through on the process, deport. In addition to punishing, this method would also allow them to claim basic human rights like being paid what's promised (and a living wage), and being able to report crimes. There's no perfect solution, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't look for the best one we can find.
posted by Unknown 11:11 PM | 0 comments