April 8, 2005
FOUR FOR FRIDAY
Q1: Do you think cities should be allowed to use eminent domain to seize property for private business development?
Q2: Across the United States, policy makers are debating whether to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, while in some states, legislators are taking up bills that would require voters to show photo identification before casting ballots. Do you think illegal immigrants should be allowed to receive a driver's license? What about presenting a photo ID when casting a ballot... are you in favor of this idea?
Q3: What kind of impact has Pope John Paul II's death had on you since he passed away last Saturday? What kind of an impact did the Pope have on you while he was alive?
Q4: If you knew for certain that it would extend your life expectancy by 8 years, would you reduce your daily caloric intake by 30%?
Posted by Mikal at April 8, 2005 12:11 AM
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No. Here in Connecticut, the city of New London is trying to do just that, they want to take a residential neighborhood and make it into a research center. The case is now before the Supreme Court. The area is not blighted or run down, it is a two family residential area. The city or the state shouldnít be allowed to condemn any property just because they can build something on the property with a higher tax value.
I donít think that illegal aliens should be allowed to get drivers licenses. Also, I think that the states should be the ones who determine what information shall be on a license and not the federal government. As for voting, here in Connecticut we already require a photo ID in order to vote.
His life and death really had no effect on me because I am not a practicing Catholic. I do believe he had a profound effect on the church with women priests, married priests and homosexuals. He made the church a much more conservative church.
Yes, right now I am trying to loose weight and I have done that by cutting back on the morning donut and the afternoon candy bar. So far I lost 14 lbs since the first of the year.
1. No! When my mother was a kid the government (not sure if it was state or federal) declared eminent domain causing an entire community to become dislocated and changed forever. When my mother was a kid I-95 didn't exist in our town. Her house was confiscated under eminent domain and knocked down. Her mother and father were not compensated as much as they deserved and ended up having to buy a new house with the small sum they were paid. My mother told me that she and her friends were so mad about the destruction of their neighborhood that they'd go out at night and pull up the stake markers where the de-constuctionists had placed them, just to piss them off. Eminent domain ruins communities and displaces families.
2. I don't understand why they would do this. Why should an illegal immigrant have the right to drive, let alone vote? Plus, I always have to show ID when I vote. I guess on the other side, the illegal immigrants wouldn't have to worry about obtaining illegal drivers licenses or being arrested for driving without a license.
3. His death is sad, but I'm not in deep mourning. He was a man of peace, but there are a a lot of things I don't agree with. He really played no major role in my life as a Catholic. But he did do a lot to try and bring about peace throughout the world. Attending his funeral were leaders of many nations and religions. I respect his faith and devotion to love and peace.
4. I would. But, in my case I may need that 30%!
1. No.
2. No, illegal immigrants shouldn't be able to get a driver's license. And for voting, I don't think a photo ID would cut it.
3. None and none. A death of a famous person you don't know--what can one say? It seems somewhat abstract to me. Besides, I'm not religious.
4. I don't know. If it decreases the quality of life by making one more sluggish, maybe not.
1. No for private business development, but yes for public projects like highways, although there should be consensus within the community. How displaced people are compensated is another story...
2. Showing a photo ID to vote just makes sense. States should be responsible for providing this ID if you don't have one. About giving driver licenses to illegals, I donít agree although I admit is a tough issue. It is like giving them ësomeí legality. But the huge amount of illegal (and so undocumented) inmigrants all around the country is a reality that needs to be addressed.
3. I was raised up catholic. The Popeís death hasnít have a big impact on me, although I think when these things happen then people remember and go over the good things about his papacy, and thatís a good exercise. (By the way, whatís up with this people, millions of them, waitng a 20 hour line to see him? Why donít they use that time and energy and do something for someone in need? That would be the best way to honor himÖ) In life, his staunch conservatism has made me re-think about my relationship with catholicism.
4. 30% would be too much for me, as I am roughly in a 1,500 calorie count now. But Iíd do other sacrifices if I new for certain not much prolong life expectancy, but improve my golden years.
1. No
2. I don't have a problem with voters showing a valid ID. It's cheap and easily attained at any license branch.
3. I'm a former catholic, so JP's death hasn't had much of an impact on me. I do worry about the future of the church, since JP had taken such a reactionary turn against the reforms of Vatican II.
4. Nope. After this past year, I've no desire to prolong my life.
1) No. In addition to the New London case, there was a case here in Indy a year or so ago, when then city government tried to sieze a family-owned parking garage, which they planned on selling to a company that was going to tear it down and put up yet another parking garage. While parking downtown is pretty bad at times, I could percieve no benefit from tearing down one parking garage just to put another one up.
2) I don't think illegal immigrants should be able to get drivers licenses. It seems like it would amount to a tacit approval of their status. Maybe they should become legal residents. As far as showing ID to vote, I have no problem with that. I don't buy the argument that it will adversely affect poor people because they are less likely to be able to own a car, so they won't be able to get a driver's license. I don't own a car or have a driver's license. However, I do have a state ID. you can get one at the License Branch. You just don't have to take a test.
3) As it happens, I wrote a little article in my blog about this.
/shameless plug
4) living longer != living better. My personal thought is when it is your time to go, nothing in the world can stop it. One of my grandmothers smoked for over 50 years before she finally died when she was 85. Living healthy is no guarantee will live a long life. Conversely, living poorly is no guarantee your life will be cut short. It's just statistics.
1. NO! I have been involved in an "Eminent Domain" case here in the North Indy area. It involved a project we{as a family} enjoy. The way the Carmel government went about acquiring land was like stealing. They did not take the property owners rights into account and still don't. Most times government uses that strong arm tactic when they know the public can't do anything to stop them. If you have an easement on your property{close to a road/abandoned RR/Utility pole... you are game for the government to take your land.
2. "illegal" is the key here. If someone is under that classification they should not have the same rights as someone that is here "legally". ID is required in Hamilton County IN to vote.
3. The Pope influenced "the World"...evident by the many famous and not-so-famous that attended his funeral. When He spoke I listened because I thought he was a wise man. Did I agree with him... NO! Did I respect Him... YES. He will be missed because of the amount of time he served. I look forward to a change.
4. Perhaps... I don't eat much now. I look for quality of life not length of time in.
~Great Questions Mikal. ..and your answers are?~
Q1.'NO' pure and simple!!
Q2.If they can drive,and know all the road rules for that state ,then yes i can't see why not.As for I.D. when you are voting,What next???eye scans for public libraries???
Q3.'NO' i am an atheist so do not believe in christiananity.However if i was to put my hand up to vote for the new pope(which i think is just a waste of time and money(sorry!!)as he is usually just a scapegoat for the catholic church when they decide that they cant handle the truth)then i would vote for the African cardinal as i strongly believe that that would change the world...good or bad i am not sure?????...
Q4.NO!you are what u eat
1. It's a dangerously slippery slope, but sometimes. The impact to the community has to be reviewed reasonably on environmental, social and economic fronts. If the sum total presents a greater good for the LOCAL community (not an out-of-state/country interest), then go ahead. If not, then I would suggest not using the powers of eminent domain. A fair market value MUST be paid to those impacted to legitimize the process.
2. Why legitimize illegal immigration? More power to the Minute Men. Allowing illegal immigration to continue only further worsens the human impact. The illegal immigrants are far too often pushed into indentured servitude, paid well below minimum wage, and otherwise mistreated when they get here. By providing social services (which is really what the driving permits end up providing), on the backs of tax payers, we are giving the thumbs up to all the criminals (illegal aliens and illegal employers) that continue to force women into prostitution to pay back smuggling debts, or force illegals into unsafe work environments, which go unreported because the immigrant fears deportation. Providing driving permits, instead of handcuffs, gives a green light to all those that take advantage of illegal foriegn workers. Granting driving premits is unethical because of the trickle down effect.
As for photo identification at polling stations, why not? I'm all for a more responsible election system, and photo ID doesn't seem to infringe on any of my rights, but rather ensure that the voter truly is who s/he says s/he happens to be.
3. His death has made me even more upset with the media in our country. Since when were we all Catholics, let alone Christians? Put it to rest, and let the Catholics use their own news networks to mourn. If Minister Louis Farrakhan or the Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali al-Sestani were to pass away tomorrow, they would not be given nearly the same consideration as the Pope. Their collective scope may not be as great, but they are the religious leaders of equal magnitude within their respective sects.
It incenses me that we gloss over the autrocities that 'great' men could have spoken out against (Pope John Paul II and Ruwanda, Ronald Reagan and countless Latin American and Middle Eastern conflicts), and exaggerate their accomplishments almost to the point of hyperbole (PJPII and RR with the "single handed" overthrow of communism...how did they both single handedly 'overthrow' a policital concept). The Pope & Ronals Reagan did plenty of good, but the media should really keep it in perspective.
What effect did PJPII have on my life during his? Well, I'm sure that he increased my chance of contracting AIDS by increasing the number of cases on our planet through his contraception policies, all while he encouraged over population, and kept fetuses alive that might have been better unborn for society and their own good. But, on the other hand, he also kept me from speaking Russian (over throwing Communism and all), did his best to keep women out of jobs for which I might interview, and he squandered his opportunity to shame my President into keeping our soldiers out of Iraq and pine boxes.
4. Sure...why not...I'd likely waste away, however. This question seems like a cheap way to try to extinguish the passions ignited by the previous three.
Q1: Unless there's a compelling reason, one in which every home or property owner is in full agreement with, then I do not feel that cities or municipalities should be able to seize land for private business land deals.
Q2: Okay, I think everyone should be required to show a photo ID in order to vote. That all states do not require this already is quite unbelievable. As for driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, I'm all for it.
Q3: Because of all the religious hype associated with his passing, the Pope's death has prompted me to think a lot about my own spirituality, as well as the process by which the next Pope will be chosen (both of which I find fascinating).
Q4: Yes, I would reduce my caloric intake by 30 percent if I knew for sure ahead of time that it would increase my longevity by eight years, but rather than do it on a daily basis, I'd calculate it so I could monitor it on a weekly basis. My strategy would be to fast a day-and-a-half per week.
Q1. No. There has been a lot of freeway expansion in Houston; much, lately, pushed through by the former bug exterminator, now highest ranking Republican in Congress, Tom Delay. I would never say never here since some cities may, a times, need a major overhaul to survive and how such an overhaul might be financed is not forseeable.
Q2. Yes, a license but maybe it is a flagged in some way. Tricky, I know. Photo on voting, sure.
Q3. I saw him in Mexico City several years ago. I was impressed by how much the Mexicans loved him. There are 1.5 billion Catholics in the world, it is the largest religious community in the world and Catholics make up about half of all Christians. His death made those facts apparent to me. Also, the shortage of priests was made more clear. There are about 400,000 priests and that number did not change much during Pope John Paul's reign. I do not have enough faith to be an athiest or agnostic. My Catholicism matters to me and though I don't feel his dying has touched me much, I sense we may see some big changes in doctrine and or rules under a new leader.
Q4. 8 healthy years? sure.
Sigh... DNS poisoning attacks got my site over the past week, fun stuff, especially since anyone who tried to view it got a virus / adware warning (if you have scanners) instead of the "real" site. I'll have my trackback up later this day!
So what have you decided about your own spirituality?
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