Brownback

When traveling, I’ve been a bit squeamish about the wifi/broadband connections now usually provided by the hotels I stay at.  The lack of security, not knowing who might be listening in…it just makes me feel a bit squeamish.

Perhaps my paranoia might be a teeny-tiny bit justified, based on recent developments in China, ahead of the Olympics.   Seen at The Hill:

Brownback stated that his office had been contacted by lawyers for international hotel chains who informed him that the Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) ordered foreign-owned hotels to install Internet monitoring equipment. Brownback provided documents showing that hotels were asked to cooperate with the Chinese government.

“The Chinese government has demanded that these hotels allow the PSB to install software programs and hardware devices on the hotel networks,” Brownback said. “These measures are designed to assist the PSB to spy on the Internet activities of guests and record websites visited, searches entered and even keystrokes. The text alludes to harsh punishment for failure to comply with the order, including loss of license to operate a hotel in China.”

Note to self – when traveling to China, plan to work offline.

A few thoughts from this morning’s Republican debate:

• Ugh.  Serious thought should not be required this early on a weekend morning.
   
• Brownback’s been engaged in robo-calling, which would be an instant disqualification if I were participating in the Iowa straw poll.
   
• Romney quote: “I’m tired of those who have been holier-than-thou because they’ve been pro-life longer than I have.”
   
• Giuliani does a good job of stating a rational pro-choice or at least pro-choice/life-neutral stance: seeking to reduce abortion but acknowledge that it’s inappropriate for the feds to be involved, and appropriateness is best left between a woman and her doctor.
   
• Paraphrasing McCain: “Quit debating abortion.  Stopping radical Islamic extremists is what’s important.”
   
• Wow.  Ron Paul actually sounded sane for a moment when talking about Iraq.  He got cheering from part of the crowd for leading off with “Just get out.”
• Brownback slams the Dems for not giving props to the troops in their “rush to the exit”.   ISTR that all the Dems made a point of at least attempting to commend the troops and their families for their service, even if they are “rushing for the exit.”
   
• McCain, Giuliani, and Romney all emphasize the need for a stable Iraq.  Sounds good, but it’d be nice to hear some new ideas about how to get there since one wonders if the current strategy is working.
   
• Romney on Obama’s Middle East / Terrorism policy: “In one week he’s gone from being Jane Fonda to being Dr. Strange Love.”
   
• Brownback on health care: “Either give every American the kind of health care that Congress has, or give Congress health care that normal Americans have.”  At least he wrapped up with acknowledging the cost challenges.
• Tancredo: “It’s not the responsibility of the federal government to provide womb to tomb health care for Americans”.   He moves on from there on what can be done to better enable Americans to take responsibility for their health care…but loses me when he uses health care as an argument to deport 12 million undocumented immigrants.
   
• Huckabee spends a couple of minutes seeming to argue that we’re spending too much attention overseas, when we should be fixing our own problems / setting an example domestically.
   
• Giuliani spends a couple of minutes reminding us that higher tax rates do not necessarily mean higher revenue.  Romney seems to correctly add on that part of the problem with crumbling domestic infrastructure is not the amount of money being spent, but where it’s being spent.   McCain gets a word in saying, simply, “end the pork barrel!” 
   
• Over an hour in and we get to some interesting debate, discussing income tax reforms, starting off with the “fair tax” (replace income/estates, etc. with a 23% sales tax).  Giuliani correctly points out that while simplification is desirable, but shifting over to a fair tax / flat tax is going to be nasty due to conversion issues.  McCain reminds us that AMT is going to become nasty

Overall, it seemed to be an OK debate.  Certainly not as entertaining as the CNN/You Tube dems’ debate, but what do you expect of a bunch of Republicans….although I do see some echoes in the form of video questions from normal citizens.

Stephanopolous was an excellent moderator, I think, doing a pretty good job of keeping the candidates on topic, keeping things moving, and at least attempting to bring in the second- and third-tier candidates when appropriate.

I have to give Ron Paul props for coming off more sane and less shrill.  Hopefully a couple of folks who may have thought libertarian ideas were nutty may start to revise their opinions.

And finally, I have to suggest that the GOP would be well-served to have a debate that focused primarily on topics other than Iraq and foreign policy.  While those subjects are certainly important, I think to win in ‘08, more energy needs to be spent on other subjects.   For example, this morning we saw some brief conversation on the pros and cons of alternative tax schemes versus the current bureaucratic mess we have now.  Perhaps some energy ought to be spent on educating Joe Average American on that debate, if they’d like to defend the country from the tax festival that could all too easily arise if the Dems succeed in gaining control of the White House in addition to maintaining control in both houses of Congress.