Captain Obvious!

Somebody please explain this to me. Too many states already link driver license duration to approved immigration stay. Then, each time the alien's stay is extended, s/he has to go back to the RMV/DMV, and they have to wait until they have an approval in hand even though legally they are in a valid status while the case to extend or change status is pending. Most people, including cops, DMV, RMV, and even customs agents (who are supposed to be experts) don't even understand the difference between a valid visa and a valid status, or between an overstay and an expired visa.

The only reason states can require a license to drive a motor vehicle is PUBLIC SAFETY. The fact that driver licenses have become a de facto ID card is IMMATERIAL, the document as written is relevant only for determining whether a person legally may operate a motor vehicle. Driver licenses do not convey any other right or privilege, whether immigration-related or not. The states should tell DHS to take a hike.

Lost in the Supermarket was covered for use in the movie "Over the Hedge" (nice cover, but original was better) and it got me to thinking what is going on with the remaining members (RIP John Graham Mellor) today? Sure, we had Big Audio Dynamite (and Aztec Camera), which had Clash fingerprints, but what about today?

Since it doesn't take a whole lot of HP to keep going hwy speed once you achieve it, it seems to me that the most efficient transport would be a small (1.4 liter or even smaller) diesel-powered hybrid. What I really want is a base upon which I can build a meta-hybrid that will let me use SVO to power the diesel engine, and use the diesel to either propel the car or charge the batteries. Batteries should also be chargeable by plugging in, and (ideally) also by thin-film solar panels I affix to the roof/hood/trunk. Electric power gives quick acceleration that diesels lack, diesel gives range & power that EV lack, solar trickle charge permits an electric element to heat the vegetable oil and keep it thinned for fuel purposes even in winter.

But I think I need the base diesel-electric hybrid to start this adventure. Is there one (or more) out there & what are your experiences with it/them?

PS--I'm already familiar with greasel & greasecar.com & their SVO/biodiesel conversions.

I'm not asking how many terms one can be ELECTED as POTUS, I'm asking how many terms one can SERVE. Yes, this means you should think outside the box and the answer is not "two" nor is it "three". So what is it, then? Please support your answer with a legal scenario or sequence of events that legally permit the answer you propose.

How about if we actually had due process in admin law? Like requiring the government to issue timely responses to filings, having a timely and meaningful appeal process, and reversing the burden on permit filings (asking for permit means you get it unless the government can show compelling reason why you shouldn't get it). For fed agencies, we should have immediate review in Federal Court and govt pays all legal fees if it loses in court. Same standard for states, but each state would have to do it severally.

I'm tired of asking permission for X, Y or Z (or, even more aptly, permission to extend the approval I already received for X, Y or Z) and having to wait until agency A or bureaucrat B feels like showing up to work to give me an answer. If they are overworked, it means we are overregulated, right?

What do you think?

I think this should include a requirement that each legislator must read the entire bill before voting, and all lobbyist contact & activity must be disclosed and explained in detail, as must all vote trading between legislators. No voice voting, and every vote on every bill must be explained in writing under the pains and penalties of perjury. Violation punishable by minimum 10 year prison term plus restitution.

There are too many back room deals and vote trading going on, or legislators who vote a certain way because a lobbyist wants him/her to, often without the legislator having read the bill first.

Explanations and disclosures must be made publicly available at the candidates' websites and each legislative office they maintain.

Legislators want to hold business leaders accountable for millions and billions entrusted to them. How about we hold legislators accountable for the $ TRILLIONS entrusted to them?!?

By a sunset requirement, I mean a consitutional amendment which says each bit of legislation and administrative regulation expires some certain term after it becomes law, somewhere between 5-7 years. It can be reintroduced, but MUST be reintroduced in order to go beyond the sunset date. Similarly, all agencies cease to exist some years (5-9) after their formation and can be re-created or re-formed, but must be re-created in order to exist beyond the sunset deadline.

This seems to be a great way to shrink government and reduce the statutory and regulatory burden that citizens and businesses face, and it is way less time consuming and controversial than trying to get congress to repeal something. If the law or regulation is essential for the survival of civilization, it can be reintroduced and reauthorized. If it is no longer necessary or desireable, it dies a natural death with no fanfare, and there is less red tape for everyone.

Term limits for legislators would break the cycle of disproportionate representation that some get by having their members of congress on select committees, typically via longevity in the congress and loyalty to (and therefore tenure and stature in) the party. Legislators climb the ladder, which gives their supporters incentive to re-elect them, so that they can plunder the other states in order to “bring home the bacon”. ("We have to keep electing Ted Kennedy because he's on key committees and we'll lose that clout if we elect someone else"). The local constituents and special interests/lobbyists are happy because they get the pork, the candidate is happy because he gets re-elected and his power and ability to dole out favors and government goodies grows, and people are made more dependent upon his favor, which increases his likelihood of re-election, which . . . (you get the picture). Term limits would limit this abuse. Other measures would help, but term limits are a good start.

Assume the info would be sent to something like a GPS device and would also give an audible notice when one was approaching a stationary traffic enforcement location.

This is a good thing because many traffic accidents result from people slowing down rapidly when they see a speed trap, even if their speed is below the posted limit. It would also give people regular reminders to drive at safe speeds, enhancing public safety way more than a few tickets. It would also decrease the revenues from speeding tickets which would give police forces and the towns they work for less incentive to practice revenue enhancement (speed traps) and to put the policing resources to better use like preventing and solving crimes.

I am looking for continuua along which I can rate voices to evaluate similarities and differences. Range is an obvious one, but voices have qualities other than which notes they can hit. I have a notion that some are more nasal (Willie Nelson), some are raspier (Bob Dylan), some are clearer (Karen Carpenter), and stuff like that. I can make a qualitative observation that singer X sounds like singer Y, but I don't have the expertise to describe why I think so. Can someone help me out with the concepts and nomenclature, preferably with definitions and explanations (e.g. "Timbre means blah blah blah, and it is determined by the size and shape of the person's sinus cavity" or "tinny-ness is varied by contracting the whoosie-whatsit muscle while supporting exhalation with a strong, steady push from the diaphragm"). References to source or research materials would be especially helpful.

THANKS!!

For instance, what stops someone from setting up a crystal meth lab on a boat that remains in international waters, with components for equipment and supplies ferried in periodically(each shipment not contsituting paraphernalia in itself due to assembly requirements or some other creative justification). Assume that there is no distribution or intent to distribute within the jurisdiction of any nation or state, and that all substances produced are consumed where they are produced, on the high seas. Corollary question is "what laws might permit one's home country to prosecute such conduct upon re-entry?". Apply the laws of your own home country or such other country whose laws you know when answering. This is academic, not practical.

The title was something like "The Man Who Ruled the Universe". Plot had to do with gaining control of key industries in a certain order. I also seem to recall the protagonist having to seal a deal by shaking tentacles with some slime-covered alien that most earthlings would never touch. It was a good read and I'd like to find it again, but can't recall the author or the exact correct title. Google search takes me to H2G2, which is a great book but not the one I'm looking for. Anybody recognize this from the description?

The tenet from ancient Rome is that ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it. How does this square with the current American legal system? How do we reconcile this principle with the huge pile of statutes and regulations already on the books? With the federal government producing a 200-300 page book of additional rules and regulations every workday (Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations)? With the states all doing the same kind of thing?