Wealth Has Its Privileges…

Okay, before I write more, you can go ahead and call me a hypocrite as I’ve taken advantage of what I’m about to write about.

There is are a couple of things that bug me when I take an airline trip.  Well, more than a couple, but I’ll limit it to just these two for now…

One of the issues that I have is with the TSA security procedures, specifically the TWO lines to get through the screening process. One line is for FIRST CLASS and PLATINUM LEVEL travelers. The other line is for the rest up us great unwashed. Ever wondered why there are the two lines?

When I had a FIRST CLASS ticket one time, I asked the TSA officer why they allowed me to cut to the head of the line. He explained to me that part of the cost of my FIRST CLASS ticket was a fee (bribe/graft) paid to the TSA to “pay for the staff” to allow me to jump ahead of the people waiting in line.  Now that’s a crock o’ smelly stuff because I have never seen extra staff processing FIRST CLASS passengers.  They just allow the UPPER CLASS to step in front of the LOWER CLASS in the queue.

Whoa there!!! TSA screenings are a GOVERNMENT MANDATED process that applies to EVERYONE.  According to TSA policies, people of wealth and means are allowed privilege in the screening process.  Is this not PAY to PLAY?  If you have the MEANS to buy a FIRST CLASS ticket, you can step right in front of the LOWER CLASS.  Shouldn’t everyone be mandated to follow the same procedures?  Shouldn’t there be equal treatment under the law?

The other place where I benefited from PAY to PLAY with government services was with Hillybob’s old agency, the United States Department of State.  I needed to make an overseas trip for the company I was working for and I didn’t have a passport.  Well it turns out that a “fee” can be paid to the passport agency of the Department of State in order to expedite the passport process.  My company paid the fee and I had a passport within just a few days, rather than the several weeks it would have taken  if I had used normal processing.  Once again, if you have MEANS you can jump ahead of the crowd when it comes to government services.

George Orwell was correct in his book “Animal Farm”.

“All animals are created equal but some animals are more equal than others.”

Nuff said, for now.

Everyone here in the United States knows there is a continuing debate on admitting refugees into the country. One of President Trump’s campaign promises was to perform “extreme vetting” before allowing entry into our country. As expected, the liberal “rule from the bench” courts struck down his first attempts to determine just who is coming into this country.

The communist/socialists of the Feel-The Bern movement believe that we should take in any and all immigrants. The United Nations is critical of the United States and the United Kingdom for not taking in more refugees.  Hillybob campaigned on bringing in more refugees.

All right, here’s my stupid question. Why is it that the US and the UK are expected to “do their part” in handling a refugee crisis?

As of 2016 there are 13,210 Syrian refugees in the US.  The UK at the end of 2016 had let in  4,414 refugees.

By the size of their economies, China and Japan, both members of the United Nations, are right behind the US.  Why doesn’t the UN demand that China and Japan take in refugees?  Don’t forget China is one of the five PERMANENT members of the UN.

At the end of 2015 there was a TOTAL of NINE refugees from Syria living in China. That was a HUGE rise from the ONE refugee in 2014. Good job China!

Japan as of 2015 let in SIX Syrian refugees.  Yet another great job!  Why so few refugees in Japan?  Prime Minister Abe explained that “Japan needs to look after its own”.