itsmeeeeeee

what kind of hallucinogenic drugs is our president on?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071217/...SiXUiCxuGs0NUE

"The audience of roughly 80 people listened to Bush with respectful silence. Yet a line that normally gets him applause — "I'll veto any tax increase" — drew no reaction at all.

Bush chose to highlight positive economic news, such as job growth. "People are working; productivity is high," Bush said.


"I just want to let you know we've got a strategy. And Congress can help," the president said, citing a list of bills he's proposed to lawmakers. Bush spoke at the Yak-A-Doo's restaurant inside a Holiday Inn.

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Comicsartist

He may have stopped the cocaine, but the LSD still flows through his veins, lol.

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cheapseats

In The World Of The Top Ten Percent, The Economy Is Fine.

In George Bush's World, The Economy Is Fine.

That Economy And The Elites Who Dominate It Are Impervious To The Masses.

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eagleclaw

Yeah, like stated above, if you are in the 10% things are just peachy. A little snafu here getting the Mega-Yachts worked on but I am sure they will find their way around it.


Tight visa rules threaten South Florida's megayacht businesses
By Ruth Morris | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 16, 2007

Megayacht owners are finding it increasingly burdensome to bring foreign crews to South Florida, threatening stormy weather for the multimillion-dollar local industry that caters to the luxury boats.

Brokers, boat yard representatives and captains warn that foreign-flag vessels may start going overseas for provisions and repairs, in part because of difficulties obtaining the appropriate visas for foreign crew members, or getting enough time on those visas to finish jobs.

And while the crews themselves account for a tiny number of foreign workers in the United States, the problem has an outsized economic effect on South Florida.




Mega yacht workers deported for incorrect work visa

"For foreign-flag vessels, Fort Lauderdale is ground zero when it comes to repairing, refitting, refinishing, provisioning vessels before they leave for a charter or a cruise," said Gordon Connell, spokesman for the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, a Fort Lauderdale group that promotes growth in the area's marine industry. "It's not just a recreation. It supports jobs."

A study unveiled at Fort Lauderdale's international boat show in October calculated that each megayacht — a vessel at least 80 feet long — visiting the region generates more than $488,000 through boat yard expenditures, brokerage commissions and charter fees. The money pays for everything from fuel and food to big-ticket upgrades, such as the addition of a helicopter pad. That added up to about $372.4 million last year for the regional economy.

The report, conducted on behalf of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, the Florida Yacht Brokers Association and the Broward Alliance, found rapid growth in some boating sectors, such as charters. But John Mann, co-owner of Bluewater Books & Charts and a marine industry advocate, said there was great concern that foreign-flag vessels may start setting a course elsewhere.

"We're hearing: 'I got a lot of static [by immigration agents] and I'm tired of coming into the United States,' " Mann said.

Industry experts say the most consistent complaint that captains and brokers raise is confusion over visas. Foreign crews typically come to the United States on B1 visas, allowing them to stay in the United States, or in U.S. waters, for up to six months. But officials at U.S. consulates sometimes issue megayacht crew members C1 visas instead, which pertain to freight crews and cruise ship employees, and only allow a 29-day stay.

The issue is muddied more because the United States has never designed a visa category specifically tailored to yacht crews.

Another problem arises when crew members with the proper B1 visa appear before immigration agents who are unfamiliar with yachting and refuse to issue stays that are long enough to meet crews' needs.

"It's a gamble every time you come through," said Robbie Dolling, from London, who captains a yacht under a Cayman Islands flag, and likes to come to Fort Lauderdale for the "one-stop shopping" of boating supplies, repairs and refitting. He said he recently ran into trouble when he entered the United States through Las Vegas. An agent at the airport wanted to stamp his passport with a departure date just two weeks away, and Dolling was forced to negotiate for two months instead.

"He didn't understand that the boat needs to be crewed all the time," Dolling said of the agent. "It can get a bit scary."

The Marine Industries Association and local authorities from the Department of Homeland Security said they were working together to avoid such nail-biting entries. They recently drafted a letter together that guides crew members through the visa application process overseas, and can also be presented at entry points to clarify the nature of work to be done.

Jack Garofano, Miami program manager for Customs and Border Protection, also attends yachting events to explain visa regulations. He tells captains their crew should be prepared to outline their duties and length of stay when they enter the country, as Dolling was.

"Certainly there has been a change and a refocusing on security for the safety and well-being of the people in the United States, and that's transparent," Garofano said, referring to increased scrutiny by immigration officials since the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In the meantime, foreign ports are ratcheting up the competition, said Connell, of the Marine Industries Association. The euro's strength against the dollar still makes the United States an attractive place to provision for many, but there are other countries nearby, like the Bahamas, that offer some of the same services.

"Other places are realizing the significant economic value the megayacht industry provides and they're going after it in a big way," Connell said. "It's a big industry, but these vessels are mobile. They can go anywhere."

Ruth Morris can be reached at rmorris@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5012.

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All the time, always

bigbrowndog

He's high on his agenda for the elite.

Mission Accomplished because they got their profits

and can leave a mess to blame Democrats with.

His work is done. Fin. Kaput.

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...antasleigh.jpg help people eat for Christmas http://www.freerice.com/index.php

DanS.

I'm not sure he's on drugs as much as he suffers from accute neo-conitis coupled with mild retardation.

EvilMonkey

I think he just wants to bolster the publics view of it to promote spending. I know sounds sort of liberal of me but I don't agree, just for the record.

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Barack Obama - Get the facts at BarackObamaWatch.com

DanS.

Oh shit...I didn't even read the OP...I just answered the drug question.

I don't support tax increases either. We have way more than enough areas to cut govt. spending before we need to take any more money out of my pocket. Eliminate the War on Drugs and the War against Iraq first before giving them more money to piss away.

cheapseats

At an outdoor tourist destination shopping/film/dining extravaganza in Los Angeles, in addition to Santa and the decorations and the music and the sales and the festivities and the tree and the stage and the trolley and that adorable gingerbread house, I was surprised one evening to discover the manufacture of SNOW, from several rooftop-mounted snow blowers.

That's right. War be damned. It is one thing to fuck with the internet and information, with personal privacy, with national security...it is quite another to mess with our Shopping.

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cronincal

i cast my write-in vote as oxycontin.