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Eunuch Tax Collectors
[Caution: Ugly fact follows]
There are at least 350,000 eunuchs in the Indian city of Delhi.
[End of ugly fact. Discussion of same follows.]
350,000!!! Who knew? Can anyone tell me why the human gelding industry exists? Are there so many harems that still need looking after? Can that many parents be so desperate as to geld their sons so that they can be street entertainers? Fact is, the eunuchs exist and the city doesn't know what to do with them. Why the city thinks it has do something is best left for another day.
[End of ugly fact. Discussion of same follows.]
350,000!!! Who knew? Can anyone tell me why the human gelding industry exists? Are there so many harems that still need looking after? Can that many parents be so desperate as to geld their sons so that they can be street entertainers? Fact is, the eunuchs exist and the city doesn't know what to do with them. Why the city thinks it has do something is best left for another day.
The City of Delhi now has the answer to the Eunuch Question. They're going to give them conscience money, a monthly Eunuch Allowance of 1,000 rupees. It isn't much, around $22 Ameribux/month. The poverty rate as defined by the Indian gummint is $11 or less a month so $22 is a living wage by gummint standards. I don't think I'd sign up just for the money but the city saw a problem and did something about it. Something dumb, maybe, but something. Still, that's USD $7,700,000/month that Delhi didn't used to have in its budget. $7.7 mil Ameribux a month. India. Think about it.
[Chuck, where is this going? ... Just a sec.]
Being a eunuch isn't a great life opportunity, we can probably agree on that. However, I am at a loss to see how it is inherently career-limiting. I mean, wouldn't employers have to know before they could discriminate against a eunuch? I've had a lot of jobs and job interviews and never has an interviewer
said "Drop 'em and let's 'ave us a look-see."
Delhi city councilman Malti Verma says "It's our responsibility as public representatives to help them." It is? When did that start, yesterday? Delhi. Why did they single out eunuchs to help? It's not like they stand out in crowds.
One other thing. They've found jobs for them, too. "Doing what?" you may ask in your innocence.
Drum roll: They're going to be TAX COLLECTORS! [OMG!]
This isn't about the rich irony of the city's job offering. No, you expect better of me (but I may develop the theme in my book.) Turns out, it is not peculiarly American to define a previously unknown problem and then try to buy a solution
without ever addressing the problem itself. Here (in America, that is) we define people without health insurance as a problem (some are, some aren't) that we can fix by giving them all free health insurance. Free to them, paid for by you, like Free Mexican Food.
Failing banks that you don't patronize? Give 'em $3/4 tril. Failing private insurance companies? Bail 'em out, then force 'em out of business. Car companies that can't sell their own products? Buy 'em out at grossly inflated prices. Student loan firms? Abolish them and step into the lending vacuum they
leave and put it in the health care bill so that we don't forget. There's no problem so big that you can't satisfy yourself by spending other people's money. Satisfy, but not solve.
The point is, eunuchs or AIG, the solutions are NOT to throw money at problems and hope they go away. They won't. Rather, it is to address the problem itself, not just its symptoms. Take eunuchs, for instance (please). Delhi has chronic and massive poverty and unemployment problems. If you're a eunuch, now you get a job AND a stipend. Daily Double!!! Don't be too surprised if they get more eunuchs.
San Francisco has a chronic homeless problem. They provide free shelters AND a monthly stipend and more to homeless people. The result has been more homeless in SF, not less. Ring up another Double!!!
Here's the deal with health care in America now. You'll get it whether or not you pay your premium. If you don't pay up the IRS may later impose and try to collect a fine (a tricky problem with the poor, that) which will be less than your premium would have been, plus you have to start paying or the same thing will happen again next year.
If you receive medical care and you're uninsured, same thing happens. You get fined and you have to start paying your premiums unless the gummint pays for you anyway. The thing is, there are already 11 mil people who are eligible for existing health care assistance who haven't bothered to sign up for it yet. Why would a new law get them to sign up when the old ones didn't? Look for more uninsureds or, best case, no significant reduction in their numbers.
So why the bill in the first place except that it redistributes money and maybe that's all that was ever intended?
From the Sifynews article itself, and no surprise to you if you've been paying attention -- "The eunuch community is also happy with the new ruling... But they are not happy with the amount."
And "It is better late than never. But the government should also try to increase this amount. They should at least bring us at par with Group D staffs said Sunita, another eunuch."
Say, haven't we heard talk like that somewhere before?
I couldn't possibly make this stuff up.
I do have one idea: Maybe the IRS could start recruiting in Delhi.
* * * * *
Action expresses priorities. -- Mohandas Gandhi
without ever addressing the problem itself. Here (in America, that is) we define people without health insurance as a problem (some are, some aren't) that we can fix by giving them all free health insurance. Free to them, paid for by you, like Free Mexican Food.
Failing banks that you don't patronize? Give 'em $3/4 tril. Failing private insurance companies? Bail 'em out, then force 'em out of business. Car companies that can't sell their own products? Buy 'em out at grossly inflated prices. Student loan firms? Abolish them and step into the lending vacuum they
leave and put it in the health care bill so that we don't forget. There's no problem so big that you can't satisfy yourself by spending other people's money. Satisfy, but not solve.
The point is, eunuchs or AIG, the solutions are NOT to throw money at problems and hope they go away. They won't. Rather, it is to address the problem itself, not just its symptoms. Take eunuchs, for instance (please). Delhi has chronic and massive poverty and unemployment problems. If you're a eunuch, now you get a job AND a stipend. Daily Double!!! Don't be too surprised if they get more eunuchs.
San Francisco has a chronic homeless problem. They provide free shelters AND a monthly stipend and more to homeless people. The result has been more homeless in SF, not less. Ring up another Double!!!
Here's the deal with health care in America now. You'll get it whether or not you pay your premium. If you don't pay up the IRS may later impose and try to collect a fine (a tricky problem with the poor, that) which will be less than your premium would have been, plus you have to start paying or the same thing will happen again next year.
If you receive medical care and you're uninsured, same thing happens. You get fined and you have to start paying your premiums unless the gummint pays for you anyway. The thing is, there are already 11 mil people who are eligible for existing health care assistance who haven't bothered to sign up for it yet. Why would a new law get them to sign up when the old ones didn't? Look for more uninsureds or, best case, no significant reduction in their numbers.
So why the bill in the first place except that it redistributes money and maybe that's all that was ever intended?
From the Sifynews article itself, and no surprise to you if you've been paying attention -- "The eunuch community is also happy with the new ruling... But they are not happy with the amount."
And "It is better late than never. But the government should also try to increase this amount. They should at least bring us at par with Group D staffs said Sunita, another eunuch."
Say, haven't we heard talk like that somewhere before?
I couldn't possibly make this stuff up.
I do have one idea: Maybe the IRS could start recruiting in Delhi.
* * * * *
Action expresses priorities. -- Mohandas Gandhi
Views: 35
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by jburke on
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At first I thought you were discussing the US Congress. Then I realized you are! In India they collect the taxes. Here they create the laws and collect the taxes.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Stromme on
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And who knew there was a "eunuch community"?
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Permalink Reply by Andy Hirshfield on
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Eu nu ch(uck). Didn't eu?
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