Now the fight really begins. On the one side are those who believe the United States is a nation of laws. On the other side are those who believe in enforcing only the laws with which they agree. On the one side are those who believe that if the Federal Government does not carry out its Constitutional duties, the States have the right to do so. On the other side are those who will pad their political pockets any way possible. Obama verses Arizona.
The President’s Justice Department has filed a law suit in federal court in Phoenix asking that Arizona’s immigration law be blocked and declared unconstitutional. Arizona intends to stand and fight. Arizonans are fed up with the flood of illegal immigrants coming across the border with Mexico which has brought crime, drugs, gangs, and a host of other problems with it. Obama claims the enforcement of Arizona’s law will “cause the detention and harassment of authorized visitors, immigrants and citizens who do not have or carry identification documents”. One would think there has been plenty of time for citizens and legal visitors to collect such documents. There has been more than sufficient notice. Illegal immigrants obviously have a problem since they are “undocumented”. But, no one is to be stopped and questioned unless there has been an observed unlawful activity in the first place. Read the Arizona law. It is perfectly clear.
This past week it was reported that six or seven bullet slugs fired across the border from a battle between a drug cartel and police in Mexico slammed into a government building in El Paso, Texas. One of the bullets passed through a window. Only a miracle prevented a US citizen from being hurt or killed. The violence along the Mexican side of the border has already spilled over into the United States. In many of the areas of northern Mexico along the US border, the cartels are in control. It was reported recently that look-outs for drug traffickers and “coyotes” already occupy key positions along the US side of the border. They are alleged to be better equipped than our border patrols with the latest in surveillance technology and weapons making pursuit more dangerous evading capture easier.
The time has long past that all illegal immigrants are only crossing the border to seek a living and care for their families. Many of them have, but there are too many now that seek to do harm. There are too many that seek to bring in drugs, crime, and even terrorism. It is time to secure the border with Mexico. Obama promised 1200 National Guardsmen to help with border security. Not one has shown up to date. President Obama has not delivered. Even if the 1200 came, it is woefully inadequate, say people in the Border States.
Maybe the law passed in Arizona is grossly inadequate. Maybe the border with Mexico should be militarized and the illegal door slammed shut securely and completely. It would be only then that this country could begin the process of weeding out the criminal and dangerous among the illegal immigrants and send them straight back to whatever country they came from. It is only then that the discussion about what might be possible with illegal immigrants who have otherwise been good and contributing “citizens” can begin. Until then….. GO ARIZONA!
I listened to the President’s speech from the Oval Office last evening. He did pretty well with me for the first part of what he had to say about the continuing oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. He talked about holding BP accountable for the environmental and economic damage they have caused through decisions I believe were based upon greed. He talked about putting into place mechanisms that would assure all of us that this type of “accident” would never happen again. This all sounded pretty good.
Then he switched to a pitch about climate change legislation and cap and trade. This was not the time. President Obama needed to deal with the crisis at hand, not use the crisis to push his legislative agenda. The people on the Gulf Coast are suffering. The oil continues to flow and the end is not in sight. Things for life in the environment, the loss of fisheries, and the loss of tourism can only get worse from this point. It is likely a part of all of these will never return at least in the lifetime of any who read this. Yes, we must set a course that will eventually wean the United States from dependency on oil or we will face disaster after disaster in the future. But, now is the time for compassion and actions that will help the current crisis. There is no conversation left over for the energy and climate change debate right now. This is not the time for “never let a crisis go to waste”.
It is incredibly disheartening to hear that the Dutch and Norwegians offered boats to us within hours of the Deep Water explosion that would have skimmed oil from the water only to be turned down. Stupid decision. It is disheartening to learn of the history of the Minerals Mining Service with the bribery, pornography, sex, and corruption that was prevalent there. Now another attorney with no experience with the oil and gas industry has been put in charge. Stupid. Frankly, it is time for firing of all employees in that agency; not just the addition of yet another “oversight” person or committee.
The incompetence of President Obama and his administration continues to be demonstrated time and time again. November will take care of the Congress, but without change, we have another two and one half years of Obama in the White House. I am not sure this country will make it through this long. Everywhere one looks there are screw ups: economy and unemployment, BP oil disaster, illegal aliens pouring across the Mexican border, the health care debacle, and a foreign policy in shambles among many others. Yet the President has plenty of time for golf, vacations, photo ops with basketball teams, and hosting Paul McCartney at the White House. If all of this were not so serious, it would be a joke.
Former Alaska Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is scheduled to give a speech at California State University in June. The contract for her appearance calls for $75,000 plus an estimated $18,000 in travel expenses; total equals $93,000. The event is the 50th anniversary gala at Cal State Stanislaus. One payment of $37,500 has already been made. University officials and Palin tried to keep the fee secret but it was revealed by an insider. The arrangements are being made through a Washington DC speaker’s bureau.
Sarah Palin was chosen as a running mate in the 2008 election by the then Presidential candidate, Senator John McCain. In retrospect, it appears his choice was made primarily because Palin is a woman and there were gender and racial issues surrounding the Presidential campaign. McCain hoped to attract more women, maybe some that had been supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton, to his side. Obviously, it did not work; at least not well enough.
McCain went down in defeat. One reason could well have been because he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Yes, she was the governor of Alaska, but she really had no experience, background, or education that would qualify her to be Vice-President of the United States and a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Voters realized this. She had not even completed one term as governor. She never did. She quit on the people of Alaska who had elected her. Besides, she was the governor of a state having a large amount of territory but few people. The population of Alaska is less than that of the City of Indianapolis. So, McCain asked the people of this country to elect him with a running mate whose only real qualification was that she was female.
Now Palin is the darling of a wing of the Republican Party. The “drill, baby, drill” bunch loves her. Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and our own home grown, Peter Heck, love her. She preaches conservatism and advocates “family values” while all the while having one of the most dysfunctional families going. Her speeches are filled with cliques, re-used and re-hashed platitudes, and rah-rah. She has become more a TV/movie star celebrity with an adoring, cheering fan club rather than being a leader of substance and experience; the kind we really need.
Now, Sarah is making money hand over fist from her appearances and her best seller book. Good for her, but there is a big problem with this particular engagement at California State University. It reveals her true character. The State of California and its educational system are broke. Yet, she will be taking $93,000 from a foundation whose purpose it is to fund scholarships and education. To earn the cost of the Palin engagement back in a year, the foundation would have to invest about $1,860,000 at a 5% annual return. Just how many scholarships could this be funding in the meanwhile?
Sarah Palin has vehemently criticized others for corruption and greed. She preaches the need for a new kind of politician: one who has the best interest of the country over personal gain. She preaches fiscal responsibility yet is willing to charge an outlandish speaking fee to those whose purpose it is to use available funds for education of students. This is greed. This is hypocrisy. If some private company or group wants to pay her any amount of money; no problem. This is not such a case. If Sarah Palin’s values are what she preaches, she would forego any fee over, perhaps, the expense of her travel. What is the cost of an airline ticket from Alaska?
The President of Mexico, whose country is the source of millions of illegal aliens that have flooded the United States, was honored recently at a State Dinner at the White House by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. In an address to a joint session of our Congress the next day, President Felipe Calderon escalated his assault on the Arizona law that allows law enforcement officials to detain anyone suspected of being in this country illegally, calling it a “terrible idea”. President Barack Obama himself has called the law “misdirected”.
The Governor of the State of Arizona has been in the news this week pleading for help from the federal government in addressing illegal immigration in her state. She asked for help in securing the border and has sent requests to Washington asking for financial assistance in enforcement of our nation’s laws. She said no response of any type has been received in her office. Phoenix, Arizona, now has the dubious honor of being the kidnap capital of the world. In a study released this past week, it was estimated that illegal aliens have cost Arizona over 2 billion dollars. The people of Arizona have said enough is enough.
One must wonder what side President Barack Obama is on. Is he on the side of enforcement of the laws of the United States as he pledged to do when sworn to office or is he on the side of defending law breaking for personal and Party gain. Clearly, the federal government has abdicated its responsibility so far to either enforce the law or initiate immigration reform which does not mean amnesty for those in this country illegally. Even the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has become mute when she advocated for corrective action as governor of Arizona. Some one got to her.
Arizona has taken right action. It should always be the responsibility of law enforcement at all levels to enforce the laws of a state and nation. It was never reasonable for local law enforcement’s hands to be tied in matters of immigration with only referral to an impotent federal agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as its only option. The people of Arizona do not think so either. They have enacted legislation which is reasonable and enforceable.
Many so called civil rights groups have filed a sweeping lawsuit against Arizona’s immigration law. Lucas Guttentag, an ACLU attorney called the law “extreme and dangerous”. He claimed this law would undermine public safety. It is quite the contrary. This law is an attempt by a State to establish the rule of law regarding immigration within its own borders. This law will help to restore public safety and confidence. This law is a message to those who willfully violate the laws of immigration that they are not welcome in Arizona.
Indiana should follow the lead provided by Arizona. It should empower law enforcement with the directive to apprehend and ultimately deport those who are in our state illegally. It should empower the legal system in Indiana to arrest and penalize employers who prey on illegal aliens for economic gain. We do not have problems the size of those faced in Arizona….. yet. It is time to act.
The more information rooted out by reporters concerning the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the more negligence or even criminal neglect bubbles to the surface. Now it turns out the agency of the federal government responsible for safe operation inspections of oil rigs in the Gulf fell grossly short of the number of inspections required by regulations. The short fall was from 25% to almost 60% fewer than the mandated 104 since the rig arrived in the Gulf some 104 months ago. The 25-60% range is due to the ever changing numbers provided by the Department of Interior who is the overseer of the Minerals Management Service, the agency charged with safety inspections. Clearly, heads need to fall.
Things just get worse. Now biologists are telling us that giant oil plumes many miles wide and long have been found under water where they may well enter major currents that would carry the oil to the Florida Keys, around to the east coast of Florida, and up to other east coast states. Conservationists warn of huge potential environmental damage. Already major fisheries along the Gulf States have been shut down. No one knows for how long. It could be many years, even decades, before recovery is possible. The lives of hundreds of thousands have been changed for the worse forever. The same is true for those who made a living in the tourist and travel industry. Who wants to walk beaches covered with globs of oil?
No company wants to be the example, but if any deserve it, BP does. Now, company officials seem to be back tracking from their original position of unlimited compensation levels for those who have been damaged. There is little doubt they will hide under the laws that provide such limits and that the American taxpayer will once again pay for the damage. What BP deserves is to go down under the weight of financial responsibility to all who will suffer the consequences of their stupid decisions.
One irony is that the Obama administration allowed the “drill, baby, drill” crowd to set energy policy for all. Deep water, Gulf of Mexico drilling was allowed. I wonder how this is working for them now.
If we had the political will in Congress to stand up to the oil companies, the United States of American could set a crash course for energy independence and freedom from oil. How many environmental disasters does it take to change direction? Even one is one too many.
In all of the articles published and programs aired, minor regard is always given to the wildlife affected by man’s actions. We had already poisoned an area over 100 miles in diameter from the outflow of the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. No life of consequence can be found there. Now we have created plumes of death in the millions of gallons of oil that have been released. It will be decades before we really know the full consequences of our incredibly selfish acts.
Haven’t we all heard the cry that to solve our oil dependency problems, we need to “drill, baby, drill!”. We heard this from any number of politicians from both major parties, but mostly from those in the Republican camp. What I have to say to them now is “how is that workin’ for you?”.
We have not even seen the tip of the iceburg yet. The oil spill from the BP platform in the Gulf of Mexico is predicted to go down as the worst environmental disaster the United States has ever seen. Already several Gulf states have seen their fisheries shut down. Why? Because all of the fish are either contaminated or will soon be dead. The same is true for shrimp, bivalves, and anything else that depends upon the sea for life. The devastation yet to be seen with bird populations will be huge. We can only imagine right now.
This evening a report on television said that there is a chance the contamination will spread through out the entire Gulf of Mexico basin before it is over. This means that not only will our citizens suffer, but so will those of all of the countries that border the Gulf. I wonder who is going to pay for the economic loss of livelihoods? I doubt BP even has those kinds of resources. This says nothing about all the silent voices, the creatures and plants that will surely die. The report even suggests there is a possibility the spill will round the tip of Florida and make its way up the east coast of the United States in months to come. The economic loss will be so difficult to measure. Again, who will pay?
Even though claimed to be an accident, what happened was predictable. With over 3000 oil platforms in the Gulf, failure on a large scale was just an accident waiting to happen. It did. The cause ultimately: our dependence on oil.
There is and has been no excuse for inaction. The oil companies have controlled the agenda. The United States needs to pursue alternative sources of energy like our lives depend upon success. It does. If what is said about the abundance of natural gas in this country is even half true, our economy could easily and quickly convert to natural gas while wind, solar, biomass, ethanol, and maybe even nuclear energy are being brought on line. We must get off of oil. We are vulnerable to manipulation by nations whose people do not like us and oil is extremely environmentally unfriendly.
The BP spill is a huge wake up call. It is a shame so many will suffer from this mother of all environmental disasters, but maybe it took this for anyone to listen.
The USA is a country of laws. The USA was formed around a collection of States. Each state has a set of laws governing life in that state. The people of Arizona have chosen to do something about the flood of illegal aliens coming across the border from Mexico. I applaud them. I hope other states follow their lead. President Barak Obama and his collegues in Congress have chosen to do nothing about illegal immigration. So be it. Let the voice of the people be heard as it was in Arizona.
Now there has been outrage from the Hispanic community and from many Democrats. We know what the Democrats want: more voters for them. The Hispanic community is crying foul and claiming the new law is a violation of civil rights. I am having a great deal of difficulty understanding what civil rights illegal aliens have except to be escorted back to the border.
The allowing of persons into this country “just because” won’t get it. There are thousands who do the right thing and get in line for consideration for citizenship in the USA. Barging in is not fair in any way to those who do it the legal way. It cannot stand. And just because someone has not been detected before and has been here for years is no excuse. Having violated the law, they are no better than any fugitive on the run.
Another issue to be determined is the situation of “anchor babies”. Logically, a baby born in the USA who is the child of illegal aliens no more deserves US citizenship than do the parents. It should not be granted.
So, now the police in Arizona are to check the citizenship status of individuals in certain circumstances. I say “Hallalooya”. It is about time. All the hoopla about racial profiling is ridiculous. Let the police check everyone as far as I am concerned. If one is a US citizen, there should be no reluctance to prove so. This is the only way to weed out those who have no legal right to be in this country what ever race, color, religion, ethnicity, or whatever they are.
I have just completed viewing a DVD movie entitled, “Food, Inc.”, which anyone can find at their local video rental store. I recommend that you do. You will be appalled at some of the meat and plant production practices we now have in the United States and even world wide. If you could, you might even quit eating anything purchased from the local grocery store and certainly from any fast food restaurants.
In the meat industry — and I include poultry, beef, pork, and now even farm raised fish — the conditions under which our meat is produced you would not believe. Most animals live in dark, body to body crowded conditions, and in an environment contaminated by their own feces. To prevent disease, many are given in the feed regular and ongoing doses of antibiotics which wind up in the meat we consume. Disease outbreaks in humans are becoming more common such as E-coli bacterial disease which sometimes winds up in either meat and even now on vegetable crops. During the Bush years…… yea, the wonderful George Bush…. the number of inspections done by the USDA fell precipitously. We are less safe now than any time in history.
But let me get to Monsanto, evil ones in my opinion. This is a company that has genetically modified several major crops such as corn and soy beans plus others. The United States Supreme Court has said that living things can be patented, so Monsanto had done just that. Guess who was once the attorney for Monsanto? Now Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas, a Bush appointee to the Court. Gotta problem with that? There are others with direct ties to Monsanto that have nicely looked after the company’s interests. Clearly, Monsanto and maybe a couple of other giant companies are trying to lock up the world’s seed supply.
In several cases, Monsanto has sued farmers who want to save corn seeds for planting the next year. The problem is that Monsanto corn in the next farmer’s field has cross pollinated with non-Monsanto (non-GMO) corn in a given farmer’s field thereby making it now GMO corn and falling under the patent rights. This is true even if the non-Monsanto farmer did nothing at all and even did not want his corn contaminated with Monsanto pollen. What a crock. I would say to Monsanto to keep their damn corn out of my field. Apparently the courts don’t see it this way. This is a clear case of the giant squashing the little guy who wants to be left alone to grow what he wants without obligation to the company store. More details are given in the film, so take a look. Many cases appear to have been settled out of court because the little guys simply do not have enough money to challenge the battery of lawyers trotted out by Monsanto. Again, what a crock.
I don’t approach this arena from ignorance. I hold a doctorate in genetics from Purdue University and was even involved as a graduate student with a professor and graduate student group that did work on moving human growth hormone genes into catfish DNA. Even then, in my mind a lot of questions arose concerning safety. I still have many questions. Personally, I do not think that sufficient research has been done concerning safety and I strongly believe that the consumer has a right to know if a product they buy from the grocery shelf contains genetically modified ingredients or if antibiotics and/or growth hormones were used to produce the food item. Obviously, the agri-giants are against this.
Decide for your self. This video mentions several companies, shows production methods for all sorts of food items, and makes the case we are headed down a path to disaster. Do your homework and then you decide.
Well, up until a couple of days ago, I had great regard for the Nobel prizes. Now one has to wonder who got to them? Maybe George Soros? There is no way that President Barack Obama should be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at this point. Maybe later, who knows, but the nominations for this prize had to be received no more that six days following Barack Obama taking the oath of office for the Presidency. At that point and even now, he has done nothing. To be generous, some things have been started, but nothing has been accomplished, let alone something that deserves being chosen above many, many others in this world who have literally put their lives on the line for peaceful causes in the past years.
Investigation is underway. More will come later, but you can be sure that something smells to high heaven in Norway right now. Obama should have declined the award rather than take on the embarrassment of being given a recognition not deserved. I have to believe there are others who feel the same. Did you hear the moans from the audience in Norway when the announcement came?
The Nobel Committee is now a joke and relegated to the corner of being irrelevant.
The more that is learned about Acorn, its history, and those that either were or are in key positions; the more the light is shown on a bunch of scum bags. Dale and Wade Rathke are at the top of the pyramid. Ties back to Students for a Democratic Society and the Weather Underground from years ago have been revealed. Leopards don’t change their spots, then just try to cover them up. Further, there are direct ties to William Ayres, one of the closest folks to President Obama. What are we left to think? I, for one, thank God that the 2010 elections are only about 14 months away. If the Republicans get their act together, there is a chance that one or both Houses of Congress will have a shift of power. Hopefully, that will stop the headlong speed of the national freight train which is presently headed for a train wreck.
I think that finally the American people are beginnng to see who they really elected as President and members of Congress this go around. They were duped. I absolutely do not let the Republicans off the hook though. They, under George W. Bush and the Right Wing wackos, are the ones who set up the Democrat victory. The 8 years under Bush/Cheney were a nightmare. They headed the train down the wrong track and the Obamaites have stepped on the accelerator.
It is time for the majority, moderate middle to take control of this country once again. The wackos on either end of the political spectrum simple cannot be trusted. They are self serving, dishonest, secretive, greedy, and in many instances, just plain stupid.
(Post Script: It was not but a couple of days until this Czar was gone! We need more examination of those that remain. Who are they? Where is the money coming from to pay them? Why are the conventional offices in the Executive Branch not being filled and examined by the Senate?)
We have another “CZAR”: the Green Jobs Czar, Von Jones. My God, I wonder where President Obama will pull the next one out of his hat? This guy is clearly a racist nut case with an agenda that most Americans will not like. He fits well with several of the other “czars” that are already in place. What gets me the most about Jones is that he gives environmentalists even a worse name than has been pinned upon them by the Right already. The crime is that the critical message from the serious environmental community is being either drowned out or perverted to the point no one is listening. Concern for the environment and the natural systems that really support life on Earth should not become a political football to be used by either side. Jones really does have to go. And to think that he has about 30 billion dollars to distribute. Let’s see the track record with that money. I think I can guess.
In all of the chatter about his background and radical positions, I have heard only that he is an attorney that graduated from Yale Law School. Now there seems to be a great credential in this Administration. Wouldn’t you think that someone with an engineering or science background would be a better choice even if the person was not a radical nut case. So, in Jones we have both: Yale and law. Great. I am beginning to wonder about the eastern Ivy League schools. The quality of folks who either have been in positions of power in the past or are now is pretty damn poor unless you want the United States to be a socialist country.
And I wonder where all the money is coming from to pay these czars? One reads that there are plenty of key positions in various Executive Branch agencies that are vacant. I wondered why we needed “czars”. Then it hit me; Obama does not want anyone to be exposed to questions in front of the Senate who is responsible for confirmation of certain office holders. Most could not stand the light of day that would be upon them.
Congress has to get the guts to stop what is happening. Maybe that will not be until November 2010, but it will happen.
Let me tell you a story. There is a man, John Mackey, who is the founder
of Whole Foods Market Inc.. He doesn’t think much of the proposed
ObamaCare plan for a government run national health care system. The
Wall Street Journal published an OpEd piece by Mackey on August 11th.
You should read it. Mackey is a wealthy entrepreneur, but he is also a
generous person who cares. Check out the facts for yourself. Talk to the
people who work for him. Mackey makes several suggestions in his article
that make a great deal of common sense…… but some don’t think so.
Now there is a movement to boycott Whole Foods Markets by the folks from the crowd who think government run health care is just dandy and who
believe in the money fairy. Personally, I am not for much of government
run anything except for certain regulations concerning our financial
system, the protection of our natural environment, food safety, and
medicine safety. Oh, and, yes, for our national defense and disaster
response. Beyond that, it seems pretty clear that private enterprise
mostly does things best.
As far as a national health care system is concerned, you only have to
listen to the horror stories from the countries that have tried this and
have failed. If this is such a good idea, at least let’s see incremental
steps to prove that it is. We need to have Social Security, Medicare,
and Medicaid fixed first. Those are enough of a bite to be able to tell
whether or not the Democrats are truthful and right or are really
blowing smoke or just crafting plans for their own gain rather that for
the common good.
I grant you that the eight years under the Bush administration was a
disaster. We have yet to have even 8 months under Mr. Obama and this is
proving to be much, much worse. It is time to slow down, step back,
contemplate a bit, and move forward in incremental steps on many
issues…… not try to take over the country in one big gulp. Frankly, the
2010 election cannot come soon enough. I hope enough people get fed up
with what is going on fast enough to at least take away the absolute
power of the Democrats quickly.
The May 2009 issue of BioScience carried a Viewpoint column written by Conrad Lautenbacher Jr entitled, “Ocean and Atmosphere– The Future”. Lautenbacher is no light weight. He was a Vice Admiral in the US Navy and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and a NOAA administrator. In otherwords, when he speaks, it is time to listen.
In the column, he responded to the question, “What are the global trends affecting the ocean and atmosphere?”. I quote it below in full:
“In the atmosphere, human-produced contaminants threaten the health and welfare of all air-breathing species. In the ocean, marine debris generated by one country washes up on the shores of another. The absorption of increased atmospheric carbon has made the ocean more acidic (or less basic, to be accurate), thus jeopardizing the existence of organisms that depend on calcification and are essential to the entire food chain. Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate, and overfishing worldwide has brought about a rapid decrease in populations of large fishes. Trends in the ocean and atmosphere are clearly affecting the sustainability of the human race.
Population trends are alarming. With almost seven billion people, the earth is strained as never before to support the human species. People are moving to the coasts and large cities, thus magnifying the need to study, understand, and apply large-scale ecosystem approaches to the management of human activities.
Climate change and global warming are clearly affecting the ocean and atmosphere; or better said, observed changes in the ocean and atmosphere indicate that the earth is warming and climate is changing.”
There is not much more to be said. This is the same message echoed by hundreds and even thousands of scientists worldwide. Will mankind listen before it is too late or will we literally reproduce ourselves to extinction. The Earth will live on quite nicely without us.
The Wall Street Journal in the July 9th issue reports that the Obama administration is implementing a Bush-era initiated program aimed at cracking down on federal contractors that hire illegal aliens. It is about time!
Naturally, the business community is not happy with this move since they are the very ones who benefit the most from underpaid and under-the-table labor. It is estimated the crackdown will affect about 170,000 companies from health care to construction to weapons makers and more. It includes all companies who receive government business or federal stimulus funds.
The program mandates all employees be checked through the government’s E-Verify system to see whether or not they are entitled to work in the United States of America. This system checks names and Social Security numbers with a government database. Invalid equals no job.
The program goes into effect September 8th. It is a favorite of those who favor strong enforcement of U.S. Immigration laws. Republican senators managed to amend a budget bill for the Department of Homeland Security with a provision that makes this program permanent by law thereby removing any White House discretion to end it. The bill which must be reconciled with the House version could go to a final vote later this week.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Professional Services Council (a major trade and lobbying group for government contractors), and the American Civil Liberties Union are unhappy. Not only are new hires to be screened, but all existing employees are to have their status checked as well. If workers are found to be in the U.S. illegally, contractors are supposed to fire them. The “employers” are whining about potentially being responsible for compliance.
This is a very positive move by the current administration. It is one very significant factor in regaining control over our national borders and enforcement of U.S. law. The next move should be to engage all local law enforcement agencies in the effort.
It is difficult to understand how Carl Rove and Dick Cheney can even show their faces on television for all of the crap they pulled during the Bush years. At least George W. is laying low. Yes, we are all in deep hurt now with what is happening with the Obama administration, but we can only blame ourselves for allowing the Republicans to do what they did for 8 years, then sweeping them out for what is proving to be worse. Now we are being treated to a spending spree and an expansion of government larger than ever seen in the history of this country.
I have to digress though. The Republicans are in whine mode. Yet, they are the very ones to blame for where we are. George W. inherited an economy from the 1990’s that was robust. The Federal Government was running with a budget surplus. George W. and gang took over and immediately began the screw up. The USA went from surpluses to huge debt in short order. When all is counted, George W. and gang ran enormous red budgets at a time when Republicans preached fiscal responsibility. It is no wonder the public became disgusted and threw the Republicans out. Personally, I believe a significant portion of the vote for Obama was in backlash against Republican behavior rather than one in favor of Barack Obama.
Now Carl Rove and Dick Cheney and others want to be the wise ones to tell us what is wrong with the Democrats and President Obama. Personally, I don’t want to hear a damn thing from their mouths. I think they betrayed historic Republican principles for years and must bear personal responsibility for the state of the nation at present. They should head for the weeds as George W. has done. If it were not for them and their brand of government, the Republicans would not have been trounced in the election last November. When they publically take such responsibility is the time I will, perhaps, begin to listen to what they want to say. Until then, get lost.
The USA is headed down a dark road now. As a strong believer in individual rights and fiscal responsiblity, I think we are headed in the wrong direction. There is a place for strong federal government, but it sure does not look like what we are getting now. It is one that defends personal rights and acts in the common good when necessary, not one that has its fingers in everything and spends its way like some drunk on a spree. The 2010 election is not far away. Hopefully, the Republican Party with clean house of its ridiculous Right and find the guts to put forth candidates that can make common sense. If they do, change can and will happen. The balance of power will return and the country will be better off. If the Republican Party stays on its present course with the radical Right in charge, all bets are off.
No one wants to talk about the root cause of the massive immigration, legal and illegal, that is taking place around the globe. That root cause is population growth. Population control is a taboo subject for governments, religions, non-profits, and even most demographers. To promote population control is to sign one’s own pink slip about everywhere.
Look at the areas from which the people are flowing. The reproduction rates are generally high, the populations young, and the societies unstable. The natural resources of the areas are taxed beyond carrying capacity. Both the levels of education and technology are dismal. Food and water resources are scarce. Medical care is lacking and the potential for epidemics is high.
Immigration pressure will only get more intense as populations grow and resources become even more taxed. In the western hemisphere, more and more people will want to move from Central and South America to North America. In other parts of the world, one sees more and more pressure for movement from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East to European countries. The common denominators are movement from low technology to higher, from more densely populated to lower, and from less food areas to more.
The answer is not to allow unlimited movement of people. North America is already seeing a sea of illegal aliens from Mexico and south. This must stop. The governments of the United States and of Canada must make choices about acceptable population levels in these countries, then implement whatever it takes to reach those goals. I, for one, think that the goal should be for zero population growth as soon as possible not only in this country but world wide.
That will not happen, so we will see more conflict, disease, and death related to population movement, ethnic cleansing, lack of food, and lack of natural resources until, as some demographers predict, we reach something around 9-12 billion people on the planet. This is up from the about 6 billion now. Know what? The planet cannot carry those numbers. We have already over populated planet Earth. Pay back time will come.
The name of this blog was changed today to “The Cerebrist“. What the heck does that mean? In the search for a unique name, including an available domain name, one must think outside the box as the saying goes. It seems almost every word in the English Dictionary is registered already by someone. So, in thinking about what I am trying to do with this column, I concluded I am trying to get others to “think“. For sure, not everyone will agree with my positions on matters or what I am saying, but if I can cause just one person to think about an issue, I will have succeeded.
What is it to think. It is to cerebrate, by definition. “Cerebrate” is a verb. And who would be the person doing the thinking? It would be a “Cerebrist“; meaning “one who thinks“. You will not find this noun in any dictionary. It was the result of thinking.
It seems Notre Dame University in northern Indiana has a big problem. The President of Notre Dame invited President Barack Obama to speak at their commencement ceremony and Obama accepted. Now the illustrious alumni and the Catholic Church are throwing temper tantrums. Evidently, many of the alums, church members, and clergy object vehemently to Obama’s positions on stem cell research and on abortion. They want Notre Dame to withdraw the invitation.
Frankly, I think such a withdrawl would put ole Notre Dame at the bottom of some list. If they did not want the President of the United States, they should not have issued an invitation. Now, they want to insult the highest office in this land. Obama’s positions on stem cell research and abortion have been no secret, so the only conclusion is that the University administration is not too swift….. or maybe they thought freedom of thought should prevail and that it would be an honor to host the President of the United States on their campus; agree with him on some issues or not. Maybe they thought their alumni were more mature than they have turned out to be. Maybe they have given the Roman Catholic patriarchs more credit than is due. One only has to take a look at 2000 years of history to know better.
So, now Notre Dame is in a Catch-22. On the one hand they don’t want to upset their alumni. After all, millions of dollars to support the school come in from them. On the other hand, I doubt they want to be seen as being disrespectful to the Presidency of the United States of American. I suspect they are on their kneeling rails praying for the President to withdraw his acceptance. This would get them off the hook. I, for one, don’t think it should be made this easy.
Every company that is a private enterprise should be able to have any bonus policy it wants to have. The compensation packages for the folks that get millions are none of our business. Being able to pay these incredible amounts of money should be the decision of the Board of Directors. If the customers of any company continue to buy the goods and services offered, so be it. If the company goes belly up, so be it. This is life in a society that is based upon a system of capitalism. Frankly, I cannot think of any better.
The rub comes when the company is failing. When it heads for the doors of Congress for a handout, all bets are off. The taxpayers then should have the only say in who gets what. Bonuses should be history. Period. There is absolutely no justification for bonuses to anyone, let alone to people who have been in positions of responsibility and contributed to the giant losses.
The latest is Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Some are saying that the planned bonuses are “retention” bonuses. The claim is that these people are needed to guide these two quasi-governmental companies through the present mess. I say, “Are you crazy?”. These are the people who created the mess. They not only should not get bonuses but likely should be fired pronto. You will never convince me that they are “needed”. I suspect fresh graduates of the nation’s business schools could do better than retaining those who have proven they cannot do the job. And, besides, the newly graduated need jobs. Two birds with one stone!!!!
I hope our Congressional representative act to stop this nonsense.
Oh….. I know. All of those coming into our country illegally or over staying their visas are just trying to take care of their families and seek opportunities to advance themselves. The problem is the United States of American is supposed to be a nation of laws. This means being color blind, ethnically blind, educationally blind, faith blind, and economically blind. The law is supposed to apply equally to all.
The current problems we have with illegal aliens, however, have mostly to do with those coming over the Mexican border with the United States. Yes, there is some problem along the Florida coast as well but it pales in comparison to the Mexican border problems. This must stop. Period. If necessary, I think the border must be militarized. Call it by any name you wish, but that is what it amounts to. Too bad if the Mexican government does not like this.
The United States this past month lost another 600,000 jobs. This brings the jobless and under employed numbers to about 23,000,000. So, the argument that illegals are just doing jobs that “Americans” won’t just does not fly. Under present circumstances, illegals are a burden we do not need. Just ask the state of California.
It is time to crack down on illegal border crossings, time to arrest and return to their home country any found to be in this country illegally, time to penalize employers that hire illegals, and not only time to allow but time to expect local law enforcement officials to become a part of this aggressive effort to regain control of our borders. If we do anything less, we are saying it is OK to break the laws of this country at will. This cannot continue.
Think about it. It is estimated there are over 10 million illegal aliens in this country. If all went home, many jobs would be freed to be offered to our citizens that are either out of work completely or are working part time but wanting full time work. To the illegal alien advocacy groups that promote continuation of lawless activities, I say you should pay a price as well. If you aid and abet, you should be held accountable, too.