Should taxpayers foot the bill to educate the children of illegal aliens? Perhaps to put it another way, should the children bear the crimes of their parents? Most of the individuals here in violation of US immigration policy do indeed work. In fact, they work long hard days with very low pay and no benefits. In the event of employer abuse, they really have no where to go. Most are here for a better life, and no one can fault them for that. However, it’s the fact that they have tried to jump to the head of line, pass those who are following national and international laws regarding immigration that has put their status in this county in question. Most are simply rounded up and deported to their home county (where, by the way, the same offence would get them prison time). But what about the children?
Americans have long recognized that education was the key (not guarantee) to future success. We place great value in education and knowledge. Currently, there are an estimated 1.5 million children of illegal parents in our public school system, costing US taxpayers some $12 billion dollars to educate them. Our schools are already overcrowded, thanks to fewer teachers (who, in my opinion, are paid far less than they deserve). Schools have to deal with gangs, drugs, petty crime, and sometimes the threat of mass violence in addition to the norms of education and adolescence. With illegals added to the mix, our schools have to deal with children who lack the basics and require remedial education to bring them up to speed with their peers. According the Mexican government’s own statistics, on 58% of individuals 15 years or older have some elementary school education (http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/illegal-immigrants-cause-public-school-crisis).
Many of these same children use the school nurses for health care their parents would normally have access to if they were here legally, plus “free” programs, such as taxpayer sponsored meals, books, and laptops. Then we need to address the costs borne by taxpayers for bilingual tutors (and let’s not forget the children of parents who do not want their children taught English. Yelp, there are parents who insist their children be taught in their native language, which means that the school has to provide a full time tutor to follow the student from class to class translating for them…all at taxpayer expense.
Children of illegal immigrants rarely stay in one school system for very long. Many move from district to district, depending on the nature of their parent’s migratory job situation. In doing so, the children failed to develop consistency in their education as well as the as resulting in gaps in their education which may affect their employment status later on. Of course, they usually fail to develop lasting friendships with other students, or a sense of “belonging” with neighborhoods or the community, resulting in a perpetual “outsider” mentality which could lead to affiliation with gangs later on as a substitute family or community, which cost the American taxpayer million if not billions of dollars in terms of police, fire, EMS, healthcare, prison upkeep, and property damage, not to mention destroyed lives. Those children left out of the education system altogether fail to develop even a rudimentary education, and can be expected to become an even greater burden to the American taxpayer later on. So, what is to be done?
America’s education system is broken. It needs a top to bottom overhaul, and that takes money and time. Unfortunately, we have neither. The countries where these illegals have come from have grossly failed their people by not allowing for the development of a strong middle class. This was the result of the rich landowners and businessmen, in conjunction with the religious institutions historically keeping the peasants poor and stupid. It produced a cheap and docile work force. Any attempt at rebellion was quickly extinguished thanks to the power of the State. Their problem became our problem when the American Government, regardless of political party, supported these very same rich oligarchs and rightwing juntas in suppressing the will of the people in free and open elections; the very thing we hold most dear.
We supported repressive governments that would allow US businesses unrestricted access to their markets. The only revolution we would permit was the “Consumer Revolution” which relied on the creation of debt to support itself. Now, we’re dealing with the consequences of those actions as the children and grandchildren of those very same peasants come here in search of the better life they see on TV or read in the pulp magazines and now that debt may be ours to bear.
The DREAM Act Illegal Alien Amnesty:
A Bad Idea at the Worst Possible Time, Says FAIR
(Washington, D.C.) Despite overwhelming opposition by the American public when it was first proposed in 2000, the House and the Senate have reintroduced a sweeping illegal alien amnesty bill known as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.
The legislation, introduced by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), is a broad amnesty measure disguised as an educational initiative that would allow millions of illegal aliens who meet a very loose definition of “student” to qualify for green cards. In addition, it provides in-state tuition benefits for illegal aliens that will displace legal residents competing for a fixed number of college admission slots and taxpayer subsidies.
The DREAM Act represents yet another attempt to enact an amnesty for illegal aliens, either in one comprehensive bill, or piecemeal. The DREAM Act would also place severe strains on state budgets and harm middle class families who are struggling to get their own kids through college.
Passage of the DREAM Act would:
Reward parents who violated immigration laws through their children, and provide a powerful incentive for more illegal immigration.
Transfer seats and tuition subsidies to illegal aliens at a time when state higher education budgets are being slashed, admissions curtailed, and tuitions increased.
By broadly defining “student” it gives amnesty to large numbers of illegal aliens who may be pursing any sort of education.
Accelerate chain migration and exponential population growth because illegal aliens who are granted green cards will be able to petition the Department of Homeland Security in the future to grant their parents and relatives legal status too.
“Once again, Congress is ignoring the interests and concerns of hard-working, law-abiding Americans in order to reward illegal immigrants and pander to the illegal alien lobby,” said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). “Even as American families are struggling, and nearly every state is facing a budget crisis, Congress is prepared to mandate huge additional burdens in the form of a massive illegal alien amnesty.”
“The American people have made it very clear that they reject amnesty for illegal aliens whether it’s in one comprehensive bill, or piecemeal,” Stein said. “The DREAM Act would not only allow millions of newly legalized illegal aliens to compete for their jobs, but allow them to compete for their own children’s educational opportunities. With private university tuitions already out of reach for most middle class families, and tuitions at public universities rising three times faster than median family incomes, the DREAM Act would be more than a reward for illegal aliens. It would crush the hopes and dreams of countless American families trying to provide opportunities to their own children.”
About FAIR
Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.
Contact Ira Mehlman at 206-420-7733 or Bob Dane at 202-328-7004.
Poll Results
I asked you if you thought we were becoming a dual nation by losing our Middle Class. Historically, the Middle Class has been the bond that has held Capitalist nations together. Without it, we either revert to Anarchy or a Feudalistic society. 24% of you thought there was still hope and opportunities for the Middle Class (12% each). What I found amazing was that rest of you, some 76% felt we were losing our Middle Class. I have to wonder if that’s because of the pessimistic climate resulting from our current economics conditions, or there is something fundamentally broken in our society that government hasn’t picked up on yet. While I hope it’s the former, I fear it may be the latter. Thanks for voting!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
America: A Dual Nation?
Writing a blog like Another Opinion attracts the attention of a lot of people. Not surprisingly, I receive a lot of articles from different organizations and individuals. Some are basically doom and gloom types looking for any opportunity to tell us that we should all be bending over and kissing our collectives butts goodbye. Others are humorous (whether intentional or not is open to debate), and still others are simply compelling. The attached article by Rick Pedraza of Newsmax.com is somewhere between the first and last choices. Read it for yourself and see what you think at http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/corsi_dual_country/2009/03/11/190793.html?s=sp&promo_code=7C05-1.
Nevertheless, the article got me to thinking (yeah, I know; that’s almost always dangerous). The name and thrust of the article is whether we are becoming a dual nation. I sat back and pondered Mr. Pedraza’s question. My first reaction was “how”? After all, this is America. We taken the worse the world could dish out and we’re still standing right? America has seen tough times before and we’ve always come out better and stronger. So, I thought, why should this be any different? But the more I thought about the question, the more I began to find flaws in my assumptions.
Let’s take a basic look at the economy. Americans having been living on borrowed time (and money) for decades. Our economic philosophy changed somewhere around the 1970’s from a production economy to a service economy. In order to maximize the bottom line (and reduce the clout of unions), employers began outsourcing jobs overseas.. We became a “McJobs” nation. Companies began raiding retirement funds, cutting benefits while focusing “creating” paper wealth.
Capitalism thrives on consumption. That’s why products are always being touted as “new and improved”, fashion changes every year, and products are manufactured with built in obsolescence. When we moved from producing hard wealth to paper wealth, financial instructions started encouraging people to buy on credit; that is; on money they didn’t have yet. But it was this unchecked buying that fed the beast. Our next purchase was only as good as our credit rating. The problem was that the beast was never full, and the more it consumed, the more it wanted. That’s why businesses demanded open markets in Russia, China, and Southeast Asia. It had nothing to do with global cooperation or improving the standard of living. It was all about feeding the beast. As an aside, the fear of Communism was never about its different sociological philosophy, but its rejection of capitalism. That was main reason it had to be defeated at all costs. Sorry if you thought it was more idealistic than that.
Linked to this was speculation on real estate (based on the assumption that real estate values never fall). Sure, the stock market occasionally drops, but it always trends up. As the fictional character Gordon Gecko from the movie “Wallstreet” famously said, “Greed is good”. Well, now we’re finding that our economy was really based on more than speculation and false sense of optimism. It was based on an illusion. Wealth has to be, at its heart, based on hard assets; not paper. The question now is whether Mr. Obama’s economic package works. If so, he could go down as the greatest president ever. If he fails, it will be disastrous for us and the world. There are no third options.
The American middle class, along with the small business person, has historically been the economic engine of this country. There’s not much of it left. The wealthy have always been fairly insulated thanks to their trust funds and foundations, and the poor have come to relay on government services, paid for mainly by the middle class. Obama’s plan thus far has been thus far to throw billions at the same banks and financial institutions who have mismanaged billions for decades. Most economists believe more of the money should have either been directed to the people or to the creation of “brick and mortar” jobs. Should government be in business of bailing out mismanaged companies, especially those where corporate executives are earning hefty six figures incomes while denying overtime, cutting benefits, and laying off people? At the same time, little has done to overhaul our credit driven economy itself. Indeed, many of these same banks chaff at the very thought.
Hopefully Obama will prove to be successful. At the very least, however, he will forfeit the future of our children and their children. The problem isn’t in actually being solved. It’s being pushed into the future, where the beast will again at some point rear its head and demand more sacrifice, but at what cost? Look at how much it’s costing us now, and we don’t know if that’s going to be enough. We have gone from a nation of independent entrepreneurs to economic serfs; from self sufficient citizens to forced consumers.
We have in fact become a dual nation. We are now a defacto country of haves and have nots, where the have nots are quickly becoming a majority. Of course, we haven’t even addressed issues such as illegal immigration, which is draining our very limited resources directed at social services, or the pending retirement of the baby boomers (the largest mass retirement in our nation’s history). The strain on Social Security and elder care could surpass the breaking point. What about our crumbing infrastructure—our bridges, sewers, highways? What about failing education system? Where are the resources for them? Of course, there are other issues such as global terrorism and the nut cases trying to get their hands on nukes, narco-states and violence, our broken borders, and lastly, a government unwilling or perhaps unable to act. We were promised “no more pork” and we’re getting nothing but pork from Congress. To think that our government wasn’t able to do something as simple as that in this economic crisis is sickening.
A lot of Americans have simply stopped watching or listening to the news. We can’t take it any more. We don’t care about Tom Cruise, Brittney Spears, or what some so-called “celebrity” said, wore, went, or ate. We don’t care who did what on “Survivor” or any other reality show. We have our own realities, and in many cases, they’re a lot more chilling than anything we’d see on television. Americans want the truth, and yes, I believe we can handle it. We’re beyond tired of political party’s bickering; shut up and fix it or get out of the way. Americans like fair play, but we’re tired greedy arrogant crooks sitting in front of Congress with their hand out; or on Wallstreet; or in Washington. The time may be coming, sooner rather than later, when Americans take another look at our Constitution and realize that we don’t have to sit back and it any more.
Taxpayer Revolt?
Here’s another interesting article I received. This came from Isaac MacMillians over at NetRight Nation. The name of the article is A Taxpayer Revolution. The article examines what may become an interesting trend in this country as people say “enough is enough” over increased rate hikes (see my article February 28, 2009). Our fellow citizens in the great state of New Hampshire have stepped up and did job that their elected “leaders” failed to do. What do you think folks—think it’s time we give it go? Read it here: http://netrightnation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=482767:a-taxpayer-revolution&catid=1:nrn-blog&Itemid=7
Poll Results
The economy has been on everyone’s mind lately. It’s being talked about everywhere you go. My question to you was when you thought the economy would turn around. The possible answers I gave you were based on responses from several economists. 7% of you thought things were going to improve late this year. 15% of you thought things would be looking rosier by early 2010 while 1% said it would be late 2010. Now this is where things get interesting. 30% of you said it would be 2011 or later and a whooping 38% of you said “never”!
I am an optimist at heart, but I think like a realist. If the stimulus is going to work, it’s going to take time. It’s like taking medicine; it has to get into your system before you see any results. I don’t see any major improvements in early 2009, though by late 2009 we may see a leveling out. 2010 will see improvements and by late 2010 or early 2011, I think we’ll be on the road to recovery. There will be a lot of casualties along the way though. A lot of familiar name brands will be gone. Our choice of products will be greatly diminished, and the quality of what we are able to buy may be poorer. Many Americas no longer be having the standard of living they did before the depression…err…recession. Economically, may be only a second tier country. If Obama fails, we may find ourselves an economic third tier country torn by strikes and riots.
Nevertheless, the article got me to thinking (yeah, I know; that’s almost always dangerous). The name and thrust of the article is whether we are becoming a dual nation. I sat back and pondered Mr. Pedraza’s question. My first reaction was “how”? After all, this is America. We taken the worse the world could dish out and we’re still standing right? America has seen tough times before and we’ve always come out better and stronger. So, I thought, why should this be any different? But the more I thought about the question, the more I began to find flaws in my assumptions.
Let’s take a basic look at the economy. Americans having been living on borrowed time (and money) for decades. Our economic philosophy changed somewhere around the 1970’s from a production economy to a service economy. In order to maximize the bottom line (and reduce the clout of unions), employers began outsourcing jobs overseas.. We became a “McJobs” nation. Companies began raiding retirement funds, cutting benefits while focusing “creating” paper wealth.
Capitalism thrives on consumption. That’s why products are always being touted as “new and improved”, fashion changes every year, and products are manufactured with built in obsolescence. When we moved from producing hard wealth to paper wealth, financial instructions started encouraging people to buy on credit; that is; on money they didn’t have yet. But it was this unchecked buying that fed the beast. Our next purchase was only as good as our credit rating. The problem was that the beast was never full, and the more it consumed, the more it wanted. That’s why businesses demanded open markets in Russia, China, and Southeast Asia. It had nothing to do with global cooperation or improving the standard of living. It was all about feeding the beast. As an aside, the fear of Communism was never about its different sociological philosophy, but its rejection of capitalism. That was main reason it had to be defeated at all costs. Sorry if you thought it was more idealistic than that.
Linked to this was speculation on real estate (based on the assumption that real estate values never fall). Sure, the stock market occasionally drops, but it always trends up. As the fictional character Gordon Gecko from the movie “Wallstreet” famously said, “Greed is good”. Well, now we’re finding that our economy was really based on more than speculation and false sense of optimism. It was based on an illusion. Wealth has to be, at its heart, based on hard assets; not paper. The question now is whether Mr. Obama’s economic package works. If so, he could go down as the greatest president ever. If he fails, it will be disastrous for us and the world. There are no third options.
The American middle class, along with the small business person, has historically been the economic engine of this country. There’s not much of it left. The wealthy have always been fairly insulated thanks to their trust funds and foundations, and the poor have come to relay on government services, paid for mainly by the middle class. Obama’s plan thus far has been thus far to throw billions at the same banks and financial institutions who have mismanaged billions for decades. Most economists believe more of the money should have either been directed to the people or to the creation of “brick and mortar” jobs. Should government be in business of bailing out mismanaged companies, especially those where corporate executives are earning hefty six figures incomes while denying overtime, cutting benefits, and laying off people? At the same time, little has done to overhaul our credit driven economy itself. Indeed, many of these same banks chaff at the very thought.
Hopefully Obama will prove to be successful. At the very least, however, he will forfeit the future of our children and their children. The problem isn’t in actually being solved. It’s being pushed into the future, where the beast will again at some point rear its head and demand more sacrifice, but at what cost? Look at how much it’s costing us now, and we don’t know if that’s going to be enough. We have gone from a nation of independent entrepreneurs to economic serfs; from self sufficient citizens to forced consumers.
We have in fact become a dual nation. We are now a defacto country of haves and have nots, where the have nots are quickly becoming a majority. Of course, we haven’t even addressed issues such as illegal immigration, which is draining our very limited resources directed at social services, or the pending retirement of the baby boomers (the largest mass retirement in our nation’s history). The strain on Social Security and elder care could surpass the breaking point. What about our crumbing infrastructure—our bridges, sewers, highways? What about failing education system? Where are the resources for them? Of course, there are other issues such as global terrorism and the nut cases trying to get their hands on nukes, narco-states and violence, our broken borders, and lastly, a government unwilling or perhaps unable to act. We were promised “no more pork” and we’re getting nothing but pork from Congress. To think that our government wasn’t able to do something as simple as that in this economic crisis is sickening.
A lot of Americans have simply stopped watching or listening to the news. We can’t take it any more. We don’t care about Tom Cruise, Brittney Spears, or what some so-called “celebrity” said, wore, went, or ate. We don’t care who did what on “Survivor” or any other reality show. We have our own realities, and in many cases, they’re a lot more chilling than anything we’d see on television. Americans want the truth, and yes, I believe we can handle it. We’re beyond tired of political party’s bickering; shut up and fix it or get out of the way. Americans like fair play, but we’re tired greedy arrogant crooks sitting in front of Congress with their hand out; or on Wallstreet; or in Washington. The time may be coming, sooner rather than later, when Americans take another look at our Constitution and realize that we don’t have to sit back and it any more.
Taxpayer Revolt?
Here’s another interesting article I received. This came from Isaac MacMillians over at NetRight Nation. The name of the article is A Taxpayer Revolution. The article examines what may become an interesting trend in this country as people say “enough is enough” over increased rate hikes (see my article February 28, 2009). Our fellow citizens in the great state of New Hampshire have stepped up and did job that their elected “leaders” failed to do. What do you think folks—think it’s time we give it go? Read it here: http://netrightnation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=482767:a-taxpayer-revolution&catid=1:nrn-blog&Itemid=7
Poll Results
The economy has been on everyone’s mind lately. It’s being talked about everywhere you go. My question to you was when you thought the economy would turn around. The possible answers I gave you were based on responses from several economists. 7% of you thought things were going to improve late this year. 15% of you thought things would be looking rosier by early 2010 while 1% said it would be late 2010. Now this is where things get interesting. 30% of you said it would be 2011 or later and a whooping 38% of you said “never”!
I am an optimist at heart, but I think like a realist. If the stimulus is going to work, it’s going to take time. It’s like taking medicine; it has to get into your system before you see any results. I don’t see any major improvements in early 2009, though by late 2009 we may see a leveling out. 2010 will see improvements and by late 2010 or early 2011, I think we’ll be on the road to recovery. There will be a lot of casualties along the way though. A lot of familiar name brands will be gone. Our choice of products will be greatly diminished, and the quality of what we are able to buy may be poorer. Many Americas no longer be having the standard of living they did before the depression…err…recession. Economically, may be only a second tier country. If Obama fails, we may find ourselves an economic third tier country torn by strikes and riots.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Stephen Covey: A Matter of Trust
Mr. Stephen M.R. Covey, author of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal bestseller, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything will be hosting an exclusive free one hour webinar interview conducted by Todd Langton, president of Linkage. To participate, you will need to register no later than March 16, 2009. The webinar will take place on March 17, 2009 from 1:00-2:00 pm EST. You can register by going to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/386176829
Mr. Covey will also be a keynote speaker at Linkage’s 11th Annual Best of Organizational Development Summit, May 12-14, 2009 at the Chicago Fairmont. For additional information, you can call (781) 402-5555. A brochure can be downloaded at www.linkageinc.com/od.
I urge you sign up and participate in this unique forum. Remember, you have to sign up by March 16th. The free webinar will take place on March 17th between 1:00-2:00 pm EST.
Mr. Covey will also be a keynote speaker at Linkage’s 11th Annual Best of Organizational Development Summit, May 12-14, 2009 at the Chicago Fairmont. For additional information, you can call (781) 402-5555. A brochure can be downloaded at www.linkageinc.com/od.
I urge you sign up and participate in this unique forum. Remember, you have to sign up by March 16th. The free webinar will take place on March 17th between 1:00-2:00 pm EST.
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