State’s are forced to address immigration issue

U.S. states are enacting immigration laws because the federal government won’t do it. Border states are fed up with federal governments inaction and have begun passing strict immigration laws that are pushing immigrants further north. This is only delaying the Fed’s inevitable involvement and is basically forcing illegals to leave the state to become someone elses problem.

Arizona recently passed legislation to punish business owners who hire illegals, Oklahoma passed legislation to punish anyone harboring or transporting illegals.

Many states are passing or proposing legislation to make English the official language of their state. This, to me seems absolutely ludicrous, that an American state has to pass a law to make our native language the only official language.

Worker shortages are adversely affecting struggling businesses, immigrants are afraid of being on the street for fear of being arrested. This country is becoming likened to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews.

People often use the argument that we Americans were once illegal immigrants and that we have forsaken our heritage. This is a gross over-simplification of this situation. When we arrived on these shores, this country was largely uninhabited. There was no organized society of taxpayers. The was no established economic group being threatened by persons trying to take advantage of it without supporting it.

America grew out of the promise of religious freedom, of freedom of persecution, of promise of financial security, and now that this great undertaking has proven itself successful we are fearful of foreigners undermining these promises and freedoms by partaking of the advantages without paying for them.

We are a caring nation, usually the first to spring to action to offer aid and assistance to any natural disaster no matter where in the world it strikes. But why should we give away what we have struggled and sacrificed for to someone who has not helped us achieve it?

I have personally been struggling with this question for years. On the one hand, a good neighbor should extend help to those less fortunate, on the other hand if you see a trend of being taken advantage of you come to see yourself as a fool to continue offering that help.

There is a belief that you should do everything you can to help yourself and not rely on others to do it all for you. This individual self reliance is what has made America strong. Those people living here in America who would rather live off of other’s generosity are a detriment to this society. They are counterproductive and create a financial and psychological drain on hard working American taxpayers. There are American citizens that fall into this category just as there are those who are not citizens that are guilty of this behavior.

Racism has nothing to do with this. If you can come into this country, legally, and offer yourself as a citizen of this country, learn our language, work to improve this society without bringing it down then you are welcome.

If you come into this country to prey on others, to take jobs away from American citizens and then send all your money back to your country without paying our taxes then you are not welcome. It is as simple as that. Americans that give jobs to foreigners instead of American citizens for the sake of saving themselves money are un-American, low-life leeches and should be ferreted out and punished.

The federal government needs to step up and create meaningful legislation to help everyone involved instead of leaving it up to individual states that only seek to push the problem off onto someone else. So far states have ‘solved’ their immigration problem by using punishment against its own citizens. This is not a neighborly way to behave and sadly leans on the fascist form of government. Forcing an individual state to address this problem causes the neighboring state to enact similar legislation which will push the immigrant into yet another state and sets a dangerous path of fascist precedents. Where are they to go at this point?

Building that wall is enclosing us in as well as keeping others out. I don’t think this is the way to go. It is a poor substitute for federal political action.

Cost of Cheap Labor

I received this email and there is no author (it had been forwarded three times before it got to me) but it sounds very much in tune with reality.
Subject: Beware of Cheap Tomatoes

Tomatoes and Cheap Labor

Cheap Tomatoes; This should make everyone think, be you Democrat, Republican or Independent

From a California school teacher - - - "As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:

I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.

Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title1 schools.

Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud.

The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones.

The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less than 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" (whores) and throwing things that the teachers were in tears.

Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc., etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?

To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.

Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.

We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it. Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return?

There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends. We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way.

It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about "politically correct" that we don't have the will to do anything about it. If this makes your blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know.

CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?

Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage.

Consumers don't want expensive produce.

Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs.

But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. There is no such thing as "cheap labor."

Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/ hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return,he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent.

He qualifies for food stamps.

He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care.

His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.

He requires bilingual teachers and books.

He qualifies for relief from high energy bills.

If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at (our) taxpayer's expense.

He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.

Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.

He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.

Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/ hour left after paying their bills and his.

The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up.

Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people. THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ADDRESSING TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR EITHER PARTY. AND WHEN THEY LIE TO US AND DON'T DO AS THEY SAY, WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM AT ONCE!'

THIS HAS GOT TO BE PASSED ALONG TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE.

Border Patrol found lacking

In my on-going series of highlighting any instance where people are not doing their jobs this one is extremely problematic. Border Patrol officials have been found to be complacent and inattentive in their duties by undercover investigators. Weak management controls have also been found. Border Patrol is our first line of defense for the security of every U.S. citizen both physically and financially.

As with most jobs in law enforcement, Border Patrol is one of the toughest, and it is, like every law enforcement branch, under-manned. This is nothing new. Everyone claims they want law and order but there just are not enough people willing to put their lives on the line to enforce it.

Government watchdogs have found that thousands of people who shouldn't have been admitted to the United States were allowed in last year because of security lapses at legal border crossings. Granted, not everyone who comes in is a danger to our physical well-being and they certainly are not all terrorists. But some of these individuals are connected with criminal enterprises which is where our financial well-being is threatened most and why the lack of job performance on the part of the Border Patrol is most egregious to the safety of their fellow Americans.

GAO investigators arriving at one point of entry found no border agents in the inspection booth, while at other locations, agents didn't ask for travel documents, according to the report. I, myself, have driven through Otay point of entry and found no border agents in the booth while re-entering the U.S.

The number of inadmissible aliens who managed to enter through official ports of entry in 2006 has not been disclosed by the Government Accountability Office. However, a source who has seen a full version of the report, in which those statistics were included, put the total at 21,000.

The government, for obvious reasons, does not want to release the numbers of how many escaped the attention of Customs and Border Protection. One reason is there is no way to know the actual number so any number they come up with would have to be prefaced as being an estimate. Another reason they don’t release the numbers is they don’t want the taxpayer, who is paying their salaries, to know they are not performing their duty. They don’t want the very people they are supposed to protect to know they are not performing their duty.

Men and women of law enforcement are a special breed of people. They want to see the bad guy put away, as all of us law abiding citizens do, but they alone are willing to strap on a gun and a badge and put their own lives at stake to put those bad guys away. Those of us who sit back in our easy chairs from the comfort of our homes should be shamed for ever casting a bad light on those who are doing their best. I applaud those individuals and give to them my utmost deepest felt respect. It’s the individuals who have sworn to protect the laws and citizens of this great country and turn their backs on us by slacking in their job performance that should be reprimanded to the fullest extent of the law. To allow possible criminals to get into the U.S. because they did not do their jobs is criminal itself.

Those who are conscientiously doing their sworn duty can get very frustrated when they see criminals they have caught and then released by liberal judges or asshole lawyers who defends the criminal and convinces the judge to let the criminal go.

I can understand the frustration that Border Patrol agents feel after two of their own were arrested and put in jail for shooting a known drug smuggler. But that is no excuse for jeopardizing the safety of U.S. citizens.

The Customs and Border Protection's stance is that at busy border crossings, it has to balance security with commerce. This is blatantly putting commerce ahead of safety.

The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 17,600 Customs and Border Protection officers manning ports of entry, said the agency is understaffed and poorly managed and officers are overworked and not adequately trained. Why can’t we put National Guard to help them? Since Bush can send them to Iraq in the name of keeping terrorists from coming to America then he can certainly send them to our borders in America.

Whether we think the threat is real or not, we cannot afford to assume the threat is not real and slack off on our duties. The U.S. taxpayer deserves to get our monies worth when agents are hired to protect us.

Is the wall working?

Is the Great Wall of Mexico working or has this become just another financial sinkhole into which our tax dollars are flushed away? Government loves to throw money at band-aid fixes to show the voters they know how to tackle a problem. The real problem is that they don’t know to ‘fix’ this problem.

This 700-mile-long joke of a wall that congress is convinced is the ‘only’ answer to the immigration problem is facilitating a multi-million dollar business in human smuggling. If it was effective then human smuggling and trafficking at this border would have stopped. That is not happening.

Police still raid drop houses in U.S. cities filled with illegals who pay $1,500 to $2,000 each to be smuggled here, usually 30-50 people are crammed in those houses. The accommodations for these illegals are atrocious. Conditions are inhumane. Men, women and children are beaten and tortured to extort extra money once the ‘product’ gets here, this is how these humans are viewed, as product. Plumbing usually doesn’t work because these houses are just shells to hide these people. There are no utilities. Toilets are filled with human waste and buckets are dispersed throughout the house as makeshift toilets. There is no food. There is no running water.

Then there are the even more despicable opportunists who are the very Americans paid to guard the border who smuggle humans in. Three members of the Texas National Guard helping patrol the Mexican border were charged with human smuggling. One Guardsman, in uniform, was stopped by federal agents driving a van crammed with 24 illegal immigrants north of Laredo, Texas.

Who are the losers here? The immigrant who pays outrageous sums to get around the wall. Police for having to deal with the mess. Taxpayers for paying police to deal with the mess. Homeowners in these neighborhoods from loss of property values because no one wants to live in areas where this is taking place. The relatives of those people working in the U.S. (illegal or otherwise) sending money back to them to be smuggled over here. The American taxpayer, again, who is paying for a wall that is worthless (a symbol of our comic attempt to stop the flow). Humanity suffers at the degradation these coyotes and snakeheads show their fellow humans. U.S. taxpayers, yet again, because money earned by illegals get sent back to their homes instead of feeding our economy, and that money gets paid to coyotes and the cycle continues. The IRS by not collecting the taxes that every legal employee in this country has to pay for the privilege of being a legal American. The American taxpayer again for having to pay transportation costs for deporting these illegals. Wage loss due to the influx of cheap labor.

The winners are coyotes who take the money for transporting illegals to these shit-holes and then run back for more. U.S. employers who get cheap labor by hiring illegals and pocketing the money that should have gone into federal, state and local coffers, along with Social Security, Medicare and Worker Comp funds. These same employers benefit from these funds even though they did not contribute to them.

Our government assures us that this wall is necessary to stop terrorists from ‘hiking’ into the country from the south. I am not convinced that terrorists are ‘hiking’ into the U.S. but if they are serious about this problem then why aren’t the hordes of illegals that are running across stopped? And why isn’t human and drug smuggling being stopped?

Is money being made by those people who say they want to stop it but don’t?

The wall is working, for some people.

Law enforcement officials are seeing a rise in the business of human smuggling. They also see money being made for Mexican drug cartels as well as U.S. gangs. Human smuggling is becoming more lucrative than drug smuggling. Human smugglers also use their cargo as a diversionary tactic to draw border agents away from where they are smuggling large quantities of drugs across the border. Smugglers who get caught get a free trip home, without punishment, at taxpayers expense.

Building this wall is the wrong way to address this problem. Law abiding U.S. citizen, trying to makes ends meet are tired of paying excess taxes so our political ‘representatives’ can throw it away at meaningless ‘fixes’ to a problem that won’t go away.

Home Depot funds extorted by local government

I read an article in Fox News online dated June 27, 2007 that states Home Depot in California was forced to build a separate facility on their property for the illegal day laborers that hang out in the area waiting for jobs. The local governments, Mountain View and Burbank, are holding back building permits required for Home Depot to build their stores unless Home Depot provides security and maintains a facility, complete with restrooms and air conditioning, for these illegals.

What brought this about? The neighbors in the area complained that the day laborers were urinating, etc in the area and they did not want to see this. I would be upset too. But instead of the local government forcing the police force to do its job by moving these guys to somewhere else or arresting them for public indecency like they do to its tax paying citizens, the city council seizes an opportunity to extort money from Home Depot! Is it Home Depots fault these illegals hang out where they do? No! I have seen day laborers standing on street corners in various cities hoping someone will pick them for work and I have never heard of any of those nearby businesses being forced to pay for shelter and facilities for these illegals.

Why is Home Depot being singled out? Is it because they have deep enough pockets to feed the cities’ greedy politicians? Is Home Depot an easy target? This is nothing more than another example of abuse of power by corrupt government officials.

In addition, these money-extorting cities are allowing illegals to thrive in their jurisdictions by not turning them over to Immigration Service. Why are they not turning them in? Why are these local governments not enforcing their laws? Perhaps they are afraid of a backlash from the already bloated population of illegals in their communities? Perhaps they are making money off of these people?

Dealing with illegals is the responsibility of the federal government, so turn them in to the federal government and have them removed. It is plain to see that these cities have ignored this problem for far too long, because their numbers are increasing. The city can’t support them anymore so they extort money from local businesses to do it. Unbelievable! The city managers and councils should be ashamed of themselves!

This is so unbelievable that I have to repeat it to make sure I have it right, Home Depot is being forced to share in the cost of supporting illegal immigration because the local government does not want to kick them out of our country! There must be some financial benefit to these local governments in having illegals in their cities. Can anybody shed some light on this matter? I am perplexed.

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton: Justice Served Or Overzealous Prosecutor of Border Agents?

President Bush’s pick for U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 30, 2001, has been vilified in the media and by Border Patrol groups, a few lawmakers and others for his prosecution of several U.S. Border Patrol agents.

On June 30, the San Antonio and Austin Chapters of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. and hundreds of bikers from American Freedom Riders — a group dedicated to stopping illegal immigration from coming across the border — will surround Sutton’s office at high noon and call for him to resign.

"The U.S. Department of Justice provides injustice under the leadership of Attorney General [Alberto] Gonzales, while allowing U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton to protect dopers illegally here, while betraying and preying on young children and violating their civil and human rights," said Andy Ramirez, chairman of Friends of the Border Patrol.

But Sutton, 46, insists his office is not out to put Border Patrol agents or other law enforcement officers behind bars, and he wants to set the record straight.

"There’s nothing a prosecutor desires less to do than to prosecute a cop or federal agent. These are our friends, these are our co-workers. We see the heroic efforts they make. But when they commit crimes, they need to be held accountable just like everyone else," Sutton told FOXNews.com in an extensive interview.

He added: "We know how dangerous their job is, we know they make split-second decisions …juries are very deferential to the hardships and difficulties of that job. That’s why it’s so rare you see police officers being prosecuted."

It is, however, up to prosecutors to decide whether to try cases in the first place, and Sutton's opponents say he could have opted not to prosecute some of these cases, or at the very least, could have kicked them down to state courts for lesser sentences.

One case in point — the joint prosecution of former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean for the February 2005 non-fatal shooting of Mexican drug runner Osvaldo Aldrete Davila. A jury convicted the agents in March 2006 of violating federal gun laws and attempting to cover up the shooting.

The two are serving 11 and 12 years, respectively, in federal prisons. Their cases are under appeal, but in the meantime, they've been in prison since Jan. 17. Ramos was beaten by other inmates shortly after he began his incarceration.

Supporters have argued Ramos, 38, and Compean, 28, were just doing their jobs, but Sutton says there’s more to the story. A jury found Compean and Ramos guilty of shooting at Davila as he was running away, making false reports about the shooting and picking up the bullets in an attempt to cover-up the incident.

"That’s very damning evidence that they know that is not a good shoot. Otherwise, there’s no reason in the world not to say ‘Hey, we just arrested a drug runner with 750 pounds of drugs and he tried to shoot on us,’" Sutton said.

Sutton, whose assistants Debra Kanof and Jose Luis actually conducted the court case, pointed out that federal sentencing guidelines regarding gun use mandates 10-year-sentences for the shooting.

He denied charges that he was overzealous and noted that since he’s been on the job, Border Patrol agents have shot at illegal immigrants 14 times while on duty.

In all those cases — except that of Ramos and Compean — the agents came forward, explained why they used deadly force, why they shot their gun, he said. None has been charged. In four of those cases, illegal immigrants were actually killed.

Sutton has also come under fire for prosecuting Border Patrol agent Noe Aleman, who last week reported to a federal prison to serve a one-year sentence.

The 10-year Border Patrol veteran was convicted of harboring and helping illegal immigrants after trying to adopt his wife’s nieces from Juarez, Mexico, as their daughters. The Alemans were approved for the adoption on April 23, 2004. Aleman argues that he reported to federal authorities what he thought was a typographical error on the girls’ visas that said they had only one business day to stay in the United States. He was later arrested and charged with trying to smuggle the girls into the United States. The girls were deported.

Aleman says he got bad legal advice about whether the girls could stay in the country and the paperwork needed for that. Sutton counters the idea that a mere "paperwork error" by Aleman sent him to prison.

"If it’s a paperwork error, how come a West Texas jury that’s sympathetic to Border Patrol would convict him of any crime?" Sutton asked. "Instead, he was breaking (laws) and telling lies and falsifying information."

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upholding Aleman’s conviction cites evidence that Aleman lied about turning in parole forms when the girls returned to Mexico; that he and his wife lied about the girls living in their home; and that he lied to border officials about the girls’ location in Mexico.

All that was "sufficient for a rational jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Aleman knew that the aliens were in the United States illegally and to establish criminal intent," the court said.

Then there’s the case of ex-Border Patrol agent Gary Brugman, who while stationed at Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 14, 2001, helped other agents chase down a group of illegal immigrants. When the agents caught up to those fleeing, they ordered them to sit down. Brugman says not all of them were complying and he worried some they may have tried to attack the other agents.

"I ran up to the aliens and with the bottom of my foot I pushed the first alien to the ground (later identified as Miguel Angel Jimenez-Saldana) to the ground and told him to sit down as I said "sientense," Brugman wrote in a Web log about his encounter. "I then turned to a second alien and pushed him to the ground too."

On Feb. 22, 2001, Brugman had a physical altercation with a convicted drug smuggler while responding to a possible narcotics run. During the fight, the immigrant tried to grab his handcuffs while his arm was pinned behind him, Brugman alleges.

"I then punched him in the face three times until he said to me ‘Okay officer, stop hitting me.’" Brugman wrote. "I stopped and told him ‘Then stop fighting!!!" Other agents soon arrived, the man was transported away and later imprisoned.

On March 15, 2001, Brugman was relieved of his weapon. On Aug. 21, 2002, he was indicted for violating the civil rights of Jiminez-Saldana during the first incident and in April 2004, he was sent to prison for two years.

Sutton notes that several other Border Patrol agents testified that they saw Brugman kick or hit at least one of the aliens. As to claims that one agent was coerced into testifying against his colleague, Sutton said: "If there’s evidence of that, let’s see it … there was no evidence that that agent was coerced. ... That agent was very cooperative."

Sutton noted that the two-year sentence is also mandated by federal law and that the career prosecutors in his eight offices in Texas are professionals who are not out to ruin Border Patrol agents.

"They’re motivation is to follow the law and to make sure justice is done," Sutton said. "They use that discretion day in and day out in a very appropriate way. The great irony in some of this criticism is Border Patrol are our witnesses. They work with us day in and day out."

Then there’s the case of Edwards County, Texas, Sheriff’s Deputy Gilmer Hernandez, who was paid $20,000 a year to help keep watch over the city of Rocksprings, Texas, where the battle with illegal immigrants is a daily one.

On the night of April 14, 2005, Hernandez stopped a speeding Suburban that ran through a red light. As he walked to the driver's side, he said, the vehicle peeled away, almost running over his foot. Hernandez fired several shots, one of which blew out a rear tire. Eight or nine people jumped out of the vehicle and ran off, but one woman who had been hit in the mouth by some of the bullets remained.

Hernandez reported the incident and he was investigated. Prosecutors say that because the agent's life was not in danger, he shouldn't have shot at the vehicle. On Dec. 1, 2006, he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 266 days in prison, including time served; federal sentencing guidelines could have put him away for 10 years.

Sutton said in all of these cases, his office looked at the evidence and first determined if a crime was committed, then used its discretion to determine whether bringing federal charges against the defendant was the "right thing to do." The other option was to refer the case to state prosecutors for lesser sentences.

"They should be given the benefit of the doubt and believe me, they are. But when they shoot at unarmed people and cover up and file false reports, you cannot look the other way," Sutton said.

"I feel very strongly that one of the reasons America is such a great country and so stable and solid is because we enforce the rule of law, we believe the rule of law. We solve our problems, not in fist fights and mob attacks, but in courtrooms and juries and reviews. No one is above the law in this country," he added.

Sutton has also taken flak because of his closeness to President Bush. He previously served as an associate deputy attorney general at the U.S. Justice Department and as a policy coordinator for the Bush-Cheney transition team. He was the criminal justice policy director for Bush when he was Texas governor from 1995-2000. He currently is chairman of the attorney general’s committee that helps formulate and carry out priorities for the department and the president.

Coziness aside, "there’s zero pressure" to prosecute these cases one way or the other, Sutton said.

"There is no pressure but there are priorities. Presidents and attorneys general have priorities and those priorities may change from administration to administration. Generally, they do not because no matter who is in power, we’re going to enforce the laws."

Despite being a whipping post for groups advocating stricter illegal immigrant laws and more protections for Border Patrol officers, Sutton is philosophical about the criticism he has received.

"It is a job that involves conflict, it involves trials, it’s a very satisfying job because you get to stand up for victims and you get to wear the white hat. But sometimes, unfortunately, you have to prosecute cases you don’t want to prosecute because they’re cops or they’re people you might like," he said.

"But when they commit crimes that are serious crimes, the rule of law is more important than what is going to cause you stress or what is going to end friendships. If prosecutors decide, like some agents, they’re going to enforce laws and not others ... it’s the breakdown of the system."

Immigration

I am angry that this immigration debate has not been resolved.

The reason it has not been finalized is that this country needs illegal immigrants to work here. If there were no illegal workers (Mexicans in particular) this economy would fall flat on its face.

I used to be upset about these particular immigrants (remember there are more than just Mexicans coming over here illegally) coming to the U.S. supposedly taking jobs away from U.S. workers. I now understand that U.S. workers have opened up these opportunities for foreign workers. They have done this by demanding too high wages. They have done this by not wanting to do certain jobs. They have done this by placing themselves in the ‘Prima-Donna’ position of thinking they are too good to do these everyday low-level jobs that need to be done.

Think about this. If these immigrants were not here, who would do the jobs they do? It would not be Americans, for the reasons I just gave. Still don’t believe me? Think about this, if Americans would do these jobs in the first place at a reasonable pay rate then why were immigrants hired to do them? Why did the employer who hired immigrants look outside the American workforce? Americans were already here. Americans said they weren’t going to do it.

We all benefit by having the immigrants here in this country cleaning our homes and offices, mowing our lawns and putting food on our tables. We all benefit by having immigrants here working in construction jobs. You think prices are high now? Think about how high they would get if we had to pay an American workforce to do these same jobs.

Now the part that really ticks me off about this issue, is that while American politicians refuse to find an agreeable solution to this problem (I think the reason is that politicians benefit from having them remain illegal), the Mexicans are taking their hard earned American dollars and sending it all to Mexico. Don’t you think the money they earn here should be spent here?

Give them legal status, it won’t be long before they become Americanized and we will have to find some other illegal immigrants to come in and do our ‘dirty work’.

Switching gears a bit, I want to touch on the ‘endangered educated American’, which is another side of why we are in this mess.

A recent article in Industry Week entitled ‘American’s workforce talents fall short of industry needs” states:
"Manufacturers across the country are facing labor shortages despite the availability of good, high-paying manufacturing jobs". "These jobs are going unfilled due to a lack of employees with the qualifications needed in modern manufacturing. If the U.S. wants to continue being a leader in manufacturing -- and we do -- then we must ensure that every student has the knowledge and skills necessary for a high tech workforce."

I am pretty sure I have been hearing this said for the last 30 years. Why am I still hearing it? Because our education system sucks. It isn’t just the fault of the educators. There are some fine teachers out there. It isn’t just the fault of the students, there are some who really want to learn. The problem is, there isn’t enough of either group to improve our situation.

In another report, this by the National Advisory Council on Continuing education, only thirteen percent of all adults participate in continuing education. That number is really quite sad and depressing.

CEO’s have been saying for several years that our American workforce is falling behind the rest of the world. The number of American math and science graduates is dwindling. The number of foreign students being attracted to American universities is increasing. These foreign students are reluctant to stay in America so they are taking their skills to their homelands. India and China are increasing their number of engineers and will soon take over America’s role as the technological leader.

I have said it before and it bears repeating, if we don’t get our educational level up to world standards then we deserve the fall that is surely coming. We are losing our status as world leader in just about every category and industry.

The fact that there aren’t enough skilled American workers and very few who want to improve themselves coupled with the fact that American workers don’t want to do menial jobs means that America is headed toward a gloomy future. It just further illustrates what I have been saying, that American workers have become Prima Donnas. They think they should have it all just given to them. One cause of this starts right in the home. Parents, you better start teaching your kids some responsibility and stop giving them every thing they want. Make them work for it. We all want the future to be brighter for our children than it was for us, but not teaching them responsibility is not the way to make that rosy scenario come about.

Our jobs are being given to foreign countries, everyone knows someone who has lost their job due to their company moving overseas. We are left with only low-paying service jobs. One day we will be the illegal immigrants in a foreign country trying to earn more money than we can here at home.

What each of us does individually and locally does affect each of us collectively and globally. The entire global economy depends on our actions as a nation. We are loosing our grip on world power.

George W Bush has placed all of his bets on military power and that is a fatalistic move. He will only help his good friends and he is running out of those. The rest of us better stop fighting illegal immigration and start helping our neighbors improve themselves. Embrace the fact that we are no different than they are because one day, my friends, we will be in their position.

List of topics I will go on about

I am angry that U.S. couples go to foreign countries to adopt children when there are so many here in the U.S. that are just as deserving.

The bureaucratic nightmare in the U.S. is a large reason why Americans go overseas, but I believe it is also due to misplaced loyalties.

I am angry that I cannot drive on any street at the posted speed limit without having some fool rush up behind me because I am not ‘moving fast enough’.

And the police are not doing anything to curb this behavior.

I am angry that the U.S. federal government has turned its back on Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, two U.S. Border Patrol Agents who have been jailed for doing their job. They are facing 11-12 year sentences because an ‘illegal’ immigrant, drug-smuggling, looser was shot during an attempted arrest while carrying 743 pounds of marijuana.

I am angry that ‘illegal immigrants’ are given ‘free’ health care while my mother, an ‘American’ tax-paying citizen has to pay through the nose for health care that is draining her bank account and all future earnings.

I am angry that a drunken ‘illegal’ immigrant, who left his vehicle, smashed from a single-vehicle accident, laying on its side in the middle of the road, while he walked home, where a nurse who in a compassionate effort to check on the condition of its occupants was struck and killed by another vehicle who claims they ‘didn’t see the vehicle’.

(I am also angry that this driver of this second vehicle was not paying close enough attention to road conditions and allowed this second accident to happen.)

(I am also angry that this second driver will not face a stiff enough penalty for not putting the safety of everyone else on the road ahead of his or her own while driving on our public roads.)

(I am also angry that this ‘illegal’ dirt-bag who has done nothing toward the adding to the better quality of life of Americans, will not get a stiff enough penalty for taking away a selfless American citizen who dedicated her life to helping others. She was a nurse, what did this loosed ever give to society. Not a damn thing.)

I am angry that people try to weasel out of paying fines for breaking the law, and the cops that allow them to. If you break the law and get caught, be an adult and pay the fine!

I am angry that the FBI doesn’t care enough about our security to keep better control over their weapons and laptops.

On Feb 13, 07 it was reported that more than 320 weapons and laptops from around the country, from FBI offices no less, have ‘gone missing’ over a period of 44 months..

The laptops contained everything from software for creating identification badges to sensitive or classified information.

This indicates a general lack of care in protecting the general public.

Just put in your time and collect a paycheck.

Someone, an FBI employee is selling these to the highest bidder.

Feb 24, 07 FBI agents pose as mobsters, sting Florida cops.

I am angry that law enforcement can so callously throw away the laws they are sworn to uphold so they can make some extra money.

Mar 31, 07

Read a story yesterday about two 10 year old boys beating on a homeless man.

A 17 year old was walking down the street with these two 10 year olds and they saw a homeless man. The 17 year old began yelling at the man and throwing rocks at him knocking him to the ground.

He actually encouraged the 10 year olds to hit the man with rocks and sticks.

They beat this man because….why?

There are so many questions to insert here.

Why did this 17 year old think it was acceptable to belittle this man?

Why did this 17 year old think he could throw rocks at this man?

Why does this 17 year old have this prejudice in him?

Why does this 17 year old lack respect for human life?

Why is this 17 year old intolerant of other people?

Why did this 17 year old think that it was acceptable to teach his beliefs and prejudices to these 10 year olds?

Why was this 17 year old allowed to be a role model for anyone? I'm sure there was some indication that this looser was not a good role model for kids.

Why did this 17 year old not receive the guidance needed to teach him respect for human life?

Why was this 17 year old not taught tolerance of other people?

If he had been taught tolerance and respect then why were they not enforced?

Is the problem the responsibility of his parents or society as a whole?

Where did this 17 year old get the idea that this behavior is okay?

Did he receive a high school education, evidently not.

He may have had this education put in front of him but he did not accept it. Why not?

Did he receive any religious guidance, evidently not.

He may have had this guidance put in front of him but he did not accept it. Why not?

Has drugs once again interrupted the development of yet another childs’ social development?

These 10 year olds now think it is acceptable to hate another person because of that persons ‘life style’ or that persons condition.

This 17 year old interrupted the social development of these 10 year olds by teaching them hate, prejudice and intolerance.

None of these kids ever thought about the possibility that this man is this far down on his luck because of circumstances out of his control.

None of these kids ever thought that one day they may end up in this same situation as this man.

Where are these kids headed in life?

What is the future of our society if this is what is growing within our society?

I am angry that we as a whole have failed these kids, this homeless man and our future.

Learned today of another case of a drunk driving incident by an unlicensed low-life taking the life of someone who contributed to our society.

These scum-bags survive these accidents and do not get enough penalty to fit this totally avoidable asinine act!

When is this society going to do something meaningful to take these damn fools off of our streets?!?!?!