Pork, the other tax.

Social Security, will it be there when I retire? I can tell you I don't plan on expecting it and I would venture to guess that if you asked most employed mid-life people they would say the same thing. I'm trying to make sure that my family's financial future will be secure when I retire. To wait for the government to fix the fiscal hole social security is quickly becoming is a fools gambit. The politicians are too busy figuring out new ways to inject pork projects into must pass bills because they believe that we elect them to swipe as much federal bounty as they can. The funny thing is, I would prefer a congressman who is honest when it comes to federal funds. Who do they think pays for all the pork? We do. So if congressman "Smith" attaches an amendment saying the government is to allot $100 million to measure and compare the amount of methane gas produced by grass fed and grain fed cows in the state of Texas, I still pay for that. Do they really believe that since I live in Texas and they procure that money for this project in my state I will cast my vote in their favor? Not likely. Imagine what could be accomplished if our congressional delegation all had the best interests of the United States as a whole in mind when they make decisions. An elected government representative is an honorable position, it's too bad we haven't elected many honorable people to fill that position.

Immigration

Blogging away

What’s going on in DC on Immigration?


I don’t profess to be a journalist and I readily admit I do not have all of the answers but I find myself asking over and over again why DC is so bogged down making decisions.

Immigration is the soup of the day and it’s become nothing but chicken. Our borders are in need of serious repair and we need a comprehensive solution to illegal immigration while taking into consideration that our economy is affected by the number of workers who cross the border under cover of night to work in this country. I have to ask myself though, if all of these illegal immigrants are taking our jobs why is unemployment at an all time low of 4.7%? The illegal mantra of “Today we March, Tomorrow we vote” may be true but I would like to remind our elected representatives that their constituents vote today. Since our elected representatives are unable to come up with a solution I would like to offer them a plan to get the ball rolling.

1-Enforce the Borders. It seems to me that any other solutions are doomed to fail unless we gain control of our borders. I’m talking Canadian also. We should and will let thousands of people in yearly, but let’s make sure we know who they are, what their intentions will be and if they will able to be a contributing member of this country. Unless we are able to control our borders anything else we do will just bring us back to where we are now.

2-Minimum Wage. The reason illegal immigrants are hired is because they are exploited for wages below the federal minimum. Make sure that any worker is paid according to the law. That means minimum wage. This will allow a decent wage for the immigrants allowed into the U.S. and also make sure job applicants are fairly competitive. If you have two people vying for the same job let the best candidate win. Americans are free to pursue the same job for the same pay.

3-Current Illegal’s. Any illegal immigrant who is here now will be offered the chance to be added to the list for a green card. They will be at the end of the list and must pay a fine for breaking our law (currently a civil infraction) but if they can prove they are steadily employed and contributing to our country in a positive way they can continue to do so. They must also pay taxes according to the law.

4-Join the military. Want to get bumped up on the green card list? Enlist into the United States Military. Complete a normal enlistment and you will be given citizenship upon completion. If you can serve our country, our country should be grateful enough to ensure your residence.

5-Obey the Laws. If you are convicted of any felony you are sent back to where you came. The Statue of Liberty doesn’t say “Give me your convicts”.

6-Be Proud Of the U.S. If you spent numerous days making a trek that would put the cast of survivor to shame and are living in the country you’ve dreamed of, then be proud of this country. Why would anyone come to a country only to criticize and put it down? As Stephen Decatur said, "Our Country, Right or Wrong". At least we have the freedom to be wrong and the opportunity to make it right.

This should allow those who we have elected to represent us to get the ball rolling on how to handle the immigration problems we have at this time. We elected them, we pay them, and now we should demand that they make the tough decisions to ensure the safety and prosperity of our nation. Someone needs to tell Congress they can’t please everyone because I don’t believe they realize it. It could be years before the political posturing provides a real solution.