Comment to Jessica's Post of Painful Law

Our classmate Jessica posted an article on the new Immigration Law in Arizona and the situation of illegal aliens.Here is my reply...

Jessica, we have very similar view points on the immigration of illegal alien status. It seems that they often move here and want to live by the same rule as the they did in Mexico. I also don't like the fact that discrimination is what it has had to boil down too. I hope that Arizona does not use this law for more than what is was created for, to keep the illegal immigrants out of our country and from using our resources.

In your article you express that we as citizens should not blame President Obama for any newly occuring problems with this law, and I agree as well. There is going to be complications with any new law, but what is most important is the way we deal with the problems as they arise. We can't always forecast exactly what is going to happen when a new law is set in place.

As you stated, discrimination and violence have been around for a very long time, to be honest as long as humans have been alive. If we want to eliminate this problem, which personally think is an unrealistic idea, we would have to ban together 100% as the human race and vow to no longer continue discriminating or acting on our anger. I do not think that we could get every single human to agree to this. As much as I am a "live in peace" fan, I can not change everyone to think like me.

I wish I could think of some other way to help rid our country of havoc causing illegal aliens who take our hard earned tax dollars, but I just don't see any other way. I hate the fact that this puts LEGAL Americans in the wrath of law enforcements hands. It is sad to see that it has come to this. This whole situation is causing a lot of turmoil with in country, but avoiding it will not help us. Again I am sorry for the hard working Americans that happen to be in the middle of this crazy situation.
May 14, 2010 9:

Illegal Immigration

Today in the United States illegal immigration policies is a very pressing issue. Undocumented, non-taxpaying, families that enter American boarders sap the U.S. economy in a number of ways. In most cases illegal aliens move to America in search of work opportunities in an economy with much more to offer than their own. Sometimes entire families move and flourish here at our expense. Policies in the U.S. today grant citizenship to second generation illegal aliens. With the shape the Federal Revenue is in, our nation cannot afford to dull out free passes to illegal aliens due to their "honorable" conquest for financial salvation.

Think of all the tax money that has been taken from you during your lifetime. The total is going to vary due to different pay of different people, but we pay a lot. Now think of the things that we benefit from due to these taxes. Social Security benefits, federal and local law enforcement, schools, roads, ect. Every time an illegal alien uses one of these tax funded resources, we as Americas are exploited. They are consuming the resources that generations of our ancestors have worked to create, and yet they contribute very little.

Another American resource being sapped and abused due to illegal immigration is the work force. The bottom is blown out for fair play when an illegal worker is willing to work for less. Most of these jobs pay under the table so the money that they are earning is not taxed, which means that not only do we have to fight harder to get jobs, we will get taxed if we do get them. Now days there are laws that prevent this, but in some cases the laws that are in place today don't always protect us.

If a child of an illegal citizen is born in the U.S. boarders, they are granted citizenship and are often referred to as "planter children". So this child is permitted public services such as our schools and emergency room facilities. Meanwhile in France, offspring of an illegal alien are required to register for citizenship rather than being granted this service immediately. All citizens not registered will result in an illegal status and removal from U.S. grounds. This is great idea on how to generate tabs on illegal families and keep families from having "planter children". This encourages their illegal family to stay in America. We should require the whole family to become citizens once a child is born here in U.S borders.

Our illegal immigration problem in America has resulted is strong influence from our federal government. In Arizona racial profiling is now being permitted to prevent the influx of illegal citizens to that state. In my opinion racial profiling should be permitted in certain states that have high percentages of illegal aliens. It may seem harsh but these individuals are taking and not giving. There has got to be a point where we as Americans stop putting others needs before our own.

Abortion... Individual Rights or Morality Contest?

First off I would like to commend Megan for opening up such a controversial topic, and with that I think you have the right idea. My interpretation of your post concluded a lot more than just pro choice or pro life. It was more about our rights as Americans. I know it is hard to believe now, but this country was once called "The Land of Opportunity." The opportunity to fix life long mistakes and get a second chance at your life.

The choice to receive an abortion cannot be an easy one, and the only person that should be able to make such a life altering decision is the person wanting/not wanting the abortion. I do not believe that the government should step in and make moral decisions for anyone. No one has to believe that what you are doing is the “right” choice, because the only person that knows what is best for you is yourself. No one has lived a day in your shoes. Reasons for abortion vary from person to person. Something as simples as “I am not meant to be a mom” or “This child will be born into poverty, and we will never be able to get off of government funded living.”

Often time’s people disregard other’s reasoning for lack of knowledge of what it would be like for that child or those parents. What if the parent’s chose to keep an unwanted baby? A life of neglect and welfare most likely would follow. Do you want to pay for that child, because you will in the long run? Your tax dollars will be spent on the care for the mother during pregnancy, years of WIC to follow, and life of welfare.

I am not a one sided or irrational person and understand that there is another side to abortions, the “killing” of UNBORN child. It is hard to say that there is life with out being born, yet pro- life believers think so. If you take in to account that the fetus would have virtually no chance of life if born during the allotted abortion availability time, are you really killing another being?

Our rights are diminishing day by day. We were guaranteed life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but somewhere along the life of our country we lost what our Founding Father’s so desperately fought for. Abortion shouldn’t be a debate of moral belief (yet it has come to this); it is more or less a fight to keep our personal freedom. Our freedom to speak out when we want to be heard, our freedom to choose our own religious beliefs, our freedom to live where we want, and yes even our freedom to receive an abortion if we feel that it is what is best for our own life. Megan you are so right. What are they going to TELL us to do next?

Health Care Reform

Throughout the course of this semester I have noticed my gradual shift from a somewhat liberal stand point to a moderately conservative view. I feel that the passing of the Health Care reform bill is an invasion of privacy. Health insurance should be something that is optional for individuals in our nation to have, but now its a fine if all persons fail to meet the health insurance deadline. This has gone to far! Not only does this piece of political garbage pushed my moral buttons, there are also some other questions I'd like to ask Uncle Sam. In the past, private health care providers have had the benefit of denying certain types of health care coverages for various financial reasons. Will these private heath care providers be obligated to accept the public insurance carriers? Many times doctors avoid certain types of insurance carriers because of the additional legalities or processing work that come accompanied with different insurance policies. If doctors are denied the right to refuse public health care, then these private employers will be obligated to have staff and documents necessary to complete these new standards, ultimately leading to a loss in profitability for that private healthcare provider. And who is monitoring the fees that will be charged from the public healthcare services? The same people who own and created these services meaning that they are in control of the taxes. What we need is a policy that clearly defines how these taxes will be implemented on the public, as well as some limitations to the Health Care Reform Policy's ability to interfere with an individuals finances.


Last but not least, does anyone have an exact figure of the projected costs of the Health Care Reform? I have seen many different numbers, but all in all they averaged around 900 billion dollars! Ok so even if I the Health Care Reform was a good idea, couldn't we have waited until a little longer after all of our issues with the war overseas? Seriously, our nation has built a substantial due to our efforts on the battle front, then we choose to invest in a nationwide health care project thats costing roughly 900 billion dollars. With our nations leaders making these types of decisions, I have lost trust in the rationality of our national government and in their ability to guide us the people.

Can We Come Together?

Tony Schwartz sums up how I feel about unity in the United States. "United" is part of our countries name, and yet we seem so far from it. In his blog We're All in This Together Schwartz states that he is now becoming concerned with what our country's destiny may be. He has has lived through many of our nation's tribulations such as, "Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement, assassinations, gas shortages, riots, multiple recessions, George W. Bush, 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," and now he is feeling more vulnerable than ever before. For him to have lived and succeeded through all of theses hard time makes me feel comfortable in opening my mind to accept his view points. Then again it puts huge a fear in me because that means that many other Americans are feeling this same way and loss for hope for our nation from its citizens can't be far behind.

I believe that Tony Schwartz is targeting this article to wealthy populations, CEOs of large fortunes, as well as the working class. He wants CEOs to extend their hand in favor of our country and give up a small portion of their income to increase the amount of jobs available within its company. I agree with Schwartz and Micahaels Lewis in the statement, "It's more than a little nuts for a man who has a billion dollars to devote his life to making another billion, but that's what some of our most exalted citizens do, over and over again." Schwartz comments that it saddens him to see this country going down a path of self destruction when what it is going to take is selflessness and concord from a CEO to the working class to begin a forward motion towards economic growth. I know that this will not completely alleviate our nation's problems, but we have to start somewhere and I believe that Tony Schwartz has the right idea on how to take an important step forward.

We Need A Change in the U.S. Energy Policies

Jon Gensler stated many valid and crucial responses regarding the need for a change in our national energy policy. In the article From coal to clean energy: an Iraq war veteran's next fight Gensler, a former U.S. Army Captain, suggests that the U.S. should invest in carbon research in an attempt to find another source of energy. Gensler purposes that cutting foreign funding for imported fuels would increase our federal revenue, and cut international ties with other countries. This would protect the lives of many soldiers that fight to ensure that our nation maintains the flow of fuel. I feel that Gensler is directing this piece toward the younger generations of our nation in attempt to motivate us to further our education system, ultimately increasing the quality of our research and diversity. Relying on other nations to supply our own energy needs, places our lives in the hands of our suppliers. I think that Gensler states a good point when making reference to our effect on the environment. We have defaced not only foreign lands in the search for petroleum, but our own as well. Many of the states in the United States, such as West Virginia, bear the scars of coal mines. Not only does this form of energy consume the surfaces of our lands, it also effects our skies. The greenhouse affect is taking its toll on the climates of numerous states within the U.S and through out many countries all over our world. I I agree with Genslers' play of action in regards to our energy situation. We should invest in tomorrow, research new fuel technologies in a search for a new carbon energy, and increase our funds for education.

Military or Civilian Venue for Terrorist Trials?

According to The Austin American Statesmen, the Obama administration favors a civilian trial for the 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspects. These prisoners have been held at Guantanamo Bay, a military prison. I find it interesting that these prisoners are quartered in a military prison, but are being considered for a civilian court hearing. I believe that any attack on our national security should be handled by our military. In my opinion, our civilian court system was designed to handle public issues between individuals and private or public property. Our military government on the other hand, should handle issues pertaining to federal property, peoples, and overall well being of our nation. I believe that the terrorist attack of 9/11 put our national safety at risk and the prisoners should be tried at a military venue.