Arizona- Symptoms of Desperation

I was born and raised in Arizona. I have family that still lives there. I feel justified in writing about the latest Immigration Law and the national uproar over it.

For those of you comfortable in your cities, towns, neighborhoods and just driving down the street to go to church or do shopping, put yourself in the shoes of the people that have to live in Arizona. Try to imagine seeing your American culture being erased slowly over the years and you realize you were somehow transported to Tijuana, Mexico. The news is full of innocent victims of robbery, rape, kidnapping, etc. You are afraid to go out at night. The problems are real, the fear is justified. So, should the Arizonians just give up and turn over their portion of America over to illegals just so you don't have to be inconvenienced or bothered with solving this problem? Its not going to go away. It is spreading and it is coming to a neighborhood near you. Let me tell you about Arizonians. They are not going to let their state fall to being taken over by illegals or spineless Federals. No, not on their watch.

Now that Arizona is desperate enough to do something, suddenly everybody has an opinion and did not waste anytime with the condemnations for fellow Americans trying to deal with a serious problem. Where was the American solidarity? I do find it troubling that the new law in Arizona has potential to be very misused. I am brown eyed and brown hair and now think the next time I visit my family, I better be carrying my official hospital certified birth certificate just in case. Lord knows I don't need it to become President.

I think the government and media are missing the point. Its the JOBS! They might have other reasons to be here, but the majority of the illegals are here to work, and have a better place to live for their families. If they could not get jobs, then most of them would not be here. Most of them would have to go back home eventually.

I think the kind of laws used to shut down drug dealers could be copied to some extent with solving the illegal immigrant problem. Drug law forfeitures is a way the government confiscates land, home, cars, money, all types of property from persons convicted of selling or storing drugs. A law written for any company or person that hires as an employee or contract verbal or written with an illegal and is convicted could stand to lose EVERYTHING. No company too big or small would be exempt. Neither would individuals that just wanted a babysitter or having their grass mowed. I am not talking about single events or mistakes. I am talking about habitual violations, that clearly show disregard for the law.

Strict enforcement would have the shock effect more powerful than any threats of profiling would ever have. Of course, the crisis in Arizona brings up the rumors of another Amnesty being attempted. Amnesty is not the answer. The illegals that take the jobs they can get will not be content to stay there if they are made legal. They will be competing for jobs that usually go to our young, unskilled and semi-retired persons. This in turn will leave those service and agricultural industries needing more undocumented workers and the whole cycle builds up all over again. If those industries that typically hire the illegals really need immigrant workers that bad, then we need to fast track the green card program and get these good people in here to work and just as important leave when the season is over.

I wholly sympathize with my fellow Arizonians, but do get very concerned about the consequences of this new law. Something must be done, no thanks to the Federal government inaction for decades, and several Presidential administrations. Please remember lessons from the past. This does smack of some of histories saddest moments. It might not end up that way, but what guarantees do you have that it won't?

Part Time Americans - Full Time Hornets

I have been sifting through the Health Care Bill. Giving my eyes a moment to uncross themselves a thought came to me. All throughout the Bill are references to full time employees. The requirement for employers to provide coverage to full time employees and their families. Also the requirements for all Americans to get coverage. There are provisions for those making under a set amount in income to recieve credit from the government to aid in the purchase of the health insurance, but few people will be exempt from it.

Would it be a shock to us, if businesses large and small simply reduced the hours of their employees to no longer have as many "full time" employees as they had, and add to their ranks a larger pool of "part time" employees? That would get businesses off the hook. What about the workers? If you think times are bad now with high unemployment, wait to see what they are like when the hard working back bone of society is reduced to part time employment. The upside is that unemployment would go down. I don't know anymore if this is good or bad but more people would qualify for public assistance. I just can't recall any country that did very well with more people riding the wagon instead of helping to pull the wagon.

Most people already living paycheck to paycheck will have to drop services they can live without. Entertainments, Communications, Personal Services, etc. I would expect more people will have to get that second job. Might have to use more public transportaion which is good for the environment. Car sales and energy use will go down. Don't worry about who is going to take care of your children while you are working those 2 jobs or standing in the welfare line, this administration will come up with some solution for your own good and those of your children. They are going to take good care of us.

Hope and Change. There is more "hope" now than I have seen in my whole life. People are on their knees praying and "hoping" their prayers are heard. Hope that this is just a nightmare that we will awake from. Hope that the people that voted us into this mess will wake up and help vote us out of this mess. Of course there are those squeeling young girls that are still hoping that Obama is going to give them groceries and put gas in their car.

This administration has touched all of our lives. Lets call it what it is. A hornet's nest. Its been stirred up. No matter how small and "stupid" the hornet is, you cant persuade it to just calm down and go back into the nest. Hornets don't give up either. I have seen enough Mutual of Omaha's Animal Kingdom to know that you get enough hornets on you, and they can really put a screeching halt to your "Change".

The Man With The Power

Learned this morning of the FBI arresting members of a religious militia called the Hutaree. I am relieved that these people are being exposed. It is good to see that the FBI was able to stop them before somebody got hurt or killed. Sadly I wonder how many more groups like them that are out there. Don't get me wrong, I do believe in gun rights. In fact I agree with some people that think gun control means using both hands and taking careful aim, however, people like these Hutaree are just plain crazy.

Their big mistake was resorting to plans to use guns as a means to protect their concerns. They should have done what the Black Panthers did to the voters at one the the Philadelphia voting places on November 4, 2008. They should have walked around shouting verbal intimidation and sporting a night stick. Of course the naughty men involved in that incident did get into a little bit of trouble. Since it was only just the national election for our President, the nation's Attorney General Eric Holder had their case dropped. I am sure that if those men had bothered to even show up for their own hearing they would have been sternly scolded.

They could also just beat people up like the two huge SEIU members did to a 130 lb. diabetic and recovering leukemia patient Kenneth Gladney in St. Louis on August 6, 2008 at a SEIU meeting. That was a bit more serious and thanks to the carefully calculated punches of the SEIU members, Mr. Gladney did not die. I am sure he will think twice before he voices his views again. AG Eric Holder to the rescue again. Yep, no charges or convictions.

SEIU leader Andy Stern likes to say that the Union will try to "Use the power of persuasion, and if that does not work they will use the persuasion of power". Andy Stern's high ethical standards will serve him well since he was recently appointed to Obama's Debt Panel. I am not sure what he would actually do, but I could see him playing the role of the enforcer that collects for loan sharks. Pay up or else.

All I have to say about that is this:

"You remind me of the man with the power"
"What power?"
"You do"
Who do?"
"Remind me of the man with the power"

We are being swept away in a growing power struggle. This country is so divided right now. The Attorney General Eric Holder needs to apply the law equally to everybody or trust in the process will weaken. We have had decades of government law and education promoting tolerance and I don't see a balanced enforcement of it right now. Maybe AG Holder read George Orwell's book "Animal Farm" and is using it as his playbook. Especially the part that said "All animals are equal,but some animals are more equal than others".

National Health Care Is What God Wants: Oh Really?

I don't know much about football but I have often heard of the Hail Mary Pass referred to as a desperate act. When I began hearing high profile advocates of Obama's Health Care Reform proclaiming it as "what God wants", I couldn't help but think of that football phrase. Why would they even resort to that? Does anybody believe that any one of those politicians really cares what God wants? Who's God are they referring to? From what holy text do they base their statement upon?

I am no expert on the Bible but there is a lot of things we are not suppose to do in that book. Where are amendments to the Health Care Reform bill outlawing those as well? In fact with almost any politically sensitive issue that involves "christian morals", the argument is usually a self righteous and one sided view. I have yet to see Christians throwing out their TV sets and cancelling their cable or satellite services due to all the immoral programs churning out of the entertainment industry.

Following their logic I guess God wants the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, the bribes, the threats and by all means he wanted Stupak to sell his vote for that nifty airport. His vote represented the moderate Democrats stand on pro-life. What does it mean now? I'll tell you. Never mind all those unborn babies, we can always make more. I'm not saying life under Obama's Health Care plan is cheap, heck, look how much money the other states are going to pay for all these sweet deals.

Trust the Process

The President signs the new health care bill into "law" today. I am watching him speak in a room full of smiling and cheering supporters. Elsewhere in the real world the feelings might not be so jubilant. Most Americans did not really want this specific legislation passed although the consensus was that reform was needed, just not this drastic. I don't think it is a misrepresentation to say that for every cheer and smile in that room there is a groan and frown elsewhere. For every proclamation of sunshine and roses there is a moan of doom and despair. I pray for those that feel the most anger and grief over this turn of events to trust the process.

Trust that you are not alone in your feelings and there is a process in place where the Constitutionality of this legislation will be challenged. Trust that the people that passed this bill will be held accountable at the very least in the voting booth. Trust in your fellow Americans. We can get through this. Encourage each other to refrain from vicious verbal attacks or acts of violence. I mention violence because I remember how angry the public was against the government at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing. Let me remind you that the anger then was no where near as hot as it is presently.

Its not just that I am unhappy with this legislation, but I am genuinely concerned for the safety of those that are behind it. So I am especially troubled fearing that some unbalanced person is going to try a Timothy McVeigh. We must remain united as Americans even if we disagree with this legislation to affirm our abhorrance of violence and reaffirm our belief in each other, the process and for those inclined to do so, pray.