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Obama: GOP scapegoat of the year

February 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 Obama has just been voted “Scapegoat of the Year.”

Or at least he should be.

What would you do if you gave a speech at your company, and then people started calling for your termination?

  • Reverse your statements? Too late; that would make you look like a liar.
  • Blame someone else in the room? That would also remove possible supporters from your side as well, and if you’re about to lose your job, you need all the friends you can get.
  • Take the heat and defend your position, enlightening your detractors with all the reason and forethought you put into your speech? Pretty risky, what if it didn’t work?
  • Distract everyone by focusing on something bigger?
  1.      The war on Terror, that always worked for Bush(s). Nope, Obama has that one under control; it’s always best not give your adversary cudos.
  2.      Obamacare? Nope, the nation has had it with us complaining about that, not to mention it probably wouldn’t be prudent to bring up the reason we closed the government down and took a beating in our approval ratings.
  3.      Abortion? No, that will just further anger women.
  4.      Social Security? Ditto, for the elderly.
  5.      Foodstamps? Nope, we just took some money away from that for our budget deal. Best to keep a low profile on that one.
  6.      Taxes? Again, best not bring up the current resentment towards our wealthy constituents.
  7.      Blame the immigrants? That usually works. . .
  8.      Blame the competition? Even better! It insults no one in the room and reinforces allegiances against a common adversary.

Sound familiar?

That is the strategy Rep. Boehner used after he announced the GOP principles on immigration reform, and got a lot of flack. After their retreat in Maryland last week, many Republicans rejected the House leadership’s one-page “standards for immigration reform.” 

Others within the GOP said that, with trends going their way as midterm elections approach, it was a bad time to take on a number of contentious issues.

The conservative activist L. Brent Bozell called for the entire House Republican leadership to be replaced. His group, ForAmerica, blitzed the speaker’s office with thousands of phone calls to jam the lines and protest his stance on immigration this past wednesday.

Representative Raúl Labrador of Idaho, an early negotiator on the issue and now a fierce opponent, told the newspaper, The Hill, that an immigration push by Mr. Boehner this year “should cost him his speakership.”

So Boehner, thinking his goose is cooked, comes out a week after outlining the Republican principles for immigration reform and says:

“There’s widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws,”

and he further stated,

“ it’s going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes.”

Good one!

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, commented further about the whole Republican organization:

“That caucus he has is really unusual,”

Mr. Reid said of House Republicans.

“They went down and did this salute to how good they were last week at their retreat. They outlined principles of immigration. I guess today they decided they have no principles as it relates to immigration.”

That’s what happens when the opposition doesn’t appreciate getting blamed for your B.S.

Filed Under: Ethics, Immigration Debate, Immigration News, Immigration reform, Politicians, The US Immigration Debacle

Former Sec. of State Colin Powell- Immigration Hero!

February 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is this week’s immigration hero.

Such an esteemed Republican, Colin Powell was secretary of state under George W Bush. He has stood up recently to declare that immigration reform needs to be done now, and not put off to some day in the future. Regarding immigration reform:

“If not now, when? We keep putting it off,”

We need more people like this in our government to help solve our country’s problems.

Filed Under: Immigration Debate, Immigration reform, US Immigration HERO

California State Trust Act- making our communities safer

February 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The California Trust Act that Gov Jerry Brown signed into effect in May 2013 is having a very positive response from law enforcement.

Monterey County Sheriff Scott Miller and Salinas police Chief Kelly McMillin are stating publicly their intention to opt out of any detentions and arrests based solely on a person’s immigration status, whether known or unknown.

So why would such high ranking law enforcement officers take such a stand? For many reasons:

  • It makes our jails less crowded.
  • It makes the judges calendars less crowded, affording them to take more time and consideration when reviewing cases, reducing errors in sentencing due to rapid pace hearings.
  • It enables law enforcement to focus on solving crimes rather than assisting ICE in doing their jobs.
  • It helps immigrants trust law enforcement, not having to fear getting deported just for reporting a crime.
  • Increases in crime reporting reduces actual crime numbers by letting would-be criminals they are not just going to be given a blank check to do whatever they want without fear of justice.
  • It keeps more bad guys off the street by apprehending more criminals instead of undocumented immigrants.
  • IT makes our neighborhoods safer.

When all is said and done, having law enforcement focusing on law enforcement instead of spending much of their time on immigration enforcement, helps our communities where we really need it.

Filed Under: immigrants, Immigration Debate, Immigration News, Immigration reform, Laws

The Republican gift that keeps on giving

February 7, 2014 by 2 Comments

Republicans refusing to discuss immigration reform is the gift that keeps on giving. The Wall street journal, a conservative publication itself, ripped the Republicans for promising an immigration compromise, and then promptly denying its even possible.

I don’t know what the fuss is all about. I’ve been saying the Republicans feign interest in immigration reform when they need to, but then retreat to ultra-conservative party lines when the rubber actually meets the road.

In standard Orwellian fashion, the Republicans have shot themselves in the foot again, this time not even waiting until the end of the term to announce that immigration reform will not happen this year. That shows America they planned to sit on this issue, no matter how much it divides the country, until they think they can get it done the way they want it to get done. The old Republican refusal to negotiate stands as true today as it ever has.

Gridlock in Congress? The Republicans may well try to blame the Democrats, but I don’t thing they’re fooling anyone. How can anyone buy the “we refuse to negotiate and it’s the Democrats fault” excuse? Do the Republicans really think we’re that stupid?

I try to be impartial about politics in general. I don’t really care one way or another about Democrats or Republicans–Neither of them can seem to get anything done. What I do care about is what is being said, who is saying it, and how does that affect my family, and millions of other Americans like me, when it comes to keeping us all together. If the Democrats, or Peace and Freedom party, or the Green party, or anyone else, were pulling all this refusal to fix this system crap, I’d be angry at them. It just so happens that the majority of the stalemate in Washington, at least when it comes to the immigration fiasco, has Republican fingerprints all over it.

 

Filed Under: Immigration Debate, Politicians, Politics, Republicans

Plan A- Equality

January 27, 2014 by 2 Comments

There has been a lot of talk about what needs to be in our upcoming immigration bill. I have been debating this issue for a couple of years now and see that a sixth imperative needs to be added in order for any new immigration legislation to be truly successful.

Equality.

Without Equality an immigrant will find this whole process less than fulfilling and almost certainly harmful.  If they are not 100% a part of our community, an immigrant will have no vested interest in helping us succeed. They could go back home at any time and compete against us, or otherwise help another country’s economy. With the recovery from the recent recession taking so long, we need all the help we can get right now getting our country back on track. We need more people creating jobs and providing affordable services.

Every US citizen needs to be equal in the eyes of the law and our government.

taxation_without_representationIf there is a sub-class of citizen who lives among us, works with us and pays their fair share of taxes, but who cannot vote or otherwise fully participate in their destiny, we will have failed to give all of our citizens equal access to the American Dream. If they can’t vote, they would be vulnerable to be treated like second class citizens by our government, police, and other institutions and groups of our society. If we have learned nothing else from our civil rights era, we should have at least learned this.

no_taxation_without_representation_mousepad-p144410742047262307envq7_400Taxation without representation was one of the precursors to our struggle for independence from England. If not being able to control our own destiny was a good enough reason to rebel against an oppressive government and seek our own self-determined solution, then why would we subjugate a portion of our society to suffer that same fate? This would be about as un-American an act as we could possibly inflict against a part of our society.

In order to appease the more conservative among us, if we accepted someone into our society and they committed some horrible act that warranted their expulsion, we should also have the right to revoke their citizenship and deport them, never allowing them to return. This should be the only difference between someone born on American soil, and someone adopted into our family. This would prevent them from becoming a disenfranchised part of our community, as well as protect us from someone who would do us great harm.

1115Q_CIVILhousing1_35p Equality should be the number one goal for all of our society. There are those among us today who are fighting for this very freedom and it should shame us to no end that we continue to allow this type of behavior to endure. A hundred years after the civil war gave slaves their freedom, African-Americans still had to fight for equality. Many still struggle today.

 

 

National_Association_Against_Woman_SuffrageAlmost a hundred years after women won the right to vote, they still fight to gain equal footing with men in many areas.  The rights for Gay men and women are being fought today and there is little sign that this will end any time soon. Dare we add another group of  Americans to this sad list of  persecuted and under-represented citizens?

What will it take for us to treat each other with dignity and respect, and become a truly civilized society?

Next week- Conclusion

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Filed Under: Equality, Immigration Debate, Immigration reform, Plan A

Rep. Luis Gutierrez A real leader

October 4, 2013 by 1 Comment

Luis GutierrezRep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.,

He was part of a bipartisan working group of House lawmakers working on reform legislation before its Republican members left. He says that although Syria and the government shutdown “knocked immigration reform off the front page in English language papers,” the issue is still leading the news in Spanish-language media.

“Republican leadership has apparently walked away from reform and is putting all its energy into denying health care to people,” Gutierrez said, referencing the House GOP’s push to repeal Obamacare, which they’ve attached to the stalemated spending bill.

Gutierrez also added that soon, headlines of the Obama administration’s 2 millionth deportation would hit the news, pressuring the president to again renew his focus on reform. 

Rep. Luis Gutierrez is also the founding father of the DREAM ACT and has been working tirelessly to educate the Senate as to the dire situation todays immigrants, as well as millions of American families face today.

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Filed Under: DREAM Act, Immigration Debate, US Immigration HERO

Steve King Advocate for no change

October 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Steve KingSteve King has promised to vote no on any immigration bill that comes to the House of Representatives. He says he is also bringing a bunch of other Republicans with him.

Didn’t he learn anything from Mitt Romney’s defeat?

He says he has organized a small but growing number of conservatives who are committed to voting against any House immigration bill—no matter what it says—because they fear that the Senate will inevitably find a way to add “amnesty” to the equation.

King doesn’t tell us how many members he’s got on board. Some insiders say it’s somewhere between 20 and 70 members. Even at the low end of that range, it’s enough to prevent any Republican-led immigration bill from passing.

It is thinking like this that has perpetuated a dysfunctional immigration system for over fifty years.

This is one politician we don’t need next term.

Filed Under: Immigration Debate, Politicians, Republicans

US Immigration Reform Plan A

October 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

 

If we don’t want the House of Representatives to hijack our immigration reform efforts, we need to tell them what we want. Right now they are taking it upon themselves to tell us what they are going to give us, irregardless of how adversely it affects our country. Every credible study that has ever been done regarding our country and its immigrants has shown that they are a valuable part of our society and indeed, have made us the great nation we are today. The Republicans are the only ones saying otherwise.

Stand up and let them know you will not be beaten into submission. Read this ebook and join the conversation.

Click Here to download the free ebook

Filed Under: Free eBooks, Immigration Debate, Plan A

US Immigration Reform PLAN A Conclusion

October 3, 2013 by 2 Comments

Before we finish there needs to be something addressed here that is not in the US Immigration Reform PLAN A ideology.

Some of the conservatives in the audience will notice there is no mention of border security in this bill. There are two very sound reasons for this:

1)   The border is more secure now than at any time in our history. More resources, money and manpower have been shifted to the border than during any other time in our history. As a result of our extensive efforts to stop people at the border, we are apprehending a record low level of  people not seen since 1971.  People crying about securing the border before working on any new immigration bill are really just stalling. No border in the history of the world has ever been 100% secure, and our border with Mexico has never been more secure than it is right now.

2)   When you focus on compliance and making it easy and financially accessible and ultimately highly beneficial for everyone to participate, the need for prevention will be greatly reduced. As compliance passes 80% the need for our current border forces will also be reduced, and the remaining force’s day to day activities will shift to rounding up drug runners and criminals, as all those who have nothing to hide will rather do things the easy, inexpensive, legal way. Catching fewer people should be easier than trying to stem the tide of a million immigrants a year, so our border security should even increase, while we reduce our expenses and shift our resources where they will be needed most.

If we begin here, we can begin to create a program that is good for the both the US, and the immigrant, is weighted more towards benefiting us, can be easily (relatively speaking) setup and maintained, won’t cost us anything, and quite possibly help us monetize and protect a resource of income, spending, and taxes, as well as protect and nourish a great part of our communities and culture.  With the emerging markets producing vastly more competition around the world, we could use all the help we can get. Immigrants of all kinds are needed to keep us leading the world in engineering, innovation, economy, and quality of life.

     Lastly,

The only thing I loathe more than censorship is hateful comments that contribute nothing to the conversation. The only comments that will be removed are the hateful, non-helpful ones, (trolls) and people who love to post the same comment over and over and over and over and over. . .

Please remember, any jerk can complain, and most usually do, but only those who genuinely care about helping, will offer suggestions as to how to make something better.

We need to hurry. Congress could surprise us and come up with something sooner than later. If that happens, the compromises that inevitably will find their way into the bill will likely cripple it, and hinder any future progress we might otherwise enjoy.

So tell me, do you have confidence in our government to put forth a well thought out, truly beneficial and successful bill that will propel our country forward for years to come?

Join the conversation now, before we have to suffer through what congress manages to cobble together, for the next thirty years.

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Filed Under: Immigration Debate, Immigration reform, Laws, New Post, Plan A, Republicans

US Immigration Reform PLAN A Taxable

October 3, 2013 by 4 Comments

I want you to pay your taxesTaxable is a great way for this program to pay for itself.

There needs to be a way for our immigration system to be able to be self-supporting. Sure, the immigrants will add value to our society by purchasing goods and filling jobs, but we need to be able to set up systems that will ensure both the immigrants and US citizens are taken care of. Think of it as an “immigrant work tax” program.

Being able to track and tax the income of all people within our borders is very important, citizen or not. Today there is a shadow society of people who do not pay income taxes, or those that do cannot reap the benefits for which they are being taxed. Both situations need to be addressed if we want our new immigration policy to be effective.

The new immigrant work tax should be above and beyond what citizens are required to pay. Immigrants who are not citizens may have needs that US citizens do not, such as legal services, court fees, incarceration costs and deportation costs. The fees for participation should cover the expenses to administer this program, see to it that every immigrant inside our borders complies, and to fund the system that deals with the people who refuse to participate. Our new immigration program should not be a burden on our society.

The normal taxes collected by the IRS should go to the same programs that US citizens fund with their taxes, as well as unemployment and disability insurance. In order to attract and retain great workers, we need to show our possible future citizens what it’s like to be a US citizen. Having the same programs in place for immigrants, as citizens, will also help us keep things simple and affordable.

This same program should also have the same requirements for immigrants to join health care programs for obvious health and financial reasons. Ensuring compliance with all of the programs an immigrant is expected to participate in is an expense in and of itself and should be funded the immigrants themselves.

Finally, what would welcoming new people into our country without equality?

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Filed Under: Immigration Debate, Immigration reform, New Post, Plan A, Taxes
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