I watched an HBO special last night called "Right America" it was quite an insight on the beliefs and reasons as to why certain people especially from the south didn't vote correctly on Nov. 4th (namley voted republican) here are some of the reasons given.
1) He's not a man of God he believes in murder. And will ellect all new supreme court judges to support him.
(obviosly the "God Squad" that don't believe in "free will" and dosen't know how the judical system works)
2) I don't like the fact that our taxes are going to go up.
(this was a school teacher, she must be REALLY rich or just watches fox news)
3) He's not an American, he's going to be sworn in using the Qur'an and since those were Muslims that attacked us on 9/11 I think he's in bed with terrorists.
(I think everyone in the south should be sent a version of the Constitution, then when they get past 3rd grade be made to read it, especially the part about only a natural born citizen can become president!)
4) America isn't ready for a black president.
(notably these were NAS-CAR enthusiasts that think going in circles really fast is cool and they also wanted to repeel the woman's right to vote, nuff said)
5) He'll turn this country Socialist just like Hitler and Marx did to Europe!
(What the ...... BLEEP!)
At this point my interest then laughter turned into utter shock. First, Hitler was a fascist and Marx was a communist, which by the way wasn't even living at the world war two stage, I think the name they were grasping for was Stalin! That would be about as far left and far right as you could politically get. Second, The "Evil" word of "Socialism", thanks to the republicans most people in the US think it means communism, it dosen't, it just means "ecconomic equality".
We have a socialist police force & fire service because it's considered good for everyone, why not a socialist health care system. Basic human rights should be covered by the government, my favorite quote, "A government FOR the people BY the people" should include taking CARE of the people.
Now i'm not saying that ALL socialist things are good, we don't need ALL electric power handled by the government but an option might lower some electric bills and maybe water and gas as an option. It would sure stop some summer price hikes when your air is running or winter gas hikes when you need to be warm. Just a thought.
Back to healthcare, my sister-in-law is a republican and my wife and I democrat, last year my wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, it took the administration more than two hours to get her to her room and most of that time was filling out paperwork and waiting around for return phone calls from our insurance provider. I asked my sister-in-law, "wouldn't you like to see a free health care system?", she said, "Hell no we have much better healthcare than other countries", lets see. My cousin in England is doctor, i asked him how long it takes, he sent me the form needed to enter an NHS (National Heath Service) hospital.
Name: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date of Birth: xxxxxxxxxxx
NIN: xxxxxxxxxxxxx (stands for National Insurance Number, same as SSN)
Ok, the Dr will be right with you, that's it, done, no phone calls, not more waiting, off to your room.
Everything is on a central database (which no-one has ever hacked by the way, just like a bank, totally secure)
My wife has had her opperation and is now on her chemo and her radiation ($3000 per session, total with insuance $36,000, our insurance paid thank god, total in England $0) She's now taking four perscription drugs everyday one of them costs $105 per pill, thankfully the insuance covers them. I told my cousin what the medication was and he told me, "it doesn't matter what the drug is it's $10.00 per perscription". I asked him what about the $105 pill what if she need 30 of them, he said, "$10.00 per perscription no matter what, 10 pills, 100 pills same price".
"The taxes must be really high to have such a socalist healthcare system?"
5% extra tax and everyone is covered, not even perscription charges for children under 16 and people over 65, they pay nothing at all. I can hear people saying "5%" that's a huge chunk of my money, is it? is it really? think about it, if your employed you pay for a medical plan, A chunk comes out of your pay check each month and your employer pays the difference. Look at your pay stub next time you get paid and calculate how much your paying, it's about on average 2% of your income and your boss foots another 5%, that's 7%, 2% more than what you would pay, 1% on your side plus your employer could pay you more as they save money by not having to insure you!
Just do the math, if you paid a little more your employer could save money and maybe not offshore your job!
Unemployed people pay nothing, small business people get a tax rebate.
I lived and was born in England for more than 30 years, I think the longest i waited was about an hour without an appointment. As for long waiting lists, not true, if you have elective surgery then sure you might need to wait a while but for serious medical needs your seen right away, do Americans really think a heart attack victim has to wait a month before he gets treated?
Don't get me wrong I love this country and England is far from perfect, England is rated 18th best in the world for healthcare but America is listed at 37th?
Most Americans couldn't name 36 countries, Africa isn't a country by the way and neither is Europe:-)
Are we as Americans really sure we wouldn't want to have some free healthcare, sooner or later everyone gets sick, do you want to have to sell your house to pay for it?
Back to the five questions I heard above, one thing sticks out more than anything I heard, dis-information & lies. Any well educated person knows that there are two parties, not people but parties, there was Bush and then McCain, just because McCain is a likable fellow does not mean he thinks different, his "Party", is the same. Most of the people interviewed didn't like Bush alot but thought McCain could be trusted. Now i'm no magical wizz on politics but isn't republican being replaced by republican the same policy? Education, Education, Education. It's not the man/woman it's the policy then the person. If Joe the Plummer was running and won the nomination for the democrates I'd still vote democrat. I must admit though voting for someone that came from nothing make me tingle a little, least he knows how many houses he owns (the words silver & spoon spring to mind for McCain and wife).
A very smart man by the name of "Tony Benn" once said a very profound statment and it's happening right now in America, he said. "There are only two ways to control the people if your in government, fear and lack of education, scare the people and they will let you do anything even if it infringes on there civil liberties. Don't educate the people so they believe what you say"
Think about it, wire taps, getmo, people not knowing the facts, people not asking questions, people looking for WMD, wars started, terror, terror, terror. and the last thing the republicans wanted removed from the stimulus package, less on education. We have become a nation of sheep looking for a leader I hope we have found one, the fat cats in washington have raped this country enough, the private companies have transfered the public funds via a war not needed, American lives have been wasted in the name of corperate greed and the world has become more unstable than ever. Unless we realise that our government is broken we can never fix it. The french did just that several hundred years ago now they are ranked number one in human rights including healthcare. There government is afriad of it's people, Americans seem afriad of it's politicians. I hope we have the right person, I personally think so but like i said the fat cats want to keep there wealth, it's going to be hard to take it from them.
The Power is Yours.
...Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com
While campaigning before the election, I found in speaking with many fellow Americans that each had handfuls of reasons to vote for Barack Obama. Some had two or three major reasons to vote for him, while a few just did not like the condition of the economy or the Iraq war. By far the majority of Democrats had many reasons to vote for Obama; the number of people who were well versed on the many issues that Obama stood for surprised me. Nice to see how well educated the public became about the election and the candidates. It was a great election!Most Conservatives that I discussed the election choices with had a couple of common interests - 1) most had a fear of change and 2) self-preservation of greed, as their primary concerns. Although they did not initially express it in those terms, that is what further relaxed conversations revealed. In letting those to the right speak their minds, without worry of objection, they soon direct the conversation to money and their strong desires to control others/society by its use.
Many traditional Repulicans were embarrassed by Palin, some voted for Obama as a result. Shockingly, a few actually rallied for Palin; when asked why, their answers were often as empty as Palin's head. I think of those as 'Blind Followers' or 'Followers of Followers', people without substance. Some actually thought of it as a beauty contest, rather than taking the seriousness of her being a potential President in an emergency, shallow. You will enjoy my other blog that is light hearted titled: 'What is Palin?' Or, read my more serious blog: 'Libertarianism, a driving force at the top of the Republican Party'.
OLD APHORISMS THAT CHANGED IN THE LAST 8 YEARS
A few cliches seem to have taken a turn for the worse over the recent past, and have become more pretentious. Keep in mind, the majority of people use the first cliche in sincere and good meaning. The second never was very good, although some conservatives actually live by it. Below are just two which a few people have given new twists to in meaning:
'I give back to the community' - Well, if they didn't grab it so greedily in the first place, there wouldn't be such a need for them to give small token drops of it back. They think giving back makes them ‘absolved of their sins’. 'America, love it or leave it' - In looking at what the wealthiest and most conservative have done, we see some are actually leaving America. First we see a couple of decades back that many major portions of corporations have moved overseas, to now seeing billionaires grab their stashes and actually move completely to other countries. While others (pretending to be Democrats) have taken on second citizenship’s / bank accounts and remote fat legged residences for themselves. They hide from their realities and surround themselves with other fakes of the like, catered to in pretentious princess like surroundings, socially stuffing themselves with cerebral bon-bons and cream puffs.
I initially noticed those mentalities in my younger years as I describe further in my post titled “The Auto Industry, a few of my experiences”.
My husband and I are wealthy. We are not in that infamous 1%, but we live well off dividend income. But we don't vote Republican because it doesn't matter that our taxes have been lowered when we see the whole world crumbling around us. We both come from middle class roots and understand that without a strong middle class, Democracy cannot survive. The Republican stewardship of this country in the past two decades (remembering that Clinton was a centrist and worked across the isle) has brought us a jobless workforce, people losing their homes in droves, a less educated population than ever before, unjustified war with its inherant death and destruction in foreign lands, unmanaged natural disasters here at home, unaffordable health care, and financial markets in the tank. On top of all that, we are told that we are a nation of whiners.
We have voted for Democrats for years because we've seen this coming. Deregulation is a travesty. So is obsessive privatization of the commons. Free markets don't exist anyway in a world where banks and energy markets are "too big to fail,' and must be subsidized and bailed out when greed overtakes them in order to keep the economy from crumbling. We've had income redistribution for years - income flowing out of middle class pockets into the hoarding pockets of the uber-rich. Is anyone not yet clear that there IS NO trickle down? Instead we have frozen credit, frozen capital, middle class families living on the edge and losing ground daily. We hand the greedy bankers $250 bn in taxpayer money to fix their massive oopsie, and what did they do with it? Instead of making credit available, they used the money to pay off the exiting CEOs and do mergers. And what do the American people get for our investment? An admission form Alan Greenspan that he's "shocked, shocked that greed would see no limits.
Now we see that we have been awaiting Barack Obama for a long time. We believe he will truly make the difference this country has needed for decades. I think Al Gore would have made a difference, but we know what stopped him. John Kerry? Who knows. I hope Obama will take seriously his mandate to develop a new energy infrastructure, keep people in their homes and overhaul health care. Regulate, baby regulate!
We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union....
Over the last 8 years, middle-income Americans have worked hard, paid their taxes, saved and invested as advised. As it turns out, middle-income Americans did not get wealthy but instead found that all of their hard-earned savings, hard work and taxes went to help make the wealthy wealthier. We no longer have a perfect union. The union is unbalanced with the rich getting richer and middle-income Americans getting poorer. After the last 8 years of Bush in the White House, middle -income Americans learned that their wealth benefited the rich. The wealth was spread around but not back to miiddle -income Americans!
Now, when Barack Obama says he wants to spread the wealth around, McCain criticizes Obama for being a socialist. Obama means it is time for middle-income Americans get tax breaks etc., McCain wants you to believe that this means higher taxes and that you will be losing money and losing your wealth.
Let's be clear about McCain and his plan. Middle-income Americans have seen their wealth disappear because corporations and CEO's were greedy and got richer ( a form of corporate welfare). It's middle-income Americans who have shared their wealth by paying their taxes and working hard. The rich have found tax loop-holes or have received huge bonuses and golden parachutes as CEO's. The rich encouraged Americans to borrow on credit, buy big houses, invest in the stock market and spend. When we did , banks raised our interest rates, foreclosed on our homes and wreaked havoc with our savings. Who benefited? It was the big corporations and the wealthy. Certainly, not middle-income Americans.
McCain wants to make middle-Americans think that there is something wrong with Obama's idea of a tax break for 95% of Americans. What is wrong with this? Nothing! It is only fair!
Has our country done any better since Bush and McCain took our country's surplus budget/wealth and gave it to the rich and to corporations, through tax loop holes, money given to special interest groups, deregulation that created the current financial mess, earmarks to state's like Alaska,money for the war, etc.? The answer is no! We have not done better! Bush and McCain have already spread most Americans' wealth around. Things are worse! McCain needs to only look at his own party to see how the wealth was spread around- widely spread around to only the rich!
It is time for middle-income Americans to get their money back! It is not socialism! It is only fair! Don't let the republicans divide us again into the various camps - rural , urban , white, black , latino, small businesses, senior citizens, women, middle and poor income families and children camp and manipulate us into fighting against each other. We have all suffered! The only group that has not suffered is the 5% of wealthy Americans whose greed has created one of the biggest financial problems we have ever faced.
What McCain doesn't want you to know is that our problems are about classism. It is about the haves and the have-nots. Americans are tired of the trickle down theory. The wealthy have not allowed any of their wealth to trickle down to us. So now it is time for us to come up with a new strategy of our own. We need the tax cuts that Obama has suggested. We need Obama in the White House. We need someone in the White House who understands our needs.
Don't let Mccain's rhetoric about socialism fool you. First of all, there is nothing wrong with socialism or some form of it. It works in other countries where families have health insurance and jobs. What do Americans have today?
Americans believe in capitalism and Obama also believes in capitalism. If he didn't then he could have suggested that the recent bailout of $700,000,000 be divided and given to every person 18 years old and older. Just think, we could have received thousands of dollars. Obama did not suggest that.
McCain has a trillion dollar spending plan but it benefits spreading the wealth around to the wealthy! Don't be fooled by the " I am Joe Plumber" ads. For a presidential candidate who owns 7 houses and is married to a wealthy woman, the only way McCain has spread his wealth around is to get more houses for himself.
Does McCain really understand your needs or mine? Does McCain understand the needs of the average plumber and the average teacher? Does McCain really undertand how Americans feel about losing their homes? Does he really understand how upset we are about our role in Iraq and the money spent on a war instead of on helping families? Does McCain understand how we feel about the lost jobs and our savings etc? Like Bush, McCain wants to hand us a piece of candy ( small tax break break or another $300 stimulus check) instead oObama wants to give us an opportunity to get a huge piece of the American pie by enacting his economic plan. In addition Obama challenges us to not only think about ourselves but to think about helping others. He challenges us to be better than our circumstances.
McCain really doesn't understand the people of Pennsylvania and the rest of the country. He may be using the slogan and meeting people around the country who identify themselves as Joe the plumber; but McCain is not living the life of Joe the Plumber. We are. The only person who truly understands what is happening to us is Obama.
Let's not lose focus! The Republicans also want to spread the wealth around. They just want to spread it around and back to the wealthy individuals and corporations who control it today! Do we really want to see this happen? Have we not learned anything over the last 8 years? Have we not learned from mistakes made by Bush and McCain over the last 8 years? Do we really want Medicare and Social Security privatized and lose benefits in the same way we are losing our savings today?
Please this is the time for true clarity. This is the time to make a statement and say "not again" and "not this time!".
Please vote for Obama!
Make a plan before election day - November 4, 2008
Please plan to get out and vote. What time are you planning to get to the polls? Set a time! Get the facts about your polling place and procedures. Go to votespa.com for details. Be prepared. Bring identification and/or proof of address. Be prepareed to take numbers of agencies, representatives or associations who can help you if you do have trouble voting.
Any problems at the polls? Contact the supervisor on duty, local representative, commissioners or the appropriate agancies who handle complaints before you ask for a provisional ballot. Take note of any problems with your vote. We have heard that some provisional ballots are tossed without getting counted. However, you are entitled to fill out a provisional ballot if you need to do so.
When you vote, please take your time and pay attention to the lever or button pushed.
Do not wear any Obama gear. We have heard that some people were prevented from voting in past elections because they were partisan gear that some felt possibly influencing voters by the having the canidate's buttons, tee shirts and hats on. If you want to wear Obama gear, just make sure it is concealed before you get to the polling place.
Please vote for Obama. Make sure that your vote is counted. If you think it wasn't, talk to the person in charge and let others know if you suspect a problem.
What else can you do? Make phone calls to encourage people to vote for Obama. Help others get to the polls. Offer to escort (walk or drive) another person to the polls. Volunteer to answer or make phone calls on election day. Donate food and water to the Obama offices to help nourish people who are working hard in the offices or are out on the street helping people get to the polls.
Stay positive but take nothing for granted. This election is one of the most important in our nation's history and each one of us can make a difference! This is the election, that when Obama is elected, will bring us closer to a more perfect union!
I believe! Do you? If you believe, vote for Obama!
One more point.
McCain says he doesn't think any foreign country will test him or his policies if he becomes president. McCain is not preparing himself. President Bush, Kennedy and others were tested as soon as they took office. I am sure that McCain will be tested. The question to ask ourselves is," do we really want either McCain or Palin to take the test?"
DEMOCRAT BY NECESSITY
I'm in total support for electing Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I've already voted for them at my home in Illinois. There is an open seat in my Congressional district (17th Illinois) and I've donated to and am working for Colleen Callahan, the Democratic contender for this office. I donated money to Elwin Tinklenberg in Minnesota after I heard the divisive bile spewed by his Republican opponent, Michelle Bachman.
My god! I've become a Democrat!
I've thought of myself as a non-partisan patriot in the past, but I now realize that with the archaic Electoral College system in place, we have a two-party system in the U.S. Third party candidates can virtually never be viable until we elect the President by popular vote. I doubt that I'll live to see that, even if it eventually happens.
SPREAD THE PROSPERITY NOT WEALTH
I heard Barack respond to "Joe the Partisan Shill" the other day and he used the term "spread the wealth around". This remark was twisted into 're-distribute the wealth' (which is what the Bailout did, what Social Security does, what taxes of any sort do), but the context of the conversation was really that Barack is in favor of 'spreading the prosperity' and seeing that everyone gets some piece of the pie. As it is, we are a social democracy and we don't agree that people should starve because they have been hurt by tough economic times.
"A return to prosperity" for all Americans. Does anyone really oppose that?
More about this later.
plu'to·crat' (plōō'tə-krāt') n., One who exercises power by virtue of wealth. A member of the plutocracy.plu·toc·ra·cy (plōō-tŏk'rə-sē) n., 1. Government by the wealthy. 2. A wealthy class that controls a government. 3. A government or state in which the wealthy rule.A new study has been released that dispels the myth that Republicans are friends of Joe the Plumber or any other Joes or Janes. Since the year 2000, the gap is not only growing between the rich and the poor, but the gap is also growing between the rich and the middle-class. When adjusted for inflation, the median household income of the average Joe out there is lower today than it was in the year 2000. In the year 2000, 57% of companies with fewer than 10 employees offered health benefits. Today, only 45% of those same-sized companies do so.
See the details of the study below
John McCain has latched onto the idea of "spreading the wealth" as the worst possible thing for America. What he and his supporters don't realize:
1. The tax code is based on the idea of redistribution of wealth. We have a "progressive tax plan" in the IRS code: Folks with higher incomes pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than people with lower incomes. For people in the lowest income classes, there is no tax at all. Thus, those who are taxed are paying for the government services that everyone enjoys, whether they pay taxes or not.
2. The IRS tax code includes an "earned income credit." For working people, with or without children, who have a very low earned income, the IRS sends them a refund that is more than their federal tax withholding, even if their withholding is zero. This is also known as a "negative" income tax. For working parents with two children who make about $20,000, that federal subsidy is in the $3000 or more range. People get a refund without paying in, and this is, clearly, a redistribution of wealth.
3. The McCain supporters who boo when he mentions the redistribution of wealth don't realize that they are the ones who would benefit by having a tax cut while taxing the highest classes a little bit more. (A little bit of a lot is still a lot....so the Wall Street CEOs who are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars a year may pay a few million more in taxes...which goes a long way.)
4. John McCain actually wants to redistribute wealth to the wealthiest Americans: his tax plan benefits the super rich more than anyone else.
5. Barack Obama believes that we need to redistribute wealth to those who need it...spreading the wealth around is good for everyone. It is baffling that the McCain campaign sees this as a bad thing. But, if you look closely, Barack (God bless him), also wants to spread the wealth around from the rich nations to poorer nations. Barack recognizes that the wealth of the rich is made on the backs of the poor.
So, don't be too afraid of supporting the idea of spreading the wealth around. We do it already; and it is the right and moral thing to do.
I'm working very hard to make it to the higher income class -- over $250,000, so that I can pay more too.
Republicans believe that Obama's proposals amount to income redistribution. They are right. They also believe that their beloved flat tax is not. They are wrong. The flat tax is also income distribution. Let's assume a 20% tax rate and AROD ($25 million) and say a family of four making $50,000. ARod pays $5,000,000 in taxes and our 50k family pays $10,000. When one person pays $5,000,000 in taxes to benefit another who pays $10,000 that is income redistribution. The only system that would not involve income redistribution is a citizen fee. Each member of your family contributes $10,000 to our government, no more, no less. So AROD pays $10k out of $25 million and our family of four pays $40,000 out of $50,000 or 80% of income in citizen fees.
Now we can see the absurdity of the anti-redistribution proponents. It really should be an argument of a flat tax vs a progressive one. The flat tax is simple, whereas the progressive tax structure offers a break to everyone at lower income levels, including AROD. I for one was glad I was only paying a 15% tax out of college instead of the the 25% rate I pay today. Getting ahead in this world when I had nothing would have been much harder in a flat tax world.
When assets like your homes or your stocks lose value, it is a type of tax. What matters is your purchasing power. Even if the government lowers taxes, especially for the rich, if your holdings lose value, you are not a winner. If paying more government taxes translates into a strong economy in which your asset values and purchasing power rise, then you are going to come out ahead.
The McCaign campain is trying say that Obama's tax proposal amounts to a redistribution of wealth. I wish Senator Obama would say to McCain:
Let's be clear, we're both talking about redistributing wealth. What we're arguing about is which direction.
Under Bush's economic policies the concentration of wealth in this country is unprecedented, bringing about a new gilded age which admittedly has tarnished recently under unchecked greed. McCain has long said he's a de-regulator so we all know that trend would continue under his watch.
It was reported today that Cindy McCain paid over 1 million dollars in federal income taxes (her income was over 4 million dollars).
We have a progressive tax system in this country. That means that, the more you make, the more you pay. Very low income people pay nothing, in fact, the Earned Income Credit, is a "negative income tax" in that people get money without paying anything in.
Middle income people are in a middle tax bracket (15% to 28%), and high income people are in a high bracket (33% or more).
That's the way its been for many years, maybe since the inception of the Internal Revenue Service. In this way, wealth gets spread around.
Now, the Republicans are critical of Barack's comments to Joe the Plumber about spreading the wealth around (as if it is some sort of odious socialism, ignoring the fact that under the Bush administration the federal government has just invested a trillion dollars in insurance and banking businesses).
But the tax code is and always has been one of spreading the wealth around by taxing high income people at a higher rate.
So, thanks, Cindy, for spreading the wealth.
~@~ National Security Debate ~@~
There are many facets which make up National Security and Immigration, I would like to focus on the E-Verify program @ the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security and it's effects on immigrants and refugees.
E-Verify (formerly the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) is an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Participating employers can check the work status of new hires online by comparing information from an employee's I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases. More than 69,000 employers are enrolled in the program, with over 4 million queries run so far in fiscal year 2008.
E-Verify is free and voluntary, and is the best means available for determining employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
~@~
Employment Eligibility Verification and Antidiscrimination Protections
NILC Advocacy and ServicesSince 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) has been dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of low income immigrants and their family members. In the past 20 years, NILC has earned a national reputation as a leading expert on immigration, public benefits, and employment laws affecting immigrants and refugees. Our extensive knowledge of the complex interplay between immigrants' legal status and their rights under U.S. laws is an essential resource for legal aid programs, community groups, and social service agencies across the country.
WHAT WE DOPolicy Analysis & Advocacy.Impact Litigation.Building Coalitions & Capacity.Technical Assistance.Trainings and Conferences.Publications.
NILC's Website.Our website contains NILC memos and analyses, articles from our newsletters indexed by topic, community education materials, and links to key organizational and government web sites.
http://www.nilc.org/immsemplymnt/ircaempverif/
http://www.cato.org/videohighlights/index.php?highlight_id=84
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10X7BO6uvPoFact-checking Glenn Beck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10X7BO6uvPo
Fact-checking Glenn Beck
Immigration of individual human-beings across imaginary borders has occurred throughout mankind's existence. Hunters and Gatherers crosses into competitors fields and farms. Industrious human-beings create commerce opportunities, which in turn demands the employ of a workforce. I believe my description is an example of a basic human right.
This function within any society should not be impeded yet, it must be managed due to National Security concerns. It is obvious that the one requirement necessary to manage such a function is the ability to identify all individuals who are within our National borders. With the advent of technology, this task has become easier. The core problem with implementing such a program so it functions efficiently is cooperation by all parties.
I do not believe the millions of people who cross over our border, under extremely dangerous conditions are all criminals. It's simply the method of least resistance due to the rules for application of entry to our country is impossible for most to comply.
I have advocated that using technology such as an Identification card which can be produced as easily as we obtain our drivers licenses, preferably one-day service which would be valid for a 6-month employment stay could relieve this problem.
This identification card could also be used as the holders Employment ID card at their place of employment. As easily as an ATM card, the user slides it when they are clocking in and again when clocking out at the end of the day. This way, the government can verify constant employment and be alerted if the individual is not complying with the agreement for obtaining the entry card.
Most immigrants come to America to work as seasonal workers, therefore I believe a 6 month time-frame would be an agreement those seeking entry would voluntarily comply with. Cooperation is the key to success.
I believe granting honest, hard-working people the opportunity to purchase this entry card for $183 plus a background check, would relieve much of the problem of illegal immigration. Employers would be more able to be in 100% compliance with the Immigration laws because they need only opt-in to using the Immigration Time Clock system. Naturally there would be penalties for non-compliance yet, I believe companies would welcome such a solution as a safeguard against improperly being accused for hiring illegal workers. Perhaps we could also collect $1.00 for every hour worked by a migrant worker rather than them paying into Social Security. This money could be designated towards a specified program or budgetary need.
What have the candidates said about resolving the National Security implications of Immigration ?
http://www.barackobama.com/ vs. http://www.johnmccain.com
Senator Obama will strive to provide tax cuts for the middle class, affordable health care, and a new energy economy that creates millions of jobs. He will seek to end the war in Iraq responsibly, focus on defeating al Qaeda and the Taliban, and restore America's standing in the world.
Senator John McCain offered no solutions for the challenges Americans are facing in their daily lives. Nothing but more of the same failed Bush policies at home and abroad that he has supported more than 90% of the time in the Senate.
An example of how failed a Leadership role John McCain would bring to the Presidency is Obama's assertion that McCain "said the other day that he would not meet potentially with the prime minister of Spain, because he -- you know, he wasn't sure whether they were aligned with us," a reference to McCain's repeated refusal -- during an interview with Radio Caracol WSUA 1260 AM in Miami -- to say that as president, he would refuse to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. As evidence of the truth for this claim, McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann reportedly wrote that "there is no doubt Senator McCain knew exactly to whom the question referred" and that McCain in fact "refused to commit to a White House meeting with President Zapatero in this interview." Indeed, during the debate, McCain did not assert that he "misspoke" during the Radio Caracol interview, but rather responded to Obama by saying, "I'm not going to set the White House visitors schedule before I'm president of the United States."
Questions exist, whether McCain forgot which country Zapatero leads, got confused about Spain's geographic relationship to Latin America, or confused Zapatero with the Zapatista rebels from Mexico. In either instance, this incident reveals a danger of possible confrontation could explode due to his complete lack of understanding World Leaders and events.
During the debate Obama said, "Senator McCain mentioned Henry Kissinger, who's one of his advisers, who, along with five recent secretaries of state, just said that we should meet with Iran -- guess what -- without precondition. This is one of your own advisers," and, "When we talk about preconditions -- and Henry Kissinger did say we should have contacts without preconditions -- the idea is that we do not expect to solve every problem before we initiate talks." During the debate, McCain repeatedly purported to correct Obama by saying Kissinger would not support presidential-level talks with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Each time, Obama made clear that was not his contention -- that, instead, he was accurately saying Kissenger supported talks between the United States and Iran at levels below the president.
Was John McCain simply confused or was he attempting to provide a misdirection because Senator Obama clearly showed how Senator McCain doesn't even understand what his own Advisors are advising ?
Obama's comments during the debate accurately reflected Kissinger's comments during a September 15 forum. Kissinger said, "Well, I am in favor of negotiating with Iran. And one utility of negotiation is to put before Iran our vision of a Middle East, of a stable Middle East, and our notion on nuclear proliferation at a high enough level so that they have to study it. And, therefore, I actually preferred doing it at the secretary of state level so that we -- we know we're dealing with authentic -- with authentic proposals." Asked by CNN's Frank Sesno, "To put at a very high level right out of the box?" Kissinger responded:
Initially, yes. And I always believed that the best way to begin a negotiation is to tell the other side exactly what you have in mind and what you are -- what the outcome is that you're trying to achieve so that they have something that they can react to.Now, the permanent members of the Security Council, plus Japan and Germany, have all said nuclear weapons in Iran are unacceptable. They've never explained what they mean by this. So if we go into a negotiation, we ought to have a clear understanding of what is it we're trying to prevent. What is it going to do if we can't achieve what we're talking about?But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations. We ought, however, to be very clear about the content of negotiations and work it out with other countries and with our own government.
Initially, yes. And I always believed that the best way to begin a negotiation is to tell the other side exactly what you have in mind and what you are -- what the outcome is that you're trying to achieve so that they have something that they can react to.
Now, the permanent members of the Security Council, plus Japan and Germany, have all said nuclear weapons in Iran are unacceptable. They've never explained what they mean by this. So if we go into a negotiation, we ought to have a clear understanding of what is it we're trying to prevent. What is it going to do if we can't achieve what we're talking about?
But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations. We ought, however, to be very clear about the content of negotiations and work it out with other countries and with our own government.
One final observation I have regarding John McCain
McCain Suspends Campaign to Work on Wall St Plan
The Arizona senator announced he would suspend his campaign, pull television advertising, halt fundraising and return to Washington on Thursday to try to help negotiations over a stalled $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street."We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved," McCain said, urging Obama to join him.
I believe Senator John McCain made a strategic blunder in his forcefully and public move in going to Washington DC for discussions on the Financial crisis. John McCain used Bluster to place his actions into the limelight and boxed himself in to a retraction. I believe if he had true concerns as a servant of the people, he could have silently traveled of his own accord to Washington DC and offer his assistance toward solving a problem, then not having acheived his objective, simply call and cancel his participation in the debate at the last moment.
This shows me a lack of thoughtful planning and leads me to view his actions as reckless. It's akin to someone going out publically and making sure their neighbors see them praying to God or announcing they have performed good works, all the while seeking the approval of those witnesses alone.
A senior McCain adviser made clear McCain would not attend a Friday debate unless a congressional rescue deal was sealed."If the package is reached and the country is saved, there will be a debate," the aide said. "But if there's no deal, how can you get on a plane . . . for a debate?"
Is this the type of Leadership America wants or deserves ? I think not !
Let's be clear: John McCain is offering nothing of substance in his political rhetoric, same as his running to Washington even though he had nothing of substance to add in resolving the crisis.
He is what my Grandfather would call a Flim-Flam Man
LEHRER: Afghanistan, Senator McCain?MCCAIN: First of all, I won't repeat the mistake that I regret enormously, and that is, after we were able to help the Afghan freedom fighters and drive the Russians out of Afghanistan, we basically washed our hands of the region.And the result over time was the Taliban, al Qaeda, and a lot of the difficulties we are facing today. So we can't ignore those lessons of history.The Geneva accords of 1988, which ultimately led to the withdrawal of the Soviet forces in early 1989, left the Afghan government in ruins.Senator John McCain said he would not repeat the mistake made by Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush ? I thought both of these Leaders were his Hero's and mentors ?
Have you folks heard the latest news out of Alaska ?September 26, 2008Palin should step down, conservative commentator says(CNN) – Prominent conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, an early supporter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, said Friday recent interviews have shown the Alaska governor is "out of her league" and should leave the GOP presidential ticket for the good of the party.The criticism in Parker's Friday column is the latest in a recent string of negative assessments toward the McCain-Palin candidacy from prominent conservatives.It was fun while it lasted," Parker writes. "Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who is clearly out of her league."
McCains claim of taking out Bin Ladin**Senator McCain said it most concisely in June.*** "Look," he said. "I know the area. I've been there. I know wars. I know how to win wars. And I know how to improve our capabilities so that we will capture Osama bin Laden. Or put it this way, bring him to justice. We will do it. I know how to do it." Sen. McCain seems to be quite serious, that he and he alone, not the CIA, nor the U.S. Military, nor the current President can capture bin Laden. Thus we must take him at his word that this is no mere ludicrous campaign boast. We must assume Sen. McCain truly believes he is capable of doing this, and has been capable of doing this, since last January. "We will capture Osama bin Laden. We will do it. I know how to do it."If John McCain knows how to accomplish this task, why hasn't he told anyone how to implement his plan of action NOW rather than waiting until he is elected Commander in Chief ?Does he simply want all the Glory and Praise for himself ?
Whew, what a week. Every American man, woman and child suddently got handed a $2,333 bill for the bailout of WallStreet. Don't believe me? You do the math. Divide the estimated $700B needed to buy up all the bad mortgage debt and divide it by the total population of the United States (~300M). This debt is in addition to the already $9.6 TRILLION of debt. The United States of America is a nation maxing out our credit cards. THIS MUST STOP!We need to restore our nation to one that produces more than it consumes. We need to increase and retain our nation's wealth versus exporting it to nations around the world. We need to employ more of our citizens to build what the world needs. We need to be energy independent selling the world our technology enabling them to be energy independent. We need to provide every American with affordable health care which is second to none and selling these medical advances to other nations. We need to reinvigorate our education system insuring that our children are being taught what they need in the new economy not just studying to take a test.I know that this all seems very overwhelming but "The journey of a 1000 miles begins with one step" - chinese proverb. We must all take the first step by getting involved. NO ONE is going to do this for us. We must elect politicians who are committed to REAL change. Change that will put us back on the road to financial prosperity and security.
