Archive for the ‘Economy’ Category

8
Jul

Immigration Redux

   Posted by: lightfinger Tags:

Since the last time I mentioned Immigration in this blog, the Obama administration filed suit against Arizona’s law, and Fremont Nebraska passed their anti-illegal renter/employer ordinance. Still the debate rages on over security our borders, and what to do about all the illegals already here in the country.

I feel I need to reiterate my position.

First, the fact our borders need to be secured is without question. Drug smugglers, terrorists, and others can easily waltz across the border without any opposition. Mexico just broke up a Hizbollah smuggling ring that was setting up in order to help terrorists cross the border. How many others have succeeded, and are shuffling people right now? Border protection is the backbone of national security, and by ignoring it or by being lax for political expediency will only lead to tragedy.

Second, before we address all those illegals inside our borders, we need to reform the system immigrants go through in order to become legal. Again, I repeat myself when I point out I worked for INS for six months under the Clinton administration, and all indications are that the problem has just gotten progressively worse from when I was there. When I was there, most of the agents met their quotas and then were gone. Yet, part time and hourly workers were being worked half to death trying to process just the incoming applications. During my time there, the number of H1B visas, those high tech visas allowing in computer geeks from around the world, were unknown. The computer program that was supposed to be keeping track lost all the data from three of the four processing centers. The only one that was recorded correctly was Lincoln’s, and that is because I fixed the bug on the client end.

Also, the paperwork someone has to go through to get a work visa is ridiculous. The ability to file to work here should not take a lawyer, but it does. People are assigned dates to talk with the agent assigned to them, weeks after they would be considered illegal. We are talking over a year between the first application and the date to talk to an agent. All of these things are wrong and have to be fixed.

Once the borders are protected, and a far better system is in place, those that are illegal now in this country need to go through the application process. I know many on the right want all the illegals to go back to their home country and go through the system from the ‘back of the line’, but even I know the logistics of this are not possible. All those that have a present job should not have to abandon it, but I also feel their employers need to pay up all the back taxes not paid, all the missing wages due to not reporting to the government, then also pay the IRS fines for not paying those amounts.

While the businesses pay up what they have been bilking, the immigrants with jobs who are illegal would keep working, but those illegals without meaningful employment by themselves or their spouses would be sent home. These are the ones draining our system, the ones causing illegal immigration to cost more than what those illegals that are working offset. 

Unfortunately, none of this is going to happen. See, borders are evil by the tenets of those currently in charge of the government. They want a system with no borders, as they oppose nationalism and patriotism. This is why most want to destroy religion, destroy the rich, or destroy other ideals we consider American. They want everyone equal, and I truly mean everyone in the entire world. Anyone with any common sense would realize that would lead right into a stagnation worse than what occurred during the Dark Ages. Tangible rewards are what motivates at least half of the populace.  Those tangible rewards are why immigrants come to the United States in the first place, legal or illegal.

 

2
Jun

Bankruptcy and Famine

   Posted by: lightfinger Tags: , , , , ,

Two items for today:

First, via StumbleUpon, I found a website that documented the amount states are borrowing from the Federal Government in order to pay for state unemployment benefits.

From Zero Hedge:

California $6,900
Michigan 3,900
New York      3,200
Penn. 3,000
Ohio 2,300
Illinois 2,200
N.C. 2,100
Indiana 1,700
New Jersey    1,700
Florida 1,600
Wisconsin 1,400
Texas 1,000
S.C. 886
Kentucky      795
Missouri 722
Connecticut 498
Minnesota     477
Georgia 416
Nevada 397
Mass. 387
Virginia 346
Arkansas 330
Alabama       283
Colorado 253
R.I. 225
Idaho 202
Maryland      133
Kansas 88
Vermont 33
S.D. 24
Tennessee 21
Virgin Islands 13
Delaware 12

(Amount in Millions)

Secondly, word from Kenya talks about much of their maize (corn for the uninitiated) crop has been ruined by a fungus, due to poor storage techniques. Of course, Kenya just south of the infamous Ethiopia/Somalia/Sudan region that has issues with crop growth in the first place.

Add to this the situation in the Gulf of Mexico, where it is now quite possible our shores are not going to be fit for shrimp or fishing for up to seven years thanks to the Democrats restricting our oil drilling to deep sea wells. Wells certain oil companies have now discovered are nigh impossible to repair when something goes wrong, in contrast with oil well drilling in shallow water where something like is happening now can be contained. 

We could be well heading towards a possible food shortage, and thus a famine, over the next couple of years.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, when some liberal starts crying about the damage the Democratic Congress caused in the Gulf, point out this would have never had happened if we would have drilled ANWR in Alaska. They go positively red when you point out their folly.

15
May

Obama does not have to look far for credit card culprit

   Posted by: lightfinger Tags:

Obama does not have to look far to find the person to blame for credit card industry problems. It was none other than Hilary Clinton.

Hilary Clinton wrote the bill for credit card reform that is causing the crunch on borrowers today. Her bill, backed by both parties and the credit card industry, allowed the credit card issuing companies to have large penalty rates in order to hold basic card rates down. Now, when people are at their limits or lose their jobs and miss a payment, those massive increases are kicking in.

Like the banking crisis, and the car industry, Congress strikes again causing more destruction and waste. This time though, despite Bush signing the law, the blame cannot be avoided as Obama himself was a cosponsor of the law creating the current crisis.

Remember, you voted for this pair, not me.