Big Money

The practice of lobbying in order to influence political decisions is a legitimate and necessary part of the democratic process. Unfortunately the only way to gain access to our politicians is with money. Big money means control in this country.

Since 1998, 43 percent of the 198 members of Congress who left government to join private life have registered to lobby. There’s big money in working for big money.

When the Supreme Court rejected a corporate spending limit in a 5-to-4 decision, the majority said, of the First Amendment’s most basic free speech principle — that the government has no business regulating political speech. I suppose the corporations do.

It seems obvious that the current climate of fear of big government has been generated by big money that fears regulation.

Without money we don’t have a voice. I wish I had a solution but I don’t think people as a whole have the ability to decide anything for themselves.

The Tea Party Perspective

Arizona's SB1070

I hear the argument that people who oppose Arizona’s SB1070 haven’t read it. I have and the fact of its very existence is racism in spite of the fact that a majority of Americans support it.

We are not at war with Mexico so why do we close our borders.

“Make them enter the U.S. legally!”

Come on, let’s get real.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues H1B work visas designed to bring highly skilled foreign professionals into the US.

The USCIS requires H1B applicants to provide documents, including photos and brochures of the office, tax returns as well as the work orders, contracts and client letters from businesses they want to work for. H1B visas cost around $5,000 per person.

“They’re stealing our jobs!”

Immigrant workers "create almost as many" jobs as they occupy, "and maybe more," said Madeleine Sumption, policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. "They often create the jobs they work in." In addition, "they buy things, and they make the economy bigger,"

The impact of immigration on a nation's economy remains small, for several reasons. Immigrants are not competitive in many types of jobs, and hence are not direct substitutes for natives. Local employers increase demand for low-skilled labor in areas that receive low-skilled immigrant inflows. Immigrants contribute to demand for goods and services that they consume, in turn increasing the demand for labor. And immigrants contribute to labor market efficiency and long-term economic growth.

“They drive down wages for U.S. workers!”

David Griswold, director of the Center for Trade Policy Studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, wrote in Commentary magazine in December:

The addition of low-skilled immigrants expands the size of the overall economy, creating higher-wage openings for managers, craftsmen, accountants, and the like. The net result is a greater financial reward and relatively more opportunities for those Americans who finish high school.

In spite of what people want to believe these people pay taxes too. They are mostly hard working people who are only trying to support their families. They’re human beings and if you wouldn’t do the same for your family you don’t know what family means!

I also find it a bit strange that this has become a priority at a time when our economy has reduced illegal border crossings because there aren't any jobs. With all the truly important issues on our plate is this an attempt to polarize us with our fears and suspicions?

Comments

I’ve been noticing disturbing trends in the comments sections of online news articles.

One is sympathy for defenseless corporations that are being hammered by the liberal press. Here are a couple of comments about the BP oil mess in the Gulf of Mexico from Yahoo News.

(BP was just leasing this rig.
BP has put more effort on Solar panels and Wind farms than any other Oil company in the world. Do your research and quit fallowing the press on all there B.S.
And if thy really wanted to stop ALL this oil pumping into the gulf is to detonate a large and very powerful bomb like a hydrogen bomb on the sea floor where it is coming out and it will seal it)

(Again, no real news reporting. Clumsy kids still trying to blame a BIG BAD corporation. Where is government oversight? Where are reports of actual facts about what caused the explosion?) This one kills me because this is from someone who believes government is too intrusive and wants an end to all regulation to begin with!

On June 17, 2009, the Minerals Management Service proposed rules to require oil and gas operators to develop and implement "safety and environmental management systems" for offshore drilling.

BP said the new rules were unnecessary because "the industry's current safety and environmental statistics demonstrate that the voluntary programs ... have been and continue to be very successful."

Here’s just one of many ugly responses to the Arizona anti immigrant bill march my kids and I participated in last weekend……(“ICE should of cordoned off Kiener Plaza and checked the immigration status of everyone there and deported all the illegal mexican aliens! They are criminals and we don't want them living here! they will destroy this country like they did Mexico!!”)

I’ve been reading a lot of remarks to the effect that all the financial and environmental disasters have been created by Commie, Democrats to push a totalitarian agenda. So we can say, “See, I told ya!”

I urge everyone to check out the comments section of news stories. I hope these ignorant, hate filled people are just more vocal. If they’re the majority we’re in serious trouble.

Admit It

Don’t kid yourself that the Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is about upholding the law. It’s racism pure and simple.

These people are not stealing our jobs. They’re doing jobs we won’t and everyone enjoys cheap food because of it. They do pay taxes. In fact most employers wouldn’t take the tax hit to pay them under the table. They’re paying into the system without any chance of collecting at retirement. If they are paid under the table they’re still paying sales tax on everything they buy in this country.

It infuriated me when Palin said 47% of Americans didn’t pay taxes. Either she lies or is incredibly ignorant of our tax system. I tend to think she’s just ignorant.

My kids and I went to the Arizona Immigration Bill protest this morning. MO Rep. Mark Parkinson from St. Charles is trying to get it on the books in Missouri. Another hate mongering opportunist I suppose.

The people in our march were a far cry from the mean spirited, misinformed red necks that make up the Tea Party rallies. These people stand for justice and tolerance, a club I’d much rather belong to.

I overheard my son on the phone telling his mom he'd just gotten back from his first civil rights protest march. That's my boy!