5 posts from November 2007

Alien Nation

In these days and times it is apparent that neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party can come to a solution for the illegal immigrant situation in this nation. On one hand you have your ultra-liberal faction that feels like in one failing swoop anyone and everyone that has their feet on U.S. soil should be granted total amnesty. You have the supporters of providing illegal aliens the right to have drivers license so they can take their children to school. On the other hand you have the Minute Men faction that wants to send any illegal back to Mexico in a coffin. The debate has been that the illegal aliens are a threat to U.S. citizens and to their livelihoods.

The main problem is that if we are going to have laws set on how to handle illegal immigrants, we need to enforce them. I am not in agreement with providing total amnesty just because someone was able to bypass the appropriate legal channels. I do however see the need to allow a fair process to allow for initially work visas followed by a more meaningful path to citizenship process. Along the way perhaps even straightening out the much maligned Social Security Systems flawed process of current workers adding to the pot to take care of former workers now retired and out of the system to a system that is more on lines of a pay-for-your-own Social Security System.

One of the main arguments for the proponents of the “amnesty for all” is that these aliens love the United States and are proud workers. I think that is wonderful and I say that is how we should structure the work visa and path to citizenship program.

I propose the following plan for a work visa and citizenship path:  

Allow Work Visa amnesty for all illegal immigrants ,and their immediate family members residing in the U.S., that are currently working here are required to register with the IRS and the Social Security Administration.  The visa would be for 10 years and every 3 months the worker would have to show proof of employment with the SSA and if any gap in employment greater than 1 month, the worker and his registered family members must return to their home country. The employer will pay into the Social Security system on an equal level as current working U.S. citizens and will pay a 30% of their earnings work visa fee that would go towards swinging the SSA into a pay-for-your-own SSA benefits as opposed to your predecessor’s.  After the 10 years visa timeframe with no gap in employment or correct registration requirements, automatic U.S. citizenship would be granted.  Any failure to register appropriately, failure- to-  provide proof of employment, or harboring other non-registered illegal aliens would be grounds for immediate transfer back to their home country without any other opportunity to enter the work visa program to gain citizenship.  The current stipulation in immigration law of any non-citizen persons having children while on U.S. soil, and that child having automatic U.S. would be overturned. When that child’s family has finished the work visa program to gain citizenship that would determine the time of citizenship. This worker would be responsible for providing their families health insurance plan and would not be eligible for United States governmental assistance until after citizenship is gained. If the child is over the age of 18 when his/her family gains citizenship, he/she must go through the same work visa to citizenship program on an abbreviated 3 year program otherwise they must return to their family’s country of origin.  These children would not be eligible to attend the public school system or any system that receives governmental subsidiary funds. This would be the worker’s responsibility and the worker must also show proof of their children’s enrollment in a privately funded school system if they choose to have their children here with them while they are in the work visa program. The regulations on employers hiring these workers must also be more tightly enforced. All employers would be required to have these employees on work visa registered and if these laws are broken employers would be subject to penalties of monitary fines, a decrease in the amount of employee work visas for that employer, and minimum jail terms.

Yes this will be a costly process for the immigrant trying to gain citizenship. The worker will have to endure some sacrifices on their way to become a U.S. citizen. This sacrifice is actually much less than the path that our Founding Fathers had to take, but it will truly give them the sense of pride to be a U.S. citizen and their loyalties to this country would not be questioned by the naysayers.  Give the chance for a fair process of citizenship but be ruthless in upholding the laws set to prevent abuse of the system and those that are making those sacrifices to do it the right way for they deserve the respect and distinction for going through the right channel and should not be compared to the unappreciative short-cutters to the system. Amnesty for Work Visas but not for illegal aliens!!!!!

Sean                                        

Viagra2

As if getting spam mail isn't annoying enough, the contents of what makes up the majority of spam mail is prevelant enough to give you the blues, or should I say the blue pills. How many times a day are you deleting an email from Shandra stating she has the best sex medicine ever? I have to delete on average 15 spam mails a day about some form of male enhancement pills. That is almost 5,500 opportunities passed "up" every year.  I don't know how I got on this list but to be honest I am not in the market for the "best sex pill yet".In fact, receiving all of this type of spam has had quite the opposite effect on me as it gets me down rather than up to have to take the time to delete all of these emails every day. 

Sean

Boy is it a bitter pill to swallow for even for both  gay and straight persons to break the hold of social conditioning. Over this past year with the scandals of Mark Foley and Larry Craig being placed in the spotlight, the real heart of the issue has been grossly overlooked. Between both the media and many gay spokespersons have tried to focus their efforts on proving and labeling this promiscuous duo as being gay. Here inlies the actual problem. Due to years of social conditioning both heterosexual and homosexual persons tend to find it more mind easing to accept these kinds of cases as homosexual acts. As a gay man I find it very disturbing that people from the gay world are quick to celebrate these efforts to prove and label these types of acts as homosexual. They are pure and simple acts of promiscuity. These two men are not gay, they are just like other heterosexuals that are involved in other varieties of fetishes. If Larry Craig gets his jollies off by fooling around with other men in bathroom stalls and he has been honest about his fetish to his wife and she has no problem with it, fine. If Mark Foley wants to send dirty text messages to young men that have actually reached the age of consent and he is not in a position of power over them so he can masterbate,  fine.  The problem with me is not what they want to do, other than Foley being a pedophile and using his position of power.  It is how they have represented themselves on the very issue of defending the institute of marriage.

"Defense of Marriage" sounds good huh, especially if you are also keen to "The War on Terror". It is just another fundamentalist use of suggestion to instill a feeling of  threat to the general public.  Actually it sounds like a new federal cabinet that Bush has formed, The office of the Defense of Marriage. Hey I am all for keeping the institute of marriage a respected recognition. That is what the focus should be on not defending marriage itself but more focus should be placed into maintaining the recognition of marriage. This recognition should be respected for any commited couple that puts forth the effort to maintain their own marriages dignity. The maintenance of ones marriage should not need to be protected by the government or by others outside that union. If these so called defenders of marriage really wanted to go about protecting the respect and recognition of the institute of marriage they would be approaching the issue in a far different manner. The only true changes that could be made to protect the institute of marriage being a highly respected commitment would be to change the laws to where you have one actual legalized marriage opportunity. There would be only one chance to choose the marriage commitment. There would be only one chance to gain from the governmental benefits of a marriage. Perhaps couples, both straight and gay, would be more careful in making that commitment. After that first marriage there would be no more legally recognized marriage for those that choose divorce. Those that have chosen divorce would only be allowed to be registered as domestic partners and would only be eligible for those partner benefits that would allow for them to make choices for their partner in the situation that they can not make it for themself, property rights and financial rights after their partner has passed away or is incapacitated due to illness, and rights that would prevent their partner's family from excluding them from hospital visits or proclude them from making funeral arrngements. Both the choice of marriage, divorce, and domestic partnership should be made available to all persons whether gay or straight. This type of approach would truly show the effort to protect the institute of marriage. Anything else is just smoke and mirrors used to oppress the rights of others.

Sean 

Crowded Subway Car

Why is it so hard to have a little manners? Is it due to ignorance or just plain out being rude? I myself carry both my saddlebag for work and a backpack with my gym wear every day to work but I do have manners on crowded L' Cars. When I am about to enter a car I always make sure to remove my backpack as to not knock everyone else out around me.  It really irks me to see people leave their backpacks on their back and have no spacial awareness of how they are whacking others around them. Please people lower the bags and have some respect for others.

Sean

Starbaby

Every weekend on Saturday and Sunday mornings I stop by the nearest Starbuck's on my way walking to the gym. I have noticed that gradually over time the clientele has changed. Now I have a hard time even walking to the counter and out of the shop for a cup of Joe without stepping on a 2 year old. The last time I was there I counted the adults and the chidren in the shop and there were 4 other adults besides myself and 17 children. I don't see Starbuck's profits going down anytime in the near or distant future. They are setting themselves up for 50-75 years at a minimum of growth in business. How could it go so wrong? One of the few things as an adult you could enjoy without rugrats running around has been demolished. Could it be those high caloric, high cholesterol, high fat concoctions of the Frappucino? I'll admit they are a tasty treat but I doubt they have even contain 2 percent of coffee. Next Starbucks will be holding birthday parties and sporting  a big green clown.They have already gone away from their initial logo of a bare breasted double fish-tailed mermaid to todays more PC mermaid logo. Woe is me and my former child-free days of coffee shop enjoyment.

Sean