Red Rover Red Rover... wait... go back over!!!!

The topic of illegal immigration is the kind of gray-area topic I absolutely love because hearing/readying peoples opinions on it always gets me fired up! I think that’s because I’m constantly at war with myself about it so it’s interesting to know other peoples opinions. I like this piece by Checks and Balances. Although there is a lack of article backup and information about what exactly they’ve been reading - there is a TON of literature out there.

This entry does stir up feelings for me though. For instance, I totally agree that because illegal immigration can be such a uniquely different issue in every state (Cuban immigration in Florida, Mexican immigration here…) it should be treated as such. It would be difficult to design an acceptable piece of legislation to deal with immigration in each state as well as the country as a whole. The problem of immigration has so many levels to it, it can be intimidating.

I wish the ideal resolution of everyone coming here legally was a reality. However, on an emotional level I’ve seen the families that run here and the hard times they are escaping. I currently live with someone whose grandparents came to Florida from Cuba. Ive heard the stories of what they are trying to escape and though I know that what they did so many years ago may’ve been illegal, I can’t help but be glad they succeeded. At the same time I’ve seen those who aren’t running from a miserable place but are coming here because they figured how to exploit this country and use it to their advantage. Those are the people I wish would be found and forced to leave. However, there is no way to separate the two. The fact of the matter is there is no way to weed out the bad from the good. Our country also relies too heavily on the illegal immigrants we already have and if we removed those who came here illegally we would be hard pressed to find anyone willing to do the “dirty” jobs we hate! That is probably a little bit too… bold to say but it’s the horrible truth. We as Americans have been spoiled by yard crews that mow our lawns for us and roofing companies as well as various other services we take for granted that are staffed by people willing to brave conditions we wouldn’t. Not to mention, this is what our country has done for most of history. We use the impoverished to get things done that we don’t want to do. (Now I’m just ranting again.)

Anyway, While I agree strongly that immigrants need to come here legally and if they are caught here illegally they should either be deported or the situation should be corrected immediately somehow. Sadly, I know that our country may not be ready for that yet, and I know for sure that our government isn’t because if our government really wanted illegal immigrants out of the country - they’d be gone already. Also, I very much like the idea of dealing with things on a state by state basis! This is my new favorite idea! Although, I do kind of fear how Texas would handle it if given the opportunity.

All in all, I think that Checks and Balances did a great job! I enjoyed it very much and think they put their opinion into words very nicely.

Enough is Enough!

Everybody’s felt it, the urge to slap politicians for letting their egos and their pride get in the way of the good of the country. Not to mention their craving for attention. Because of these disturbing traits our “leaders” share I have a few questions: Doesn’t this need detract from their focus on their job? Also, does their attention obsession affect the way the public feels about them? Is it upsetting enough to actually drive people away from paying attention to the government at all? Do things like President Obama’s complete 180’ on the Keystone pipeline cause voters/people to change their opinion of the political game for the negative? Sure, politicians need to work hard to keep their face and their skills in the “the public eye”. They need to be remembered – even by people who rarely read the paper or watch the news. Are things getting out of hand though? How far is too far?

I think I must point out, however, that there is one thing more disturbing than our politicians pulling ridiculous stunts to get on the front page; their attitudes and how they “discuss” the issues. When one sits down to try to convince another that their solution to an issue is, in fact, good – the most likely path is not to yell or bicker like 5 year olds. As political leaders are charged with not only representing the people but making decisions from the standpoint of the people, I have to say… I am (and have been) growing continually disappointed. I, frankly, do not feel like I am being represented. Nor do I feel as though anyone but the eccentrically wealthy are being represented. If you search Google for an answer to this question, you will get a resounding No (and a few history lesson pages). The general public (or at least the verbal public) seems to all agree: we aren’t truly being represented. So if we don’t feel like it’s the decisions we would make, what decisions are being made exactly? Well, I searched for some state congressional decisions as of late and found that through all the legislation I found an article that stood out. In Wisconsin they decided to “Honor a microbe”  (in 2010). In this article from the New York Times I learned that other states, such as Texas - we have a state vehicle: the Chuck wagon- and Pennsylvania – their state toy: the slinky, have made similar “decisions”. Now I worry about how these silly things have been decided. Was it a short conversation about a favorite childhood toy gone too far? Or was there deliberation and argument? Did someone like their Legos more than the slinky? How much time (aka money) was wasted on these topics while jobs were being lost and economy was declining? This causes me actual fear. Although, I’m sure that for every “State Question” being decided there are hundreds of other necessary issues being discussed and problems being solved. Right?

Lets look on the Brightside. At least our politicians have quirky humor.

So I guess I’ll conclude my self-indulgent rant on the note that it is my belief that if Congress and the President, and past Presidents, and every figurehead selected by those who bother to vote would focus more on how our money gets spent and solving the bigger problems than on how popular they are and whether or not the person sitting next to them is a friend or foe… maybe we could fix this crumbling country one session at a time! Maybe we could even avoid some problems in advance. I’m not saying bickering and disagreement aren’t healthy and necessary… but lately I feel as though there’s just been too much.  Enough is enough.

Should Anatomy Matter?

  In her March 30th blog, Wife of a Veteran discussed same sex marriage and how she has changed her opinion recently from being against it, to supporting it. I wish I could read the article she mentions because it seems interesting, but there is no link. All in all, It seems her opinion is a well considered one, and that she has questioned and challenged her own opinion of this topic to come to her final, very accepting conclusion. I think the subject matter was well covered, although there are few angles I'd have liked to know her opinion of (ex: the legal aspects of marriage and why same sex marriage is an issue in that arena). Throughout her post the point I enjoyed most (which I have translated into my own words) was: Men and women have been trivializing marriage for a long time now! All we have to show for the so called "sanctity" of marriage is what movie stars do with it and the very scary divorce rate. This led me to the conclusion: Who cares if they have the same anatomy? Why does it even matter anymore? If two people want to commit to stand next to each other for the rest of their lives... I cant see a reason to say no. I also cant see any reason to take away the legal and financial benefits of getting married when, in the end, that's all just paperwork anyway.

   I have to say, even though it was a relatively short post, I feel enlightened having read her blog, and I look forward to what she writes in the future.

Stamp Me Foodless!

  Ever think about how far in debt the United States is? Over 15 TRILLION dollars! Ever wonder how many people are on food stamps (the SNAP program)? Almost 47 million people are currently relying on the average 134$ worth of food stamps per month. Now consider the fact that not even half of the people eligible to “take advantage” of the program actually do! So imagine if 100 million people used these benefits every month. According to my calculations, that would be a $13.5 billion bill every month! That’s $162 billion dollars a year!   So, do all those eligible actually have a need for these benefits? Or is our system too lenient? I have to say due to recent news articles involving millionaire lottery winners still using this system, I tend to be skeptical. Before I researched I was pretty sure that the “rules” for getting food stamps were insanely vague and full of loop holes. Upon researching I have discovered that even though they are much stricter than I imagined (the unemployment rules for example). However, they do leave a few gaps for abusers. For example, non citizens can receive benefits (migrant workers and those applying for citizenship, also, those who have children born here but lack papers). I have nothing against people coming to our country for a better life. However, I do thoroughly believe the rules for immigration should be followed. Not to mention, if a person is not a legal citizen they probably should not be allowed to have governmental assistance which is meant for the countries own citizens.
   I also believe the target of the system is being missed almost completely. In the past few years unemployment has skyrocketed and finding a job is getting more and more difficult. If caught unprepared, the loss of a job can cause a person to spiral into an almost impossible cycle ending in homelessness and starvation. While there are countless programs targeting the jobless, programs can only help so much. If the person has a marred record or is over a certain age - the job market is narrow and almost nonexistent. These are the people that need money for food. People who have no flow of income but have worked and paid taxes and found themselves lost. However, the unemployed are only eligible for 3 months of help within a 36 month period! While there is cause for concern with lack of motivation, I feel a tad more lenience would be appropriate.
  All in all, I feel that regulating who we give assistance to - combined with tightening down on other economic support systems - would cut down on the terrifying bill that our country racks up daily.
I can only hope for a tighter knit set of criteria in the future to cut down on our trillions in debt.

Sexist or Classist?

    In the spirit of dredging up things from the past that can bite one in one's rear, I found this lovely post on FireDogLake that I find quite humorous - simply because Santorum really did put his foot in his mouth. Seemingly directed towards more democratic/left leaning women, this particular blog looks to be fairly legit. It has a few quotes from the Huffington Post, and is well written (minus the rather informal verbiage). Not to mention, its off the suggested sites list! I believe the author, like myself, stands agape as they discuss the level to which Santorum has sunk in his mentality. Even for nearly 20 years ago, this seems low. I do have to ask, however, is this a comment on how he views women/unwed mothers -like the author strongly suggests- or is this a glimpse of his view on certain classes within our society. The middle to lower classes do seem to have a higher percentage of unwed mothers.
    Basically, in 1994 Santorum got to talking at an event (ironically - on April 1st) about his stance regarding welfare for single mothers. He seemed to believe it best to make sure they knew the father of the baby was before they were assigned benefits. If they didn't know/ refused to list the fathers name - they got rejected. Period. Now, he apparently did try to explain by saying that "If Mom knows that she isn’t gonna receive welfare if she doesn’t tell us who Dad is, y’know maybe she’ll be a little more careful, maybe." While I see a purely logical reasoning for this kind of policy, there are a lot of mothers out there who don't know the father (and decreasing "promiscuity" would be nice for the over all health of our country), I find myself unsure of the intention behind his ideas.
    While there certainly are many, many arguments against such a brazen mindset (especially the rights of those single mothers). I sure have to say, he has got some guts! However, the past is the past right? I wonder how his campaign is heading now? That was 18 years ago... maybe things have changed. One can only hope.

Obama Cuts our Space Funds for 2013, Sorry Mr. Jetson!

  Ah, space. It has captured the hearts and dreams of many, and inspired nations to spend thousands on discovering everything first. We have been in a literal “space race” for at least 5 decades. The race to space has inspired many great films, books, cartoons (I heart The Jetsons!), etc. These works of fiction may, sadly, remain fiction for quite some time however. President Obama has reported that the pennies pinched for our space program will be $59 million less in 2013. Cutting our program back again to $17.7 Billion. Not that $59 million is such a huge number in comparison, nor will it seem to stop us from our plans of developing a new heavy-lift rocket and crew capsule, but I’m sure that amount of money is nothing to sneeze at - even for NASA.
  In this Editorial, Human Spaceflights Prospects Dimming, there is talk of our national pride being boosted by manned space missions and a question of where we are headed. It also causes me to ask: how will the lack of money (aka interest) to invest in our space program affect our countries morale in the long run? No one can say for sure. However, national pride seems to be taking a downturn and any boost would be helpful. Though the actual audience this article seems to be pointed towards is the older generations who experienced the swell of pride when John Glenn successfully orbited the earth 3 times, I believe our generation remembers the urge we found at 10 years old to discover the unknown and fly weightless whilst slurping up droplets of juice as they float by our heads. The tone and main feeling of this article gives the general impression that maybe we are left uninspired by recent missions to mars, mercury, etc because they use robotic probes and do not inspire “the way a Marine pilot from Ohio did 50 years ago.” This leaves us hopeful that we will find a way to send other astronauts further and perhaps inspire our nation once again. I find myself in agreement. I personally never looked up to a particular astronaut but I do think that we are missing the quality role models for young children that we used to have. Role models that inspired good morals, good ethics, and hard work. Maybe if this next generation’s children looked up to someone more like John Glenn and less like Snooki, we’d have less problems in general. Maybe even common sense would make a come back! The article also mentions the different directions/decisions Presidents have made through the years focusing on Kennedy’s challenge to land on the moon. Also mentioning George Bush Sr. and Bush Jr, who both pressed for moon missions and trips to Mars, and Obama has discussed landing on a near-Earth asteroid.
  I am unsure how necessary a focus on space is for right now, but it could be just be the moral boost our country needs to get us back on our feet so maybe we shouldn’t rule NASA out just yet. I’m just sayin.