Immigration Battle--Party or Country? #272
By Hank Silverberg
There is no question that the immigration system in the United States is broken. It's been that way for decades. Now, with very large numbers of immigrants making the crossing into the U.S. illegally, there should be a bipartisan effort to fix it. But there isn't. For decades, Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree on the best way to cut down border crossings and because of party politics, it has now reached what some are calling a "crisis".
Who is to blame? Well, both parties really. Until recently, there has been very little effort to come up with some kind of a solution short of putting up a huge wall and barbed wire, which will NEVER work (just ask the Israelis).
This week there is some hope. A bi-partisan group of senators, after months of work, says they have a deal on a $110 billion package of international aid that includes money to beef up the border and speed up the asylum backlog.
Part of the debate: how can a prospective immigrant seek asylum and how can that process be sped up so it does not create a backlog and increase illegal crossings? Asylum is part of international law. It offers protection to people who are attacked or persecuted in other nations based on race, religion, political affiliation or membership in a discriminated group. Right now the wait for court approved asylum in the U.S. can take years, and that forces many people who are desperate to cross the border illegally.
The backlogged and ineffective asylum process complicates the government's ability to control and deal with other types of illegal crossings by those simply in economic distress seeking a better life, or those with criminal intent like gang members, human traffickers or drug dealers.
The details of the bill are not out yet, but they supposedly deal with the asylum issue and could go a long way toward solving the problem.
Complicating all this: legislation attached to the Senate version of the bill that would give more financial aid to Israel and Ukraine to fight their wars. There is strong support for both and strong support against both in Congress. As long as such aid is tacked onto an immigration bill, it most likely won't pass the House.
So the question for you as a voter is:
Do you want your congressman making a decision on what is best for the country, or what is best for the Republican Party and Donald Trump's efforts to go back to the White House?
Do you want our international commitments to help fight terror in Gaza and Russian expansionism in Ukraine to be based on what is good for the USA, or what is good for Republican election prospects?
Good leaders choose country before party. So do responsible voters.
Blame It On The Boomers!
For years, Generation X and the Millennials have been pushing Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1965) out of the workplace. We were holding jobs they wanted, and many of them were convinced we were outdated and they could do it better. Mandatory retirement ages and age discrimination forced many of us to retire before we wanted to.
Well, now the younger folks may be paying the price for that. Experts say the expected Boomer "time bomb" has arrived!
Boomers are taking up a disproportionately large share of the housing supply--leading to the worst year ever for the housing market in 2023. Empty nest Baby Boomers own 28% of the large homes, according to Redfin. And we are not leaving.
Apparently, those of us forced to retire are also now
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| (Source: SSA) |
At the same time, we Boomers are demanding more services like---well, you know, basic things like-- health care.
Supposedly, we also make the stock market more volatile because we are more likely to sell if the economy dips into a recession. Those 55 and older account for 80% of stock market ownership, according to Rosenberg Research. But what the heck have we been investing all these years for if not to use the dividends in our old age?
And then of course, there is Social Security with the trust fund that could be depleted by 2033. That will force the younger taxpayers to foot a bigger bill to take care of grandma.
Well, Gen X and Millennials, you forced us to retire before we wanted to, so you can carry that burden. But don't worry, Gen Z and Alpha. It'll be better for you. The Boomer time bomb is expected to peak in 2029.
Baby Boomers are approaching 'peak burden' on the economy (msn.com)
Rocket Man !
People collect the strangest things. For example, there's the rocket from a nuclear missile that just turned up in a garage in Washington state. The artifact from the Cold War was discovered only after a man called the Air Force Museum offering to donate a military grade rocket that had once belonged to his neighbor in Bellevue, Washington. The man had bought it at an estate sale.
Needless to say, that approach to the museum sparked a bomb squad alert to the local police who then located the missile. It turned out to be a Douglas Air-2 Genie, which was originally designed to carry a nuclear warhead. Luckily, there was no warhead attached.
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| (The Genie, Courtesy Bellevue PD) |
You have to wonder what the original owner was thinking when he acquired it. There's no indication what the present owner will do with a rusty old rocket that the museum apparently doesn't want.
It might make a good lawn ornament if the neighbors don't mind.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumb quote comes from South Dakota's Republican Governor Kristi Noem, who has been very critical of the Biden Administration's immigration policies. She is backing Texas Governor Greg Abbot, who has sent the state's National Guard to the southern border and has been refusing to let the federal government do its job.
Backing Texas and Abbot, Noem said:
"Texas and the 13 original colonies would have never signed the treaty that formed the first constitution of the United States if they didn't think their right to protect themselves and defend their own people was protected."
The Governor needs to take a fourth-grade history class. She was wrong on two fronts.
*Fact: Between 1787 and 1789, the original 13 states voted to replace the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution. It was not a treaty between nations, but a decision by legislatures in the 13 states that made up the United States at the time, to change the way they were governed. They were not "colonies" anymore and it was not the "first" Constitution, it is the only Constitution.
* Fact: Texas was never a colony. It was a province of MEXICO in 1789. It became the Republic of Texas after a war in 1836 (Remember the Alamo?).
* The Republic of Texas was then annexed by the U.S. and became the 28th state in 1845.
Of note: in 2022, Noem released new social studies standards for South Dakota that required all fourth- graders to be knowledgeable on the Constitution and its history. She should have read her own guidelines.
Noem is a big Trump supporter and has on occasion been mentioned as a possible candidate for vice president. Her comments may have sent a shock wave into South Dakota's biggest tourist attraction--Mount Rushmore.
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