Another column of some random thoughts -- including gas prices...

As the gas prices continue to rise, I heard a rumor that the federal government was considering a $1.00 per gallon tax. Now, the other thing I know about this is that I overheard someone saying it. Whether it is true or not, that I can't say. But, it got me to thinking about stuff...

#1. I don't think using corn as an additive to gasoline is such a grand idea. All it is going to do is drive up the price of corn. Which will drive up the price of pork and beef because a lot of farmers feed their livestock corn.

#2. Has any of our government officials thought that if we are having difficulties coming up with the money to pay for the gas to get to work that this will slow the tourist trade? Every single year for as long as I can remember, Cheryl and I take a vacation to Door County. We buy some wine, some cheese and other trinkets. We always shop for a Sarah's Angel and I try to find a new dragon for my collection. We stay in a hotel and we spend quite a lot of money. No one in Door County is going to be out of business because we can't make the trip this year -- we who live fairly simply can't find extra money in the budget to put aside for vacation. But, the good folks in Door County will certainly be in trouble if even 10% of their regular tourists can't make the trip.

#3. We keep hearing about how illegal immigration is bringing this country to its knees, but since I work with a lot of contractors -- 90% of whom are legal immigrants, I can't help but wonder if the Visas that bring the high tech foreigners to this country is helping us. While I don't believe that the illegal immigrant who works as a bus boy is taking a job an American wants, I'm pretty sure the high tech legal immigrant is. Maybe, he or she isn't taking a job right now, but as long as a company can higher an immigrant for less than an American, it will. Also, if we don't invest in the education of our young people, we're going to suffer on the global market. Now, I happen to prefer 95% of the foreign staff with whom I work over my American counterparts. Also, I want people who want to be here to come here -- I'm the descendant of immigrants, but I think it's time to reconsider just how many HB-1 (I think that's the correct number) Visas we give out every year. We need to ensure that Americans are being trained for the jobs that the foreigners are doing.

#4. Now, having said my piece with #3, here's my next thought... When someone comes into this country on a work Visa, they are pretty much stuck at that company until they get a Visa/green card on their own. If they switch companies, they have to start the whole process over, which I think pretty much stinks. What if you accept a job, get here and discover that the company isn't doing what it promised to do? We're basically trapping these people in positions and I think we should work on this to make sure they aren't trapped in bad jobs or with bad companies.

#5. Now, having said #4, my other thought is we really do need to secure our borders to make America a safer place, but I don't think a fence across the border in Mexico is the place to start.

#6. Healthcare -- totally different track -- I think we need to hold companies responsible for the healthcare they provide (sell) to their employees. We need to require companies to report how many of their employees have health insurance through them, how many have health insurance via their spouse and how many are covered by the state. Companies who have employees covered by state plans or no insurance at all, should be taxed an amount equal to the cost the state spends on that specific employee -- the more employees covered, the lower the costs. Also, let's not let them get away with that crappy catastophe insurance. These people might as well not have any insurance at all.

Those are just some thoughts off the Top of My Head. I might expand on them some other time or I might not. We'll see.

God Bless

Immigration

We've heard a lot about immigration these days. It's on the front page of the paper, top story on the news and the Presidential candidates are all discussing it. President Bush is calling for his way to be passed -- it is stalled in the Senate.

Sometimes, I wonder just what a big deal this is. Why is it that we only worry about illegal immigrants once every twenty years or so? Why aren't we spending as much time on lowering our national debt as we pay lip service to immigration?

Lou Dobbs put this much better than I can regarding what to do about illegals, but basically, he said:

• Secure our borders -- say we're going to secure them and back it up with the money and manpower to do so.
• Make those who hire illegals pay for the crime. Add in stiffer penalities for those employers that hire illegals
• Enforce the existing immigration laws. We all ready have many laws in place, but no one actually enforces them.

I think Lou Dobbs is right on the money. This is a smart man and I wish he -- or someone very much like him -- would run for President.

But, that'll probably never happen. People talk about making tough choices all the time, but they usually think someone else should be making them.

God Bless

Taking the high road...

The only thing I knew about Representative Keith Ellison was that he the first Muslim ever elected to Congress. That was yesterday.

Now, I've read a CNN article and I believe that he is a man of integrity.

Here's the background, Representative Goode is all up in arms about Representative Ellison wanting to use a Qu'ran when being sworn into Congress. Further, Goode has been making all kinds of remarks about how we don't need more Muslims in this country and equating electing Ellison to supporting illegal immigration.

Representative Ellison has refused to call Goode a bigot. He has even gone as far as to say he looks forward to meeting Goode and he hopes Goode would take the time to learn about the Muslim religion. Ellison wants to find some common ground.

What a stand up guy. He's right. We need to find common ground.

And, what does Goode have to say?

"I wish more people would take a stand and stand up for the principles on which this country was founded."

Excuse me? Our country was founded on the principles that we would have the freedom of religion. Representative Goode, you are not standing up for the principles on which our country stands. You are standing upon the hollow ground of those who are scared -- scared of people of a different religion, scared of those of a different race, scared of those of a different sexual orientation.

America, my America, is a melting pot of races, backgrounds and religions. America has the best of all countries because we strive for togetherness and tolerance.

I so hope, Representative Goode, that in the spirit of giving, especially in this season of Advent, that you can see your way clear to meeting with Representative Ellison. As Sam Hutson once said, "A Nation divided against itself cannot stand." We need to unite our country as we never have before. We are fighting a Civil War without firing a shot and we certainly cannot have Representatives slinging arrows before they even meet.

I give credit to Representative Ellison for not lowering himself to the name calling that no one would blame him for if he did. I beg Representative Goode to take a step back and do the same.

MerryChristmas & God Bless!

I wasn't going to say anything...

But what in the H E double hockey sticks is wrong with Republican Rep. Virgil Goode? Who in the world does he think he is? I don't really give a rat's butt if a representative is sworn into congress holding a Bible or the Qu'ran. Big whoop! However; Representative Goode seems to think that Muslim lawmakers are somehow responsible for our illegal immigration issues. I'd like to know how since the first Muslim representative was just elected.

Goode is racist and he's the worst kind of racist, as he is a man of power and he doesn't see just how wrong he is...

He said (and I'm quoting from the CNN article):

"I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped."

Really? And, just what are our values and beliefs that are traditional to the US? I seem to recall that slavery used to be a tradition and value we held. Jim Crow laws were a tradition and value that we held. Being against interracial marriages was a tradition and value. Are those the traditions and values to which we will hold? Isn't religious freedom a tradition and value we hold in this country? I thought it was.

But, apparently, Representative Goode, along with many of his Republican buddies, have forgotten that 1) this country was built by immigrants and 2) Religious freedom was the whole reason the pilgrims landed here in the first place.

Added note: Goode mentions that we will have more Muslims if we do not stem immigration, but what he failed to note is that Representative Ellison is a convert to Islam and NOT a Muslim immigrant. Just wanted to point that out.

God Bless and Merry Christmas!