:: Wiping the Slate Clean ::
An old friend of mine used to tell the
story of how he “resolved” banking issues as a young person right
out of college. Whenever he couldn’t get his account to reconcile
properly, or whenever he would bounce a check, or whenever he would
outspend his savings, he simply would close his account and reopen a
new bank account some place else down the road. In his young—and
perhaps inexperienced—mind, opening a new bank account was a way to
“wipe the slate clean” and start over. What he failed to realize at
his young age was that he was never really addressing the true issue
at hand—the fact that he didn’t know how to properly manage his
money. To him, the quick fix was the best fix. He lacked
understanding that, in the long run, it would end up costing him
more money with charges and fees that would catch up with him
eventually. He also failed to see that he would
lose out on the advantages and savings that would come with
establishing a relationship with one bank over time.
Although maybe not to this extreme, we all do this in some way or
another. In my house, it seems we always “clear out” the closet,
spare room, or garage where unused things have piled up, only to
find that we’ve created another place to store the extra stuff
somewhere else in the house a few weeks later. We fail to address
the real issue of just getting rid of things we don’t use or need.
We usually find a temporary feeling of satisfaction and success, but
after time, we find ourselves “wiping the slate clean” again.
The same thing is true with illegal immigration in the United
States. In 1986, there were an estimated 3 million illegal
immigrants in the United States. In response, Congress passed the
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which provided amnesty
for undocumented immigrants already present in the country. IRCA
provided $1 billion for four fiscal years to reimburse states for
the public assistance, health, and education costs that resulted
from legalizing these illegal immigrants. Many researchers have
found that this total, which when adjusted for inflation is nearly
$7.5 billion, was wholly inadequate to cover the true cost that came
with granting blanket amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants.
Over 20 years later, we now estimate that there are anywhere from 11
to 20 million illegal immigrants in the United States. If we rightly
assume that it would at least take what was inadequately allotted in
1986 to cover the burden of cost, we could say that the government
would have to provide states with anywhere from $26.5 billion to
nearly $50 billion to cover the burden of cost caused by illegal
immigration!
And if we continue down this path, 20 years from now, we could have
50 million illegal immigrants in the United States, who, if granted
amnesty, would require at least $120 billion without adjusting for
future inflation.
The numbers of illegal immigrants and the costs they impose are
certainly startling, and it is clear that illegal immigrants are
costing hard-working American taxpayers billions of dollars each
year. Medical services and education for illegal immigrants alone
cost billions of dollars, which doesn’t even consider the way
illegal immigrants are severely impacting the labor market. Research
by the Federation for American Immigration Reform suggests that an
estimated 1,880,000 American workers not only lost wages, but their
jobs because of competition from illegal immigrants. The cost for
providing welfare to those Americans is $15 billion a year.
Taxpayers are also paying half-a-billion dollars per year to
incarcerate illegal immigrant criminals. Illegal immigration drains
our economy and places unwarranted strain on hardworking Americans.
Despite these facts, there are some who believe that we should grant
amnesty to the millions of immigrants in our country today who are
here illegally. This week, Senate negotiations finished an agreement
on an immigration bill that would grant amnesty to the millions of
illegal immigrants in our country after border security is
increased. And there is a similar bill in the House of
Representatives. Rep. Luis Gutierrez and Rep. Jeff Flake have
introduced the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a
Vibrant Economy Act of 2007, also known as the STRIVE Act. The
Flake-Gutierrez bill grants an almost guaranteed pathway to
citizenship for most of the illegal immigrants in the United States
by providing two-step amnesty. First, illegal immigrants become
"conditional nonimmigrants.” and then, after six years of work in
the U.S., they, and their spouses and children who have also been
here illegally, can become permanent residents.
The provisions of the Flake-Gutierrez bill are overwhelmingly
devastating in terms of the economic, legal, social, and cultural
ramifications. The following are just some of the provisions found
in the Flake-Gutierrez bill:
- Illegal immigrants who seek amnesty through the Flake-Gutierrez
bill do not have to pay back taxes for any period before they became
“conditional non-immigrants.” Even for taxes owed during their
six-year working period, illegal immigrants only have to “agree” to
eventually pay the IRS.
- The Flake-Gutierrez bill requires American taxpayers to fund
grants to private organizations to help illegal immigrants apply for
amnesty.
- Illegal immigrants are not eligible for welfare. However, once
they are granted amnesty and become citizens, they are eligible for
billions of dollars in public assistance. The estimated eventual
cost to American taxpayers to cover this public assistance is $30
billion per year.
- Amnesty recipients will receive Social Security benefits based on
their illegal work, so this will take away from the Social Security
trust fund of billions of dollars needed to pay for retirement for
Americans.
- The Flake-Gutierrez bill does not send illegal immigrants to the
“back of the line”, which causes the millions of people who have
obeyed our laws and are waiting for green cards overseas to be
skipped over for the millions who broke the law.
- The Flake-Gutierrez bill will likely double legal immigration
levels, increasing employment based green-cards by 150,000.
- The bill does not take any steps to combat immigrant gang
violence.
Granting mass amnesty is essentially an act of “wiping the slate
clean.” At the surface, it might seem to be the quickest fix to
solve the immigration crisis, but such a drastic act will end up
costing us billions in the long run without ever addressing the true
issue at hand—the need to enforce or tighten our existing
immigration laws, deport those who refuse to respect our nation’s
rule of law, and provide resources to state and local governments to
partner with us in this endeavor. This act of mass amnesty not only
hurts American workers and burdens American taxpayers, but it
undermines the principle of American citizenship and rewards those
who break the law. When we sell our citizenship for the price of a
monetary fine and the stipulation to “learn” English, we are
offending our sense of justice and devaluing the meaning and the
pride of American citizenship.
:: National Safe Boating Week ::
As
Memorial Day weekend approaches, families all across the nation are
making plans for neighborhood cook-outs, trips to the beach, and
rounds of golf to kick off the summer vacation season. But perhaps
one of the most popular Memorial Day weekend activities for families
and friends is a trip out on the water for a relaxing day on the
boat.
Although boating is a fun and relaxing activity, it can be dangerous
if boaters do not follow boating safety guidelines. The U.S. Coast
Guard reported that there were just over five fatalities per 100,000
registered boats in 2005, and of those fatalities, 87% of the
victims were not wearing lifejackets. They also report that reckless
operation, excessive speed, operator inexperience, and overall
carelessness were the leading factors in boating accidents.
In an effort to increase awareness of boating safety during peak
boating season, the National Safe Boating Council and the U.S. Coast
Guard have established May 19 – 25 as National Safe Boating Week.
This year’s National Safe Boating Week theme is “Wear It” to
encourage boaters to properly wear a lifejacket while on the water.
The U.S. Coast Guard lists the following suggestions regarding
lifejackets to increase your safety while boating:
- Buy your own life jacket and wear it - one size does not fit all.
- Look at the label for size and weight limitations.
- Try it on and check the fit. With straps and buckles secured, the
life jacket should not slip over your head or cover your eyes.
- Make sure the life jacket is Coast Guard approved.
- Replace your life jacket if you find air leakage, mildew or rot.
- Never alter a life jacket. It could lose its effectiveness.
- Check your life jackets yearly for floatation and fit.
- Wear a life jacket to set an example for younger children
while increasing your chances of survival.
- Take a Safe Boating course.
For additional education resources, quizzes, and coloring page for
kids to help prepare your family for summer boating activities,
visit the National Safe Boating Week
Go Boating
website.
|
|