ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: Who’s to blame…really?

Amnesty was granted (more or less) for illegal aliens during the Reagan administration of the 1980’s.  I was too young to really understand what the jibber-jabber was all about, but I do remember the anger and confusion in the eyes of those around me as they sat around the television speaking about the issue at hand.  Several years later I would speak to my parents about this event and it was confirmed that it was the issue of “Reagan Amnesty” that gave them so much consternation.  To this day, many of the conservative ilk (which make up at least one-half of the population today) still claim that the decision Ronald Reagan made to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants was the lone “black eye” of his administration.  When asked to compare the act of amnesty to the “Iran-Contras Scandal“, the majority of Reaganites simply shrug at the prospects of Col. Ollie North receiving a $16,000 home security system (in conjunction with the funds accrued from the alleged sale of weapons to the Iranians in order to finance the Nicaraguan freedom-fighters) being even remotely close in comparison to the free gift of citizenship he (Reagan) gave to millions of law-breaking aliens.  There are several reasons one could think of that would lend understanding to why most Americans feel so strongly about this issue, but the underlying is sweet…and simple: Americans treasure their homeland and consider their citizenship in the United States the greatest gift God ever gave them.  Some could argue that most Americans take their United States citizenship for granted, but none can argue that most of us would NEVERintentionally want to live anywhere else.  It’s something that we hold dear to us; it’s something we take for granted only because the majority of us have never had the experience of living abroad or fighting in wars on foreign soil; but I can almost promise you that IF more Americans were forced to live in Equador, Cuba, France, Russia, or Nigeria (and pretty much ANY other country in the world, for the most part) then they would almost certainly and unequivically come to a large amount of gratitude and respect for their homeland. 

Seeing our language, culture, and customs being overtaken by foreign influenceis not something that most Americans can idly sit by and watch!  I will admit that there is a fringe group of racists who want nothing to do with the infux of latin-American immigrants, but they represent a fairly small percentage of those vehemently opposing this new measure of Amnesty that George W. Bush (and most of Congress) has recently endorsed.  Personally, I am more angry with our nation’s inability to keep American jobs on American soil as well as the ridiculous amount of federal taxes that we as Americans are FORCED to pay at ever increasing measures!  This idea of granting amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants (and that number is almost sure to rise to around 40 million once you figure in children, spouses, and other family members) is not far behind from overtaking the seriousness of a flatlining economy, lost jobs, ridiculous taxes, and failed social entitlement programs, however! 

What have we done?  Is it too late to change the course of events that are being set in motion by the mongoloids in Washington D.C.?  WHAT HAVE WE AS AMERICANS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN TO US?  IS IT OUR POLITICIAN’S FAULT FOR REPEATEDLY BENDING US OVER THEIR KNEES AND SPANKING US; OR IS IT OUR FAULT FOR CONSTANTLY ELECTING THESE CAREER POLITICIANS WHO HAVE NO INTEREST IN ANYTHING BESIDES LINING THEIR OWN POCKETS AND GETTING RE-ELECTED?  I CONTEND THAT IT IS WITHOUT QUESTION THE FAULT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND WE HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME THAN OURSELVES!  HOW MANY STUPID, RIDICULOUS, AND IRRESPONSIBLE THINGS DOES TEDDY (hiccup) KENNEDY HAVE TO DO BEFORE HE’S VOTED OUT OF OFFICE?  SERIOUSLY!!!  It’s people/politicians exactly like him (on BOTH sides of the aisle) who have made the types of decisions that have led us to exactly where we are today.  Why are people like him in office?  Because WE put him there!  We keep him there!  The American people should NOT be surprised by the stupid things that stupid people do especially when they’ve been doing this their entire career as a six-figure politician.  It’s because of this fact that I believe the American people should stop “pissing and moaning” about the things they’re unhappy about.  Look in the mirror, my friends!  IT’S YOUR FAULT!  So, the next time Pablo and Juan beat up and steal from your little children on their way to school, make sure you thank yourself for allowing it to happen.  The next time you read about an illegal immigrant driving drunk and killing a family of five on the highway…make sure you take a look in the mirror and thank YOURSELF!  [Obviously, I’m generalizing with those scenerios, but I’m guessing that you’re smart enough to know what I’m getting at.]

THANKS A LOT, PEOPLE!  THANKS A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT!  WE’RE GETTING EXACTLY WHAT WE ASKED FOR…SO WHEN ARE WE GOING TO WAKE UP AND DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?  That, my friend, is the $7,500 question (which also happens to be the amount of money that each illegal immigrant costs the American tax-payer through lack of paid taxes, medical expenses, entitlements, and welfare) that I’m begging you to answer!

I absolutely can not blame the illegal immigrant for this problem because I can honestly say that if I were holed up in Mexico and had a family to provide for then there’s not a chance in hell I’d stick around to see if the Mexican government could fix the situation or not.  I’d be hopping over that fence quicker than you could say “como estas, muchacho“!!!  And you know that you’d be doing the EXACT same thing, too!  The fault for this ever-growing delima is not with the illegal immigrant, but instead with us.  You and me.  Since we’re the ones who elected a bunch of meatballs to run the federal government then there’s no where to look for placing the blame than at ourselves.  It’s literally as simple as that.

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[ some of the information below has been taken in part from Wikepedia] 

Illegal immigration refers to immigration across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country. Under this definition, an illegal immigrant is a foreigner who either illegally crossed an international political border, be it by land, sea or air, or a foreigner who legally entered a country but nevertheless overstay their visa in order to live and/or work therein. In politics, the term may imply a larger set of social issues and time constraints with disputed consequences in areas such as economy, social welfare, education, health care, slavery, prostitution, crime, legal protections, public services, and human rights. Illegal emigration would be leaving a country in a manner that violates the laws of the country being left.

   

 

The FAIR TAX ACT: What is it?!

 

 Is there enough motivation in your soul to make a difference in something that you feel is an important issue?  I wonder if many of us would sit back and allow the rocks of life to pummel us without reaction or if we’d stand up against them and find a way to improve the situation?  My best guess is that most of us would do what we could to rectify any situation we were at all uncomfortable with.  I believe this because of what the fabric of America is made of…hard work, relentless efforts, visions of betterment, and the classic American characteristics…innovation and achievement!  We have a long history of standing up to oppressors, fixing what is broken, and making our lives better and more efficient.  From expansionism to the pioneers; from slavery to the equal rights movement; from the Great Depression to the economic boom of the 1990’s, we have always been a nation where common sense prevailed and elbow grease garnered all of our efforts.  With such a rich and envious heritage tied to the lineage of nearly every American family today it is surprising to me that we have allowed ourselves to once again become oppressed by usurpers of power who have made it their career to look out for themselves and line their pockets by conducting “back room deals” far away from the American public and their constituency.  The career politicians we have grown accustomed to have been hitting us where it hurts since the 1940’s, yet rarely is there a voice raised in concern amongst us.  Rarely is there a vociferous moment conducted by the masses that illustrates our frustrations to those whom absolute power has corrupted absolutely.

 

Since the days of Franklin Delanno Roosevelt, we have been told what entitlements we will fund, what laws we will abide by, what bureaucracy we will have to deal with, and what amount of taxes we will have to pay.  In the society that we have allowed to be created right under our noses is dependent upon federal tax revenues, but never have we been asked just how much of our hard-earned monies we would be willing to submit for the better of the country.  Everything in our society is tied to taxes.  Everything includes the embarrassing and failed social security and medicare funds, which are multi-trillion dollar ideas built upon the backs of the American tax payer without his consent.  I wonder how much more responsible our career criminal politicians would be with our money if entitlement programs and tax rates were put to referendum?  It’s a great question, but sadly it’s a question that will have to remain rhetorical.  I doubt very highly that the fat cats we have put in
Washington D.C. would ever relinquish an ounce of power that they didn’t absolutely have to.  We have created this current financial mess out sheer laziness conducted by the average American because we have allowed ourselves to be so easily marketed to due to our reluctance to vote in mass numbers.  Roughly one-third of Americans over the age of 18 vote on a regular basis, which is embarrassing to think of the men and women who gave their lives in order for all of us to have the opportunity to vote in a free and democratic republic.  It is precisely because of this lack of interest that the American citizen is showing that we have become oppressed by the very government we have ignored.  Since the days of FDR’s “Great Society”, the American worker has been burdened with taxes on a federal, state, and local level never before seen in our land.

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln endorsed and implemented a roughly 2% income tax in order to fund the war effort.  I don’t believe there are too many Americans who can argue against such a measure because of what was at stake.  Americans have always been willing to open their hearts and wallets in order to help a cause, but what Abraham Lincoln did after the war was over is what made him the type of man who will go down in history as one of our nation’s best leaders of all time.  After the war was completed and after reconstruction efforts were in place, President Lincoln repealed the tax and allowed Americans to contribute on a personal and private basis if they so desired.  This, my fellow American citizen, is exactly what our founding father’s had in mind when they bled for the document currently enshrined in weather-proof glass at the National Archives Building in Washington D.C., the Constitution of the United States of America.  Aside from seeking religious freedoms, it was the oppressive government and laws of England that they were fleeing when the idea of “ America” became a reality.  It was the tax burdens that England forced upon the early colonies that was the straw that broke the camel’s back and sent us over the edge.  It was this issue that our founding father’s made sure was a vital part of the governing document they created in Philadelphia back in 1776.  So why have we turned a full 180 degrees from what was supposed to be to what we are being forced to deal with today?  What happened along the way that allowed the federal government to reach into our pockets and legally withhold a specified percentage of our wages?  How did we as a people so carelessly allow for this to happen when we’re supposed to be the nation who stands up to oppressors and rights that which has been wronged?  How on earth have we allowed an entire political party of modern times to build a platform around how much one group of society is taxed compared to how much another group is taxed?  When and why have we allowed our politicians to build a pulpit to preach their gospel from when everything that they are preaching is contrary to our best interests and the best interests of the Constitution?  Is it not clearly written in that God-inspired document that government oppression by any and all means is strictly forbidden and that states should be (and are expected to be) able to govern themselves?

Many can trace the roots of failed entitlements and the beginnings of taxation oppression back to FDR and his “Great Society” legislation.  It was no accident that his “Great Society” legislations were passed as constitutionally acceptable by the Supreme Court.  Few people actually know that FDR threatened to load the Supreme Court with two additional justices that would tip the balance in favor of his great socialistic ideals.  Due to this pressure from the executive branch, the Supreme Court caved in and granted constitutionality to FDR’s ideas.  From this blunder in American history we have been strapped with the social security and medicare fund, which currently are as close to bankruptcy as MC Hammer was after he wrote “2 Legit 2 Quit”!  Trillions and trillions of dollars have been taken out of the social security and medicare fund in order to pay for politician’s pork that have served no purpose other than to lift the ego of one or two individuals.  The idea of social security and medicare isn’t too bad because it helps Americans get by during times of uncertainty and/or grief (survivor’s benefits), but the fallacy of the “Great Society” is that no American was or has been able to choose for himself whether or not he wanted to take place in this attempt of American socialism.  It was either “pay the social security tax” or “go to jail”.  Simple as that.  What’s American about that?  Today, the “Great Society” has turned us into a fiscal nightmare and all of the money that today’s generation is pouring into these mandatory social funds will not be there for them.  With these massive problems starring us directly in the face there has still been NO solution posited by any of the career politicians we have sent to represent us in our nation’s capital…until today!  The Fair Tax Act (S.25/H.25) is exactly the type of legislation that we need to pass into law if we are to find a way out of the mess that FDR and his grandious visions of socialism have created.  Instead of taxing our businesses into oblivion, forcing our uber-rich citizens to place their wealth in foreign off-shore banks, enabling a massive shadow economy to exist right under our noses, or adding compliance costs of today’s tax code into consideration, the Fair Tax would alleviate these issues, give the money back to the wage earner, and FIX the fiscal problems we currently find ourselves in.  What is the Fair Tax Act, you ask?  Allow me to outline it as best I can!  [go to http://www.fairtax.org for additional information…]

 

FAQ’s of the FAIR TAX ACT

Frequently Asked Questions about the FairTax

Click on the questions below to view the answers.
View/Download FAQ in a Printer Friendly Format (PDF)

1. What is taxed?
2. Exactly what taxes are abolished?
3. How does the rebate work?
4. Why not just exempt food and medicine from the tax? Wouldn’t that be fair and simple?
5. Is the 23% FairTax higher or lower when compared to the income taxes people pay today?
6. Does the FairTax rate need to be much higher to be revenue neutral?
7. How is the Social Security system affected?
8. How does the FairTax affect Social Security reform?
9. Is consumption a reliable source of revenue?
10. How is the tax collected?
11. Why is the FairTax better than our current system?
12. Is the FairTax fair?
13. How does the FairTax protect low-income families and individuals and retirees on fixed incomes?
14. Is it fair for rich people to get the exact same FairTax rebate from the federal government as the poorest person in America?
15. What about senior citizens and retired people?
16. Are seniors taxed twice on savings, once when they saved it, and now again when the spend it?
17. How does the FairTax affect wages and prices?
18. Why not just exempt necessities from the FairTax instead of providing for a rebate?
19. Should the government tax services?
20. How does the FairTax affect income tax preparers, accountants, and many government employees?
21. What about the home mortgage deduction?
22. What will happen to charitable giving?
23. Will corporations get a windfall with the abolition of the corporate tax?
24. Does the FairTax burden the retail industry?
25. How are state tax systems affected, and can states adequately collect a federal sales tax?
26. How will the plan affect economic growth?
27. What economic changes come at the retail level with the FairTax?
28. What happens to interest rates?
29. What happens to the stock market, mutual funds, and retirement funds?
30. What happens to tax-free bonds?
31. How does this affect U.S. competitiveness in foreign trade?
32. What about border issues?
33. Does the FairTax improve compliance and reduce evasion when compared to the current income tax?
34. Can the FairTax really be passed into law?
35. What other significant economies use such a tax plan?
36. What about the flat tax? Would it be better and easier to pass?
37. Can Congress just simply raise the rate once the FairTax is passed into law?
38. Could we end up with both the FairTax and an income tax?
39. Is the FairTax just another conservative tax scheme? Or just another liberal tax scheme?
40. What assumptions have been made about government spending?
41. How does the FairTax affect government spending?
42. Why is it necessary to have a constitutional amendment?
43. How does the income tax affect our economy?
44. How will this plan affect compliance costs?
45. What about value-added taxes (VATs), like they have in Europe and Canada? Are they not consumption taxes?
46. What will we experience in the transition from the income tax to the FairTax?
47. I know the FairTax rate is 23 percent when compared to current income taxes. What will the rate of the sales tax be at the retail counter?
48. Since business purchases are not taxable, how does the FairTax keep individuals from pretending to have a business so they can buy things tax free?
49. Is the FairTax progressive? Do the rich pay more and the poor pay less as a percentage of their spending?
50. Is there any provision in the FairTax bill to prevent both an income tax and a sales tax?

 

HISTORY of TAXATION: The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton

FEDERALIST PAPERS – Federalist No. 21

Other Defects of the Present Confederation [For the Independent Journal.]

Author: Alexander Hamilton

To the People of the State of New York:

HAVING in the three last numbers taken a summary review of the principal

circumstances and events which have depicted the genius and fate of other confederate

governments, I shall now proceed in the enumeration of the most important of those

defects which have hitherto disappointed our hopes from the system established among

ourselves. To form a safe and satisfactory judgment of the proper remedy, it is absolutely

necessary that we should be well acquainted with the extent and malignity of the disease.

The next most palpable defect of the subsisting Confederation, is the total want of a

SANCTION to its laws. The United States, as now composed, have no powers to exact

obedience, or punish disobedience to their resolutions, either by pecuniary mulcts, by a

suspension or divestiture of privileges, or by any other constitutional mode. There is no

express delegation of authority to them to use force against delinquent members; and if

such a right should be ascribed to the federal head, as resulting from the nature of the

social compact between the States, it must be by inference and construction, in the face of

that part of the second article, by which it is declared, “that each State shall retain every

power, jurisdiction, and right, not EXPRESSLY delegated to the United States in

Congress assembled.” There is, doubtless, a striking absurdity in supposing that a right of

this kind does not exist, but we are reduced to the dilemma either of embracing that

supposition, preposterous as it may seem, or of contravening or explaining away a

provision, which has been of late a repeated theme of the eulogies of those who oppose

the new Constitution; and the want of which, in that plan, has been the subject of much

plausible animadversion, and severe criticism. If we are unwilling to impair the force of

this applauded provision, we shall be obliged to conclude, that the United States afford

the extraordinary spectacle of a government destitute even of the shadow of constitutional

power to enforce the execution of its own laws. It will appear, from the specimens which

have been cited, that the American Confederacy, in this particular, stands discriminated

from every other institution of a similar kind, and exhibits a new and unexampled

phenomenon in the political world.