In a time when government "knows better than the people" — lobbyists rule. Special interests, small groups with loud voices, wish to impose what's best for them on the rest of us. Everyone should be heard, but where in our Constitution does it say — government by the loudest few? It's not enough to vote in elections. Don't let the propaganda and spin of special interest group's lobbyists be all that's heard. Our united voice will speak the truth they ignored for all to hear. NotSilent.org's purpose is to help and encourage our citizens to openly state their beliefs so the politicians can't ignore the people any more.
Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley are the Appalachia of the West due in large part to continuous, decades-long illegal immigration. When the housing market was booming, the construction jobs in many cases went to illegal immigrants. I did not hear of waves of citizens from other more depressed areas coming to our valley for those jobs. That would be the normal flow of the economy, but illegal immigration skewed it, and led to money that should have stayed within our valley and the U.S. economy flowing into Mexico.
I hear talk of public works programs for infrastructure, a new WPA. Any jobs should be for citizens AND legal resident aliens.
I have also overheard in the past people saying their mother, evidently an illegal immigrant, was using their mother-in-law's social security number to work. That's identity theft isn't it, even if it was done with the mother-in-law's knowledge. In the past before in-state tuition was granted to illegal immigrants, I heard someone brag he was lying on his college applications to receive that in-state tuition.
Illegal immigrants should not be coddled in our economic crisis. Congress broke their word after President Reagan's immigrant amnesty. CONGRESS promised the problem was solved, but never voted for enforcement funding, employer sanctions or sponsored regulations that would have prevented an invasion of illegal immigrants.
America's immigration amnesty has been about as successful as The War on Drugs. The American people were never given a chance to vote on a national referendum on whether our immigration laws would be enforced. I have read editorials over the years theorizing that the U. S. government was allowing illegal Mexican immigrants into this country as a release valve to prevent Mexico from turning into an Communist country.
Well, it didn't work. Yes, Mexico didn't join Cuba as a communist state. And, now there are 12 million illegals in this country, many from Mexico. And, more want to come. The press reports Mexico is on the verge of being a failed state. Hmmm! What good did this open immigration policy, the wink and the nod at concerted enforcement against employers do? Money needed in the U.S. flows into Mexico. And, if they can't find jobs here, and they refuse to go back to their own country, how do they support themselves? Do they turn to crime?
The United States of America can't absorb all the world's poor people. Helping them, while pursuing our political goals is what we have foreign aid for. Compassion, Senator, begins at home and good fences make good neighbors.
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. What a beauty of a bird feeder it is, as I filled it lovingly with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table… everywhere!
Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket.
And others birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.
Soon, the back yard was like it used to be… quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now let's see… Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.
Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English.
Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to "press one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Just my opinion, but maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder. I for one, have grown tired of cleaning up the poop! — How about you?