Three I’s (Iraq and illegal immigration) that could blind and bankrupt America
History repeats itself. It repeats both the good and the bad. It repeats wars and the various types of wars. It repeats genocide. It is a law of rebirth. It repeats civil wars among the civil and the uncivilized of the West and the third world. We don't learn from history. We don't learn by the mistakes made in the past. Is it that obvious? Am I repeating myself? Yes, to both questions.
Is it possible that in the not-too-distant future; because of current policies that three words all beginning with the letter I: Iraq, illegal, and immigration could blindside and bankrupt this country? Will the dollar be dumped? Two issues loom large on the financial horizon: dramatic increase in illegal immigration over the past fifteen years, and the second costly war on Iraq brought about by George W. Bush.
While we are a nation of immigrants, unchecked illegal immigration could cause a backlash that could jeopardize reform and enforcement of current laws. Quietly, and then blatantly in the last fifteen years or so, we have witnessed a wholesale importation of a huge underclass from south of the borders.
A January 5, 2007 article from Newsmax.com is sounding social security alarms:
U.S.-Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement, an understanding signed between the Bush administration and the Mexican government in 2004 that would funnel billions of U.S. Social Security funds to Mexican citizens...Once an immigrant gains access to a work authorized Social Security number — whether a legal citizen or not — wages earned while in the United States unlawfully could be reinstated to the worker's new Social Security account, warned TREA officers.
Then there are the political voices calling for caution and a re-examination of current immigration policies. Two books come to mind: A Nation of Immigrants by John F. Kennedy and State of Emergency by Patrick Buchanan. I was pleasantly surprised recently when I borrowed a copy of his book from the library to learn that he had reviewed Kennedy’s book when it was first published in 1958. While I was unable to find a copy of that review, Buchanan, a conservative, used Kennedy’s numbers for American immigration since 1607.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Arch Conservative
Heloise...how dare you insinuate that massive illegal immigration is in any way hurting the American economy or culture. Don't you know that illegals aliens are just hard working people who always obey the law, respect American culture, pay their taxes and only do the jobs that you and I don't want to do?
But seriously.....
You started out criticizing illegal immigration (something many on the left won't do) and then moved on to criticizing the war in Iraq (something many on the right won't do) You come off as objective and earnest American who is truly concerned about the financial welfare of this nation without regard to party/ideology loyalty. Kudos to you!
If you intend to bring this level of objectivity and impartiality to your future articles I can only say that I will be looking forward to reading each new article you write.
2 - Bliffle
At the same time that the US government must struggle to limit illegal immigration, they must fight to open the border the other way and get fairplay for US citizens, particularly US businessmen and investors, in Mexico. For all the brave talk of Mexican politicians, like Vicente Fox, about how the US should allow more legal immigration, they never talk about leveling the playing field for US citizens. That's because they themselves are utterly controlled by the dominant families of Mexico, just as Mexican business is. To go against those families is to court prison, if not outright murder.
Until the legal status of US people is improved in Mexico it is foolish to allow illegal immigration into the US.
This topic is never discussed. Mexicans who are so ready to damn US people as racists never acknowledge the outright racism of their own attitudes toward North Americans.
And it's a pity. If there were equity in Mexico for US investors money would flood across the border and Mexico would become one of the richest nations in the world. Mexico would blossom. If US doctors, engineers, dentists, small business owners, etc., could relocate to Mexico as easily as they move from Montana to Missouri then Mexico would get much more than they would give. If.
3 - Heloise
Wow, thanks to both authors for their comments. I am trying to make objectivity my strong suit.
I am also closely watching who will be announcing for 2008 election. I would love to see Tom Tancredo team up with someone for a bid.
Heloise
4 - Nancy
Good article, Heloise, & good points, Blif. One of the most burning needs is to update the INS - an agency that can't even tell whether foreigners have left the country once they're in! - which is pretty stupid & disgraceful, considering the capacity of computers these days, & for which there is no excuse whatsoever. We also need to serious streamline & improve the ability of people to apply for legal entry, either to work or to live. Coupled with tighter security & punishment policies, it might help, especially if congress pulls the plug on Bush's activities in Iraq, so we can use the money here, at home, where it belongs for a change.
In aid of which, I would urge all readers to contact your congressmaggots & let them know that is what you want done ... if they would like to continue being congressmaggots, that is.
5 - Arch Conservative
How about a Romney/Tancredo ticket Heloise?
That ticket would get my vote.
6 - Joe
Great point Blif!
How 'bout an equal playing field for Americans in Mexico? Jobs, the vote, land ownership, etc; Fox can reciprocate and open the doors!
7 - Nancy
Why Tancredo, Arch?
8 - Heloise
Hey Arch,
You are reading my mind. I have just written an article today about Obama. I mention the dream ticket I would like to see. And Tancredo is one half!
CHeck out this URL. Bernake warns of a fiscal crisis. He must have read my article here :)
from newsmax: "Bernanke: Boomers to Seriously weaken economy"
Heloise
9 - Heloise
Thanks Nancy.
10 - Bliffle
Bernanke is doing his service to GWB and cohorts: softening up the US citizens so he can blame all future fiscal problems on old people and the poor, thus distracting attention from the enormous unrecoverable cost of GWBs Vanity War.
11 - Bliffle
History does NOT repeat itself. But historians do: they copy each others worldviews. A historian told me that. And I think Hegel demonstrated that only the appearance of history repeats, that the Ancient Greeks were wrong to describe history as a circle, when it is more like a helix that looks like a circle from our limited perspective. Oh well. So much for another platitude.
You can look it up.
12 - Heloise
Hi Biffle,
Since perception of reality is as valid as reality itself, then the philosophical debate will err on the side of history repeating itself.
Because if it is reported, by anyone, based on perception of reality and then re-recorded when the next cycle appears then voila, history, recorded, recycled, real or unreal has in fact repeated itself.
Heloise
13 - Heloise
Yes, vanity war works. Why not blame the poor? Hitler blamed the Jews.
Heloise
14 - zingzing
bliffle, in his infinite wisdom: "Mexicans who are so ready to damn US people as racists never acknowledge the outright racism of their own attitudes toward North Americans."
yes. i love silly statements!
heloise: "While we are a nation of immigrants, unchecked illegal immigration could cause a backlash that could jeopardize reform and enforcement of current laws."
exactly! so... take a lesson from the war on drugs. illegal immigration can only be stopped by legal immigration. make it easier to become a citizen.
"Thus a large population of this group may never become fully assimilated. If this happens it would be unprecedented."
not at all. go to chinatown.
as for your take on iraq... i agree. it's a pit we pour our money (and army) in.
15 - Nancy
I entirely agree we need immigration reform. The current system of legal immigration would try the patience of Mother Teresa. It's a scandal, laughable, and outrageous that this country can field private data collection firms that can get the uttermost details of my finances, personal data, medical data, etc. etc. & yet the damned government can't get their computers to track when people on visas leave the US-!? Gimme a fuckin' BREAK. If INS can't do it, then hire the goddamned private data people to do it; they've already got the programs & access to all the data; they'd probably have a complete dossier on everybody in a week. Keep the INS as an enforcement arm, and make the immigration application part its own department, like HUD or Ag. No one should have to wait 10 or 15 years to enter legally, that's obscene. And no one should be able to hide here for 20 years or more, either.
16 - Nancy
Which gets me back to this thread: if fuckin' Dubya Bush wants to save the world & rebuild it better he can bloody well start here at home & get his own "house" in order before he takes it on globally - that stupid twit.
17 - zingzing
actually, i work for one of your "private data collection firms" and there is no way to track what you want tracked. only the government can track such things. also, the databases you refer to are usually mutually exclusive. financial data is separate from public records is separate from medical records is separate from visa information.
18 - Nancy
Heh - sorry. Always a mistake for me to have coffee in the pm. Rock on.
19 - Nancy
Nonsense. Just order something from a catalogue & forget to tell them not to sell your information; within a week you'll get junk mail for hobbies you haven't thought of since you were 6.
Well, you've just blown my pet theory that anything the government can do private enterprise can do better & cheaper.
20 - zingzing
the catalogue comment is an example of public records.
some things that are public are your address, phone number, dob, names of people you live with, criminal/legal records, property information, etc.
your financial records are protected by the fcra. your medical records are protected by a similar need-to-know law. i have no idea how one would see records on your visa. i've never seen anything about it, and trust me, if i could have, i would have.
21 - Heloise
heloise: "While we are a nation of immigrants, unchecked illegal immigration could cause a backlash that could jeopardize reform and enforcement of current laws."
exactly! so... take a lesson from the war on drugs. illegal immigration can only be stopped by legal immigration. make it easier to become a citizen.
I think that has been tried. People used to just walk through the doors before 1882, but they were mostly Europeans. I agree legal immigration in this country is bogged down in red ink.
"Thus a large population of this group may never become fully assimilated. If this happens it would be unprecedented."
not at all. go to chinatown.
LOL. Aren't you being facecious? Chinatown is a denizen of unassimilated folks.
as for your take on iraq... i agree. it's a pit we pour our money (and army) in.
I want to ask Hillary about that mess. NO more money for that war.
Heloise
22 - zingzing
Heloise: "Thus a large population of this group may never become fully assimilated. If this happens it would be unprecedented."
me: not at all. go to chinatown.
Heloise: LOL. Aren't you being facecious? Chinatown is a denizen of unassimilated folks.
exactly. so it would not be "unprecedented," then would it?
are you confused about what you wrote, or about what i wrote?
23 - Heloise
"yet the damned government can't get their computers to track when people on visas leave the US-!? Gimme a fuckin' BREAK. If INS can't do it, then hire the goddamned private data people to do it; they've already got the programs & access to all the data; they'd probably have a complete dossier on everybody in a week,,,"
What makes this even more bizarre and paradoxical is that the folks on the HB1 visas are computer geeks from like India! So they really have no excuse. Pay a bunch of them to do this job that no one else wants...what a joke.
The computer engineers are mad as hell about this Teddy Kennedy freebie.
Heloise
24 - Heloise
Oh, I get it you're right. It would not be unprecedented. But I think what Pat and I mean is that the numbers involved and bringing in Spanish is the problem that is unprecedented.
I mean no one has ads in CHinese on TV with Chinese radio and Chinese TV 24/7. That's what I mean. It's a numbers thing.
Heloise
25 - Heloise
Brother have you got a passport? Good comment. Speaking of visas, new law: must have passport for Canada and Mexico now.
I got a visa to go to India. I had to get it through the Indian consulate. So, it would seem that only they had my visa data. Who else would need it anyway?
You send in your passport, the US gov has that info already, based on birth certificate, and then they stamp your passport with a visa for so many days and weeks. Your passport can be stamped (like they do in England and France)NO right to work in that country for your visit.
But here when the illegals come with their passports they are probably going right to a job...where else can you get a job the same day you ARRIVE FOR A VISIT in a foreign country?
Heloise