Sad, But Make No Mistake....(US Border Crisis)

[IHStangFan]

We are being invaded....these articles and pictures are just from around MY house, not to include the REST of the US/Mexican border. Something has to be done. it has really escalated in the past few months or so....there is action NIGHTLY within site of my home. three nights ago a BP chopper landed in my front yard.

Mexican Military units camping just FEET inside the Mexican border
http://www.americanpatrol.com/ABP/PHOTO-OF-THE-DAY/050808-1.html
http://www.americanpatrol.com/ABP/PHOTO-OF-THE-DAY/050726-1.html

Illegal Alien Arsonist and his handy work just yds from my home
http://www.americanpatrol.com/ABP/PHOTO-OF-THE-DAY/050807.html

Illegal hideout?
http://www.americanpatrol.com/ABP/PHOTO-OF-THE-DAY/050802.html

On her freakin PORCH!!??
http://www.americanpatrol.com/ABP/PHOTO-OF-THE-DAY/050729.html

SUPRISE!!
http://www.americanpatrol.com/ABP/PHOTO-OF-THE-DAY/050727.html

They've been finding alot of these lately too...
http://www.americanpatrol.com/ABP/PHOTO-OF-THE-DAY/050719.html

these are just a few of the articles i found of occurances JUST WITHIN eyesight of my home, and to think some people thought the Minuite Men were a bad idea, I've been convinced since moving out here, the BP needs all the help they can get, cause it seems they can enter at will and we're being flooded!

[sahen]

well...Mexico by itself isnt gonna invade us...that would be the biggest mistake that nation ever made....however if they started getting allies I would really watch out....however that would end the war in Iraq for a while, they'd pull everyone back here and destroy Mexico...

[IHStangFan]

sahen....theyre invading now!!! just slowly and "under the radar" if you will.....you wouldnt BELIEVE the numbers of immigrants they catch daily out here....now imagine the ones that ARENT being caught! look at the links i posted man....youll get the picture. they invade slowly in "small" so to speak numbers slowly saturate the job force, which effects the local economy....and it just keeps on snowballing.

[sahen]

well if that is the way they are invading us then its shame on the U.S......in essence that is the same way we took over Texas back in the day too...i would argue though that MOST immigrates from Mexico are fleeing because Mexico is full of poverty and they ahve a better chance here, not because they want to invade us...

[IHStangFan]

Originally posted by sahen
well if that is the way they are invading us then its shame on the U.S......in essence that is the same way we took over Texas back in the day too...i would argue though that MOST immigrates from Mexico are fleeing because Mexico is full of poverty and they ahve a better chance here, not because they want to invade us... that is in part true, but by doing so...fleeing here....theyre invading. go about it the right way, and i have no problem w/ it, cross my borders under cover of darkness, litterinig up the countryside, costing me tax dollars is NOT the way to do it, and i take offense to it. living out here has really opened my eyes to it.

[sahen]

I have been living in that all my life....they rnt gonna change the policy for now so we just have to deal with it basically....I agree, they shoudl do it the legal way but the U.S. is only gonna allow a certain number of people in and after that its tuff luck....As long as we dont actually get strict on enforcing illegal immigration then it will be like it is or just get worse....

[IHStangFan]

Originally posted by sahen
I have been living in that all my life....they rnt gonna change the policy for now so we just have to deal with it basically....I agree, they shoudl do it the legal way but the U.S. is only gonna allow a certain number of people in and after that its tuff luck....As long as we dont actually get strict on enforcing illegal immigration then it will be like it is or just get worse.... sad but true

[SintonFan_inAustin]

when i lived in Austin article came out 3 years ago, if it wasnt for those illegal immigrants the city be in trouble. What jobs are they taking away?:thinking: are they taking the educated americans jobs. NO! they taking the jobs we americans dont want to do, the low wage jobs, not talking about the air condition jobs at fast food chains. So dont tell me they taking our jobs. lol lol :doh:

[sahen]

Originally posted by SintonFan_inAustin
when i lived in Austin article came out 3 years ago, if it wasnt for those illegal immigrants the city be in trouble. What jobs are they taking away?:thinking: are they taking the educated americans jobs. NO! they taking the jobs we americans dont want to do, the low wage jobs, not talking about the air condition jobs at fast food chains. So dont tell me they taking our jobs. lol lol :doh:
who said they were taking our jobs??? however i would disagree...illegal immigrates work tons in cali and some in texas at farms doing jobs that our "poor" in america would do....however the illegal immigrates can be paid around 3 bucks an hour or so cause they are not being documented whereas the legal person would be documented and paid 5.15 an hour...the employer risks being sued for tons of money and losing his buisiness if he tries to work a legal person by not documenting him and paying only 3 dollars per hour, however the illegal person can't sue since they rnt supposed to be here in the first place....they are takin the jobs the "educated americans" dont want but there are many americans that are uneducated or have skills that have gone obselete that need the jobs they are taking.....

[Chris Hart]

They are definately hurting us, whether they take 'OUR' jobs or not. I own a construction business, and believe me they don't have to take my job to hurt me. When I go out and bid on a project that was just bid on by another contractor that works nothing but illegals, there is quite a bit of difference in the pricing. What are my odds of getting the project when my bid is a considerable amount higher than his? I either have to drop my prices to compete with his(which I won't do), which hurts everyone down the line, or just accept it. Does it take food out of my children's mouth? Sure! Is there anything I can do about it? No! Does it tick me off? Yes!

[sinton3055]

Chris Hart, I have some primos that need work, hook them up with a job so you can win a couple of projects. Stangfan that wasn't a chopper it was a UFO.

[Bandera YaYa]

After seeing those pics, I wouldn't wait for something bad to happen.....I'd move outta there as fast as I can......nothing good comes from this....too bad the Mexican Gov't wont take care of their citizens, but when American citizens are going to Mexico for fun, and they end up being killed or simply disappear, then my sympathy ends.....I know alot of good decent people whom have come from there...but to be honest something drastic needs to be done for our protection as well as theirs
....desperate people tend to do desperate things....shame shame on the Mexican gov't....it's totally corrupt and it kills it's citizens....I will never again spend another penny across the border... :mad:

[sahen]

Originally posted by Bandera YaYa
After seeing those pics, I wouldn't wait for something bad to happen.....I'd move outta there as fast as I can......nothing good comes from this....too bad the Mexican Gov't wont take care of their citizens, but when American citizens are going to Mexico for fun, and they end up being killed or simply disappear, then my sympathy ends.....I know alot of good decent people whom have come from there...but to be honest something drastic needs to be done for our protection as well as theirs
....desperate people tend to do desperate things....shame shame on the Mexican gov't....it's totally corrupt and it kills it's citizens....I will never again spend another penny across the border... :mad:
u wont spend the money there but we have free trade via NAFTA so ur probably buying Mexican stuff and giving them money u dont know about...

[Bandera YaYa]

Originally posted by sahen
u wont spend the money there but we have free trade via NAFTA so ur probably buying Mexican stuff and giving them money u dont know about... Well that's true....and I didn't mean it like I didn't want to support the citizens,.....I understand why they want to leave, but there has to be a legal way to do so....

[footballgal]

To be honest, before clicking on the picture links, I thought I would see some shocking pictures. I am more horrified watching the news with the war images occurring oversees. This immigration/"invasion" whatever you want to call it, has been normal/abnormal occurrence, (with the exception of Mexican Military, btw, what are they doing there, anyhow??) for as long as I can remember, and even longer since I have been alive. But, now since there has been a shift of attention to this issue, (since 9-11) this has been magnified and more people have been made aware of it

[Highschoolfan78]

where's the minutemen in all of this? are they growing now?

[wedo]

IHStangFan have you ever been to Mexico? Have you seen the poverty over there? children begging for money? If you weren't able to provide for your family wouldn't you want a better life for them? I think that you would do whatever it takes not to see your family suffer. Thats why people come to this country illegally; not to be a pain in your ass, they just want to stop living in the poverty that they do.

[pirate44]

Originally posted by wedo
IHStangFan have you ever been to Mexico? Have you seen the poverty over there? children begging for money? If you weren't able to provide for your family wouldn't you want a better life for them? I think that you would do whatever it takes not to see your family suffer. Thats why people come to this country illegally; not to be a pain in your ass, they just want to stop living in the poverty that they do.
whats the difference between breaking U.S. laws, and robbing a place there in Mexico to support their family? if the only way to support their family is to do something illegal, then why not commit a crime in Mexico for the well being of their family as to avoid the dangers associated with coming to the U.S. :thinking:

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by wedo
IHStangFan have you ever been to Mexico? Have you seen the poverty over there? children begging for money? If you weren't able to provide for your family wouldn't you want a better life for them? I think that you would do whatever it takes not to see your family suffer. Thats why people come to this country illegally; not to be a pain in your ass, they just want to stop living in the poverty that they do.
He's from Corpus. We live two hours away from Laredo, two and a half from Matamoros. He's been there once or twice. While I'm not as concerned with immigrants as I am with the recent restructuring of NAFTA, I do agree that border security along the Mexican line is weak at best. The overriding concern here is how easy it would be to smuggle terrorists/bombs/etc. into the country.

And I don't know if your post will ever get seen. He's been AWOL for a while... look at the date the first post was posted. Heck, I haven't even talked to him in close to two months and we're old HS buddies.

[wedo]

Ok people are so concerned about Mexican border and terrorists getting thru our border; but all of the high jackers on 9-11 crossed the canada border. yeah i think the border needs to be secured. but for all of the mexicans that cross ilegally that just want to make a living i support them.

[Emerson1]

I don't think there has been any mention of terrorist coming through our borders, if a terrorist wanted to get to the US all they would have to do is board a flight.

If they want to protest the border or whatever, thats fine..but they're here so when they march they damn well better wave American flags...if they want to wave mexican flags...then go back to mexico...

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by wedo
...but all of the high jackers on 9-11 crossed the canada border...
You sure about that? I could've sworn that they came in from the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia on official visas. But hey, what do I know?

[wedo]

well go back and look that up. if im wrong then i will admit it.

[sinton66]

They did, Russ. Several were on student visas while attending flight school in Florida.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by wedo
well go back and look that up. if im wrong then i will admit it.
It's not that big of a deal one way or the other. We'll just agree to disagree on the immigration issue.

PS: I don't make as big a deal of it as it may sound, but I can see where they're coming from on the terrorist issue. The big fuss right now is that they're trying to let the illegals 'cut in line' ahead of those trying to do it legally. That's where I have the biggest problem... when outsiders try to take advantage of a system you and me have been struggling to support for decades.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by sinton66
They did, Russ. Several were on student visas while attending flight school in Florida.
I know they did. ;)

[wedo]

AS An Mexican-American i see both sides to this subject. The Mexican people just want a chance to be somebody and there are alot of good people that come from Mexico they are not all thugs and drug dealers. yeah i know there are a few that put shame to their mexican name but thats not everyone. The mexican people that have been here and been working hard for hardly any money they feel offended by the way that other Americans treat them as if they are not even human. For those people that are not a minority then you don't know what that feels like tho you think u do.

And as an American i understand that we need to secure our borders to keep Terrorists out of the country. But you can't just kick people that are not yet llegal out of the country that are doing good and working and not commiting crimes; trying to be a good citizen.

There are a lot of people that want all illegal immigrants out of the country including politicians; but out of all those people how many of them know what its like to work in 100 degree heat and freezing cold for minimum wage. i would say about 1 percent.

Everyone that is not a minority put yourself in other people shoes!!

[turbostud]

new border policy (http://newborderpolicy.ytmnd.com/)

[turbostud]

Bill Frist Senate Debate (http://frist.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Speeches.Detail&Speech_id=355)

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by wedo
AS An Mexican-American i see both sides to this subject. The Mexican people just want a chance to be somebody and there are alot of good people that come from Mexico they are not all thugs and drug dealers. yeah i know there are a few that put shame to their mexican name but thats not everyone. The mexican people that have been here and been working hard for hardly any money they feel offended by the way that other Americans treat them as if they are not even human. For those people that are not a minority then you don't know what that feels like tho you think u do.

And as an American i understand that we need to secure our borders to keep Terrorists out of the country. But you can't just kick people that are not yet llegal out of the country that are doing good and working and not commiting crimes; trying to be a good citizen.

I understand where you're coming from. I spent 22 of the first 23 years of my life in an area that's predominantly Hispanic.

There is a strong criminal element that many bring with them. Although on the other side of the coin, you could argue that it's just a general characteristic of poverty. I'm not informed enough to tell you which it actually is, but you hit the nail on the head when you said that the ones who are criminals give the good ones a bad name.



Originally posted by wedo
...There are a lot of people that want all illegal immigrants out of the country including politicians; but out of all those people how many of them know what its like to work in 100 degree heat and freezing cold for minimum wage. i would say about 1 percent...
If my memory serves me correct there were 23 on the last State Congress. I think six were retired from Agricultural jobs, now listed as "investors." But there's a total of 181 state congressmen and only 23 served in the agriculture industry.

If you want to fix things, I can tell you this is not the place to do it. Get informed and get to the polls. Primaries are over, but the big election is coming up in November. I know it's tough to figure out how they voted with discreet voting, but you can still educate yourself about these guys and get the ones you don't like out of office.

[turbostud]

This is a must read (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/politics/28radiation.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin)

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by turbostud
This is a must read (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/politics/28radiation.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin)
That's a good article. Here it is for anyone who doesn't feel like registering.





Testers Slip Radioactive Materials Over Borders
By ERIC LIPTON

WASHINGTON, March 27 — Undercover Congressional investigators successfully smuggled into the United States enough radioactive material to make two dirty bombs, even after it set off alarms on radiation detectors installed at border checkpoints, a new report says.

The test, conducted in December by the Government Accountability Office, demonstrated the mixed progress by the Department of Homeland Security, among other federal agencies, in trying to prevent terrorists from smuggling radioactive material into the United States.

Nationally, at a cost so far of about $286 million, about 60 percent of all containerized commercial goods entering the United States by truck or ship and 77 percent of all private cars are now screened for radioactive material.

But flaws in the inspection procedures and limitations with the equipment mean that nuclear materials may still be able to be sent illegally into the country through seaports or land borders, the study found. And because the program for installing radiation detectors is far behind schedule, many border crossing points, including many seaports, still have no detection equipment, the report says.

"We suffer from a massive blind spot in our cargo security measures," Senator Norm Coleman, Republican of Minnesota, said in a statement that accompanied the report, which will be released Tuesday morning at a Senate hearing.

In the test case, undercover investigators bought a small amount of radioactive material, most likely cesium. Then on Dec. 15, they drove across the border at undisclosed locations from Canada and Mexico, intentionally picking spots where the detection equipment had been installed.

The alarms went off in both locations, and the investigators were pulled aside for questioning. In both cases, they showed the agents from the Customs and Border Protection agency forged import licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, based on an image of the real document they found on the Internet.

The problem, the report says, is that the border agents have no routine way to confirm the validity of import licenses. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it says, also improperly allows the sale of small amounts of radioactive materials without a permit, substances that can be used in industrial equipment, like a medical device, but that can also be used to create terrorist weapons.

David McIntyre, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman, disputed the claim by the Congressional investigators that the amount of material bought and taken across the border would have been enough to build a dirty bomb. (Dirty bombs can force long-term evacuation by spreading low levels of radioactivity across an area after being detonated with a conventional explosive.)

But Mr. McIntyre said he agreed that Customs officials at the borders must be able to confirm quickly the validity of import licenses.

"We are working with Customs and the Department of Homeland Security to make sure this information is available to them 24/7," he said.

The investigation, part of a three-year inquiry by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee into the nation's vulnerability to nuclear smuggling, particularly at ports, found many other weaknesses in the radiation detection campaign.

The primary radiation monitors, which look like a standard tollbooth, cannot distinguish between naturally occurring radiation, sometimes found in ceramic tile or cat litter, and radioactivity in bomb-making substances.

Yet when Customs agents use hand-held radiation devices, which are supposed to clear false alarms by isolating the specific type of radiation, the standard procedure is to walk along the exterior of the container, rather than opening it. Used that way, the hand-held devices can produce unreliable results.

Installation of the radiation screening equipment is running behind schedule, largely because of delays in appropriating federal money, problems figuring out how to use the devices to screen rail cars and disputes with ports that are worried about slowing the movement of goods, the report says.

So far, about 670 of the planned 3,034 primary radiation detection monitors are in place, and at the rate they are being installed — 22 a month on average last year — the Homeland Security Department will not meet its September 2009 goal, the report said.

The investigators predict that the project, which the department estimates will cost $1.3 billion, is going to cost much more.

[turbostud]

Mexico’s Rich Don’t Like To Pay Taxes – They Think You Should
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Brenda Walker
“Poor Mexico, so far from God, so close to the United States" is an early example of the now-familiar annoying whine, first voiced by Mexican President Porfirio Diaz .
Pathetic loser, mooch, social basket case, criminal narco-state: these are Americans' mental pictures of Mexico.
But more than any other, the image is one of staggering poverty. Anyone who has been to a Mexican border town is immediately overwhelmed by the Third World - the oppressive dirt, decay, too many underfed children.
However, the truth is that Mexico is a very wealthy country. It is blessed with abundant natural resources and a fortunate location. Mexico is the richest nation in Latin America when measured by GDP, and by a wide margin: in 2001, Mexico's GDP was the highest in Latin America, a substantial 22.5 percent more than runner-up Brazil. When GDP per capita is the gauge, Mexico is second only behind Argentina.
Half of all Latin American billionaires, 11 out of 22, are Mexicans.
Mexico is the quintessential banana republic—a corrupt oligarchy of arrogant rich, a tiny middle class and millions of poor people, around half of whom live in poverty.
But Mexico is not poor overall. It has the resources to improve itself.
Economist Gary Hufbauer of the Institute for International Economics recently noted that Mexico has tax collections that amount to only 14 percent of the country's gross domestic profit, compared with the U.S. level of 25 to 28 percent.
Hubauer’s conclusion: "Basically the wealthy classes do not want to tax themselves, period."
Hufbauer further remarked:
"Basic social services and infrastructure are awfully lean for a country that wants to move ahead. While I'm not usually an advocate for larger government, Mexico is a country where public investment, done wisely, could pay huge dividends."
Arguably, with adequate taxation of its freeloader rich, Mexico could follow the example of the Asian tiger nations and invest its way into economic progress by building industrial infrastructure and educating its workforce. The recent loss of Mexican jobs to China was partially due to the lack of capital spending on education, ports, roads and industrial parks.
But investment would cost money. And Mexico refuses to take responsibility for the social needs of its population. It's so much easier to let the Americans care for Mexico's poor.
Indeed, the Mexican propaganda war to convince Americans of the need to support poor Mexico has been largely successful.
Washington's current degree of solicitude for the well being of Mexicans is quite astonishing, particularly at a time when Americans are suffering the highest unemployment in nine years. Congress and the President are considering various welfare packages for Mexico; such as Sen. McCain's "guest worker" plan (where the "guests" never leave).
On July 10, the Senate passed a bill to provide $100 million in microloans for the poorest regions of Mexico. It's stunning that Congress would vote to provide financial aid to wealthy Mexico when 47 U.S. states have severe budget deficits and federal red ink is the highest ever.
Central to Mexican strategy is maintaining the billions of dollars in remittance money flowing south, thereby keeping a lid on social unrest among the masses. In that way, the oligarchy preserves its enormous power and riches.
The immigration scam is very successful: the rulers export their unemployment to the United States and get back billions in remittance cash annually— 2003 is on track to rack up a record $11 billion.
Talk about easy money: the worse the oligarchy run the country, the more people leave and send back money.
Furthermore, every social service for illegal aliens and legal immigrants financed by the American taxpayer—medical care, K-12 education, college tuition breaks, housing vouchers and food stamps—frees up more money for remittances.
Recent surveys show half of Latino immigrants send money home, with a monthly average amount of $250.
Mexico's propaganda effort is helped enormously by the annual carnage of unprepared walkers who die in the desert as they illegally cross into the U.S. Predictably, the May death of 19 people in an unventilated truck in Texas incited anti-borders extremists to pile blame on American immigration law.
Mexico would prefer that all its excess workers could cross an unenforced border to keep remittance dollars flowing.
Washington is currently focused on building democracy in Iraq at a cost of $4 billion per month. But should this effort really be at the top of our national priorities?
A much smaller investment could bring our southern border under control and would lower the threat of terrorists entering there. The expanding power of lawless elements in Mexican society, e.g. narco-traffickers, must be recognized as a security threat - particularly with recent reports of connections between Mexican drug cartels and terrorists, including al Qaeda. Border control is now critical to national security.
There's no reason why Mexico cannot evolve from being a parasite state into an adult nation. Washington was optimistic when opposition party candidate Vicente Fox won the presidency.
But the Fox administration has only displayed more of the same tiresome dependence.
Apparently the current system is just too easy and profitable for the insatiable ruling class.
Tough immigration enforcement from the United States is the only way to force Mexico to get its act together.
If Mr. Bush still thinks of Vicente Fox as his good friend, the President will help wean his pal from the distasteful immigration addiction that keeps Mexico mired in the Third World.
Tough love - border and interior enforcement – is the true expression of caring.
Faced with the unavoidable necessity of fixing their country, Mexicans would have to insist that the country be run for the benefit of all - not for the gluttonous few.

[sahen]

thats a good read turbo...and basically what i think about this problem...mexico has to fix itself for the border problem to be fixed, problem is they dont want to, well atleast their corrupt gov't doesnt want to....

[sinton66]

I still think my theory would work best.

Everybody who lives in a state that borders Mexico needs to contribute to a fund. We get people to meet them at the border as they come across, shake their hand, hand them a bus ticket to Washington, D.C., and say " Welcome to America, get your a$$ on the bus".

Hello Washington! YOU take care of them, feed them, educate their children, etc., etc., etc.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by sinton66
I still think my theory would work best.

Everybody who lives in a state that borders Mexico needs to contribute to a fund. We get people to meet them at the border as they come across, shake their hand, hand them a bus ticket to Washington, D.C., and say " Welcome to America, get your a$$ on the bus".

Hello Washington! YOU take care of them, feed them, educate their children, etc., etc., etc.
LOL.

You know, this may sound bad but I wouldn't have as much of a problem with it if they weren't taking advantage of our system of welfare, etc. I went to school with a Mexican girl whose family was loaded beyond belief, but since she was born here, she and her mom and her two siblings were allowed to live in the states--- in Ingleside. They lived in the projects and got welfare and foodstamps, but she grew up wearing Girbaud's (anyone remember those?) and Guess from elementary on, and had a Dooney and Bourke purse (IT WAS $300!!! FOR A PURSE!!!... they still around?) when she was in fifth grade.

That's what I have a problem with. I had never even asked for financial aid until last semester, when I absolutely needed it.

The guys the Wedo was talking about, working 90 hours a week at a $6 an hour job so they can put food on the table, don't bother me.

[turbostud]

Petition TRUE Enforcement and Border Security Act of 2005 (http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=true_reform_petition&printer_friendly=1)

[turbostud]

Check this out (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1137497167655&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News)

Get ready everyone. All you guys going over to Mexico to see your sancha or to get a bottle are now going to have to get a People Access Security Service, or PASS system card.

"Under U.S. law, the cards will be required by Jan. 1, 2008, from all Americans, Canadians and Mexicans arriving in the United States over a land crossing."
“This new People Access Security Service, or PASS system card, will be particularly useful for those citizens in border communities who regularly cross northern and southern borders every day as an integral part of their daily lives.”

[sinton66]

That's a step down from what I heard they were planning. I had heard they wanted to make everyone have a passport. Not to go TO Mexico, but to re-enter the US.

[turbostud]

Originally posted by sinton66
That's a step down from what I heard they were planning. I had heard they wanted to make everyone have a passport. Not to go TO Mexico, but to re-enter the US.

That article is a couple of months old so things could have changed but the Canadians threw a fit about the passport thing but were satisfied with the PASS system.

[Aesculus gilmus]

"Basically the wealthy classes do not want to tax themselves, period."

That's the trend in this country as well. Just turn on Limbaugh and like-minded talk hosts daily.

I don't have a problem with the wealthy not wanting to tax themselves, but between the endless wars, military bases in 120 countries and having to fund Social Security and Medicare at home, this system is going to collapse at some point.

[sinton66]

Social Security will crash long before anything else in the government does.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Aesculus gilmus
"Basically the wealthy classes do not want to tax themselves, period."...
What is it, 2% of US citizens own 80% of the nation's wealth? It's something like that.

Social Security is faltering, just like all government assistance programs. If poor or middle-class people could afford to run for Congress, we wouldn't have these problems. A flat tax would be instituted, and the federal income from the wealthy would more than supplant the extreme taxes they're levying on the middle class.

But unfortunately, politicians here in Texas (and in most states) must be wealthy to run. Campaign costs have skyrocketed ever since TV ads have become important as an election tool, and Texas State Congressmen only make $7,200 a year plus $125 per diem when they're in session. Comes out to a whopping $31,900 every TWO years.

The good in that is that career politicians are harder to come by, but the bad is that the lower and middle classes are severly underrepresented... thus the big tax break for the wealthy.

I know that for the first time in history, Texas should get a corporate income tax with this special session. At least that will help alleviate some of the school finance problems, but at the same time it will drive some corporations out of Texas. It has it's downfalls, but I'll take it if it means that Joe Average doesn't foot the bill.

[big daddy russ]

I guess I kinda chased a rabbit with that one. Hope ya'll can forgive me.

[Aesculus gilmus]

I don't think the "business lobby" will allow the tax proposed by Sharp's commission, but you might be right. I can almost guarantee you the lawyers will exempt themselves from it as the first order of business when the session convenes.

There are a lot of people who are interested in public school finance on here, of course. Not like over at "The Old Coach," though.

It must be difficult to be dependent on government spending for one's salary and at the same time agree with the so-called "conservatives," one of whose perennial issues is that spending on public education is out of control.

This also plays into the illegal immigration issue. It is my view that the higher the percentage the Hispanic (legal and illegal combined) population becomes in Texas public schools, the less support the "traditional majority" population of the state has for the public school system.

And bear in mind that the 2 percent you referenced does not have its children in public schools to begin with.

[IHStangFan]

Originally posted by wedo
IHStangFan have you ever been to Mexico? Have you seen the poverty over there? children begging for money? If you weren't able to provide for your family wouldn't you want a better life for them? I think that you would do whatever it takes not to see your family suffer. Thats why people come to this country illegally; not to be a pain in your ass, they just want to stop living in the poverty that they do. wedo, I HAVE been to Mexico SEVERAL times. I have seen the poverty. If a Mexican national goes through the proper channels and becomes a citizen LEGALLY, then that's a diff. story. My point was the flood of ILLEGALS coming across the border daily. Matter of fact, I've been to SEVARAL forgien countries and have seen much. This brings me to my next point. Why is it that almost ANY other country you travel to, if you intend to WORK there...WORK being the key word....do you have to have a visa? Why is it that the US does not enforce this as well?? I've worked in other countries and always had to have a work visa. I can honestly say that doing what I do, and having been as many places as I've been, I can speak on this issue w/ a certain degree of accuracy......

thanks.

[Gobbla2001]

ttt

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by IHStangFan
Why is it that the US does not enforce this as well??
Because there are employers willing to work around the system. ;)

[Phil C]

SHOW SOME KINDNESS!! AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT!! :mad:

[Phil C]

We also must be very careful in how we deal with these type of problems.

[Sweetwater Red]

I could careless If they come into this country. But, they should
do it legally, get documented. Then they would do what all
Americans do...PAY TAXES AND SOCIAL SECURITY!!!:mad: