Economic victims of illegal immigrant labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics (February 2009): 2.6 million unemployed Hispanic Americans; an unemployment rate of 12 percent. That's approximately 1.7 million men and 900,000 women. … BLS also shows the unemployment rate among U.S.-born Hispanic young adults with high school diplomas is 13.6 percent; 40.3 percent among U.S.-born Hispanic teens (age 16-17).
Other victims are 1.6 million unemployed, less-educated, young adult Americans having only a high school diploma who are looking for work but unable to find any kind of job. Of the young adults, a recent study shows that 291,000 of them are looking for a full-time job and have had to settle for part-time hours. Another 477,000 teens (16-17) are unemployed and actively seeking jobs (http://www.cis.org/December2008Unemployment).
Recent studies show that the poor, particularly people with only a high school diploma or less, have a net cost to the U.S. Treasury of $20,000 per year. The dropout rate for children of illegals, including those born in the U.S., is roughly 50 percent. The Census Bureau says within 40 years, at current rates of immigration, the U.S. population will increase by 140 million. America's current unfunded liabilities are nearly $60 trillion (http://www.heritage.org/research/immigration/tst052107a.cfm).
That's before the current financial chaos. Who's going to pay?
Brandon Ebeling
Oceanside
A new book premise
Noting that in "Chicken Soup" books, there is none directed at the following group, I submit my outline for "Chicken Soup for Chickens."
I think such a publication is overdue. Helpful topics would include: Are You Hen-pecked?; When You Just Can't Make it to the Other Side of the Road; Help For the Empty Nesters; Support for Those With Breast Augmentation; Stop Crying, Fowl â"- Take Control of Your Own Life; Feeling Cooped Up?; Thigh Highs â"â" The Newest Fashion Statement; When Your Anxieties Come Home to Roost; The Pecking Order â"â" Where Do You Stand?; Why Aren't There Any Real Chickens in Chick Flicks?; How to Avoid a Bad Comb-Over (roosters, only); Are You Tired of Earning Just Chicken Feed?; Claw Your Way to the Top.
Chickens will be flocking to the book stores. Thousands will cross the road.
Since chickens can't really read, new jobs could be opened up for professional readers. This might well be a great economic stimulus. I would gladly read to any chicken that asks me. Then, I'd go on the book-signing circuit with my talking chicken and earn many buck-bucks to throw back into the economy. Only a thought.
Barbara Miller
Carlsbad
Help save our dying republic
We are witnessing a relentless financial and legislative blitzkreig, the likes of which this nation and world have never seen; one geared towards radically and dangerously expanding governmental control called the tyranny of the elite.
In what can only be described as a hostile takeover moving at light speed, the Obama con artists and fearmongers are running up astronomical and debilitating amounts of debt, while printing endless amounts of worthless money which can only lead to hyperinflation and taxation, the collapse of the dollar and total chaos.
Neo-Marxist Obama has been relentlessly citing extreme urgency and imminent demise if we don't act now! now! now!, pontificating that certain companies "are too big to fail." Next we'll hear that "the U.S. is too big to fail," which may pave the way for a global stimulus and world currency. Remember, while the problems start in Washington, D.C.; the solutions must come from "we the people."
Our rapidly expanding Sugar Daddy government, which increasingly inoculates, addicts and enslaves our people with the monetary heroin of freebies, cares only about expanding its power, at the peril and expense of our God-given, constitutional rights and freedoms!
Please go to www.912project.com to help save your dying republic.
Gary Walker
Escondido
Socialism or basic human rights?
When that star of the dysfunctional GOP, Bobby Jindal, wanted to really slam President Obama, he accused Obama of pursuing policies "akin to those of European socialism." Many of the regular writers to the editor of this paper also haul out the term "socialist" as a term of total disapprobation.
Yet I would be willing to bet that most of these disdainers of socialism have gone to public schools, and are going, or have parents or grandparents who collect Social Security, and enjoy the benefits of Medicare. It was back in the 19th century that people understood that the socialist institutions of public schools were much cheaper that penal institutions. Social Security and Medicare have been undeniably successful in providing our senior citizens with a safety net.
In the United Nations Human Development Index, which includes factors such as a long and healthy life, literacy rates, gross domestic product, and standard of living, the U.S.A. comes in 10th, behind eight of those awful European socialist countries, Canada and Australia. What some would call socialism â"â" access to education, health care, and secure old age â"â" is what I would call basic human rights, necessary for a strong middle class, the bulwark of any democracy.
Margaret Liles
Escondido
Bully teachers? Nonsense!
The letter to the Vista Teachers Association printed as a Community Forum in the North County Times is disturbing ("What about bully teachers?," April 2). "Bully teachers" is how Cheryl Protzeller described two teachers who may have acted inappropriately at a public meeting on March 24.
I did not attend this meeting; however, Cheryl's description of the events that unfolded is much like the behavior of individuals in the corporate meetings I have attended. Rude, unprofessional and tactless behavior is commonplace in today's workplace and is a fact of life.
Are employees fired for such behavior? Nonsense! Do I deserve Community Forum space every time I am exposed to this behavior? No!
Now that Stephen Guffanti is no longer on the school board, he has enlisted the NCT editorial staff to spread his venom and divisiveness against the teachers of our community and their union.
My children attend Casita, and I admire and respect their teachers. It is easy to point out others' mistakes. Just because they are teachers does not mean they do not make mistakes or that they deserve public floggings.
When you have something of value to offer, bring it to the table. …
Margaret
Caltagirone
Vista
Let's bowl in Escondido!
Is there anyone in Escondido that wants a bowling alley again in our city? Would the vacant furniture store on Second Avenue be a good location? What other location would be good? Please e-mail or write our Escondido mayor and City Council your request. Let your voice be heard.
Bowling alley, bowling alley, bowling alley!
Barbara Takahara
Escondido
No sense of humor
I read Jeff Frank's April 1 column on lawyers Bobby Daniels and Carl Skaja suing Irv Erdos for his comments during a Rotary meeting ("Rotary hijinks take a legal shot at columnist"). It sounded like humor pointed at lawyers. Big deal. I am an engineer and there are engineer jokes.
But these two grown men are so distraught that a psychologist was consulted concerning damages that are "incalculable." According to Daniels' father, "It has been 13 days since Bobby has filed a lawsuit and 12 since Carl has evicted a tenant."
$2.5 million payable by cashiers check is what they want. In today's market, that is about the value of 10 homes. This, for being offended.
John Dillinger got a lot of bad press in his day. He did not complain. He was a lout and knew it. It goes with the territory.
There are polls regarding professions that rank lowest in the public view.
Bankers have been nosing down toward lawyers. Apparently, Daniels and Skaja plan to hold on to their position.
Bob Whalen
Vista
Obama attempts to demonize gun ownership
The Obama administration has started its first attempt to pass more restrictive gun laws by having the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms state it has "traced up to 95 percent of guns seized at scenes of drug violence in Mexico to U.S. commercial sources." ("Mexico starting crackdown on smuggled guns," April 2).
The article says Mexico is cracking down on smuggled guns from the U.S., when the truth is those guns are being bought by the drug cartels on the world's open market for weapons from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and other countries that want to destabilize Mexico. …
Our government sends weapons to other countries and they are being diverted to illegal sources and sold to any country or drug cartel …
The average U.S. citizen does not have access to fully automatic weapons, and those who do are strictly regulated by the government.
Ammunition that can pierce the body armor of Mexican police is used in the U.S for deer hunting and target shooting. I think this is further proof that the Obama administration is trying to remove ammunition from public ownership by demonizing it, thereby removing guns from law-abiding citizens.
Fox News got it right (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/02/myth-percent-guns-mexico-fraction-number-claimed/).
Gerald Reaster
Escondido
Keep food choice with the people
People want a choice in their food, and they do not want that choice controlled by Monsanto and other big agricultural companies who are out to destroy all competition and only give us inferior foods.
Stop H.R. 875 and the Senate bill as well.
Rick Cabados
Encinitas
Free Choice Act has devastating impact
I urge Congress to vote no on H.R. 1409, the deceptively misnamed Employee Free Choice Act. As an employment attorney, I advise and represent both employees and employers, and I cannot think of a worse idea for the American workplace than to allow powerful unions to bully their way into small businesses.
The secret ballot is the foundation of fairness in labor relations, just as it is in self-government. Any intimidation by employers in the organizing process - even through false statements or veiled threats - is a mere shadow of the prospect of a cadre of co-workers standing over an employee's shoulder and demanding his signature on an open card.
But even setting aside the grievous injury this bill will do to free choice, it would have a devastating impact on small employers who are the generators of new jobs and the key to the economic recovery we desperately need.
This bill is an awful idea in good economic times and a serious threat to our economic security in the current climate.
I urge all of our representatives to vote against H.R. 1409, the Employee Free Choice Act.
Lou Storrow
Carlsbad
New play is a treat
Going to the Sunshine Brooks Theater in Oceanside was a treat. So many memories came back in being part of its birth. I spend hundreds of hours with other volunteers to make it become a community theater (constructing the stage, carpeting, etc.), videotaping every production and making copies for the cast and crew.
The theater looks better then ever. We saw "Steam Powered Robots." This was one of those off-the-wall productions, yet captivated the audience. Robots making human movements, singing and even making us laugh. Our favorite was them singing, "I don't want to set the world on fire, just a flame in your heart."
The young people in the audience found it funnier than we older folks. Everyone had a good time.
William Hart
Carlsbad
Can Congress do that?
The huge bailout for AIG that Congress authored and Obama signed contains a loophole, which Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., included. It allows bonuses to be paid to AIG employees. Now the Congress and the president are struggling to cover their butts, with righteous indignation over the bonuses paid.
I am indignant also, not only at AIG for being stupid, but at the Congress and the president for jamming this stuff through without understanding what they were signing. These people are acting like Keystone Kops.
Now, to make themselves look like the sheriff riding to our rescue, they've decided to selectively target these bonus recipients with a tax. The bonuses were apparently legally paid, in accordance with their contracts and the bailout, and there was no criminal conspiracy involved. Does that mean every time Congress doesn't like something, it can simply and collectively decide to tax it or you out of existence and make everything all right?
This is an example of helter-skelter government out of control, and we should all be afraid of the possibilities.
Len Tevebaugh
Fallbrook
Hello, anyone out there?
Hello? Hello? Anyone in Washington, D.C.? You're all indignant at the AIG bonuses. Don't you read legislation before you pass it? Hey, Sen. Dodd, I'm up to story No. 3 now. Why don't you quit trying to cover your posterior and tell the truth for once in your life?
Now it turns out Merrill-Lynch also got the OK for bonuses. Another round of indignation? Hey! Let's pass some health care reform, education reform and energy reform right now! Don't read the legislation, just pass it. What could go wrong? Yep, we sure got the most intelligent, most efficient administration, ever. Yeah, we sure did!
Dan Shapiro
Oceanside
