Month: May 2009

Another interesting piece from Jerry Erickson, in News & Messenger, discussing the economic benefits of legalizing an undocumented workforce.

After reading the piece, I’d add that the stabilization of the housing market alone would be a tremendous benefit to the economy. One need only recall the recent Business Week article, where John McClain, a senior fellow at George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, stated that Prince William has witnessed higher foreclosure rates as immigrants moved to neighboring jurisdictions. Nobody should replicate Prince William County’s experience with some of the highest foreclosure rates in the country combined with double digit property losses to a national level. In fact, offering an opportunity at legalization should strengthen the housing sector as those undocumented homeowners with high interest loans could be able to re-finance into lower, more affordable products. Just a thought…

Jerry Erickson
Published: May 20, 2009

QUESTION: Can immigration reform provide a boost to the U.S. economy?

Before our country can actually agree to implement any real immigration reform, there has to be a meeting of the minds, or at least a general consensus, that this decision will lead to long-term, worthwhile and measurable economic benefits. Opponents of immigration reform often argue that the costs associated with this effort will outweigh the benefits. A review of the facts suggests that this position is off the mark.

As reported in separate reports by the Immigration Policy Center and the Executive Office of the President, Council of Economic Affairs (EOP), the following are some points to consider:

FACT: Providing legal status to undocumented workers would increase tax revenues.

Department of Labor (DOL) sponsored surveys have concluded that those workers who obtained legal status under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) experienced, on average, a 15 percent increase in wages within five years. It’s also a given that when your wages increase, you pay more in state and federal taxes. There are also other benefits that flow from legal status, including home ownership, investment in education, job creation and community development.

FACT: Legalizing undocumented workers would improve wages and working conditions for all workers, and increase tax revenues for federal, state, and local governments.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) have estimated the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, as proposed in April 2006, would have had the effect of generating $66 billion in revenue between 2007-2016, primarily from payroll and income taxes.

The CBO and the JCT also concluded that the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 would have generated approximately $48 billion in revenue from 2008-2017. Again, this would have primarily resulted from payment of income and payroll taxes.

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The Washington Post article, U.S. to Expand Immigration Checks to All Local Jails, states that the Obama administration will expand the Secure Communities Program currently being implemented in Fairfax County, to all jails nationwide. By doing so, we can once and for all accurately determine the number of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants that are non-immigration related. I believe, Prince William County’s data will prove to be a reliable indicator of what the results would prove nationally, with misdeamenor crimes like driving without a license being the primary offense committed.

Drawbacks to these types of programs include an apprehension among immigrants, legal or not to report crimes out of concern that their immigration status could somehow be put in jeopordy, including the possibility that legal permanent residents could lose their status for minor criminal offenses.

This program combined with the continued construction of the fence, the revival of the vitual fence project indicate the administrations willingness and ability to address the issue, and hopefully, sooner rather than later will require those otherwise lawfully residing immigrants an opportunity to adjust their status.

Today President Barack Obama will address the 2009 graduating class of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. Can you imagine, many years later, being able to say that a sitting president of the United States of America gave the commencement address at your graduation? Wow! What an honor. The leader of the most powerful nation in the world!

All week long demonstrators at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana have been protesting over President Obama’s pro-choice stance and his view on stem cell research. So far, 19 have been arrested. While there have been some student protests during the past few weeks, those arrested have been non-students. The moment they come on to school property, they are arrested. Who are these protestors? From all appearances, they are a hodgepodge of followers of Randall Terry who used to lead Operation Rescue. Some readers will remember the group that blockaded women’s clinics, chained themselves to medical equipment and cars, harassed patients and kept patients from entering and exiting the clinics.

In 2005, many members from this same group descended on Pinellas County, Florida, to protest removing Terry Schiavo’s feeding tube. Schiavo had been in a persistent vegetative state for seven years.

In addition to the remaining stragglers of Operation Rescue, former presidential candidate Alan Keyes is there making his statement as well as priests, bishops and other clergy. Norma McCorvey, the original Jane Roe in the Roe vs. Wade decision, is also there speaking badly of the president. Some are protesting that President Obama was even invited to speak. Others are protesting that he will be given an honorary degree from Notre Dame because he does not represent the Church’s values. It appears to be a real three ring circus.

Seven other distinguished Americans will receive honorary degrees along with Obama. They represent many different walks of life and philosophies. Notre Dame is to be commended for its endeavor to broaden minds rather than stifle knowledge; it is, after all, a university of distinction with a strong academic reputation. Schools like Notre Dame encourage thinking and do not turn out cookie cutter graduates who simply regurgitate facts. Academicians of national and international stature proudly claim Notre Dame as their alma mater.

 

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This weekend must be dedicated to the animals.  Meet Rachel Alexandra the super filly, Pimlico’s hottest new attraction who will run in the 134^th Preakness Stakes barring any unforeseen events. 

 

 

Much hangs on this year’s Preakness that extends beyond the 2^nd leg of the triple crown stakes. All at Pimlico is not well, according to examiner.com:

 

Track owner, Magna Entertainment Corp. is in bankruptcy. A new infield BYOB ban, threatening rain, and one of the worst economic recessions in recent memory may converge to form a perfect storm of dwindling interest. The fate of Preakness teeters in the balance.

On the one hand, the sky could rip at any moment. On the other, the sun might shine. This is the City of Baltimore, nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and western Maryland. Here, the barometer can and often does shift on a dime.

We natives can’t help but see Pimlico through the eyes of history, the rest of the world’s as well as our own. Here, the underdog Seabiscuit battled mighty War Admiral and emerged victorious. Here, America’s Barbaro suffered gut-wrenching defeat.

Enter the new lady in town, Rachel Alexandra. No filly has won the Preakness since 1924. She is being billed by the horse crowd as the best horse since Man o’ War  (c. 1920) who some feel was the horse of the century. Sports stations and horse racing aficionados are all a buzz with the talk of Super Filly  Rachel Alexandra. Should she turn out to be the horse of the century, Mine That Bird is out of the running. To make matters even dicier, Cal Borel, the jockey who rode Mine That Bird to victory two weeks ago at the Kentucky Derby, is jumping ship, or should I say, ‘jumping horse,’ and riding Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. What is that old country expression about dance with the one who brung you?

We will just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow as coverage begins at 4:30 on NBC. The odds will be posted online sometime tomorrow.  Post time is generally around 5:30-6:00.

No Triple Crown winner this year!

Watch the new kid in town kick some major horse booty! Rachel Alexandra is the winner of the 2009 Preakness Race. Mine That Bird came in a close second. One can only wonder if Cal Borel had ridden Mine that Bird, if we might be looking at a Triple Crown Winner.

Enjoy the race!

Will we have a new Lady Victory, a 2nd leg winner named Bird That Mine, or will another dark horse appear out of no where? [ED note: Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness.] Is Cal Borel, the exuberant  jockey, a turn coat for not riding Bird That Mine?  Check out the competition.  Who is your favorite?

Will the boys rule the day or will there be a female interloper breaking the glass ceiling for the first time in 85 years? 

Click to view the competition.

 

Additional video footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjePyvH7024&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBxJvzktxrw&NR=1

 

 

I have a great dog, not sure he’s as smart or as dedicated as this pooch, but thought it would be nice to start out the weekend on a positive note!

 

 

Today, 89 year old John Demjanjuk was deported from the United States and put on a plane for Germany.  This deportation has been going on since 1977, when the retired auto worker was accused of being a guard in a Nazi death camp.

 

According to the AP article:

 

The deportation came four days after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider Demjanjuk’s request to block deportation and about 3 1/2 years after he was last ordered deported.

The Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk (pronounced dem-YAHN’-yuk) is wanted on a Munich arrest warrant that accuses him of 29,000 counts of accessory to murder as a guard at the Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. The legal case spans three decades.

Damjanjuk denies the charges and has maintained all along that he was held as a Soviet prisoner of war by the Germans. 

 

Rabbi Marvin Hier, a founder of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, said Demjanjuk deserves to be punished and that this will probably be the last trial of someone accused of Nazi war crimes.

“His work at the Sobibor death camp was to push men, women and children into the gas chamber,” Hier said in a statement. “He had no mercy, no pity and no remorse for the families whose lives he was destroying.”

The center was established to locate and help bring to justice Nazi war criminals.

The deportation capped a day in which Demjanjuk said goodbye to his family and was visited by two priests at his home in Seven Hills, a Cleveland suburb.

He then slipped quietly into an ambulance parked in his driveway, his family members standing at the edge of the garage and holding up a floral-patterned bed sheet to block the view of reporters and photographers across the street.

Apparently Damjanjek’s citizenship was revoked.  He is an old man.  Should he be punished?  Was he ‘just following orders?’  How long should a person’s crimes against humanity follow them?  Why did the rabbi say this man is probably the final Nazi who will be prosecuted? 

A great deal has been said on this blog about Nazis.  What do we do when we find a real Nazi?  A part of me thinks this is an old, old man who lived out his life in another time away from the insanity of WWII Germany.  Another part of me thinks that the last villain should be hunted down and punished.  I think of Alex’s mother, who forgave her son’s murderer and did not want him to receive the death penalty.  Would I manifest such compassion?  I hardly think so. 

Click for entire story.

 

Actually, cyber bullying was already here.  Whatever happened to the good old days where the bullies just made everyone’s life miserable on the playground? 

Area schools and parent-teacher organizations are meeting to discuss the growing trend of cyber bullying where children and teens use computers, hand-held devices, cell phones and blackberries to harass torture and embarrass their peers. 

Apparently the problem is so epidemic that PW County Schools plan to include cyber bullying in the Code of Behavior.  Regular bullying is already a point of emphasis.  In the past few years, schools have become increasingly sensitive to the harmful affects of bullying.  Deputy Superintendent Rae Darlington has been a champion of the anti-bullying programs that already exist in the county.   

According to the News and Messenger:

 

The suggested changes to the Code of Behavior, which the School Board reviews and updates annually, would expand the definition of bullying to say that “cyber bullying, the intentional and/or repeated harm of others through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic or technological devices, is strictly forbidden.”

Clarice Torian, Director of Student Services for Prince William County Schools recently told the school board:

“The suggested additions to the code of behavior would apply to student behavior in school, and outside of school if the behavior impacts the school environment.”

 

News and Messenger also reports:

According to a study by criminology professors Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin, who started the Web site http://www.cyberbullying.us, 9.4 percent of middle schoolers reported being recent victims of cyberbullying and 17.3 percent reported being victims at some point in their lives.

The study also said that 8.2 percent of middle schoolers reported being recent cyber bullies themselves and 17.6 percent reported being cyber bullies at some point in their lives.

According to the study, some examples of cyber bullying are sending harassing e-mails or instant messages, posting insulting or slanderous things on online bulletin boards or social networking sites.

 

Does this behavior stop at adolescence?  Is this something kids outgrow or is it something we continue to see way into adulthood?  Certainly those of us who have traveled about the blogosphere are quite familiar with bullying.  Additionally, those of us who have dealt with political issues are certainly familiar with some of the bully tactics that are used in against the ‘enemy.’

What is adult cyber bullying?  Would those who bully do so on the playground or is the anonymity of a computer what brings out this disturbing behavior?  How does it manifest itself in the blogosphere?  The chat rooms?  Emails?

Over the weekend, let’s take a look at examples of cyber bullying as it relates to blogging and politics.  I am sure many of us have a story to tell. 

 

 

 

 

 

Virginia Virtucon reports on efforts in Stafford to oppose terrorists being transferred from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Quantico Marine Base. Apparently, the brig is technically located in Stafford; however since the base spans both counties, Prince William County residents and Supervisors should keep a close eye on developments.

Stafford Co. Supervisor Makes The Case Against Bringing Terrorists To Quanitco
Posted on May 7, 2009 by Riley
Stafford Co. Garrisonville Dist. Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer has a great op-ed in today’s Free Lance-Star laying out the various reasons why the terrorists being detained at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba should not be brought to the brig at Quantico. (For the record, the Quantico brig is located in Stafford Co., but the base itself spans both Stafford and Pr. William counties making it a concern for residents of both.)

Radio Talk Show Host Michael Savage gives conservatives a bad name. His outrageous claims goes beyond what society should accept as the norm. Words have consequences and he should be held accountable for his. Simply put, you are not allowed under the guise of free speech to state anything you choose. Some of Michael Savage’s claims are the moral equivalent of screaming fire in a crowded movie theater. For example, his statement about ‘illegal immigrants being used as weapons in germ warfare by terrorists intent on exploiting a weak southern border’. Tell me, Mr. Weiner (aka Michael Savage), why wouldn’t a terrorist simply go to a terminal in the nearest international airport and find a flight bound for the United States and release it there? Your words are meant to incite hatred for Mexicans. The United Kingdom is 100% correct in refusing your entry to their country. Now, if the talk radio station that employs you would recognize your idiocy and refuse you entry into the office building, we could call it a day.

Other Americans included on the list of banned persons include:

• Stephen Donald Black, a.k.a. Don Black, former Alabama Klan leader and creator of the white nationalist online forum Stormfront, banned for “promoting serious criminal activity and fostering hatred that might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.”

• Erich Gliebe, chairman of the neo-Nazi National Alliance, for “engaging in unacceptable behaviour by justifying terrorist violence, provoking others to commit serious crime and fostering racial hatred.”

• Fred Phelps, Sr., and Shirley Phelps Roper, leaders of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, for “picket[ing] the funerals of Aids victims and [claiming] the deaths of American soldiers are a punishment for US tolerance of homosexuality.”

• Michael Alan Weiner, a.k.a. Michael Savage, right-wing talk radio host, for “seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred.” The Home Office also noted that Savage’s “views on immigration, Islam, rape and autism have caused great offence in the US.”