I believe that we have very little to worry about from the Mexican citizen who wants to come to the United States to work and make a better life for their families. That is why my family came here during the Irish potato famine. But, we as citizens have the right to know who is in our country. So here are my thoughts, there are some parts that would need to ironed out

   First, redo the immigration law for Mexican citizens only. Allow work visas for Mexican citizens after a criminal background check. Streamline the paperwork making the process easier, and make it so that if you are caught inside the U.S. illegally that you will be denied the ability to cross the border legally for a minimum of 10 years. So make it punishment of not being here legally so severe and the process to be here legal so freakin easy (as long as the applicant has not been convicted of a felony, or misdeiminor assault.)

   Next, finish the fence. Now, what to do about the people who are already here. Announce that everyone here will be granted a work visa, as long as they do not have any felony conviction, or misderminor assault on their criminal record (u.s. and mexican records. They must self report to the nearest immigration office, or if the office is more than 50 miles away, they may complete neccessary paperwork at the local sheriff's office. Give 30 calendar days for illegals to self report, and make themselves legal workers inside the U.S.

   Then, restart the work place raids. Any illegal immigriant is detained and either deported or if a judge feels it is approiprate, granted a work visa. If the individual has a felony conviction, no hearing...just deported, gone, out of here. These would 1). Let us know who is in our country. 2). Allow people to come out of hiding, working legally, and get them on the TAX roles. The big thing is though, NO ONE gets a fast track, or instant, citizenship. 

Spring is here, the sun is out, and the little league coaching has begun.  While listening to the birds singing, the kids laughing, and the bats cracking, I am reminded that there are some good things in this world still.  So while the political elite run our country to into the ground as they fight and grabble for power, there are some things that they can not touch.  Watching a child smile as they hit a round ball with a round bat squarely.  Seeing a child jump up and down with joy after they field a ground ball.  Witnessing a little one, who days before couldn't throw a ball more than a foot, make the perfect throw.  Those are some great things that the career politican can not take away from me.  I would encourage everyone to find something that you love that can produce that much joy.

Personally, I have the hope of Jesus Christ, and in him I find peace, even in these trying times.  I will stand up and voice my opinion, and take up my torch and pitchfork if there was a Tea Party protest anywhere close to my hometown.  But in the end, no matter the outcome, I rest in the comfort of the Christ.  I would encourage those you don't know Jesus, to grab a bible and read the books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

 

Omnibus Bill.  $410 Billion dollars for 7 months.  8000-9000 earmarks depending on who you get your information from.  They only account for 2% of the spending, so what the heck.  Eight percent increases to many government agencies.  Who cares that some watchdogs are pointing out some of these agencies already had major stimulus money added to their accounts.  And for us Oregonians, why worry that our own legislature passed a $175 billion state stimulus package back in January, most of which is for deferred maintenances projects.  So what we have spent $750 billion dollars to bail out banks from bad debts.  Who cares that we spent over $700 billion dollars in tax relief and pet projects to stimulate the national economy.  Who cares that the current budget plans to double our nation's deficit.  Who cares that Speaker Pelosi thinks we need to be open to another stimulus bill.

 

WAIT!!!  I CARE!!!  What the heck are we doing?  Almost every day I have to tell my kids, "no, we can't buy that right now."  Money is tight, we over extended ourselves a little bit, and it feels like every news cycle we are, as a nation, spending more money that we don't have.  What happened to the ideas of 'pay as you go', of fiscal responsibility.  What the heck ever happened to leading by example.  If this is the role models that Washington, D.C. and Salem are going to present themselves as, HOW am I to use them to teach my own children.  What happened to the lessons I learned as a child during the late 70's and early 80's.  I remember that times were tough.  My dad had to find a job 3 hours away and was gone Sunday night to Friday night, and that job was a huge cut in pay to the job that went away.  My mom worked two and sometimes three part time jobs to help make up the difference.  Our home wasn't the greatest.  During the summer my parents were always working on some part of the house to make sure that it stayed over our heads.  Winters were spent patching holes in the roof to stop the latest leak that the most resent storm had created.  Those lessons of tightening the belt. Those lessons of doing what you had to to provide for your family.  Are they all for not?  Have we drifted so far from the principles that founded our country that we can not handle a little pain.  Growing up, tough times were opportunities to build character.  Now as an adult, shouldn't these tough times be an opportunity to SHOW my character.

 

I CARE!!!  My family has made many many changes to help make cuts in our budget to make sure we can get by.  For example, since I am a flooring contractor, and the trade has now slowed down, and I am home more often than on the job, I have started cooking from scratch.  No more boxed meals, no more cans of chili or soup.  I have started using a bread machine to make all of our own bread.  We have been selling material items that we don't need anymore on ebay, craigslist, and other sites that we can interest.  We have always donated our used clothing that were still in good shape to thrifts stores, but we have also started giving those clothes directly to families we know that aren't as well of as we are.  I am using this 'crisis' to show my family the true difference between needs and wants.  It hasn't been easy, but my Great Grandmother survived the Great Depression, and thank God, she lived long enough that I got to know her and learn from her. 

 

I CARE!!!  That our government seems to forget the lessons of the past.  That our politicians are so tied up in fighting with each other that the few good ideas that do get presented, seem to get instantly dismissed since it wasn't from the correct person of power.  Look at JFK, look at Reagan,  Different political parties, but same actions to get the nation out of a recession.  Cut those taxes.  If we are going to spend money, let's spend it on needs.  Roads (I-5 and the 205 in Portland have my vote), bridges, health care safety nets (not nationalized health care), individual schools.  Things we need for our society to function.  I wish that our government would take a look at our energy policy.  Do they not realize that one of the major components of our current recession was fuel prices.  At one point my wife and I were spending over $400.00 a month in gas.  That was just to get back and forth to work and doctor's appointments.  It almost broke us.  It did break many people.  Combine that with rising food, service, and material product price increasing (takes fuel to get them to market, and there is only so much a manufacturer/producer can absorb), then toss in a bad choice in mortgage choice, and well, we are living through that combination.  Why not toss the automakers some incentive to put cars on the market that get great gas mileage instead of putting standard on them that can't be met yet.  Just one idea the government could offer major tax incentives for the first company to put a car that gets 100 mpg.  And a smaller to the second.  Money talks to these large companies. 

 

It is time for the government to tighten it's own belt.  If they don't have the money then doesn't spend it.  I have never been a fan of President Clinton, but I believe that we can learn a lot from him and the Republican congress at the time.  A balanced budget makes many voters happy, and can be a big foot in the door to reelection.  Democrats and Republicans need to really look at the the elections of 2006 and 2008.  Republicans were tossed out of power not because their fiscal conservative backgrounds were considered bad from the country, but for two main reasons.  One was the support of an unpopular war.  But the other was because they were not being fiscally conservative.  I predict that the first party to embrace fiscal conservativism will be the winner of the 2010 election cycle.

The Good!
It was an interesting week.  We as a Nation put a man of African descent into the highest office of the land.  Amazing when you consider that his father would have had to sit at the back of the bus, drank from a special water fountain, and would have been killed in some communities for being seen with a white woman.  President Obama rode the wave of his slogan, celebrity and oratary skills.  So far he has lead us to one of the biggest celebrations we have ever witnessed.  To see President Obama and President Bush stand on that stage and have the power of the US yet again peacefully pass from one leader to another.  What a lesson to the world!

 

The Bad!

President Obama moved fast with his new power, the new White House website was up and running within minutes from all accounts.  While I don't agree with many of the ways President Obama has on his agenda.  Like Lincoln, he plans on sticking the Federal nose in States' business by wading into the Gay Marriage issue....bad idea, especially if he wants to be reelected.  Then the "Stimulus" Package....I don't think I can put into words how unsuccessful I think that is going to be.  On the website he pledges to raise taxes on the wealthy....Why President Obama!!!!!  We are already taxing our largest companies off our shores.  Flat tax, Flat tax, Flat tax, with debt forgiveness to anyone under the poverty level.  Carter already tried taxing the rich, and while I was not very old, I remember what that got my middle class family.  His health care plan, I'm going to hold judgement on, but with my public Mental Health experience, and seeing what a stellar job government does in the health care industry (insert sarcassism here), I think I will just keep paying out of pocket, thank you very much. 

Now we get to the rural heading on the Agenda.  I can't do it.  He is so out of touch with the rural communities that it is not even funny.  Jobs!!! Mr. President.  Jobs!!!!  You want to help us in the rural communities out, help us fight the extremists in the environmental movement.  They like to project areas like the Oregon Coast and our loggers and fisherman, as uneducated baffoons that don't care about our watersheds, our wildlife, and our way of life.  The loggers and fisherman I know are hard working family men and women, who want the best for their children.  They know that you can't just go out into the woods and cut everything you see.  They know that you can't pull every living creature out of the sea.  They know that we must be stewards of our land, air, and water.  Help us show the world that we know how to harvest our forests, our seas, our land in ways that are environmentally sound, and that give us the opprotunity to make a better life for our children.

President Obama's service goals are very noble.  I agree with our President that we should serve our communities every chance we get.  That we should give of ourselves to causes we believe in and want to stand up for.  I disagree that it should be a goal that every middle school student should do 50 hours of community service every year.  Maybe for high school age kids.  But in middle school, we need to allow these kids to be kids still.  We should be more worried about helping them develop good study habits, and a sense of right and wrong, not who they are going to volunteer for.  And a $4000 tax credit for college students that perform 100 hours of community service.  That's paying them $40.00 an hour.  I don't know many people that make that kind of money, especially in college. 

 

Really, though, these idealogically differences aren't that bad.  I could find areas that I could support on the President's agenda.  There are some that I will stand up and say "boo" to, but some that I can see being solid and deserving of an attempt.

 

 

It appears that the US senate will confirm Tim Geithner to the Treasury Sec. Seat.  This after it was discovered that he cheated on his taxes, and may have employed an illegal immigrant.  Wouldn't be a problem, except now he will oversee the IRS.....guess he wont have to worry about those taxes anymore...

 

Dem's and Rep's just can't keep their noses clean.  Charles Rangel (D, NY), is under investigation by the House ethics committee over personal finances and his fundraising for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Policy at City College in New York.  John Mertha (D, PA) didn't think calling his constigueints redneck racists was enough headlines.  Now it looks like he might be being investigated for a "Kick-back for Contracts" type scandal.  And former NY state senate leader Joe Bruno brought one home for the GOP by getting himself indicted on coruption charges.  These three men probably wished they would have heard President's Obama's call for a more ethical government a few years back.

 

And the Pelosi