You have two families: "Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal". Both families have two parents, two children, and live in California .
Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.
Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".
Ready? Now pay attention...
Joe Legal: $25..00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or $52,000.00 per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.
Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or $31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for his family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $24,031..00.
Jose Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200..00.
Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per year.
Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.
Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps and welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $9,631.00.
Jose Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $ 31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe Legal now has $7,231.00.
Jose Illegal says, "We don't need no stinkin' insurance!" and still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, etc.
Jose Illegal has to make his $31,200.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.
Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.
Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.
Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a government sponsored lunch. Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home .
Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services, but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.
Do you get it, now?
Anyone who votes for or supports any politician that supports illegal aliens is part of the problem!
Also, anyone that hires illegals, uses contractors that hire illegals or patronizes businesses that use illegals is also part of the problem!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Rainy Days and Philosophy
"It's a rainy day and I can't go out and play..."
Remember that old Sesame Street song?
I like rainy days...they are conducive to heavy thoughts and philosophy. With nothing much else to do, you can get wrapped up i your own head and solve all the world's problems.
At least I can!
Not to say there is nothing much to do around here.
I have the two upstairs bathrooms to clean, I need to put clean sheets on the bed in the empty room upstairs (If you ever run a rooming house, remember, rooms with neatly made up beds rent faster!) I am doing laundry, already swept down and cleaned our laundry room, still have the kitchen to clean. Already swept and mopped the living room and hallways and cleaned the downstairs bathroom.
So, like I said, nothing much to do.
Now onto philosophy..
I play a little music (todays selections include Beethoven's Sonata No 9, Sammy Davis, Jr singing Candyman, several selections from De Peche Mode and Show of Hands and Cage The Elephant), write a couple of letters to relatives (Hi Mom!), do my bank deposits and book-keeping and think about how to make things better.
I WANT to make things better. Not just for myself, but for others. But I have come to realize that some people do not want to make things better for themselves.
It would require effort--that they are not willing to expend.
It would require motivation--that they do not have.
It would require ambition--which they do have, either.
You can do things for others, hand them, yes, literally HAND them the tools and means to pull themselves out of whatever morass they are in, and they will still wallow in whatever misery they have grown accustomed to.
I am thinking about this because of the tragic earthquake in Hati.
And I reflected on Hurricane Katrina, and Rita and Ike.
There are people in my area that have STILL not *recovered* from Katrina, or Rita. Loads of people are still weeping over Ike.
People were given thousands of dollars to buy new household goods, given trailers to live in, houses were rebuilt or repaired, yet they still need help.
Why?
What the hell did people do before the government took it upon themselves to rescue people, communities, even whole states from the results of natural disasters?
How did people survive? How did they continue on with their lives?
Answer:
They took a deep breath, buried their dead, wiped the tears from their eyes, got back up and *soldiered on*, as my dad used to say. They rebuilt their homes, helped their neighbors rebuild, planted their gardens and worked harder to regain what they had lost.
Notice that nowhere in that sentence is any arm of the government mentioned, nor anything about international aid.
I am not heartless. I am not saying we should stop sending aid to Haiti. But lets remember that the US has been giving aid to Haiti for decades. We have had troops there for over a dozen years.
It is still a cess-pool of political corruption, a hunting ground for child predators and modern slavers, and a morass of the worst poverty in the western hemisphere. Education and literacy are not priorities for most of the population. They worry about getting something more substantial than cardboard over their heads and a meal on the table.
It should not have taken an earthquake to get the basic issues there addressed.
But the earthquake DID happen.
There is much tragedy there. Many people killed, families seperated, homes destroyed, etc.
Camps are being set up, which in Haiti have the very real possibility of becoming permanent fixtures in the landscape. That should not happen!
While people are in the camps and tent cities being set up for them, get some warm bodies and bull-dozers on the ground.
Let the people bury their dead, and then bulldoze the destroyed areas. Bull-doze them into a land fill area or the ocean or where-ever the rubble can be pushed. Just level it flat and bare!
Re-do the entire infra-structure...plumbing and sewer lines, water treatment, roads, electrical lines.
The whole shooting match, so to speak.
Before anyone whines about expense, trust me on this, it will cost less to do this than to attempt to "shore up" the sad remnants of Port-Au-Prince and fix up what is left.
Bring in lumber and concrete and cinderblock and rebar and the other things that will be needed to rebuild.
Put the people to work rebuilding it themselves.
Make them *do* for themselves.
Give advice, make sure there is clean water and food during the rebuilding process, but have the citizens of Haiti rebuild their country themselves.
Give them one year of help, advice and supplies.
Then walk the hell away.
Let Haiti know, hell, let the entire WORLD know that this is a "social experiment" and how the citizens of Haiti handle it will affect how the United States hands out help in the future. If Haiti insists on regressing to their previous corrupt behavior and status quo, then set definite limits for helping any other country in the future.
In the US, if a state is hit by some sort of disaster, provide help in the same manner. One year maximum. The local population must be involved in rebuilding. That's it.
And none of that bullshit of rebuilding in flood zones or where wildfires hit every year or mudslide areas. If three or four houses were already destroyed at a particular spot, why would anyone think it was sensible to rebuild on the same spot?
So...there's where my head is at this rainy day...solving the issue of foreign relief aid during disasters...
Now, I have to go scrub toilets.
Have a good rainy day...
Remember that old Sesame Street song?
I like rainy days...they are conducive to heavy thoughts and philosophy. With nothing much else to do, you can get wrapped up i your own head and solve all the world's problems.
At least I can!
Not to say there is nothing much to do around here.
I have the two upstairs bathrooms to clean, I need to put clean sheets on the bed in the empty room upstairs (If you ever run a rooming house, remember, rooms with neatly made up beds rent faster!) I am doing laundry, already swept down and cleaned our laundry room, still have the kitchen to clean. Already swept and mopped the living room and hallways and cleaned the downstairs bathroom.
So, like I said, nothing much to do
Now onto philosophy..
I play a little music (todays selections include Beethoven's Sonata No 9, Sammy Davis, Jr singing Candyman, several selections from De Peche Mode and Show of Hands and Cage The Elephant), write a couple of letters to relatives (Hi Mom!), do my bank deposits and book-keeping and think about how to make things better.
I WANT to make things better. Not just for myself, but for others. But I have come to realize that some people do not want to make things better for themselves.
It would require effort--that they are not willing to expend.
It would require motivation--that they do not have.
It would require ambition--which they do have, either.
You can do things for others, hand them, yes, literally HAND them the tools and means to pull themselves out of whatever morass they are in, and they will still wallow in whatever misery they have grown accustomed to.
I am thinking about this because of the tragic earthquake in Hati.
And I reflected on Hurricane Katrina, and Rita and Ike.
There are people in my area that have STILL not *recovered* from Katrina, or Rita. Loads of people are still weeping over Ike.
People were given thousands of dollars to buy new household goods, given trailers to live in, houses were rebuilt or repaired, yet they still need help.
Why?
What the hell did people do before the government took it upon themselves to rescue people, communities, even whole states from the results of natural disasters?
How did people survive? How did they continue on with their lives?
Answer:
They took a deep breath, buried their dead, wiped the tears from their eyes, got back up and *soldiered on*, as my dad used to say. They rebuilt their homes, helped their neighbors rebuild, planted their gardens and worked harder to regain what they had lost.
Notice that nowhere in that sentence is any arm of the government mentioned, nor anything about international aid.
I am not heartless. I am not saying we should stop sending aid to Haiti. But lets remember that the US has been giving aid to Haiti for decades. We have had troops there for over a dozen years.
It is still a cess-pool of political corruption, a hunting ground for child predators and modern slavers, and a morass of the worst poverty in the western hemisphere. Education and literacy are not priorities for most of the population. They worry about getting something more substantial than cardboard over their heads and a meal on the table.
It should not have taken an earthquake to get the basic issues there addressed.
But the earthquake DID happen.
There is much tragedy there. Many people killed, families seperated, homes destroyed, etc.
Camps are being set up, which in Haiti have the very real possibility of becoming permanent fixtures in the landscape. That should not happen!
While people are in the camps and tent cities being set up for them, get some warm bodies and bull-dozers on the ground.
Let the people bury their dead, and then bulldoze the destroyed areas. Bull-doze them into a land fill area or the ocean or where-ever the rubble can be pushed. Just level it flat and bare!
Re-do the entire infra-structure...plumbing and sewer lines, water treatment, roads, electrical lines.
The whole shooting match, so to speak.
Before anyone whines about expense, trust me on this, it will cost less to do this than to attempt to "shore up" the sad remnants of Port-Au-Prince and fix up what is left.
Bring in lumber and concrete and cinderblock and rebar and the other things that will be needed to rebuild.
Put the people to work rebuilding it themselves.
Make them *do* for themselves.
Give advice, make sure there is clean water and food during the rebuilding process, but have the citizens of Haiti rebuild their country themselves.
Give them one year of help, advice and supplies.
Then walk the hell away.
Let Haiti know, hell, let the entire WORLD know that this is a "social experiment" and how the citizens of Haiti handle it will affect how the United States hands out help in the future. If Haiti insists on regressing to their previous corrupt behavior and status quo, then set definite limits for helping any other country in the future.
In the US, if a state is hit by some sort of disaster, provide help in the same manner. One year maximum. The local population must be involved in rebuilding. That's it.
And none of that bullshit of rebuilding in flood zones or where wildfires hit every year or mudslide areas. If three or four houses were already destroyed at a particular spot, why would anyone think it was sensible to rebuild on the same spot?
So...there's where my head is at this rainy day...solving the issue of foreign relief aid during disasters...
Now, I have to go scrub toilets.
Have a good rainy day...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Gotta Love Vermont!
Saw this story this morning:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100113/ap_on_re_us/us_vermont_secession_candidates;_ylt=AiMNhXhTyrvVKMn83Oem0oFbbBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNrZzNmNDVrBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTEzL3VzX3Zlcm1vbnRfc2VjZXNzaW9uX2NhbmRpZGF0ZXMEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM2BHBvcwM2BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDOXZ0c3RhdGVvZmZp
According to the article, this is the first time since the Civil War that a secessionist party in the US has fielded a whole slate of candidates for state office.
'Bout damn time!
While their chances are not the best, if more and more candidates wave the secessionist banner, perhaps the big guys being wined and dined in Washington finally realize that people are PISSED OFF!
Not angry, not annoyed, not peeved or any other nice sounding term.
Barney Frank
Joe Baca
Barbara Boxer
and so on and so forth...
Kick the bastards out. Make them get a REAL job for a change. Put people in office that hear and HEED the voices of their constituents. Elect representatives that will shout and yell and scream and debate and argue and make sure that the voices of WE, THE PEOPLE, are heard!
Otherwise, I suspect that a lot more state houses are going to get high populations of secessionists--with the approval of their state populations!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100113/ap_on_re_us/us_vermont_secession_candidates;_ylt=AiMNhXhTyrvVKMn83Oem0oFbbBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNrZzNmNDVrBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTEzL3VzX3Zlcm1vbnRfc2VjZXNzaW9uX2NhbmRpZGF0ZXMEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM2BHBvcwM2BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDOXZ0c3RhdGVvZmZp
According to the article, this is the first time since the Civil War that a secessionist party in the US has fielded a whole slate of candidates for state office.
'Bout damn time!
While their chances are not the best, if more and more candidates wave the secessionist banner, perhaps the big guys being wined and dined in Washington finally realize that people are PISSED OFF!
Not angry, not annoyed, not peeved or any other nice sounding term.
WE, THE PEOPLE, ARE PISSED OFF!!!
Why they can't understand this is beyond me. The signs are all around them. Check web sites, check blogs, check newspapers, check political rallies, tea parties, check news shows, talk to any man or woman on the street. When Joe Wilson yelled "You Lie" at Obama during that speech, that was not just Joe Wilson yelling! That was your constituents, Ladies and Gentlemen of The House and The Senate.We are pissed at each and every one of you--just about. There are few that are not shills for The Federal Reserve, Giant Banking Corporations, etc. There are a few of you that are not in the hip pocket of some special interest group ...there are a few of you that do not go on junkets to the Caribbean or "special trade meetings" to Paris paid for by some lobbyist. To you few, the time for you to stand up and speak up is here. Don't let another week go by, hell, don't let another MINUTE go by before you let WE, THE PEOPLE know where you stand and where your loyalties lie.
November elections will be here before you know it. Never has the cry of "Throw the bastards out!" resonated so strongly with WE, THE PEOPLE. You will be out of a job unless you do your sworn duties.We WILL fire you. Yes, I said it. FIRE YOU. Your services no longer needed, take your pink slip and hit the door. Because you, as the elected representitive of WE, THE PEOPLE, have forgotten something that should be foremost in your mind.
WE, THE PEOPLE, ARE YOUR EMPLOYERS!!!
If you do not do the job in a manner that is conducive to OUR interests, we have every right to fire you and we will!
Current list for Firing includes:
Nancy Pelosi
Harry Reid (unless he crawls back under his rock before the election)
Claire McCaskill
Charles Rangel
Barbara MikulskiBarney Frank
Joe Baca
Barbara Boxer
and so on and so forth...
Kick the bastards out. Make them get a REAL job for a change. Put people in office that hear and HEED the voices of their constituents. Elect representatives that will shout and yell and scream and debate and argue and make sure that the voices of WE, THE PEOPLE, are heard!
Otherwise, I suspect that a lot more state houses are going to get high populations of secessionists--with the approval of their state populations!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Work...NOT a bad thing! Celebrate it!
The commercials blare out at you: Saves you WORK!, Less WORK, more leisure time! Don't WORK harder, WORK smarter!
So forth and so on....
How about celebrating work...the nuts and bolts work that keeps our country gong..
Great speech by Mike Rowe...20 minutes, give it a listen...amazing!
So forth and so on....
How about celebrating work...the nuts and bolts work that keeps our country gong..
Great speech by Mike Rowe...20 minutes, give it a listen...amazing!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Let's Get It Rolling...
I started this blog, didn't do really anything with it and have decided to go ahead and be the opinionated hellion I am frequently rumored to be and just let her rip!
By way of introductions..
I am female, over 50 and the mother of 7. I currently live in and manage a rooming house in southeast Texas. I have lived in Europe and all over the USA. My politics are warped as hell.
I am WAY liberal on some things (legalize marijuana!) and wildly conservative on others (drug test welfare recipients!), so be warned!
The rooming house is a microcosm of the marginal edge of our current society.
We have older folk living on disability, young folks in college, young couples just starting out, middle-aged people just getting out of a marriage, transient workers, workers for fast food joints, etc.
We rent month-to-month, so there is no pesky lease to deal with. We provide all utilities including cable tv, so no deposits for same required.
The neighborhood is not the best, so we have to contend with attempted home invasions, prostitutes wandering up to the door, drug dealers, homeless people trying to sneak in and find a warm place to sleep at night, etc.
I am armed 90% of the time out of necessity as I walk through the house.
I have been attacked by *cracked out* prostitutes and tenants. I have been threatened and attacked by tenants during evictions.
Besides a gun by my side, I also have another *tool* I employ for my safety. A damn good dog. She is trained to protect me, as a few unfortunate people have found out. When I am out of the house, she stays in my room and repels anyone that attempts to enter. It helps to have a breed that is inherently very territorial. My dog is half German Shepherd and half Pit Bull. She is a *tool* , a companion, a friend and a protector. I am also her protector and friend, as well as being her supplier of doggie treats. Okay, and I get her kerchiefs to wear. For some reason, the damn dog likes to wear them around her neck.
I have a dozen people living here. A dozen people, with all their problems, personalities, addictions, quirks, bad habits, good habits, etc and so on ad infintum.
It gets funny sometimes, it gets scary sometimes. There is ALWAYS something going on that requires my attention.
The large house is old and has it's own quirks, too. And requires as much, if not more, attention as the people that live here.
I live in a hurricane area...got through Ike okay the first year I lived here.
So, now you know a bit about me...
Oh yes, I am currently engaged, having obtained my third divorce last year.
My Darling Man is in the military and currently deployed "in the snadbox". About all I will say about that-- security reasons you understand.
Come along for the ride...life is fun, life is rough, life is a constant surprise.
By way of introductions..
I am female, over 50 and the mother of 7. I currently live in and manage a rooming house in southeast Texas. I have lived in Europe and all over the USA. My politics are warped as hell.
I am WAY liberal on some things (legalize marijuana!) and wildly conservative on others (drug test welfare recipients!), so be warned!
The rooming house is a microcosm of the marginal edge of our current society.
We have older folk living on disability, young folks in college, young couples just starting out, middle-aged people just getting out of a marriage, transient workers, workers for fast food joints, etc.
We rent month-to-month, so there is no pesky lease to deal with. We provide all utilities including cable tv, so no deposits for same required.
The neighborhood is not the best, so we have to contend with attempted home invasions, prostitutes wandering up to the door, drug dealers, homeless people trying to sneak in and find a warm place to sleep at night, etc.
I am armed 90% of the time out of necessity as I walk through the house.
I have been attacked by *cracked out* prostitutes and tenants. I have been threatened and attacked by tenants during evictions.
Besides a gun by my side, I also have another *tool* I employ for my safety. A damn good dog. She is trained to protect me, as a few unfortunate people have found out. When I am out of the house, she stays in my room and repels anyone that attempts to enter. It helps to have a breed that is inherently very territorial. My dog is half German Shepherd and half Pit Bull. She is a *tool* , a companion, a friend and a protector. I am also her protector and friend, as well as being her supplier of doggie treats. Okay, and I get her kerchiefs to wear. For some reason, the damn dog likes to wear them around her neck.
I have a dozen people living here. A dozen people, with all their problems, personalities, addictions, quirks, bad habits, good habits, etc and so on ad infintum.
It gets funny sometimes, it gets scary sometimes. There is ALWAYS something going on that requires my attention.
The large house is old and has it's own quirks, too. And requires as much, if not more, attention as the people that live here.
I live in a hurricane area...got through Ike okay the first year I lived here.
So, now you know a bit about me...
Oh yes, I am currently engaged, having obtained my third divorce last year.
My Darling Man is in the military and currently deployed "in the snadbox". About all I will say about that-- security reasons you understand.
Come along for the ride...life is fun, life is rough, life is a constant surprise.
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