Immigration Issue?

The Democrat and Republican Primaries are narrowing down a disappointing field in both parties. Not a single candidate with a chance to be on the November ballot has taken a clear stand on illegal immigraion. They have abandoned moral clarity and America is the worse off because of it. We should all tune in and make them speak up. They are holding off because, no matter what they personally believe, it is a sensitive issue and they might lose votes or supporters. Do you really want elected leaders who are too politically timid to speak their honest convictions or to act on them for the sake of votes?

Economy vs. Iraq

Interesting. The surge, led by Gen. Petraeus, has been a tremendous success. So much so that the liberal media is silent. Actually, they are succesfully changing the subject to the economy and we simply are not hearing of the Iraqi quagmire anymore. Of course, no matter how well our effort goes over there the Iraqis eventually have to do it themselves. The question is - will they be succesful? That remains to be seen but it sure seems that we are giving them the opportunity.

As for the economy, we do seem to be in or on the brink of a recession. The same thing was verifiably happening in Clinton's final months yet the media tried mightely to give him a pass. They even resorted to accusing Bush of crying wolf before he was inaugurated. We now know Bush inherited a mild recession and it was dealt with quite readily on top of the economic damage cause by 9/11, the costs of the wars and Katrina.

Now, with a recession coming in Bush's last months the libs are painting it as a disaster of Bush's personal making and the Democrats are needed to save us and the world. This is transparent and illogical but it is also an election year. Lying is good and facts are bad. By the way, the amortgage industry wreckage does not need federal help. Let the market deal with unwise borrowers and even more unwise lenders. They are the ones responsible.

Understanding the U.S. Constitution

Another writer posted in the newspaper was a school teacher with a Hispanic name who was frustrated with funding for English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, his teaching responsibility. Mind you, his state spends more per student for ESL than any other state but yet not enough according to him. His reasoning for more, and I quote, "It is our constitutional right to an education". This is pitiful and ignorant thinking for multiple reasons. First, the U.S. Constitution is totally silent on the matter of education. It is not codified anywhere or even hinted at. As such there is no such 'constitutional right'. Because of this silence the matter of education is implicitly a state or local responsibility and totally up to local control and funding. There may be state level constitutions that determine education as a right and a governmental responsibility and there may be others that are equally silent. But it is very clear that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee and education for anyone. Second, funding is a legislative responsibility. Individual citizens can support or oppose anything but funding is a matter for our elected lawmakers. That a secondary school teacher is so ignorant of our basic rights does not augur well for the overall quality of our public school systems. Lastly, he is inferring that education, because it is some sort of right, should receive unlimited funding. This is bizarre. No - it is stupid. God help our schools.

Taxation

A local paper recently featured an Opinion Letter from a reader who seemed to be suggesting that the rich ought to be taxed based on their net worth. Now there is a lovely thought. The so called rich already pay for everything - as follows; the top earning 5% of tax payers provide 60% of all income tax receipts and the top 40% pay 99% of tax receipts. The bottom half pay nothing and a large portion of those actually get checks for Earned Income Tax Credits (welfare as a reverse tax). So how shall we tax net worth?

• Forced sale of a portion of their investments?
• Forced downsizing of homes over prescribed standards? (a home market killer)
• Auction their collectibles and valuables?
• Allow only Chevy Malibus and outlaw BMWs?
• Place an arbitrary limit on Net Worth with anything over going to the feds?
• For those whose earnings come solely from invested assets shall we confiscate a portion every April and consign them to diminishing income as a result?
• And, lastly, what do we do about the colossal drop in tax revenues that will result?

Such a scheme would have Marx & Lenin celebrating in their graves and Fidel Castro would want to live a few more years just to see the American economy fall to the same level that is enjoyed by Cubans.