No Mo' Babies, No Mo' You, No Mo' Me, No Mo' Nobody! (And that ain't good)

Okay - Today I received my 15th copy of that youtube video of the really white guy with his charts and rant about immigration and the declining birth rate. I sent a few of my close friends a letter outlining my views about what I think is a "slippery slope". You may well disagree, but I'm putting this up for the rest of you to read. I can't even believe I've written THIS much in 3 days. But I need to clarify AGAIN...I am NOT NOT NOT opposed to immigration. I am opposed to ILLEGAL immigration. Okay?
Cool! Having said that, here's the letter -

Several of you have sent me the youtube video with the statistics and charts guy. Thanks, but I listened carefully to WHAT HE SAID, and was not distracted by his "data". As you know, many of us are indeed disgruntled, angry, and generally p.o.'ed by the influx of ILLEGAL aliens. This gentleman is speaking of IMMIGRATION and its effect on the population in the U.S. He makes some points that I patently disagree with and with which many of you DO agree. I am not even asking you that. As you listen or watch this video a second (or more) time, listen to the fact that he speaks of immigration (overall) to our shores, NOT illegal stuff. He talks about the declining birth rate among what I will presume to be "the rest of us" who "belong here".

In fact, it is not merely the birth rate in decline, but rather the abortion rate rising, the contraception methods increasing, and the fact that few have stopped to consider the fact that as we (who "belong here") age, there will soon be no one to care for us, to take care of the work that involves the sick, the elderly, the disabled, the mentally disturbed, the disenfranchised, etc. Thus we set the stage for the NEXT taboo to be removed: Euthanasia

So. there is a naturally outcome to the whole abortion debate. If you are PRO-abortion, because you believe that a big part of having "unwanted" babies and/or "inconvenient" pregnancies is financial (strains the economy, increases need for health services, education, blah blah) THEN - logically speaking - NOT extending health services/ treatment/ medications, etc. to those who cannot AFFORD it or who are not "worth" the effort due to illness, age, etc. becomes an equally logical solution.

NOTE: YES, there are times in the lives of each of us when taking extraordinary life-extending measures is not mandated and even most religions say, "No, ya' don't have to take that treatment or be hooked up to that machine just because it exists."

So it will then be okay to stop ALL life preservation at the decree of the state, the family, the partner, whomever will speak out (or not) in one's behalf. Additionally, we read much more now about insurance companies refusing to fund - for example - certain medicines that are "stand alone" ... ones that keep a child going or a mom or a working dad - meds that have NO generic. Once these are removed from the formulary, the insurance may then dramatically increase the cost (In one 10 year old boy's case from $30 per month co-pay to $796. This on top of a current $1200 per month insurance premium with extremely heavy deductibles). Without the meds, now what? Dad gets yet another job, Mom does too, they may lose their home, the stress breaks the marriage. OH, Hell, it's better for the kid to check out. What kind of life will he have, IF HE LIVES LONG ENOUGH, anyway. Well now...here we are you, me, state, insurers, docs, etc. WE are going to define the kid's life, how long he should live, the availability of medicine, etc. And there is NO medicine by ANY pharmaceutical company that costs a thousand dollars per month to make. THEY ARE INFLATED PRICES. In most foreign countries these meds (from Lilly, Pfizer, the BIG labs are THERE too) cost a teeny tiny fraction of the real cost. I know. First of all, I do get access to meds from Europe and other places at a reduced cost. My friend's cancer meds are $130 per month as opposed to $890 (thru pharmacies here). Yes, having lived abroad and in central america, I have also experienced socialized medicine and I was extremely well cared for.

So, my question to you is this: Who will you name among the throngs of immigrants coming in TO TAKE CARE OF YOU? Is your aging, full of pain, needs meds, disease-ridden body more worthy than an unborn baby's (with a full life of accomplishments, great potential, YOUTH)? Are you the one we have to care for at the expense of the baby because during our strong adult years we killed off a major chunk of the population that would keep things going in the world at large? OUr video guy advocates "population control" Okay, whose? which population? which race? at what cost? to whom? I think he's a bit of a supremacist...those guys scare me. The African-American in the video oughta get his butt outta there - QUICK.

In any case, this video opens a can of worms that is not one I would pursue. I think the guy may also be sort of "white guys first". I also recall when Italians and Jews, similar to blacks, were prohibited from certain clubs, work, opportunity. In 1963, TWA offered me a great job opportunity. It was super money for an 18 year old. THey would contribute to my continued college education, etc. Wow! BUT, the one thing they mentioned as they showed me where my desk would be and what my awesome benefits would be: "Instead of Lucia Bartoli, it's easier for customers to remember "Lucy Bartell" Hah! I can assure you the manager who told me THAT will never forget ME, with my name exactly as it's always been.

So let's plan better -- let the babies live, take care of those who are not ever going to be "perfect people" or a "pure race" (That's right, Hitler's "dream" failed.)

Let the old folks tell us stories and teach us from their perspectives as they witnessed what revisionist historians no longer speak of. Let them call us "kids" as we approach mid 60s - let them warn of what might come and express their joys at our simple favors.

As for IMMIGRANTS - If they've gone through the process to come here (as my family and probably yours did) - let them come. Grant asylum to those who would be slaughtered in their own lands. Don't baby or coddle them. Just open the gates of OPPORTUNITY. Hell, a bunch of us who were born here are lazy ingrates, too. BUT KEEP IT LEGAL. Protect the borders from terrorists, criminals (we have plenty of our own thanks) and unmonitored/unchecked diseases.

As for us soon to be geezers!!! Remember that a low or hardly existent birth rate means NO ONE (or at least NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE) to replace those of us who leave the work force, retire, die...no firefighters, no police, no accountants, doctors, lawyers, laborers, NOBODY to do the work that we leave behind.

Sorry for the rant, but I don't like this video very much...it is a meanspirited diatribe. But that is just my (not so) humble opinion.

So, Ya' Pays Yer Money & Ya' Gets What Ya' Want!

Well, from a long time with NO postings, here I am with TWO in two days. These are inspired by the notes I've received from a writer out there in cyberspace. Thanks for your letters.

I am motivated to write again because my correspondent contines the dialogue as follows and my reply is inserted between the salient points of his/her letter.
Here goes -
"You make the point that because there are so many "illegals" in our society, they will "look the other way" when someone they perceive is "like them" breaks the law. And I understand how a birth certificate can be sold so that a child can enter school, etc. I suppose this happens for Social Security cards, driver's licences, etc. It just demontrates how criminal thinking they are. I agree...how can we call them "undocumented residents"? They are criminals, pure and simple. If you break the law, you're a criminal."
Reply: you got it. It is not, to be fair, so much about criminal THINKING, but rather just proceeding as others before them and around them are doing. It is, for them, the PROCESS. Do they KNOW it's cheating? Heck, yes! But the drive to have the best of both worlds (in their perception) blinds them. Look, I don't think that these are BAD people, just ignorant. There is a large criminal element among them as is evidenced by the population of illegal aliens in our jails. In fact, if one were to deport ALL of the illegal aliens currently in many of our urban jails, there would be a HUGE decrease in the crowding situation, Check the statistics and you will see for yourself.
Further, I urge you to be in touch with your representative in Congress and the Senate. They OWE IT TO YOU to do what you, the constituent and/or taxpayer demand. Illegal aliens are not supposed to vote, yet many of them do. No one even asks for I.D. at the polls here in California, or a social security card or anything; Gee, in my hometown of Chicago, at least we say it up front, "Vote early and vote often" Hah!
I likewise think you might all enjoy a radio show that you can pick up on the Internet: John and Ken on KFI 640am. It is on from 3 - 7p.m. PST and has archived programs on the site. Google it and I know you will find it enjoying, informative and very provocative.

"However, HOW do they obtain state aid if they are using someone's identity and that other person is alive? Also, where is it stated (as law or court judgement) that an infant born in this country (and therefore a citizen) has the right to "maintain" his/her parents (who are illegally here)?"
Reply: If you come from a small town, it MAY be easier to monitor. In large cities, as the Sopranos say: "Fohgeddaboudit".


"If a newborn's parents, who are illegal, are returned to their country and the child is cared for by the state, this may change."
It costs mucho dinero to raise children and really CARE for them. The law will have to change about the children born here and then ALL get a free ride back to their homeland. Most of them keep whining about how beautiful it is back in wherever, so I say, "Then go there".

"I think, like your example with the birds, we have to discourage anyone from coming here illegally. I think we're our own worst enemy!"
Reply: Yes. WE are the ones who have change OUR techniques. If a guy sneaks in here from, let's say, Ireland (and they do), there are so FEW of those spread out so far and wide, that when picked up he gets summarily plunked onto the nearest aircraft and flown home for free. If that happens to a Latino, there are millions and they are vocal. So that is also a big part of el problema.

Let's keep the pressure ON and we can move mountains...and maybe a few illegals. Thought to provoke your thoughts:
Imagine if you will just how much money LEAVES this country to Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. to support families there. Yeah = a LOT of pesos. Imagine that! It is bigger than tourism in most of those places.

How Do They Do It?

I just received an anonymous musing from someone inquiring as to HOW illegal aliens manage to get state money, medical care, etc. I can tell you that help IS given regardless of legal status. As a multi-cultural citizen of the United States, I have seen and experienced the rejection/acceptance by a certain illegal segment of the populace. I recall doing some business at a bank, and I went to in to find out how I was to get a token for parking. This was a branch of my own bank and I was going to transact some business regarding an IRA. BUT, one needed to get a parking token. There was no visible way to get one, no attendant - you get the picture. I asked a person there who was a Latin American. She replied without asking me if I was a customer..."We don't give out tokens just to park." She then returned to her Spanish chat with a co-worker. I then raised my voice a bit, this time in fluent Spanish, saying: "I'm here to do business and I need a damned token". At this, a brilliant smile flashed across her face, as she looked closely at me and said: "Oh, Senora, I didn't know you were one of us. You don't look..." Before she could finish that really tacky sentence, I broke her off: "And just HOW am I supposed to look, muchacha? Not everyone from south of the border to the tip of the continent LOOKS like a mestizo. I happen to be a North American, U.S. Citizen, of Italian descent who has lived in Central America and Europe." She quietly handed me a token and shut up.

You have to understand that when the balance of workers is unsettled, those who serve the public will show preferential treatment to those they PERCEIVE to be one of their own...documented or not. This may well be simply a case of human nature, such as it is. Since I am tri-cultural, I know that an illegal alien frequently looks for a U.S. Citizen from whom to "buy" the use of a birth certificate. Yes, they do. They then register that child with THAT name. If the person, let's say, is Juan Gonzalez, born in Santa Ana, CA on 12/24/05, then that birth certificate can be sold or lent to another person so that the illegal child can be registered. Do you have any idea how many people it would take - the manpower - to track EVERY Juan Gonzalez? How many do you think really WANT to do that job, especially when so many of the workers are of the same ethnicity, albeit legal?

At a grocery store recently, the cashier asked for the customer's ID. The customer was anxious and whipped out FIVE different Public Assistance, Medi-Cal cards and said: "Take one, whatever one" The clerk looked at the cards and asked which person the customer was. The customer replied that it didn't matter, just use one. Come ON!

If there is a small town in a rural area with, let's say, 3000 people - and over time, 5000 more illegal aliens move into the area, (working the farms) the economy of that town becomes strained. Why? Because now there needs to be more schools to accommodate the "anchor babies". The hospital is not sufficient to handle an influx of MORE e.r. visits by NON-paying patients. Because they work on a "cash" basis or use "counterfeit i.d." or someone ELSE's I.D., and are below the official "poverty line", they pay no tax anyway. So, WHO has to pay for all those services? Yep, the citizenry over all and MOST ESPECIALLY, the poor slobs who have been residents of their previously happy little farm town.

Or, some legal guy works for a big office cleaning company. He gets the job and does it daily. He has a supervisor, usually someone who speaks the same language and assures that the workers are on the right floors cleaning, etc. ALSO, most of these workers are NOT thieves. For the record, most stuff stolen from offices is stolen by co-workers. That is a fact. Anyway,
once in a while and in some cases FAR MORE OFTEN, the ONE worker is at two companies. One of them is assuming the other's identity for work purposes. OR, the legal worker gets "sick" and the other guy goes to work in that guy's place. He signs in for the job with the "real" worker's name. The supervisor and EVERYONE know this (except the security guard) but nobody says a word. WHY? Because the cleaning company has a contract and the building HAS to be cleaned by the end of the night. Get in and get out is how the cleaning business makes money...pricing based on so many square feet of cleaning for a fee. Why is this harmful? Assume, if you will, that the "illegal replacement" gets injured. UH-OH! Here comes big probelmas for the cleaning company (whose executives do NOT operate their business like that), liablility, law suits, maybe the loss of a contract. The bulding ownership might get another cleaning company and the whole thing starts over again.

A janitor gets about $10 per hour to start (in the union). They expect raises and benefits. Okay, fair enough. But the employer has to go thru hoops to terminate a worker. They can't INSIST that the worker learn English. They don't monitor driver's licenses of their employees because so many don't have valid ones. Getting an AUTOMATIC raise every 3, 6 or 9 months is also counterproductive. Why? Because it rewards a person for just showing up. When does the pay scale reach a PLATEAU for THAT job? So, if Juan stays a janitor for 5 years, he'll be earning more than entry level office workers...for what? To empty the garbage? In many gov't. jobs, there is a CEILING. From a base amount of pay to a maximum.

The cleaning companies are probably not going to want to continue this way. Or, maybe a new crop of LEGAL immigrants will come in - maybe from another part of the globe. Imagine that!

Do NOT call illegal aliens "undocumented residents". They are breaking the law being here. The men most likely broke their own nations' laws by coming...leaving their nation without their military service i.d. That is - without having their own countries' "matricula".

It matters not if you came from Ireland, U.K., Canada, Italy, ANYWHERE...IF you sneaked in, then go home. Fix the problems in your own country. If you want to be here, then do what other legal immigrant families did...apply, get a sponsor, wait, wait, WAIT!

On yet another note, if the MIGRA or "ICE" is really serious, they can take a trip to any major theme park and round up illegals by the busload. Or to any large park on a weekend or holiday and get them there.

I'd love to see the employers fined or penalized in some way. I'd promote MANPOWER or other casual labor places to get workers. Here in southern California, the casual labor (usually illegal) has their own mini-unions operating...Nobody is to work or sign on for one penny LESS than $10. So, there ya' go! For you homeowners who have all those "do it yourself" projects and think you NEED that casual laborer...remember, once you bring 'em to your home, THEY know where YOU LIVE. You don't know their REAL names, where THEY live, what their BACKGROUNDS are, and yet again, they know ALL ABOUT YOU and YOUR FAMILY. If you bought a few thousand dollars worth of cabinets, flooring, sinks, whatever...then get professional workers to help regardless of their nation of origina...just bonded, licensed and LEGAL.

I am in favor or IMMIGRATON...not illegal entry into the U.S. A. I am even hoping we can get a few more Polish, Russian, other European immigrants here - LEGALLY!

That's the rant!