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juancalcala

User Profile Image juancalcala
Member since : Jun-02-2009 (Verified)
3 Ideas, 46 Comments, 37 Votes

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Ideas Posted

Anyone out there who thinks guns are needed under the pretense of forming a "militia," in case we ever want to revolt against the most powerful military in the world, is ignorant and naive at best. There is no militia any one can form to over throw the US military. If other first world countries can not over power our military, a few red-neck militia groups shouting 2nd amendment rights wont be able to do it either. Sorry.

Hence, what do we really need guns for? The only reason guns are thus needed is to kill other people. Other Americans; plain and simple. Aside from sport-hunting, there is no rational justification for the sale of powerful automatic or semi-automatic fire arms. It's just insane. Make gun owner ship almost illegal and watch how crime rates, murders and domestic terrorist cases shrink.

America has the highest homicide rate of any first world country in the world. We also have the most lax gun laws of any first world country in the world.

I live in a military town; trust me, as much as right-wing extremist would like to site the second amendment as a way to protect ourselves from the tyranny of government, we wouldn't stand two seconds against our military. This isn't the 1800's any more.

Get rid of guns, its only benefiting corporations who profit from the homicides Americans commit against Americans.

How can anyone possibly defend this?
For years the US gov. has paid farmers to over-farm corn. Currently corn is sold cheaper than what it costs to produce it!!! This is insane. This has several unintended consequences.

We're producing way too much corn. So, we make corn sweeteners. High-fructose corn sweeteners are everywhere. They've completely replaced sugar in sodas and soft drinks. They make sweet things cheaper. We also give it to animals. Corn explains everything about the cattle industry. It explains why we have to give [cattle] antibiotics, because corn doesn't agree with their digestive system. It explains why we have this E.coli 0157 problem, because the corn acidifies their digestive system in such a way that these bacteria can survive.

And we subsidize this overproduction. We structure the subsidies to make corn very, very cheap, which encourages farmers to plant more and more to make the same amount of money. The argument is that it helps us compete internationally. The great beneficiaries are the processors that are using corn domestically. We're subsidizing obesity. We're subsidizing the food-safety problems associated with feedlot beef. It's an absolutely irrational system. The people who worry about public health don't have any control over agricultural subsidies. The USDA is not thinking about public health. The USDA is thinking about getting rid of corn. And, helping [businesses] to be able to make their products more cheaply – whether it's beef or high-fructose corn syrup. Agribusiness gives an immense amount of funding to Congress.

I don't know if democratizing beef is a good thing. The industry can always make the popular arguments, because they certainly make things cheaper. But is it really cheap? Think of the taxpayer, who's actually subsidizing every one of those burgers. All that corn requires an immense amount of fossil fuel. Corn requires more fertilizers and pesticides than other crops. It takes the equivalent of half a gallon of gasoline to grow every bushel of corn. [Almost] everything we do to protect our oil supply ... is a cost of that burger.

And then there are the health costs. It's not really good for us. Corn-fed beef has much more saturated fat. So, yeah, it's cheap, if you only look at the price tag.

Additionally, because our corn is so cheap, we can actually sell it to 3rd world countries for a fraction of what it would cost for them to grow their own corn effectively destroying their farms and making them dependent on US corn. This does not feed the world, it rather makes the world dependent on US corn. In Mexico, an estimated 1.5 million farmers have already closed their corn fields because they can not compete with low US corn prices. This has contributed to the migration of many to the US in search of jobs.

• Of 10,000 items in a typical grocery store, at least 2,500 use corn in some form during production or processing.

• Your bacon and egg breakfast, glass of milk at lunch, or hamburger for supper were all produced with US corn.

• Besides food for human and livestock consumption, corn is used in paint, paper products, cosmetics, tires, fuel, plastics, textiles, explosives, and wallboard – among other things.

• In the US, corn leads all other crops in value and volume of production – more than double that of any other crop.

• Corn is America's chief crop export, with total bushels exported exceeding total bushels used domestically for food, seed, and industrial purposes.

For decades undocumented immigration reform has been ignored by our politicians for any number of reasons.

Ignoring the issue has led to a sub-American community of about 12 million who live in the shadows. Additionally, because there is an information vacuum (due to politician's reluctance to address the issue) conservative and liberal media extremists have filled the airwaves with inflammatory language that only irritates and misinforms Americans.

What ever your position is on the issue the time to address immigration reform is now. Americans who are for and against legalizing these people deserve to have their voices heard.

I trust that once all of the sides make themselves heard, a rational, just and humane solution will be proposed.

At this point I am only advocating that congress address this issue; once they do, then we can voice our personal opinions.

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Comments Posted

juancalcala 8 months ago
clifton.hancok

The answer to your question.... NO! They should not be able to patent bacteria. It's life. They are not even using it be better humanity or the quality of life. They are using it pure for lucrative purposes and to monopolize and industry. It's just ethically and morally wrong. No corporation should be able to patent life at any stage.
juancalcala 8 months ago
You claim to "depoliticize" the issue yet what you suggest is strongly political. You wont get this done with this president. He is "pro-choice" like most Americans. Just like there is strong sentiment from the right to be able to take their guns every where they go, there is a strong sentiment from the left to protect a woman's right to chose what she wants to do with her body. You picked the wrong presidency to promote this idea.
juancalcala 9 months ago
Just ban GMO's altogether, anyone who has shopped at Whole Foods will agree that all natural organic and local produce looks healthier and tastes much better than GMO products. In Europe GMO's are banned altogether. Why are we always a step behind Europe when it comes to protecting the public welfare?
juancalcala 9 months ago
mlm57td
Re-read the post. Massive subsidies for corn have nothing to do with protecting domestic food supply. The rabbit hole goes way deeper than that.
juancalcala 9 months ago
THIS IS MY LAST POST.

One of the reasons why I love this blog is because in a way I get to meet new people from other parts of the country. I have had the fortune of traveling across our great nation and talking with many locals. America is a beautiful country rich in resources and the human spirit. Many feel passionate about their beliefs, and that's great. I am very thankful though, for being a Californian. I wish you all the best and even if we don't agree on gun control let me tell you that I have learned a lot from all of you. I'm a strong believer that the bad experiences are just as important as the good ones because weather we like it or not they shape who we are. Even though most voted down my idea of banning guns I can see that there is room for compromise if all sides of the issue are explained properly. I wish you all the best.

CHEERS FROM CALIFORNIA.
juancalcala 9 months ago


rejean,
Yes, the statement you quoted of me about giving your kid a gun to take to school for show-and-tell IS very stupid. That was the point. You guys want everyone to have guns so they can defend themselves. The children who were massacred at Columbine High School, could not defend themselves because they did not have guns. Mind you that the two kids who committed this horrible crime obtained the guns trough legal channels. So by your reasoning we should have given the kids there guns to defend themselves... my point being is that giving guns to everyone under the pretense of "self defense" and acting as if we still lived in the wild west is even more stupid. Capisi?

So tell me guys, did the fact that the McCoys and Hatfields had guns and murdered the heck out of each other for many years made them any "safer?" Are police any "safer" with more fire power on the streets?
juancalcala 9 months ago
TSIYA,
Your comments on the gun issue resort to personal attacks by questioning my immigration status, calling me part of the "La Raza group," and over-simplifying my statements to "babble." Look, you obviously have some strong preconceived ideas and heavy bias that impedes you from having an objective conversation on the issue.

My question to you is; are you ever going to address any of the issues put forth on the table or are personal attacks all you have to offer?
juancalcala 9 months ago
apugh96, You state that some victims "would be able to protect themselves...?" Really? Which victims are you referring too? Victims like other children at schools? Or tourists at a Jewish Memorial Museum? Or perhaps an abortion doctor who was minding his own business while attending church? Perhaps, professors should carry guns in institutions of higher learning to protect themselves from disgruntled students. Fine... tell you what, let's give everyone guns; you first, give your teenager a gun to take to middle school so he can show-and-tell with his friends and let me know how it goes.

apugh96, you can't fight fire with fire and expect the house to remain intact.

I refuse to accept the flawed reasoning which suggests that the only way to "feel" safe from becoming murdered is by murdering the other person first. We can not promote a society were the only way to "feel" safe is to carry a gun with you and hope that you draw your gun faster than the other guy.


And I already won this debate... sooner or later, reason always triumphs over irrationality...

Big Rooster, The idea of splitting up the military is not new. America lost over half a million when the Confederacy rose up against the Union. This almost divided the country in half. Of course the Confederacy lost. Today, nut-jobs promoting a revolt against the US government have a worse support ratio than the Confederacy had back then. Military men and women are trained to follow orders not emotions. If they are told you are the a domestic terrorist and label you with treason you are toast. No ends, ifs or buts about it... but hey, if you like your chances, like I said, put your money were your mouth is.
juancalcala 9 months ago
You guys supporting gun ownership above the thousands of lives lost per year due to homicides are really irrational.

TSIYA, Billrind5465 and others, I don't know why you guys even question my immigration status, bring up Mexico or left-wing radicals; perhaps it's because you see the word "Juan" as part of my user ID. Would you give more validity to my post if I would have named myself "Steven" or "Nathaniel?" I think not, it sounds like you guys already made up your minds beyond reason. But for the record, I am a US Citizen, thank you very much, and I do not associate with any radical groups. I don't feel that what I have stated in this post is irrational... however, the way some of you reason and act is irrational... and pretty sick.

I know that some of you cite our independence and civil war as a way to support your illusion that somehow we can over power our military should our government turn on us. The fact of the matter is that our state-of-the-art military would have us sitting in our thumbs within a day or two. Even Iraqis who prepared weeks in advance against their long time foe had a better chance against our military and we crushed them. What makes anyone think that red-neck's waving semi-automatics and shouting 2nd amendment rights stand a chance against the US military.

Civilians do not have access to the same technologies they do. Even if White supremacy groups posses rocket launchers and other heavy artillery, they are ridiculously outnumbered and out trained in ever possible way. We are no longer shooting muskets at one another. They have the latest multi-billion killing machines and we have a shot guns and semis. Yay, lets go over throw the US military... give me a break!

If you truly support stacking arsenal for a doomsday scenario against the "tyranny" and "oppression" of the US, then tell your congressman that civilians deserve to own war tanks, tell them you want to purchase a fighter jet, and apache helicopters for your dad and brother, tell them that you should be able to pitch in with your neighbors and purchase an aircraft carriers and that they should throw in a couple air-bombers as a promotion. This way at least you nut-jobs have a standing chance against the most powerful country in the world.

Its too late to prepare against a doomsday scenario. There is no way an army of civilians (even with military experience) can keep pace with the growth and power of the US military. Here's a pill you guys need to swallow for your own good... if our country really wants to impose tyranny and oppression on us there isn't a damn thing we can do about it (militarily speaking of course.) And if you feel that this country is imposing tyranny and oppression on your poor soul then put your money were your mouth is and go revolt... I dare you. What are you still doing reading this post... go!


So don't tell me that you want guns for a doomsday scenario; don't tell me that you want a militia in case the government gets out of hand; don't tell me that you are a vigilante who takes the law into your own hands. People who cite these as reasons for gun ownership sound like complete imbeciles.

The problem with having guns(for no good reason other than murder) is that a confused teenager can get their hands on it and go on a shooting spree at their local school (and don't even start with the race crap, you guys know very damn well that White kids, as well as Blacks, Hispanics and even Asians have committed these crimes; no ethnic group is exempt from this.) This is a societal problem not a racial problem. There are nut-jobs who kill doctors who perform abortions (hey if you don't like it change the law... you do not have the right to murder -and that's not open to debate; this is a country of laws and if you don't like it leave.) There are the Timothy McBays, the Uni-bombers, the Skins, the Supremacist, and a host of other radical people/organizations who use these weapons to terrorize us on a daily basis; and I am not even going to go into the profiteering from war mongering corporations who sell these fire arms.

It's just nonsense to buy guns to protect your self against someone with guns! Its like saying that the best way to protect ourselves from a nuclear attack is by buying more nuclear weapons. With this mentality everyone will eventually have them and it only takes one idiot to destroy us all. So let's just disarm every country from nuclear weapons... hey... I must be saying something right because all of the first world nations are doing just that.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO OWN A GUN OTHER THAN TO MURDER SOMEONE. MAKE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GUNS TURN THEM IN AND RECYCLE THEM.

BAN GUNS NOW!!!
juancalcala 9 months ago
Ricardomigrant,,

P.S. If you really want to look into interpreting the law from a biased, harmful, illegal and self-serving point of view, investigate Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas and his connection to Monsanto... the first corporation in the world to be allowed to patent life!

Trust me, Sotomayor's misinterpreted and exploited comment has nothing on what's already going on in the Supreme Court and the decisions they are making affecting our life and future.

If you don't have any new info to bring to the debate don't bother responding to my post.
juancalcala 9 months ago
ricardomigrant,

blah, blah, blah. You are so full of it you know that? Everything you said about Sotomayor can be rebutted easily. She has not "repeatedly" said she is better able than White men to preside as judge. She said it once and she has clarified the context of her statement. Of course Rush and Co. have launched an aggressive smear campaign against her. How typical.

This country is comprised of Women too. It is only apt that "the law" be interpreted through the lenses of a Latina woman... after all the law has been disproportionately interpreted through the lenses of old White men for far too long.

It's time to represent the view from different parts of our demographics, not just old-White man.

Ricardo, you are very ignorant, I've read your other posts and they lack in reasonable arguments, let alone facts.
juancalcala 9 months ago
Anyone out there who thinks guns are needed under the pretense of forming a "militia," in case we ever want to revolt against the most powerful military in the world, is ignorant and naive at best. There is no militia any one can form to over throw the US military. If other first world countries can not over power our military, a few red-neck militia groups shouting 2nd amendment rights wont be able to do it either. Sorry.

Hence, what do we really need guns for? The only reason guns are thus needed is to kill other people. Other Americans; plain and simple. Aside from sport hunting, there is no rational justification for the sale of powerful automatic or semi-automatic fire arms. It's just insane. Make gun owner ship almost illegal and watch how crime rates, murders and domestic terrorist cases shrink.

America has the highest homicide rate of any first world country in the world. We also have the most lax gun laws of any first world country in the world.

I live in a military town; trust me, as much as right-wing extremist would like to site the second amendment as a way to protect ourselves from the tyranny of government, we wouldn't stand two seconds against our military. This isn't the 1800's any more.

Get rid of guns, its only benefiting corporations who sell them by killing American citizens. How can anyone possibly argue against this?
juancalcala 9 months ago
rejean... no no no. I don't know where you get your information from. Canadians do not come to the states for treatment. This is false. Americans flock Canadian hospitals for treatment, this is not a secret. Americans also travel to Mexico and Canada to illegally import cheaper drugs. Are health care system is broken, there are other first world countries whose health care system works. We are smart enough to emulate them and curtail them to our own needs. The only ones who oppose this are the multi-billion dollar health care industry and republican fat-cats who have personal, political or monetary ties to them. Privatizing health care was one of the worst decisions this country has made.
juancalcala 9 months ago
Big Rooster, can you have an intelligent conversation without insulting other people? ...just curious. I know it's hard to resort to 3rd grade behavior but just try it, maybe, just maybe people will follow your statements more if you pretend to have a higher IQ. Is this the same Michelle Bachmann who almost lost her reelection for demanding that congressmen be investigated to see if they are patriotic enough? This woman is a joke.
juancalcala 9 months ago
amx, you are crazy. Sorry, but I can only tolerate blatant falsehoods that go so far. I live in California and there is absolutely NO school district that is attempting to teaching homosexuality at any level; they do teach about health and sexually transmitted diseases at a HIGH SCHOOL level, but that's about it. You are promoting a scare tactic used in CA to scare people into voting against allowing same sex marriage by using children as the excuse. You are talking out of your other mouth. Tell me what school district you are talking about... I dare you. You don't even live in CA.
juancalcala 9 months ago
bobbyfish 123
Kudos my friend! I agree with you on every point. Keep up the good work and don't be discouraged by the small loudmouth ultra-conservative irrational minority. If they "really" cared about stolen elections they would investigate and demand answers to the 2000 Presidential fiasco were George Bush stole the election from Al Gore... and look at the hell-hole those monkeys got us into.

Trust me, my right-wing conspirators, anything you think Obama can do to this country is pale in comparison to what the monkey you guys placed in office already did. At least Obama is fighting for the little guy. What always amazes me is that some of you people (who think of yourselves as Republicans) would benefit more from an Obama presidency than a Republican; but hey, I'm sure you guys all make hundreds of thousands of dollars, live in a multimillion dollar estates, and that's why you vote Republican... right...?
juancalcala 9 months ago
rejan,
you are mistaken, there are many people who DO die on the streets because they can not afford preventive health care. Primarily in our homeless population... Many of them served our nation as Vietnam veterans and were neglected adequate medical treatment upon their return. Most (who are homeless) are approaching the elderly age living on the streets without medical insurance. I completely agree with the Obama health proposal. The United States has the worst medical structure of ALL first world countries. When Taiwan began structuring their health care system they looked to the US as an example of what NOT to do. It's a shame to see how many ignorant and ethnocentric Americans there are on the health care issue. National health care works, it has worked in Canada and in Europe. If we are too proud or ignorant to acknowledge this... well, that's a different issue.
juancalcala 9 months ago
We need to take this a step further and demand that any patent of life should be nullified at once. The notion of patenting life is wrong and was illegal until recently. Unfortunately, corporations like Monsanto have friends in the highest offices in the land. Just ask Monsanto's friend Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas who worked as a layer for Monsanto and who after becoming a Supreme Court Judge facilitated the ability for Monsanto to have patents on life.
juancalcala 9 months ago
KDTROXEL
Your post is a breeze of fresh air. Everything you have stated is absolutely true. In addition to those documentaries you posted I would also highly recommend "Food Inc." and "King Corn" Those documentaries also cover the strong connections between Monsento, politicians, animal-factories, undocumented immigration and all of the crap we eat everyday without knowing. This is a real eye opening situation and it's happening right underneath our noses.
I would additionally take this post a step further and point out that Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas was the one who made it possible for Monsanto to patent life! No corporation or individual should ever be allow to patent life! The whole notion is "owning" life is ludicrous!
But, of course before becoming a Supreme Court Judge, Clarence Thomas was an attorney for Monsanto, surely it's just a coincidence right...? the whole thing turns my stomach!

Kudos to you and keep up the great work.

-JC
juancalcala 9 months ago
@ Sallietoo;

You are a product of extremist propaganda. you are obviously pushing an ultra-conservative political agenda. This is what I meant when I said that if we take a totalitarian approach to any complicated issue (including immigration) no one will be satisfied with the outcome because one side will never fully triumph over the other.

In your case though, you obviously have a personal and political vendetta against Democrats and anyone who has any affiliation to them. I could point out the many fallacies, misconceptions, stereotypes, incongruence and heavy bias your post has but I actually have another life besides blogging.

Besides, I don't think you are interested in finding the best possible solution to the issue; rather you are here to push a political agenda.

So let's agree to disagree. I wish you the best. But remember that as long as you continue to see things purposely jaded, your arguments will gain little traction. But hey, don't take it from me, after all only 86% of the votes in this blog are in my favor...
juancalcala 9 months ago
He doesn't have to prove anything to you guys. He already submitted the short form BC which is perfectly legal under federal law. If the Republican attack machine in congress is not attacking him is because they know these claims have no merit. If no law has been broken because the short form BC of Hawai'i is perfectly legal.
juancalcala 9 months ago
@Sallietoo.

I'm sorry you have such ingrained partisan viewpoints. Attempting to resolve social issues strictly through partisan lenses rarely yields any positive (or fair) results; nor does it gain any meaningful traction.

Are you familiar with the concept of "lying through statistics?" Media extremists (on both sides) use this tactic a lot to justify some times jaded points of views. For example: I could have a 'tit for tat' debate with you on how White Supremacist groups are local terrorists who are more detrimental to the US than undocumented immigrants who come here to work and lead productive lives -and I could back it up with "data" too. But this would be missing the point.

The point is that we have a civic responsibility to analyze the problem beyond the usual demagogues, stereotypes and over generalizations that are shoved down our through on a daily basis.

If you are so infatuated with conspiracy theories about electoral fraud perhaps you should begin a new comment thread; this one is about Immigration Reform.

Here's a suggestion for your new thread; perhaps you should start with the 2000 Presidential election between Bush and Gore. There, thousands of black Floridian voters were illegally disenfranchised effectively giving the election to George Bush... or are you only interested in electoral fraud when it affects the Republican party?

I hope someday you will be able to see past partisan politics and decide issues based on merits and not on whether they benefit one party or the other.

Good luck.
juancalcala 9 months ago
@ Sallietoo,

This is not a Democrat vs. Republican issue. There are Republicans in the congress and senate who want to reform immigration and give these people a path way to citizenship. By the same token I can assure you that the business owners and corporate people who employ undocumented labor overwhelmingly vote Republican. This does not make it right, but it's simply not a single party issue.

Your comment is exactly the effect conservative and liberal media extremists cause. You want to see this as an "us versus them" issue when there are people from both political parities and many different ethnicities who are on either side of the issue. You mention that Democrats are not bi-partisan, but fail to recognize that Republicans themselves acted in the exact same way when Bush was in power and Republicans controlled the House and Senate. Also, I am not sure how much Republicans are willing to vote with Democrats when they continue to vote "no" on every piece of legislation submitted to them.

But again, when you start pointing the finger at other people you fail to recognize the real issue.

This is not about "us versus them."

I understand the frustration that many feel (on all sides) and that the first impulse is to say: "well they're here illegally, let's just 'round them up and send them back'..." But it's a lot more complicated than that; and if you're not willing to entertain the idea of multifaceted solutions you will not be content with the outcome because no single side will triumph over the other completely.

But Juan what is there to consider? Well, Sallieto for starters as you mentioned there have been 3 decades of neglect by our government on the issue of illegal immigration. This means that for 3 decades these people have been living in the US, working, having kids and carrying on their daily activities. If their children were born here, per US Constitution they are American Citizens. If their parents are picked up by border patrol their children are not obligated to leave. This has torn hundreds (maybe thousands no one knows) of families apart because parents will leave their children here with relatives knowing that they have a better future here than in their country of origin.

Many young adults/teenagers who were brought here illegally as children do not know of any other life outside the US. They do not identify with their "country of origin," many do not even speak another language besides English. For all intents and purposes they walk, talk and act like "Americans." It would be like telling your 21 year old daughter that everything she grew up knowing about America was a lie, and that she was not American, she is in fact Chinese and would be deported to "her country" even though that culture is completely foreign to her and she does not speak a word of Mandarin.

Too much time has gone by; many of these people have already Americanized; specially the ones brought here as children.

But Juan they don't even pay taxes aren't they a drain on society? Not entirely accurate. Our very own US of A gives undocumented immigrants a tax ID number called an ITIN. This is a number that allows undocumented immigrants to pay Federal, State, Local and Social Security tax. The catch is that they can not collect any of the services they pay into. The US government collects billions of unclaimed revenue from the taxes of undocumented immigrants (ask your congressman or senator).

But Juan why would an undocumented do this freely? Well, let's put things in perspective; regardless of what extremists say, undocumented immigrants want the same thing "undocumented immigrants" who landed at Ellis Island wanted; to provide a better future for their families and be part of the American dream. They are not here to rob, steal, pillage and rape like loud-mouth extremists tell us. Besides, when the time comes to find a pathway to citizenship this is the only way they can prove their length of stay here and show to the immigrations judge they did their best to lead honest respectable lives while in the US.

What about the burden hospitals have to bear? This is true. Hospitals are required to provide Emergency care to any one who needs it. It's a humanitarian principle. Hospitals are not required to provide Preventive care. The problem is that undocumented immigrants who can not afford to get preventive care (check ups) self prescribe themselves at home. If the illness happens to worsen and turn into an Emergency then they will go to the hospital. The irony here is that it would be much cheaper for the hospital to provide preventive care to undocumented than to treat them once an illness festers into an emergency.

What about their children and schools? I don't see why anyone would have a problem with teaching children. This is the best way to teach them US history, English and the civics of being an American. Besides, the question begs, would we rather have them on the streets or in school? Children are easily Americanized because by nature they have a steep learning curve. Like I mentioned earlier, children of immigrants are a lot more Americanized than most people think. They think of themselves as Americans. I know people who have been turned down to serve in the military because they do not have a valid social. They want to be Americans.

Sallietoo & Bellevuedan; I know this is a sensitive issue. Mass deportation would not work though. Yes there are some bad apples, yes there are some with criminal records; why not send those back and keep the ones who have demonstrated to pay taxes and stay out of trouble? Why not create a criteria that allows the ones who have live here over a certain time to remain here but sends the ones who have little time here back to their countries?

We can not continue to acknowledge knee-jerk reaction attitudes promoted by extremist media outlets. They do not benefit anyone because the problem no longer has one simple solution. Too much time has elapsed for that to be the case.
juancalcala 9 months ago
CHEERS amx.
juancalcala 9 months ago
@ Michael,
I agree. We demand that our politicians have an honest and lively discussion on immigration reform and border security. Let the chips fall were they may, but this issue can not continue to go unaddressed. As long as politicians continue to ignore the issue, the conservative and liberal extremist will continue to fill the information vacuum with language that irritates Americans on both sides. Although the answer is a multifaceted complicated one, I believe a fair and rational solution can be reached that address the concerns of everyone.

We demand that our congress addresses this issues, at this point it doesn't matter were we stand. When the issue gets addressed my our government all voices will make themselves heard and I am confident that reason and fairness will prevail.

CHEERS.
juancalcala 9 months ago
@attrezzopox,

Remember that this country was founded on "illegal immigration." When our Founding Fathers displaced and murdered the Native Americans they did not carry passports with them. Also, remember that the immigrants who landed at Ellis Island and Angel Island did not posses legal documentation to enter America. The Italians, Irish and Chinese who migrated illegally during that time have been since acculturated. I am not arguing that this is the process to follow; nor that such process is infinitely sustainable, however, illegal immigration is not a new phenomenon and current undocumented immigration should be placed into the context of US immigration history. As an immigrant my self I have confirmed that Americanization occurs without regard to your legal status in this country.

I appreciate that you are actually acknowledging that we have a very complex problem. However, the question no longer is; "should they should be here or not." The fact of the matter is that they ARE here. The question we should be asking ourselves now is what are we going to do about it. This is where many have arduous debates. I actually happen to agree with you, yes those children that grew up here undocumented should not have been able to enter in the first place. But I return to my original argument; after living in the US for over 20 years and everything that they know about life has been formulated in America we can not simply send them back to a country that they do not know, relate to or understand. These young adults speak, talk, walk and act like Americans, for all intent and purposes they are as American as apple pie.

The reason why I bring up the fact that millions of undocumented immigrants pay Federal, State, Local and Social Security taxes through an ITIN number is to inform to the greater American community that undocumented immigrants are not here to exploit, cheat or steal from the system. These are people who if given the chance want to contribute legally to the American system and who break their backs everyday working hard labor jobs, like agriculture, service industry & construction for very little pay. This is not an automatic pathway to citizenship but it should be recognized that all undocumented immigrants want is the same thing immigrants who landed at Ellis Island wanted, a better future for their families. Deport the ones, who have a prison record but allow the hardworking immigrants who have been here for a few years to apply for a path way to legal residency.

Hospitals are not required to provide preventive medicine to undocumented immigrants. They are required only to provide emergency care. Some immigrants have not seen a doctor in 20 years because they simply can not afford one. The problem is that once they have an illness, they wait until these evolves to a medical emergency before going to the hospital. The irony here is that it is much cheaper for a hospital to provide preventive care than to provide emergency care once and otherwise treatable illness increases in severity. Again, this is just another side effect of the neglected immigration policy we have. I am not advocating that this is the right thing nor that it is justified (only to save the persons life of course) I am simply stating it as a fact.

I applaud your comment that we need to make it easier to be in the US legally than illegally. While it sounds trivial, I can relate on a personal level because my in-laws are here illegally and I can not help them legalize their status even though I am an American Citizen. They are honest, hard working people who pay all of their taxes, paid out of pocket tuition for their children's college education and stay out of trouble. It breaks my heart. They do not collect any free services at all (of course they wouldn't qualify to begin with, without a valid social.) Just like them though, there are millions of hardworking men and women who live respectable lives, pay their taxes through an ITIN number but live in the shadows -always in fear of getting deported.

You shouldn't assume that undocumented immigrants want to marginalize themselves from the rest of society. This is a misconception. They live in the shadows out of fear of deportation not because they do not want to incorporate themselves into the American mainstream. On the contrary, that's exactly what they want, to be part of America and to be able to lead their lives like the rest of us. They celebrate American Holidays, pay their taxes, and are very keen to the American culture. Immigrant children sure know English, better than their parent's native language, I can assure you of that. For adults it is much harder because of the age and education level. With that being said though, adults know enough badly-spoken English to carry on their daily work activities. Besides, even legal adult immigrants struggle to learn a new language. It is the children who will be fully Americanized. That is true at any point in history, from any ethnic group whether legal or not.

I am glad to see that we both agree in the fundamental need for immigration reform. While our points of view may be slightly different I am content to see that there are other people who have enough depth in their reasoning to provide a comprehensible understanding of the issue. I think that we agree more than we realize, we just have to work out the details.

Having said everything that I did, I do not think we should ignore the rule of law, after all, America is a country of immigrants but also a country of laws. However, we have a problem in our hands that is too complex to apply a one size-fits all deportation mentality. We need to incorporate and legalize those that have proven to be good residents, people who pay their taxes and lead honest lives. After all, that's what being an American is all about...
juancalcala 9 months ago
Wow, Ricardo.
You contradicted yourself from the get go. Your opening statement mentions that: "Noo (sic) one is sure if we have 10 or 20 million illegal aliens..." You then go on to say that: "Everyone knows illegal aliens commit more crimes (proportionately)..." So if you are unsure of the number of undocumented immigrants (by 10 million) how are you so certain that they commit more crimes in ratio to the general population? You can't have it both ways.


Heidi, I do agree that this country was founded by immigrants. What always impresses me is that people fail to realize that it was "illegal" immigration that founded this country. Our Founding Fathers displaced, and killed the Natives to take over their land. The pilgrims did not carry passports with them. Neither did the Italians, Irish and Chinese who landed at Ellis Island and Angel Island. Just like past "illegal immigrants" have incorporated into the American mainstream so have current waves of immigrants. New immigrants have the same goal and dreams that old immigrants have had; to provide a better future for their families and be part of the American dream.

The problem is that immigration has been politicized so much by extremists that we now find it difficult to have an objective debate on the issue without falling victims to the demagogues, generalizations, fear-mongering, patriotism, misconceptions, stereotypes, racism and ignorance that is shoved down our throats on a daily basis by the liberal and conservative media extremists.

Most immigrants are law abiding and want to be part of America.

I can personally tell you that immigrants pay the same taxes American Citizens pay through and ITIN number. This is a number issued by the IRS so that undocumented immigrants can pay taxes like ordinary Americans with the catch that they can NOT receive any of the services they pay to support. Why would an undocumented immigrant do this free-willingly? Because when the opportunity comes for undocumented immigrants to become legalized this is the only way to prove their length of stay in the US and they can also prove to the courts that they did their best to contribute to the American society.

We have to stop seeing this issue as "us versus them."

There are undocumented children in this country that have been here from such an early age that they can not identify with any other culture that is not American. Some don't even speak another language other than English. To deport these young adults would be like telling your 21 year old daughter that everything she learned growing up in this country was a lie, that she is not an American even-though she talks, walks, acts and loves American. That in fact she is "Chinese" and she will be deported to "China" even-though she does not speak a lick of Mandarin and sees America as her native country. There are millions of children in this situation (remember that the undocumented immigration issue has been left to fester by politicians for decades.)

I can continue with many more examples but my point is that it is not as simple as rounding them up and deporting them. Many of these "undocumented immigrants," for all intents and purposes are Americans. Many have deep roots here and can not even related to their country of origin. In essence the only difference between a legal child from an illegal one that were both brought here at infancy, is that one of them has a piece of paper that says he can be here and the other does not.
juancalcala 9 months ago
Michael, you are a very intelligent person. I do agree with you on many points. I would clarify though that undocumented immigrants use emergency services as a last resort. I know people who have not used medical services because they can not afford them and go to the emergency room once a health problem has festered into an emergency. Hospitals are NOT required to provide "preventive care" they are only obligated to provide "emergency services." The irony is that preventive care is much cheaper than emergency services for a hospital.
Many companies do benefit from undocumented immigration, those companies give hefty "gifts" to politicians to ignore the immigration issue and the problem continues to fester. Extremist continue to demagogue the issue instead of having a meaningful discussion on the issue. And people in general find it easier to flaunt their ignorance on the issue because they are too lazy to research the information and rely too much on what the extremist media(conservative and liberal) tells them instead of reaching their own conclusion. Until this does not change, honest and inclusive immigration reform will be hard to come by.
juancalcala 9 months ago
photosrme,

Those are horrible things to say. I do not agree that we should just "ignore" the problem and hope that it fixes it self on its own (after all that's what we've been doing for decades and it has not worked.) Remember that these people are here for the same reason our Founding Fathers moved to this country, to provide a better future for their families. The issue with illegal immigration has festered precisely because politicians have ignored it for too long. But the issue is much more complicated than just "roundin' em up and deportin' them." For instance, there are millions of children who were brought here at such a young age that they can not identify with any country other than the US. Many of them do not even speak any other language besides English. This may be hard to believe at first but remember that many people have lived in the US illegally for decades (12 million didn't happen over night.) Also, many have paid taxes for many years through an ITIN. An ITIN is a Federal Tax ID number the IRS issues undocumented immigrants so that employers can deduct all of the same taxes you and I pay to the Fed, State, local and social security taxes. The catch is that undocumented immigrants are NOT eligible to receive any of the same services for which they contribute. It is estimated that the US receives a surplus in the billions of dollars annually from undocumented immigrants who contribute taxes but do not collect them. you probably ask, why in the world would and undocumented immigrant want to contribute to the tax system? Well, at the end of the day these people are only here to work their behinds off to provide a better future for their families. Also, this is the way they can prove to the US Courts that they have been trying to lead an honest hardworking life while in the US.
I am a legal immigrant my self and grew up in a community were there are large numbers of undocumented people, many have not seen a doctor in 20 years because they can not afford it. This brings up another problem. Because hospitals are required only to provide emergency service, many immigrants wait until a health problem festers to its worse degree before they seek medical attention. Here's something that sounds like and oxymoron, it is cheaper for a hospital to provide preventive medicine to undocumented immigrants than to provide emergency services once the health problem has gotten out of hand.

I could go on and on with examples but I think you would agree that undocumented immigration is a complex issue and we can not apply a one size fits all mentality without sound irrational or inhumane.
juancalcala 9 months ago
Guys, first off, the word "illegal alien" does not exist; it is linguistically flawed. That's why anyone who went to college does not use it. There IS such a thing as "illegal immigration" there is NO such thing as "illegal alien;" simply because the word "illegal alien" states that the person is an "illegal human." There is NO such thing as a legal or illegal human... its irrational. That's why academia refers to them as undocumented immigrants. In essence that's what they lack to be in this country legally, proper documentation documentation.

AMX;
I don't think that politicians who ignore the issue are mocking America or its laws; they are simply scared to come out and state a solution from fear that their constituency, either the radical right or radical left, will make them pay during the next election. Unfortunately politicians and extremist have politiciced the issue so much that it is difficult to have an honest and inclusive solution to the problem. I do agree with you though that we need immigration reform. I also agree that in order to have a meaningful immigration reform we need to set aside our pre-conceived ideas and any demagogues, racism or bigotry on the issue (from both political sides.) Let the hard working people contribute legally to the American mainstream and send those with criminal records back.

Gypsy sage,
I don't think you know what you are talking about. I don't see how you can determine if someone is illegal only because they speak a different language. Your notion that people will "literally get into a fist fight" with you if you don't speak their language is simply not true. Your statement comes across as an over generalization and stereotyping. I think you are speaking for the sake of. You are the reason why politicians are afraid to bring up an honest debate on the issue.
juancalcala 9 months ago
RE: hersanctuary;

No need for insults. My in-laws did not come "thru a tunnel;" many immigrants come here as tourists, student visas, temporary worker visas etc. All of these are perfectly legal; they become "illegal" when those visas expire and they do not return to their country of origin. Just to give you an example, the 9/11 hijackers all got into the country "legally" using passports; they became illegal once their passports expired and did not return home. Not one crossed through the Mexican border (regardless of what conservative media states.) Even though, your parents did not cross the Atlantic illegally, our Founding Fathers did. Remember that when the Pilgrims migrated west they did not show "passports" to the indigenous of the America's. The Italians, Irish, Chinese etc. that crossed the Atlantic and landed in Ellis Island did not bring with them Passports and in effect migrated to this country "illegally." Remember that this country was founded on illegal immigration (primarily through the Atlantic.) I understand that this is a passionate issue but it would be wise to remember our history. Just like your parents and immigrants who landed on Ellis Island fell in love with this country, so have the immigrants of today. They all came here for the same reasons... to provide a better future for their families. Let's give the ones that are hardworking, law abiding residents an opportunity to become part of main stream America. Let's send the ones with criminal records back. I don't have any problems with that.

juancalcala 9 months ago
Currently, undocumented mothers who have children in the US can be deported even if their children are US Citizens. Hundreds of mothers have been torn apart from their children thanks to this horrendous immigration policy. If deported, parents are willing to leave their children with other relatives in the US because the children will have a better future in the States than in their country of origin. This practice is inhumane and needs to stop. I hope the bill truly does stop this. The only crime that these people have committed is that they want a better future for their families. This sentiment is no different than that of our Founding Fathers who moved to a new land in search of a better future or of the Italians, Irish and Chinese who swamped Ellis Island and Angel Island in search for the American dream (and did so as "illegal aliens" mind you.) They have all become part of the social fabric which comprises America. The immigrants of today will become Americanized just like the immigrants of yesterday... as FDR put it: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
juancalcala 9 months ago
annisisbell,

Do you mean that Obama is hiring "few Whites" as in Hillary Clinton? or as in Joe Biden? Perhaps you meant Timothy F. Geithner, or Robert M. Gates? I feel sorry for you. I don't know what to tell you. I hope that some day you can see things objectively and overcome the strong prejudice you have against people who are not White.
Do you even live in California? If you did you would know that CA is bankrupt due to the bad legislation caused by deregulation. That's why former governor Gray Davis was impeached and Arnold the "governator" was elected. It did not do us any good though, the cards Enron dealt us are still taking a toll. In any case I hope you can someday see past your prejudice. I wish you the best.
juancalcala 9 months ago
atrezzopox...

You had me agreeing with you up until about the middle of your commentary. While I completely agree that we need immigration reform and I completely respect that your heart is in the right place, you lost me when you began advocating inhumane treatment towards woman and children. Immigration is a very complex issue and it wont be resolved easily. You are mistaken when you say that Americans do not abuse the health care system of Canada (or Mexico for that matter.) Americans who require expensive emergency medical treatment rush to Canada because American health care providers will bankrupt you with their charges (that's when you actually HAVE medical coverage.) Americans take routine trips to Canada and Mexico to purchase cheap medicine because the price in the States is simply outrageous. Don't take it from me, but medical expenses are the number one reason why people file for bankruptcy in America. And this has nothing to do with undocumented immigration. I know that it is easy to blame undocumented immigrants for the problems in America; politicians have built entire careers on using undocumented immigrants as political scape-goats but lets look at the facts. The US government gives undocumented immigrants an ITIN number. These is a number similar to (but not) a social security number. This number allows undocumented immigrants to pay income tax, social security tax, Federal, State and Local taxes (just like an ordinary American with a job.) However, they are not eligible to receive any of those same services they are paying into. Most can not afford to pay for a doctor out of their own pocket (go figure) and end up going to the emergency room when their illness becomes too much to bear. I know this may sound like an oxymoron but it is cheaper for hospitals to provide preventive medicine to undocumented immigrants than to only treat them once that illness turns into an emergency. Emergency care out costs preventable treatment by far.
Remember also that many of these undocumented immigrants were brought here as infants or children and do not identify with any other country other than America. Many of then can only speak English. Imagine what would happen if you tell your 21 year old son that everything that he grew up knowing about his country was not true. That he is not an American at all but instead he is "Chinese;" even though he can not relate to the Chinese culture does not speak a lick of Mandarin and regards America as his country. I also know undocumented immigrants who have paid out-of-pocket tuition, received their bachelors degrees only to work at a fast food chain because they do not have a real social security (yes, it is easy to find a blue collar job as an illegal but it's not easy at all to find a white collar job as an illegal.) This is no joke.
These are real scenarios that we have to deal with as a nation. American politicians have turned a blind eye to this problem for too many years and now we have an American sub-culture of about 12 million who have learned to live in the shadows from fear of deportation. These people want to become Americans, contribute to the mainstream legally and carry on with their productive lives. Yes, there are some bad apples, yes, some are bad people. I have no problem with deporting those with criminal records.
However, if we are to have an honest open debate on the issue we have to stop the demagogues, stereotypes, xenophobia, name calling and fear-mongering that extremist media (both left and right) shove down our senses on a daily basis. No, not all people are for open borders; no, not all undocumented immigrants are criminals; no, not all of those wanting to protect our borders are racists etc...
My best to all of you and remember to think with your hearts. You will get a rational answer there than if you think along political lines.
juancalcala 9 months ago
gypsy
you do have a right to freedom of speech. I completely agree. But you do not have that right if your rhetoric incites acts of violence of discrimination against someone else. Your rights are valid so long as they don't infringe on the rights of somebody else. Your language spoke of a person who has deep resentment towards a group of people and you justify your sentiments using stereotypes. Some people may conclude that those stereotypes had racist underlinings. I wish you the best.
juancalcala 9 months ago
AGAIN, President Barack Obama ALREADY provided a short term form Birth certificate which is customary for Hawai'i and is considered a valid legal document. If you feel this is false THE BURDEN OF PROOF LIES UPON YOU TO PROVIDE TANGIBLE INFORMATION TO THE CONTRARY not just "conspiracy theories."
Besides if you guys are so infatuated with presidential conspiracy theories why not investigate the fact that the 2000 presidential election was stolen from Al Gore? There were thousands of Black voters whose votes were illegally disenfranchised resulting in a Bush victory. This is REAL presidential fraud.
juancalcala 9 months ago
Skidadsr & wkimabl2;
I came to this country as a legal immigrant. My wife was an undocumented immigrant until we married. She is now a legal immigrant. Her parents and brother are still undocumented. The current law does not allow us to legalize my wife's family's status. My wife graduated with two Bachelors Degrees from a great university before we married. My in-laws own a successful business (under someone elses name.) My brother-in-law is about to graduate from a top Culinary Arts School in CA but wont be able to work as a Chef because of his legal status. What I am trying to say is that many of these "illegal" immigrants actually love and want to succeed in this country. My in-laws pay all of their business taxes and fees, my brother in-law pays out-of-pocked tuition because he does not qualify for any type of financial aid, and my wife's family has not seen a doctor in years because they can not afford one. As an immigrant my self let me tell you that these people just want to succeed and become part of America... just like the Italians, Irish or Chinese immigrants during their time. Bear in mind that some of the most successful people in America are immigrants because they seize opportunities not available to them in their country of origin; and in America many of us (Americans) take these opportunities for granted. Besides, many children (like my brother in-law) were brought to this country too young to identify with any other country (Yes, there are people who have lived in the US for 20+ years illegally); they think like Americans, act like Americans, talk like Americans, and do American things; some don't know another language other than English... How would you like to deport your children to another country after 20 years of living in the US and telling them that all they grew up knowing is not part of who they are; that in reality they are not Americans, they are in fact "Chinese" even though they can not identify with China in any way or speak Mandarin.
I wish you the best and remember that unfortunately for you, if you take an inhumane or irrational approach to the issue you will receive little support (or support from people who are pushing extremist agendas.) Best of luck.
juancalcala 9 months ago
Michael, you present a popular misconception that most Americans have. Undocumented immigrants DO NOT qualify for free services like health care, social security, higher education, welfare, etc. This is pure fiction. Undocumented immigrants are given an Internal Revenue Tax ID Number (ITIN) so that they can pay taxes, social security tax, income tax, but they are NOT eligible to receive ANY government services that they are paying for.
I AM an immigrant who became a US Citizen and married an undocumented immigrant. My wife had not seen a doctor in 20 years because her family could not afford it. My in-laws still have not seen a doctor, collected food stamps, welfare, etc. This is simply not true. I know of undocumented immigrant communities and have yet to meet undocumented people who somehow collect any of these services. I have met however, 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants (who were born in the US) that collect these services but at that point they are not "immigrants" they are Americans. My wife has two bachelors degrees from SDSU and her parents paid through the nose because she was NOT eligible for ANY sort of financial aid or grants. My in-laws are still undocumented and now own an automotive repair shop (under some else's name) and pay all of their taxes and fees. Current immigration law does not allow me or my wife to legalize their status even though we are now both US Citizens and they have been paying taxes for over 20 years without collection a single penny! This is why immigrants feel insulted when people refer to them as "criminals" these people come here to break their backs working. In California I have yet to see a Latino on a street corner asking for a handout.
juancalcala 9 months ago
nsha1973,

Your post is music to my ears. I am a US Citizen and married my wife who was undocumented. We both live in the US it was easy for us to prove that our marriage was in good faith (Bona Fide) because we placed both of our names in all bills & bank accounts. I know your case is different because one of the spouses lives in another country (which makes it practically impossible to prove the marriage was in good faith). It is true that the interviewer can deny entrance to the country if they feel the marriage was not done in "good faith." But "good faith" (Bona Fide) is too vague and it grants too much power to someone who may use it wrongly or unjustly. I understand your pain, and I hope that they fix this loop-hole. Please email me and I will gladly provide you the information to my immigration lawyer; she is really good. Best of Luck!

juancalcala@yahoo.com
juancalcala 9 months ago
Gypsy, you are very misinformed and confused about what you are talking about. You have huge stereotypes and comments that are almost racist. Your post comes across as rant and I hope it gets deleted soon.
juancalcala 9 months ago
I agree with bankim.mehta.
Bradley, you are not entirely correct. Immigrants migrate illegally to this country because they are simply denied a visa by the US consulate in their country of origin. In Mexico for example, they have to meet certain economical criteria so they do not pose a burden to the US. The poor have no other option but to migrate illegally. It's not that there is a "lack" of response, it's more that they are simply denied.
juancalcala 9 months ago
What truth? What are you talking about? If you are arguing that Obama is not an American the burden of proof lies in you to prove it. Obama does not have to prove he's innocent. In this country one is innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. You have to do the leg work, otherwise you come across as the typical right wing conspirator who is crying foul because his party lost the election.
juancalcala 9 months ago
Hi guys, I came to this country as a legal immigrant. My wife was an undocumented immigrant until we married. She is now a legal immigrant. Her parents and brother are still undocumented. The current law does not allow us to legalize my wife's family's status. My wife graduated with two Bachelors Degrees from San Diego State University before we married. My in-laws own a successful automotive repair shop (the business is under someone else name.) My brother-in-law is about to graduate from a top Culinary Arts School in CA but wont be able to work as a Chef because of his legal status. I guess that what I am trying to say is that many of these "illegal" immigrants actually love and want to succeed in this country. My in-laws pay all of their business taxes, my brother in-law pays out-of-pocked tuition because he does not qualify for any type of financial aid, and all of my wife's family has not seen a doctor in years because they can not afford one. As an immigrant my self let me tell you that these people just want to succeed and become part of America... just like the Italians, Irish or Chinese immigrants during their time. Bear in mind that some of the most successful people in America are immigrants because they seize opportunities not available to them in their country of origin; and in America many of us (Americans) take these opportunities for granted. Besides, many children (like my brother in-law) were brought to this country too young to identify with any other country other than America (Yes, there are people who have lived here for 20+ years illegally); they think like Americans, act like Americans, talk like Americans, and do American things; some can not even speak any other language other than English... Think of deporting your children to another country after 20 years of living in the US and telling them that all they grew up knowing is not part of who they are; that in reality they are not Americans they are "Chinese" even though they can not identify with China or speak Mandarin. I wish you the best and remember that unfortunately for you guys, if you take an inhumane or irrational approach to the issue you will receive little support (or support from people who are pushing extremist agendas.) Best of luck.
juancalcala 9 months ago
ronald, I came to this country as a legal immigrant. My wife was an undocumented immigrant until we married. She is now a legal immigrant. Her parents and brother are still undocumented. The current law does not allow us to legalize my wife's family's status. My wife graduated with two Bachelors Degrees from San Diego State University before we married. My in-laws own a successful automotive repair shop (the business is under someone else name.) My brother-in-law is about to graduate from a top Culinary Arts School in CA but wont be able to work as a Chef because of his legal status. I guess that what I am trying to say is that many of these "illegal" immigrants actually love and want to succeed in this country. My in-laws pay all of their business taxes, my brother in-law pays out-of-pocked tuition because he does not qualify for any type of financial aid, and all of my wife's family has not seen a doctor in years because they can not afford one. As an immigrant my self let me tell you that these people just want to succeed and become part of America... just like the Italians, Irish or Chinese immigrants during their time. Bear in mind that some of the most successful people in America are immigrants because they seize opportunities not available to them in their country of origin; and in America many of us (Americans) take these opportunities for granted. Besides, many children (like my brother in-law) were brought to this country too young to identify with any other country other than America (Yes, there are people who have lived here for 20+ years illegally); they think like Americans, act like Americans, talk like Americans, and do American things; some can not even speak any other language other than English... Think of deporting your children to another country after 20 years of living in the US and telling them that all they grew up knowing is not part of who they are; that in reality they are not Americans they are "Chinese" even though they can not identify with China or speak Mandarin. I wish you the best and remember that unfortunately for you, if you take an inhumane or irrational approach to the issue you will receive little support (or support from people who are pushing extremist agendas.) Best of luck.
juancalcala 9 months ago
LOL. Your awesome jumpingbeanaz. I could not agree with your sarcasm more! CHEERS
juancalcala 9 months ago
First of all, ACORN is only one of MANY other groups who will be paid to help with the census. Secondly ACORN encourages minorities to exercise their constitutional right to vote. If people illegally register more than once to vote they do so on their own lawlessness. People could very well register to vote under different names with other organizations but that is not the organization's fault. The people are braking the law not the organization. Lastly, where were all of you "patriots" when Jeff Bush stole the election for his little brother Georgie? Thousands of Black votes were illegally disenfranchised in Florida effectively stealing the election from Al Gore. This is REAL electoral fraud, not the ignorance you guys are flaunting over a non-existence issues. A dare any of you to prove me wrong with FACTS.