La Enfermedad

**This blog entry was written previously and is being reposted here in an effort to consolidate all articles in one location**

He estado viendo las discusíones sobre la nueva ley de Arizona #1070.  Es necesario aclarar muchas de las malas representacíones al respecto de esta ley.  Pero mas que eso, todo la discusíon evita enfrentar lo que es realmente el problema. El problema de la inmigracíon illegal es simplemente un sintoma de una enfermedad mucho mas grande.  La política económica y el ambiente de negocios en México.  Roma se quema y nadie ve el humo.

Nadie quiere reconocer lo que es mas obvío de la situacíon, la razon por la cual vienen millones de immigrantes a los Estados Unidos es que la economia en Mexico no esta suficientemente estable o fuerte para mantener empleados a todos sus ciudadanos.  Y la razón por la cual las empresas no van a Mexíco es por las reglas y la inseguridad de hacer negocios. Hay ciertos hechos que se tienen que presentar.

El dinero enviado por los trabajadores mexicanos en Estados Unidos a sus familias alcanzó la marca de 12 mil millones de dólares en el 2003.  Los envíos “son nuestra principal fuente de ingresos extranjeros, mucho más que el petróleo, el turismo o las inversiones extranjeras”, dijo (Presidente) Fox a la prensa luego de reunirse con empresarios méxico-estadounidenses. 1   En 2009 la suma de remesas a Mexico era de 21.1 billones de dólares, 15.7% menos que en el año 2008. 2  México obtuvo divisas por turismo de 11.275 billones de dólares en el 2009, menores a los 13.289 billones de dólares del año previo.3 

PEMEX anuncio que perdió 16.6 billones de pesos (1.3 billones de dólares) en el ultimo cuatrimestre del 2009 que resulto en una suma de  48.5 billones de pesos de pérdidas para él año.4 

La politica economica de Mexicoesta a la raíz del problema.  Nos tenemos que preguntar, ¿porque?
¿Porque teniendo tantos recursos naturales Mexico no sale adelante?
¿Como es posible que en esta economia global una empresa petrolera pierde dinero?
¿Que tiene la economia Mexicana que su pueblo no ve oportunidad o forma de salir adelante?
¿Porque se le hace dificil a las empresas extranjeras establescerce en Mexíco?

Hay muchas preguntas pero al fin de cuenta el problema sigue siendo el ambiente de negocios en Mexíco. Por ejemplo, el porcentage de los impuestos que le cobra el gobierno Mexicano a una empresa son 51%5  y el promedio de dias que toma un pleito comercial son 415 dias 5    para resolverse.Las grandes empresas, tal vez, estan dispuestas a soportar semejantes costos. Pero una empresa apenas formandose o una empresa de tamaño mediano, no tiene los recursos o no esta dispuesta a aceptar tan grandes desventajas y buscará otro lado para poner su negocio. 

Cada uno de nosotros quiere salir adelante y proveer para nuestros hijos algo mejor que lo que tuvimos.  En este sentido entiendo porque se vienen los latinos de todas partes.  Pero ningún país puede permitir que se ignoren sus leyes y vengan y vayan inmigrantes cuando y como quiéran.  Es hipocrecía que Mexíco, y en particular, presidente Calderon regañe al estado de Arizona cuando la verdad es que las leyes migratórias de Mexico son sumamente mas estrictas que las de los Estados Unidos o el Estado de Arizona.  Y ademas, el problema no es la ley de los Estados Unidos, mucho menos la ley de Arizona, el problema es Mexíco.
La solucíon no es ni va ser fácil, pero tiene que empesar con el gobierno de Mexico.  Los Estados Unidos pueden poner todas las leyes que quieran, pero eso no cambia las situacíon en Mexíco.  El gobierno Mexicano tiene que tomar responsabilidad de lo que pasa, y de lo sucedido desde hace muchos años.  Pero siempre se le hace mas fácil dejar las cosas como estan; en parte porque no le cuesta nada al gobierno Mexicano, al contrario recibe el pais una gran cantidad de ingresos y el gobierno no tiene que invertir nada. Y al fin el pueblo se haya entre la espada y la pared, o se quedan en Mexico en la pobreza o se van ilegalmente a los Estados Unidos a buscar oportunidad y la posibilidad de una mejor vida para sus hijos.  La desgracia es que su gobierno prefiere culpar a los Americanos en vez de verse al espejo y tomar la responsabilidad por sus politicas que no le permiten el exito a su gente.

No entiendo porque se niega la gente ver que toda la situación es economica, y la entidad responsable es el gobierno de Mexíco.  El exportacíon principal de Mexíco, desgraciadamente, no es petróleo, ni madera, es su gente. Exporta su pueblo a cambio de dinero en la forma de remesas.

Let's elect a LATINO president.

As the race develops and candidates are throwing their hat in the ring or dropping out, there is a lot of discussion about who is the better candidate. the process has already begun to vet each of the candidates in the race for the republican nomination. The problem is that conservatives are also quickly forming into a circular firing squad. Conservatives have to resist the temptation of attacking every candidate they personally dislike and start looking for the best LATINO candidate. Nooo.... I am not waiting breathlessly for Marco Rubio, although I wouldn't necessarily be opposed if he decided to run. Nope, I have developed my own little list of qualities that I am looking for in my next president. I want him to be LATINO and nothing else will do. Call it a litmus test if you want but it is the only way I can be comfortable giving him or her my vote. Yep he/she must be LATINO.

L - Limited government - I want president who believes that government works best when it is confined to a very limited scope and authority. I want the president who believes that the federal government should not tell me what type of light bulb to buy or force me to buy health insurance that I don't want or I don't need. A federal government that will restrain itself from expanding its power over the people and its growth and cost to the American taxpayer. I want a president that will cut the size, scope and reach of government in the everyday lives of all Americans.

A -Adherence to the Constitution and to the rule of law- and by that I mean an originalist vision to the words in the constitution. For example: if the first amendment says "Congress shall make no law" that's what it means. The liberal meme that there was no internet in the times of the founding fathers is moot. If all politicians, not just the president, would always adhere to and be bound by the Constitution our nation would be infinitely better off. In the same vein, we as country would be better off if we would just follow the law; from illegal immigration to “legalized” marijuana to food stamp fraud and the rest.

T - Traditional values- what I am talking about is exactly what you think I am talking about; old fashioned morality. Morality and faith in God are what this nation was founded upon, there is no way any intellectually honest person can deny that fact. And the further any society drifts from morality the more it descends into debauchery. We are seeing this happen before our eyes. When a 16 year old gets pregnant out of wedlock is celebrated while a girl who wants to remain a virgin until marriage is ridiculed, we as a society have to step back and really question what we have become. We are teaching our children that promiscuity is acceptable and even giving them the means by which they can be more so. We are teaching an entire generation that dependence on government is OK, rather than trying to instill a good work ethic and teaching the value of job well done and an honorably earned dollar. This lack of morality has decayed our institutions and our culture. Hedonism is not something we as a society and nation should strive for. We must return to an age when we looked out for each because it was the right thing to do, when honor meant something.

 

I -Individual liberty and responsibility- People should be allowed to succeed and fail on their own merits. Our next president must have the strength to leave people alone, and let each person struggle, fail and/or persevere. The government has for too long coddled the American people. What we need is tough love. If you can work then get out there and work and quit making excuses for why you can't. The federal government has slowly and almost imperceptibly made great strides in denying its citizens their liberty through taxation and regulation. Americans seeking to better their lot are hamstrung and restrained by the power of government bureaucracies and mountains of regulations. Meanwhile many Americans are encouraged to neglect their responsibilities as parents, husbands and fathers through a myriad of social programs, which in the end only encourages more dependence on government and further inhibits liberty and opportunity.

N -National defense that is strong, flexible, and dynamic- It only makes sense. Peace through strength is the only real solution. When America shows weakness there is always some despot who will try and poke a stick in her eye. I am by no means giving the DoD carte blanche but there is no doubt that our military should be the most modern, best equipped, best trained fighting force on the planet. The freedoms we enjoy are only sustainable so long as the American military continues to be the premier fighting force in the world and America continues to be a respected super-power.

O - Open markets and free trade- The world is a market and there is one indisputable fact in life: Competition is the incubator for better, less expensive, higher quality goods and services. The next president must realize that the federal government has, for over 70 years, disrupted the free market capitalist system in the United States through subsidies and federal government programs which pick winners and losers. This includes farm subsidies, taxes code loopholes, grants of every sort, as well as laws written to benefit one industry over another, and certain groups of people over others. This must stop. Any time the government at any level interferes or manipulates the market, the only people hurt are consumers, and by that I mean everyone. I want a president that believes in the ingenuity and industriousness of the American people. A president that trusts not only people, but the market to do the right thing. I want a president that believes the power of the market is stronger than the power of government to act in the best interest of people.

A LATINO candidate will be sure to cut across demographic boundaries and should be supported by social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, TEA Party activists, Independents, as well as minorities.

It is time to make history and elect our first LATINO president.

THE TYRANNY OF TAXES

 **This blog entry was written previously and is being reposted here.  I will post all of my previous articles here as a method to consolidate all articles in one location**

Have you ever asked yourself how much the government really takes from you on a monthly basis? And I am not just talking about the federal government but the state, county, and municipal governments.  None of us really think about all the taxes and fees that come out of our pockets.

Think about it.  You pay taxes on your income every paycheck; if those were the only taxes you paid life would be great.  But that is only the beginning, unless you live in Florida or Texas, you also have to pay state income taxes.  You go home with your check lightened by federal and state income taxes, Medicare, and social security taxes.  So you are driving home and realize that you need gas for you car; you stop at the gas station and fill up. You pay anywhere from 30-60 cents for each gallon of gas (that is between $4.50-$9.00 on a 15 gallon tank and $7.50-$15.00 on a 25 gallon tank.)  You get home and sit at the kitchen table with a calculator and the bills that have arrive by mail. You start writing checks; you pay your electricity bill plus taxes; natural gas bill plus taxes; water bill plus taxes and fees for sewer service; cable or satellite service plus taxes; internet services plus taxes; phone bill plus taxes and 911 fees; cellular phone service plus taxes plus taxes and surcharges.  You pay your mortgage and pay taxes through the escrow account.  With the money you have left you go out to eat and pay taxes on that. Buy a fountain drink at the convenience store and pay taxes on that. Buy a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine and pay taxes on that.  Buy clothes for you and your kids and pay taxes on that.  You buy tickets to a baseball game and pay taxes on that.  Go to the movies and pay taxes on that.  You pay taxes on all the consumables you need for your home from toilet paper to soap to toothpaste.  Any service that you need, from an oil change to a haircut, is taxed.  You can’t even take a vacation from it because your airline ticket, hotel and rental car are taxed.  Not a day goes by that you aren’t taxed in one way or another.  Obviously some places are worse than others.

It is a wonder we have any money left at all. We as a people need to demand a stop to all this taxation, demand relief from those whom we have empowered to represent us.  We are essentially suffering the same fate as the colonists prior to the revolution, with a twist: Taxation with misrepresentation. But it is our fault.  We have subjected ourselves to this tyranny. And we must take responsibility as a nation and as an electorate, to get ourselves out.  The Tyranny of Taxes is slowly taking away our liberty. We are evermore becoming indentured servants to the leviathan we call the Federal Government.  Worse yet, we are enslaving our children and grandchildren to a life of making the minimum payment on a multi-trillion dollar credit card just to keep ahead of the interest.

We work everyday in an effort to achieve the American Dream and instead of government that encourages our efforts we have one that impedes them.  Instead of creating an environment that is conducive to innovation the government has done everything it can to stifle it.  Rather than lower taxes to stimulate growth and expansion of the economy, our government raises taxes and discourages investment and entrepreneurialism.

Look around and ask yourself, is my money well spent?  Is it invested well?  Should I be forced to help pay for someone else’s house or brand new car?  Should I have been forced to by General Motors, Chrysler, or AIG?  Could I have used that money more efficiently?

Put it in perspective, since 2008, the federal government has spent:

  30 billion to bailout Bear Stearns

400 billion to bailout Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

180 billion to bailout AIG

  25 billion to bailout GM and Chrysler

700 billion to bailout banks through the TARP program

787 billion in the “stimulus package”

    5 billion in earmarks included in the Omnibus bill

According to the US Census Bureau there were 281,421,906 people in the United States in the year 2000.
For easy math let’s say that there are currently, 300,000,000 legal citizens and residents today.  That would mean that if you added up all the spending, just for the programs and bailouts listed above, the government could have sent out a $7090 check to every man woman and child who is legally in the United States.  For a family of four, that would mean $28,360.

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $28,360!!

Ask yourself who knows better how to look after your family; you or a collection of 500 individuals in Washington D.C. who have never seen you, never talked to you, and seem unwilling to consider your future and the future of your children and grandchildren.  And don’t seem to understand that what they are doing not only affects us the people but our nation.  They are jeopardizing the future of the United States of America.

The End of the Democrat Party

 **This blog entry was written previously and is being reposted here.  I will post all of my previous articles here as a method to consolidate all articles in one location**

I have been reading about the GOP and its demise as a result of the Tea Party.  I am not going to address the concerns and analysis that people have and will make about the Republican Party.  What people aren’t talking about is the demise of the Democrat party.

Let’s look at some of the real issues that the Democrats must face.  One of the realities of this election is that there is no longer a moderate wing within the Democrat party.  The base of the Democrat party is an amalgam of special identity interests; Blacks, Hispanics, homosexuals, unions, feminists, Jews, socialists (in the sense of wanting government versus private solutions) and those that are sympathetic to those interests.  The problem for the Democrats is that many of the party constituencies are in conflict with one another. These conflicts cannot easily be reconciled and will continue to cause fissures within the Democrat coalition.  At some point these cracks will open up into chasms. 

A few examples of these differences:

In order to court the Hispanic vote Democrats demonstrate in their rhetoric that they are in favor of comprehensive immigration reform.  This is a direct assault on the interests of the unions since it would create a huge number of workers willing to work for less than union wage and, at least in the short term, put all unions at a disadvantage in the employment market.   You would think that Unions would take a position against “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”  Union members, on whom democrats depend for votes should eventually come to grips with this conflict and demand that union leadership cease supporting politicians whose positions are in direct conflict with union interests.

Democrats are liberal on social issues.  On abortion, the party has taken a position of abortion on demand with no restriction, they are joined on this position by feminists; this despite the fact that only 24% of people believe that.  The Majority of Americans believe that abortion should either be illegal (19%) or legal only under a few circumstances (37%).  But, Hispanics are, in general, very socially conservative and don’t support abortion.  Hispanics have been deceived either by the party as a whole or by individual politicians that the democrat party is pro-life.   As demonstrated by the fight leading up to the healthcare debate, pro-life democrats are not only rare they are practically extinct in the Democrat party.

On gay marriage Democrats strongly favor the idea, while blacks appear to be firmly against it.  In 2008, Blacks voted for Proposition 8 by a margin of 69% to 31% in California.   Nationwide this margin is probably reflective of Blacks and Hispanics.  Yet both groups are nearly monolithic in their voting habits.
Democrats will soon find themselves in an untenable position. As they drift further and further to the ideological left, there are less and less constituencies which they can court in order to stay in power. 

According to polls (here, here, here) between 19-33% of people identify themselves as liberal.  And even though more people claim to be Democrats than identify as liberals, eventually those that consider themselves “moderate” Democrats will start to look for a new home.

When you break down the Democrat Party you begin to see the Balkanization within.  The Democrat Party is nothing more than a hodge-podge of separate groups with distinct interests.  When viewed as a percentage of larger groups of people or populations the fissures in the Democrat party become clearer.   And people will begin to ask themselves why the party is allowing these relatively small groups of people to drive the policy agenda of the Democrats and national conversation. Examples follow:

Union members make up 12.3% of the overall workforce; but with the advantage of mandatory union dues, they are able to exert an inordinate amount of influence on the electoral process.

Gays/Lesbians are usually estimated to be about 2.9% of the population and may be as high as 8% yet there is an inordinate amount of attention in the media and in the social culture addressing their concerns.  Gay marriage, non-discrimination laws, etc…   Politicians have allowed themselves and the agenda of the Democrat party to be dominated by this special interest group.

Blacks make up about 12.9% of the population.  Hispanics/Latinos make up about 15.8%.  Both these groups have been taken for granted by the Democrat party.  Most of the social programs advocated by democrat party affect these two groups in particular, and neither groups sees the subtle yet devastating damage programs like welfare,  food stamps among others, have on their communities, and continue to almost monolithically vote Democrat.

There are somewhere between 5 and 6.5 million Jews in the US which is about 2% of the population in the US, and as a group they almost always vote Democrat.  This  in spite of the fact that in terms of Israel Republicans are more staunch supporters of Israel and policies that would ensure the survival of the Jewish state.

The Democrat Party has turned its back on many within its party.   Pro-life men and women, white Christian men, white working class, small business owners, and seniors have all been cut loose by Democrats.  Democrats don’t have answers for how they will solve the problems or issues Americans face today.  Democrats of all types will soon find that the Democrat Party does not offer to them of vision of the future that they can or will support.

Most democrats today still have a vision the Democrat party as the party of JFK.  The truth is that JFK would be ostracized from the party if he were alive today.   JFK believed in lower taxes as a way to stimulate and grow the economy and began proposing tax cuts as early as 1962.  The tax cuts were passed and the results were exactly as expected, the economy grew and revenues increased. JFK also believed in a strong national defense, and believed that the US should take a stand against despotism and supporting pro-west governments (he began to increase the amount of advisors to Vietnam and formed the Formation of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) by 1961). None of these are positions embraced by the Democrat Party.

We must not look at the Tea Party as a refuge for only disgruntled Republicans; it is also a voice for disgruntled Democrats that are frustrated with the increasingly left wing/socialist agenda of the Democrat party.  Conservatives must take this opportunity to reach out to these constituencies and offer them a positive alternative to more taxation, government intrusion, and socialist policies.  Republicans must endeavor to incorporate the fiscally conservative wing of the electorate that identifies itself as Democrat.  But more importantly conservatives must reach out with a real message and follow through on the small-government, lower-taxes agenda that it advocates.  Republicans may never win over the people in this country that identify themselves as liberal, but they have a great shot of reaching the large middle of those that identify themselves as moderate.

The Tea-party is a manifestation of people who have begun to open their eyes and don’t like seeing their country transformed into a European socialist state.  They have rejected the left’s agenda and will no longer take politicians at their word.  Blue Dog Democrats were devastated in the election, and those that survived cannot afford to move left.  Democrats, with few exceptions, ran to the right in these elections; except for those in bluest of blue districts, there will be no second chance in 2012.  The Democrat party has shut the door on a great swath of the American electorate; Republicans must pounce on these voters to advance the agenda of fiscal sanity and the government our founding fathers envisioned.