Email
I did what I said I would do. I have sent email to my Florida House and Senate representatives, my Federal representatives in the House and Senate, and to the president himself.
Do I really believe that anyone will reconsider their stand? Of course not! It's an election year and this issue will garner votes. But, I had to make my opinion known. If I didn't, I wouldn't have the right to complain when it becomes law.
Now, will you send email to your representatives? For or against. Just take a stand.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Illegal Aliens - Revisited
I am posting an email that I sent to Governor Jeb Bush this evening. It was a response to the article linked below:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/8364000.htm
In it, Florida State Senator Rudy Garcia of Hialeah says that the streets will be safer when driver's licenses are issued to illegal aliens. My question is, what makes the streets safer than they were the day before the license was issued? My problem is not with the issuance of the license per se, it's the endorsement of, and rewarding of the breaking a law. I've written about this before, so I won't do so again. Especially since it's the core of my email to the governor.
Here's the text of the email:
Dear Governor Bush:
I read an article today that said you are in favor of issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens. I cannot believe that you are willing to encourage anyone to break the law. Not only break the law, but reward them for doing so.
The word "illegal" indicates that someone has broken the law; they've committed an act that is not legal by definition of law. I applaud anyone coming to this country to better their lives or the lives of their children. I myself am a tenth generation American. If it had not been for immigration, I would not be here today. The difference is that my ancestors came here legally. They did not sneak across borders watching over their shoulders. They were able to work openly and not be afraid that they would be sent back to their country of origin because they were not here legally.
If the law were changed to allow those who have broken the law coming into America to be here legally, I would whole heartedly support giving them licenses and all they are entitled to as legal alien residents. But, if just anyone can get a license, where is the incentive for doing it legally? We don't allow students who have dropped out of school to have a license without jumping through hoops to obtain it, so why should someone who has broken the law be able to get one just by applying?
I am deeply concerned about what laws will be circumvented next. My faith in your leadership has been shaken - so much so that I don't believe I can trust you or your administration again. Why bother having laws at all? why not allow everyone to do as they please?
How can I trust you, as governor, to safeguard the Constitution and the laws of the state of Florida? If we bend the small ones, why bother with any laws at all? And in reality, is this a small law? It might not be the equivalent of some other laws, but is any law less important than another?
Governor Bush, please reconsider your endorsement of this law. I can see no good reason for ignoring this law or any other. Change it if it must be changed, but don't ignore it. Our laws are the cornerstone of our society.
I voted for you twice, but right now, I could not and would not do so again.
Now that I've re-read this, I will be sending it to President Bush as well and my congressmen. Until the law is changed, it's an illegal act to enter this country without proper documentation.
What laws will be ignored next?
I am posting an email that I sent to Governor Jeb Bush this evening. It was a response to the article linked below:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/8364000.htm
In it, Florida State Senator Rudy Garcia of Hialeah says that the streets will be safer when driver's licenses are issued to illegal aliens. My question is, what makes the streets safer than they were the day before the license was issued? My problem is not with the issuance of the license per se, it's the endorsement of, and rewarding of the breaking a law. I've written about this before, so I won't do so again. Especially since it's the core of my email to the governor.
Here's the text of the email:
Dear Governor Bush:
I read an article today that said you are in favor of issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens. I cannot believe that you are willing to encourage anyone to break the law. Not only break the law, but reward them for doing so.
The word "illegal" indicates that someone has broken the law; they've committed an act that is not legal by definition of law. I applaud anyone coming to this country to better their lives or the lives of their children. I myself am a tenth generation American. If it had not been for immigration, I would not be here today. The difference is that my ancestors came here legally. They did not sneak across borders watching over their shoulders. They were able to work openly and not be afraid that they would be sent back to their country of origin because they were not here legally.
If the law were changed to allow those who have broken the law coming into America to be here legally, I would whole heartedly support giving them licenses and all they are entitled to as legal alien residents. But, if just anyone can get a license, where is the incentive for doing it legally? We don't allow students who have dropped out of school to have a license without jumping through hoops to obtain it, so why should someone who has broken the law be able to get one just by applying?
I am deeply concerned about what laws will be circumvented next. My faith in your leadership has been shaken - so much so that I don't believe I can trust you or your administration again. Why bother having laws at all? why not allow everyone to do as they please?
How can I trust you, as governor, to safeguard the Constitution and the laws of the state of Florida? If we bend the small ones, why bother with any laws at all? And in reality, is this a small law? It might not be the equivalent of some other laws, but is any law less important than another?
Governor Bush, please reconsider your endorsement of this law. I can see no good reason for ignoring this law or any other. Change it if it must be changed, but don't ignore it. Our laws are the cornerstone of our society.
I voted for you twice, but right now, I could not and would not do so again.
Now that I've re-read this, I will be sending it to President Bush as well and my congressmen. Until the law is changed, it's an illegal act to enter this country without proper documentation.
What laws will be ignored next?
Monday, April 05, 2004
April 15th - Just Another Day
We're coming up on the infamous April 15th. The day that all taxpayers are required to have their taxes into the IRS. Mine have been in since February. I've received my refund and it's pretty much spent.
Wouldn't it be great to not have to pay income taxes? Wouldn't it be great to look at your paystub and not see deductions for FICA (regular and Medicare) and Federal withholding? In my case, that's over $300 that the Federal government takes from me. It galls me no end. I've worked for that money, I've earned it, but the Feds take it from every paycheck.
Look at your paycheck and see how much is taken from you. Some people say it's stolen. I can't go that far because it's all done by law. Okay, I'll give you legally stolen. In June, I should get a pay raise of $88 per paycheck. You know how much I'll see of that $88? Just about $53. The rest will go to the Feds in income taxes. Some people might think "Gee, only losing $35 a pay isn't that bad. I'd love to lose only $35."
The thing is, the Federal government shouldn't be taking taxes from us at all. And under the Fair Tax Act, they won't. The IRS would be dismantled, the income tax rolls and code will be abolished, and the taxes eliminated. That means that you will get an instant raise in your paycheck. Each and every paycheck.
How can this happen? Replace the Income Tax with a national retail tax. Now, before you get excited, let me digress just a bit. When I have extra money after paying bills, buying groceries, filling the gas tank and so on, I don't put it in a coffee can and bury it in the backyard. I also don't hide it under the mattress. That extra money is either put in the bank or spent.
If it goes into the bank, it doesn't sit there with a sticky note with my name on it until I withdraw it. That money goes into circulation when the teller gives it to another customer who takes it and spends it on rent, gas, groceries, or even buying stock. Maybe they buy something on eBay. In any case, that money goes into the economy. If I spend it instead of putting it into the bank, the same thing happens. It goes into the economy. That's a good thing, to quote some famous felon whose name eludes me (wink wink).
Say we bank at the same bank. The bank may take your money and my money and pool it and give it to my other reader to buy a car or house. That money goes into the economy. This is the way money flows. A nation's economy flows like water through pipes. Sometimes it might slow down, but that's when the plumbers come in (the Federal Reserve who lowers interest rates) to get the flow going again. Money is the economy and it is not stagnant unless there are some serious problems going on.
When money flows, jobs are created because business owners hire people and increase productivity. Our economy took a terrific hit on 9/11. The aviation industry and all the industries involved with aviation (hotels, travel to name two) were effected. Many companies with offices in the WTC either ceased to exist or were greatly effected by the tragedy of that day. It's taken over two years, but those industries and businesses are starting to come back. When money begins to flow, after slowing down, it takes awhile to get back to where it was. Now...back to the Fair Tax Act.
Aside from having more money to spend, you would pay taxes only on new purchases. Say your car just has to be replaced. You can only afford to buy a used car. Guess what? You don't pay taxes on a used vehicle! The person who has the money to buy a new car pays the tax. Same idea for any item that can be purchased new or used. Clothing, furniture, houses, and so on.
The Fair Tax (national retail sales tax) would benefit those who don't have the ability, or desire, to buy new items such as cars. They could buy a year old car and not pay taxes because it is used. If you have the means to buy a new car, you would pay the tax, about 22%. I know, 22% sounds high, but you are already paying about that much in hidden taxes and then paying another 5%, 6%, 7% or whatever on top of the hidden taxes. If you finance, you're now paying the hidden tax, the tax you know about, and then finance fees if you buy on credit.
Okay, I mentioned hidden taxes. Let's use the car as an example. Every part on that vehicle has a tax attached to it - from the steel used in the shell of the car, to the vinyl on the dashboard, to the carpeting on the floor and everything in between. Most car manufacturers buy their parts from another company. My husband worked for a company here in Manatee County that made automotive parts. Sorry, I can't remember what parts, but we don't have an automotive assembly plant here. Those parts were built here and shipped to Detroit or wherever the assembly plant was.
With the Fair Tax, those parts would be considered raw and not taxed until the vehicle is assembled. When I sign the papers for a new car, I pay the tax. When I sell the car to you, you do not pay any tax because I've already paid the tax on it. And don't worry about no one buying new cars. There are plenty of people who will still buy the new car. And, because there are no hidden taxes, the price of that new car will come down. More people will be able to afford to buy new cars. There will still be people who prefer used vehicles. No one will be out of a job - automotive assemblers or used car salesmen.
Okay, you will pay taxes on food. But! The government will send you a check, each and every month, for a sum that is calculated to be fairly equilvilent to what you would pay in sales taxes. I'm not going into that and I don't know how it's figured. You can go to www.fairtax.org and see the charts to see how it's broken down and how much you will get each month. My husband and I would get approximately $300 each month. It might be more, I haven't looked at the chart recently and might not remember correctly. Between they income taxes that are not taken from my paycheck and the rebate check sent each month, that's more than $11,000 a year for me! I don't know about you, but I can use an extra $11K a year. Putting that money against credit card debt, car payments, and the mortgage, we could be totally out of debt in about 5 years. I likes it!
I know there are lots of points I've left out. If you have questions, or if I have piqued your interest, please, go to www.fairtax.org and see for yourself. Don't listen to what other people, even me, have to say. Read more, educate yourself. If you don't educate yourself, you can't make an informed decision.
www.fairtax.org
We're coming up on the infamous April 15th. The day that all taxpayers are required to have their taxes into the IRS. Mine have been in since February. I've received my refund and it's pretty much spent.
Wouldn't it be great to not have to pay income taxes? Wouldn't it be great to look at your paystub and not see deductions for FICA (regular and Medicare) and Federal withholding? In my case, that's over $300 that the Federal government takes from me. It galls me no end. I've worked for that money, I've earned it, but the Feds take it from every paycheck.
Look at your paycheck and see how much is taken from you. Some people say it's stolen. I can't go that far because it's all done by law. Okay, I'll give you legally stolen. In June, I should get a pay raise of $88 per paycheck. You know how much I'll see of that $88? Just about $53. The rest will go to the Feds in income taxes. Some people might think "Gee, only losing $35 a pay isn't that bad. I'd love to lose only $35."
The thing is, the Federal government shouldn't be taking taxes from us at all. And under the Fair Tax Act, they won't. The IRS would be dismantled, the income tax rolls and code will be abolished, and the taxes eliminated. That means that you will get an instant raise in your paycheck. Each and every paycheck.
How can this happen? Replace the Income Tax with a national retail tax. Now, before you get excited, let me digress just a bit. When I have extra money after paying bills, buying groceries, filling the gas tank and so on, I don't put it in a coffee can and bury it in the backyard. I also don't hide it under the mattress. That extra money is either put in the bank or spent.
If it goes into the bank, it doesn't sit there with a sticky note with my name on it until I withdraw it. That money goes into circulation when the teller gives it to another customer who takes it and spends it on rent, gas, groceries, or even buying stock. Maybe they buy something on eBay. In any case, that money goes into the economy. If I spend it instead of putting it into the bank, the same thing happens. It goes into the economy. That's a good thing, to quote some famous felon whose name eludes me (wink wink).
Say we bank at the same bank. The bank may take your money and my money and pool it and give it to my other reader to buy a car or house. That money goes into the economy. This is the way money flows. A nation's economy flows like water through pipes. Sometimes it might slow down, but that's when the plumbers come in (the Federal Reserve who lowers interest rates) to get the flow going again. Money is the economy and it is not stagnant unless there are some serious problems going on.
When money flows, jobs are created because business owners hire people and increase productivity. Our economy took a terrific hit on 9/11. The aviation industry and all the industries involved with aviation (hotels, travel to name two) were effected. Many companies with offices in the WTC either ceased to exist or were greatly effected by the tragedy of that day. It's taken over two years, but those industries and businesses are starting to come back. When money begins to flow, after slowing down, it takes awhile to get back to where it was. Now...back to the Fair Tax Act.
Aside from having more money to spend, you would pay taxes only on new purchases. Say your car just has to be replaced. You can only afford to buy a used car. Guess what? You don't pay taxes on a used vehicle! The person who has the money to buy a new car pays the tax. Same idea for any item that can be purchased new or used. Clothing, furniture, houses, and so on.
The Fair Tax (national retail sales tax) would benefit those who don't have the ability, or desire, to buy new items such as cars. They could buy a year old car and not pay taxes because it is used. If you have the means to buy a new car, you would pay the tax, about 22%. I know, 22% sounds high, but you are already paying about that much in hidden taxes and then paying another 5%, 6%, 7% or whatever on top of the hidden taxes. If you finance, you're now paying the hidden tax, the tax you know about, and then finance fees if you buy on credit.
Okay, I mentioned hidden taxes. Let's use the car as an example. Every part on that vehicle has a tax attached to it - from the steel used in the shell of the car, to the vinyl on the dashboard, to the carpeting on the floor and everything in between. Most car manufacturers buy their parts from another company. My husband worked for a company here in Manatee County that made automotive parts. Sorry, I can't remember what parts, but we don't have an automotive assembly plant here. Those parts were built here and shipped to Detroit or wherever the assembly plant was.
With the Fair Tax, those parts would be considered raw and not taxed until the vehicle is assembled. When I sign the papers for a new car, I pay the tax. When I sell the car to you, you do not pay any tax because I've already paid the tax on it. And don't worry about no one buying new cars. There are plenty of people who will still buy the new car. And, because there are no hidden taxes, the price of that new car will come down. More people will be able to afford to buy new cars. There will still be people who prefer used vehicles. No one will be out of a job - automotive assemblers or used car salesmen.
Okay, you will pay taxes on food. But! The government will send you a check, each and every month, for a sum that is calculated to be fairly equilvilent to what you would pay in sales taxes. I'm not going into that and I don't know how it's figured. You can go to www.fairtax.org and see the charts to see how it's broken down and how much you will get each month. My husband and I would get approximately $300 each month. It might be more, I haven't looked at the chart recently and might not remember correctly. Between they income taxes that are not taken from my paycheck and the rebate check sent each month, that's more than $11,000 a year for me! I don't know about you, but I can use an extra $11K a year. Putting that money against credit card debt, car payments, and the mortgage, we could be totally out of debt in about 5 years. I likes it!
I know there are lots of points I've left out. If you have questions, or if I have piqued your interest, please, go to www.fairtax.org and see for yourself. Don't listen to what other people, even me, have to say. Read more, educate yourself. If you don't educate yourself, you can't make an informed decision.
www.fairtax.org
Sunday, April 04, 2004
You, my favorite reader, will notice that I've changed the appearance of my blog a bit. I might even move to another host where I can add or do other things. I plan to change things more over the next few weeks, but, I might not. Depends on my mood.
I thought the moon phases was neat and really like the Weather Pixie. So all you Yankees can see what the weather is like here in Manatee County.
I thought the moon phases was neat and really like the Weather Pixie. So all you Yankees can see what the weather is like here in Manatee County.
Spring forward, fall back
I hope everyone remembered to change their clocks Saturday night/Sunday morning. I printed a sign at work to remind everyone, but you know someone will either not have read the sign or forgot to change their clocks.
Spring Fever?
I know I haven't been blogging too much lately. Maybe it's spring fever, or maybe it's just me. I really haven't felt like blogging. As a matter of fact, I just haven't felt like much of anything lately. I think I've been experiencing a mild form of depression, but I don't know what I've been depressed about! Honestly I don't know. Life is good and the little bit that could be better isn't worth thinking about. Especially when I know how bad things could be.
Changes Of One Kind or Another
Dale had a skin graft a few weeks ago to close up a wound on his shin. It's not because of his diabetes, but rather a fall he took last September. It started out as a case of severe road rash, but finally ended up as a wound the size of a silver dollar all the way to the muscle sheath. Last week the doctor said the skin graft was about 90% healed, and at the appointment on Thursday, he wasn't sure it was going to take after all. I changed the dressing yesterday (Home Health nurses had been doing all the changes until this week) and thought it looked good. I'm not a doctor and I understand things can go south fast with diabetics, but I don't get this at all. He's obviously seeing something I can't see.
I was so glad not to be doing the dressing changes. I've been doing dressing changes on some part of his body for the better part of 5.5 years and I am tired of it. It's not that I don't want to do for him; I'm just tired of changing dressings! It was nice to have that month or so off and I was so looking forward to that wound healing. If that makes me sound selfish (it sounds that way to me), I'm sorry it sounds that way. I will change dressings as needed (or anything else that's needed) willingly and with love. But, I can still be tired of it!!
Still Going to the Dogs
The dog program at work is going great guns! We have currently have 11 dogs - three of which are visitors. BJ, Tracy, and Darcy will be leaving at varying intervals. BJ and Tracy are here for "finishing." I'm not quite sure what that means, but I'm just on the periphery of the program. Darcy was only staying for a week. BJ is thrilled to have Tracy here, but then he's the equililent of a teenage boy. And we all know what teenage boys are thinking about 99.9% of the time. Unfortunately, we have to keep a close eye on them because they are both breeder candidates, so neither have been fixed.
Annie is our newest resident. She's ten weeks old and the queen of the facility. Everyone is in love with Annie. My favorite, though, is Darcy. She's a lab, but has the brown and tan coloring of a Rottweiller. When I saw her, I knew she had to be an older sister to our Jerry. They have the same coloring and we already know that Jerry's daddy throws those colors in every litter he sires.
We're trying to get donations for the program. The Rotary came in yesterday to see what we're doing with the dog program. They are currently giving us about $45 worth of supplies every month. I can't tell you how much it's appreciated. When the department approved the dog program, they forgot to put it into the budget, so we've been scrambling to fund it. 11 dogs eat a lot of dog food every month. Not to mention the shampoo, towels, toothbrushes and paste (yes, they have a dental hygiene regiment), collars, leads, bowls, and toys. We have one youth (who shall remain nameless) who has some followers because of his crime. The followers have donated items and the staff also brings in supplies. It's all gratefully appreciated. If you should feel the need to donate, please either email me for more information, or use the PayPal button on the right. I promise, if you use that button, the money will be spent on the dogs.
My Dog Preference?
As much as I like Labs, I've developed an interest in Chihuahuas. Dale says if I bring a Chi home we'll be having Mexican for dinner. I'm not putting him to the test even though I know what a big softie he is when it comes to animals. On his part, he's been smart enough to know not to say that I can't have a Chi. He knows if he said that, I'd have one by the end of the week, if not by the end of the day. I can deal with "I'd rather you didn't" or "Please don't" or "I don't like small dogs". I don't do well with "Don't" or "No" unless there's a (good) reason behind it.
Bloggers
If you happen to be a blogger and like what I've written, please feel free to link to me. Just let me know so that I can reciprocate.
Readers In General
If you like what I write, please either email me at the email in the sidebar, or leave a comment in my guestbook. And, please, tell others about my blog.
If on the other hand, you don't like or agree with what I've written, please feel free to leave and not return. If you email me telling me what a blithering idiot I am, I might answer you. If you use abusive language, and I decide what's abusive, I will consign your email to the virtual circular file and won't bother to answer. You obviously don't have the intellect to debate and I won't fight an unarmed opponent.
I hope everyone remembered to change their clocks Saturday night/Sunday morning. I printed a sign at work to remind everyone, but you know someone will either not have read the sign or forgot to change their clocks.
Spring Fever?
I know I haven't been blogging too much lately. Maybe it's spring fever, or maybe it's just me. I really haven't felt like blogging. As a matter of fact, I just haven't felt like much of anything lately. I think I've been experiencing a mild form of depression, but I don't know what I've been depressed about! Honestly I don't know. Life is good and the little bit that could be better isn't worth thinking about. Especially when I know how bad things could be.
Changes Of One Kind or Another
Dale had a skin graft a few weeks ago to close up a wound on his shin. It's not because of his diabetes, but rather a fall he took last September. It started out as a case of severe road rash, but finally ended up as a wound the size of a silver dollar all the way to the muscle sheath. Last week the doctor said the skin graft was about 90% healed, and at the appointment on Thursday, he wasn't sure it was going to take after all. I changed the dressing yesterday (Home Health nurses had been doing all the changes until this week) and thought it looked good. I'm not a doctor and I understand things can go south fast with diabetics, but I don't get this at all. He's obviously seeing something I can't see.
I was so glad not to be doing the dressing changes. I've been doing dressing changes on some part of his body for the better part of 5.5 years and I am tired of it. It's not that I don't want to do for him; I'm just tired of changing dressings! It was nice to have that month or so off and I was so looking forward to that wound healing. If that makes me sound selfish (it sounds that way to me), I'm sorry it sounds that way. I will change dressings as needed (or anything else that's needed) willingly and with love. But, I can still be tired of it!!
Still Going to the Dogs
The dog program at work is going great guns! We have currently have 11 dogs - three of which are visitors. BJ, Tracy, and Darcy will be leaving at varying intervals. BJ and Tracy are here for "finishing." I'm not quite sure what that means, but I'm just on the periphery of the program. Darcy was only staying for a week. BJ is thrilled to have Tracy here, but then he's the equililent of a teenage boy. And we all know what teenage boys are thinking about 99.9% of the time. Unfortunately, we have to keep a close eye on them because they are both breeder candidates, so neither have been fixed.
Annie is our newest resident. She's ten weeks old and the queen of the facility. Everyone is in love with Annie. My favorite, though, is Darcy. She's a lab, but has the brown and tan coloring of a Rottweiller. When I saw her, I knew she had to be an older sister to our Jerry. They have the same coloring and we already know that Jerry's daddy throws those colors in every litter he sires.
We're trying to get donations for the program. The Rotary came in yesterday to see what we're doing with the dog program. They are currently giving us about $45 worth of supplies every month. I can't tell you how much it's appreciated. When the department approved the dog program, they forgot to put it into the budget, so we've been scrambling to fund it. 11 dogs eat a lot of dog food every month. Not to mention the shampoo, towels, toothbrushes and paste (yes, they have a dental hygiene regiment), collars, leads, bowls, and toys. We have one youth (who shall remain nameless) who has some followers because of his crime. The followers have donated items and the staff also brings in supplies. It's all gratefully appreciated. If you should feel the need to donate, please either email me for more information, or use the PayPal button on the right. I promise, if you use that button, the money will be spent on the dogs.
My Dog Preference?
As much as I like Labs, I've developed an interest in Chihuahuas. Dale says if I bring a Chi home we'll be having Mexican for dinner. I'm not putting him to the test even though I know what a big softie he is when it comes to animals. On his part, he's been smart enough to know not to say that I can't have a Chi. He knows if he said that, I'd have one by the end of the week, if not by the end of the day. I can deal with "I'd rather you didn't" or "Please don't" or "I don't like small dogs". I don't do well with "Don't" or "No" unless there's a (good) reason behind it.
Bloggers
If you happen to be a blogger and like what I've written, please feel free to link to me. Just let me know so that I can reciprocate.
Readers In General
If you like what I write, please either email me at the email in the sidebar, or leave a comment in my guestbook. And, please, tell others about my blog.
If on the other hand, you don't like or agree with what I've written, please feel free to leave and not return. If you email me telling me what a blithering idiot I am, I might answer you. If you use abusive language, and I decide what's abusive, I will consign your email to the virtual circular file and won't bother to answer. You obviously don't have the intellect to debate and I won't fight an unarmed opponent.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)