It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been able to post. This was due in part to a two-week vacation in Europe(to be the subject of future posts), but mostly a busy work schedule. That’s the down side of being a conservative … we actually work for a living. But with the media blitz over the death of the 2,000th soldier in Iraq its time to take up the keyboard again.
Two thousand deaths is a terrible number. So are the 3,000 daily deaths from abortion, the 44,000 lost to car accidents each year, and the murder of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. The difference is these 2,000 courageous soldiers chose to enter the military, knowing this may be their fate. That’s the fact the liberal media manages to avoid: these men and women chose to enlist and fight for our freedoms. We don’t have a draft in the US … unlike many countries that require mandatory military service. Nor do they force the ignorant to remain in service once they realize it’s really not just a free education. My brother discovered a number of interesting possibilities for removing oneself from military life during his stint in the Marines. I’m not going to share them.
As usual, the liberals are full of contradiction. Those who are so fond of demanding women have the “choice” to murder unborn children very conveniently ignore a soldier’s choice to enter the military.
Every single one of these 2,000 heroes chose to go to Iraq. They might not have been happy about it; they might have been frightened. But they went. The Bible proclaims “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for another.” You and I live free today because 2,000 men and women, along with countless other soldiers in the past 230 years, gave their lives for us.
Life is fleeting and unpredictable. We never know when or how it will end. It’s up to us to make the most of whatever time we’re given to leave our mark on the world. These heroes, along with those who still fight to defend our freedom, leave a legacy that most of us can only aspire to. God bless them all.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
A little quiz
How can you tell the difference between Democrats, Republicans and Southern Republicans?
The answer can be found by posing the following question: You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife and charges at you.
You are carrying a Glock cal 40 and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?
A. Democrat's Answer
Well, that's not enough information to answer the question.
BANG!
C. Southern Republican's Answer
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG click ... (sounds of reloading).
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Daughter: "Nice grouping Daddy! Where those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?
I like C.
The answer can be found by posing the following question: You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife and charges at you.
You are carrying a Glock cal 40 and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?
A. Democrat's Answer
Well, that's not enough information to answer the question.
- Does the man look poor or oppressed?
- Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack? Could we run away?
- What does my wife think? What about the kids?
- Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
- What does the law say about this situation?
- Does the Glock have the appropriate safety built into it?
- Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
- Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?
- Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content to just wound me?
- If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
- Should I call 911?
- What is this street so deserted? We need to raise taxes, have a "paint and weed" day and make this a happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior. This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for a few days and try to come to a consensus.
BANG!
C. Southern Republican's Answer
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG click ... (sounds of reloading).
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Daughter: "Nice grouping Daddy! Where those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?
I like C.
Friday, August 12, 2005
General lib whining and an update
It never fails to amaze me what petty things libs can find to whine about. Take the latest: this summer, Virginia Tech created gender-segregated classes for visiting faculty from Saudi Arabia. King Abdulaziz University is paying Virginia Tech $246,000 to design and operate the faculty development program, and the gender-segregation is in keeping with the preferences of the University. Doesn’t sound like a bad thing … a US school helping educate men and women from Saudi Arabia in areas such as Web development and online instruction.
Not so fast, says Eloise Coupey, an associate professor of marketing at Virginia Tech. She filed a complaint with the school saying the single-sex classes “create a hostile environment for women”. She further stated “the presence of these segregated classes on campus indicates to me that [Virginia Tech] doesn’t place a strong enough value on women’s rights.” Ms. Coupey, I have two words for you. Oh, SHUT UP! Okay, that’s three words – the emphasis is necessary.
What, pray tell, is hostile about a single-gender environment? Sometimes it’s really more conducive to learning. Personally, I found it hard to focus on memorizing the seven layers of the OSI model when there was a set of nice biceps in the desk in front of me. I still can’t tell you what all seven layers are. And one would think that our man-hating fem-nazi counterparts would feel safer in a milieu that is free of the presence of the evil repressive male.
Coupey is whining about a situation that isn’t even her problem. (Of course, that’s what the left is best at.) These are the preferences of the University, and we’re talking about women who have been raised in an environment where men and women don’t have close contact. Forcing them to attend classes together would only make them uncomfortable. As a good lib, Ms. Coupey should be more sensitive to this cultural diversity.
Shouldn’t she be grateful that our sheltered sisters in Saudi Arabia have the chance to attend the University? I would think she’s be applauding this step forward in women’s rights in the Middle East, and remembering how lucky we are to be raised as American women. But no, she has to get all bent out of shape and offended because she is again reminded she doesn’t have a penis.
That’s the real shame … all these women who don’t see the glory of being a woman. They prefer to obsess over what they’re not (and can’t be) instead of seeing the value of what they are. I love being a woman … not having those dangling parts is just one of the benefits. In a way, our Saudi Arabian visitors have it right. They know men and women are different. We’re meant to balance each other, and that’s where our equality lies.
UPDATE: Perry already received email from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at stopglobalwarming.org. He was very excited and we immediately put it in his litter box so he could use it. He also responded:
Dear Mr. Kennedy, Thank you so much for your informative update. For my part, I am trying to eat less fiber in an effort to prevent excess methane.
Sincerely,
Perry T. Felis
Shower Curtain Artist Extraordinaire
Not so fast, says Eloise Coupey, an associate professor of marketing at Virginia Tech. She filed a complaint with the school saying the single-sex classes “create a hostile environment for women”. She further stated “the presence of these segregated classes on campus indicates to me that [Virginia Tech] doesn’t place a strong enough value on women’s rights.” Ms. Coupey, I have two words for you. Oh, SHUT UP! Okay, that’s three words – the emphasis is necessary.
What, pray tell, is hostile about a single-gender environment? Sometimes it’s really more conducive to learning. Personally, I found it hard to focus on memorizing the seven layers of the OSI model when there was a set of nice biceps in the desk in front of me. I still can’t tell you what all seven layers are. And one would think that our man-hating fem-nazi counterparts would feel safer in a milieu that is free of the presence of the evil repressive male.
Coupey is whining about a situation that isn’t even her problem. (Of course, that’s what the left is best at.) These are the preferences of the University, and we’re talking about women who have been raised in an environment where men and women don’t have close contact. Forcing them to attend classes together would only make them uncomfortable. As a good lib, Ms. Coupey should be more sensitive to this cultural diversity.
Shouldn’t she be grateful that our sheltered sisters in Saudi Arabia have the chance to attend the University? I would think she’s be applauding this step forward in women’s rights in the Middle East, and remembering how lucky we are to be raised as American women. But no, she has to get all bent out of shape and offended because she is again reminded she doesn’t have a penis.
That’s the real shame … all these women who don’t see the glory of being a woman. They prefer to obsess over what they’re not (and can’t be) instead of seeing the value of what they are. I love being a woman … not having those dangling parts is just one of the benefits. In a way, our Saudi Arabian visitors have it right. They know men and women are different. We’re meant to balance each other, and that’s where our equality lies.
UPDATE: Perry already received email from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at stopglobalwarming.org. He was very excited and we immediately put it in his litter box so he could use it. He also responded:
Dear Mr. Kennedy, Thank you so much for your informative update. For my part, I am trying to eat less fiber in an effort to prevent excess methane.
Sincerely,
Perry T. Felis
Shower Curtain Artist Extraordinaire
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Burn baby burn
As I was checking my email yesterday, I saw the little blurb on the AOL Welcome screen encouraging me to “Join the march to stop global warming!” Naturally I was intrigued – how did the Million Maniac March intend to stop something that doesn’t exist? So of course I clicked the link.
I was immediately sucked into the Stopglobalwarming.org site. It took me about ten minutes to compose myself after reading their mission statement (“global warming is a national security problem” ... do we fear an attack by gassy Middle East cows?) Then I realized – this is a virtual march. It’s not even real! Although I suppose it makes sense if you’re supporting a cause that isn’t real either.
I had to find out more. You don’t have to join the march to read their message, but I figured I would be privy to a bit more information if I did. Not wanting my own name or email associated with this lib nonsense, I set up a Gmail account under my cat’s name (Perry.T.Felis@gmail.com … feel free to drop him a line) and then signed Perry up for the march. He’s going to pee on my bed when he finds out.
The homepage describes the virtual “visits” to be made across the country, “raising awareness” about global warming. The “march” will culminate in Washington, DC on Earth Day 2006 to urge President Bush to “initiate a real (anyone else see the irony in that?) plan of action to address global warming”. Fortunately for the President, he won’t have to rearrange his schedule to greet them, since no one will really be there.
Today’s “stop” on the “march” is Glacier National Park in Montana. Our virtual visit includes three blurry black and white photos of mountains and some bleeding heart rhetoric about melting glaciers. What they fail to mention is that its summer. Glaciers melt in the summer. If you can tear yourself away from the heartbreaking sight of drooping glaciers and review the facts from the National Climatic data center, you’ll learn that the average summer temperatures in Western Montana haven’t increased in the last century.
Moving to the “About the March” page, the mission statement declares “With the support of leading scientists, political and religious leaders …” Now if we’re going to talk about global warming, the only opinions I’m interested in are those of scientists. I’ll go to Reverend William Sinkford for information about God; global warming is outside his repertoire. But they don’t name any of these leading scientists. Nor is there any reference to the Harvard University study that found the earth was actually warmer during the Middle Ages than it is today. Further on is a lead-in about the upcoming visit to Kentucky to see the production of Toyota’s new hybrid Camry. Ironically, a second headline on AOL’s Welcome screen that same day reported hybrid cars can actually be more detrimental to the environment.
The Featured Marcher’s List reads like Who’s Who in Left Wing Antics: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Al Gore (yeah, the same Al Gore who allowed strip mining on his family farm), Hillary Clinton, Al Franken and Leonardo DiCaprio. Oh, there are some Republicans on the list also: John McCain and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Notice I said “Republicans” though, not “conservatives”.
If you really want to show your support for the movement, you can purchase a Stop Global Warming bracelet made from recycled scrap leather. Nothing says commitment to a cause like recycled scrap leather. Guess what all my friends are getting for Christmas?
As a result of signing on to the march, Perry now has his own “personal impact” page on the site where he can track his progress. This involves inviting all your friends and family to join up. Currently his impact is 0. I expect it will stay that way.
PS. Now that Perry has an email account I’m going to pay another visit to Democratic Underground … I’ve been banned under every email address of my own.
I was immediately sucked into the Stopglobalwarming.org site. It took me about ten minutes to compose myself after reading their mission statement (“global warming is a national security problem” ... do we fear an attack by gassy Middle East cows?) Then I realized – this is a virtual march. It’s not even real! Although I suppose it makes sense if you’re supporting a cause that isn’t real either.
I had to find out more. You don’t have to join the march to read their message, but I figured I would be privy to a bit more information if I did. Not wanting my own name or email associated with this lib nonsense, I set up a Gmail account under my cat’s name (Perry.T.Felis@gmail.com … feel free to drop him a line) and then signed Perry up for the march. He’s going to pee on my bed when he finds out.
The homepage describes the virtual “visits” to be made across the country, “raising awareness” about global warming. The “march” will culminate in Washington, DC on Earth Day 2006 to urge President Bush to “initiate a real (anyone else see the irony in that?) plan of action to address global warming”. Fortunately for the President, he won’t have to rearrange his schedule to greet them, since no one will really be there.
Today’s “stop” on the “march” is Glacier National Park in Montana. Our virtual visit includes three blurry black and white photos of mountains and some bleeding heart rhetoric about melting glaciers. What they fail to mention is that its summer. Glaciers melt in the summer. If you can tear yourself away from the heartbreaking sight of drooping glaciers and review the facts from the National Climatic data center, you’ll learn that the average summer temperatures in Western Montana haven’t increased in the last century.
Moving to the “About the March” page, the mission statement declares “With the support of leading scientists, political and religious leaders …” Now if we’re going to talk about global warming, the only opinions I’m interested in are those of scientists. I’ll go to Reverend William Sinkford for information about God; global warming is outside his repertoire. But they don’t name any of these leading scientists. Nor is there any reference to the Harvard University study that found the earth was actually warmer during the Middle Ages than it is today. Further on is a lead-in about the upcoming visit to Kentucky to see the production of Toyota’s new hybrid Camry. Ironically, a second headline on AOL’s Welcome screen that same day reported hybrid cars can actually be more detrimental to the environment.
The Featured Marcher’s List reads like Who’s Who in Left Wing Antics: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Al Gore (yeah, the same Al Gore who allowed strip mining on his family farm), Hillary Clinton, Al Franken and Leonardo DiCaprio. Oh, there are some Republicans on the list also: John McCain and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Notice I said “Republicans” though, not “conservatives”.
If you really want to show your support for the movement, you can purchase a Stop Global Warming bracelet made from recycled scrap leather. Nothing says commitment to a cause like recycled scrap leather. Guess what all my friends are getting for Christmas?
As a result of signing on to the march, Perry now has his own “personal impact” page on the site where he can track his progress. This involves inviting all your friends and family to join up. Currently his impact is 0. I expect it will stay that way.
PS. Now that Perry has an email account I’m going to pay another visit to Democratic Underground … I’ve been banned under every email address of my own.
Tuesday, August 9, 2005
To infinity and beyond!
My cat tried to abort the shuttle landing this morning. Perry isn’t usually one to pay attention to the TV except as a heating pad, but today I glanced over and saw a white paw frantically batting at Discovery glowing in the pre-dawn darkness. I scooted him away, figuring this mission had had enough troubles already, but then I was mesmerized myself.
I don’t think I’ve ever watched a shuttle landing before. I probably saw some of the moon missions land as a kid, but I can’t say I remember them. Watching that shuttle float through the night made me catch my breath. I listened to the control tower count down the decreasing altitude by thousands of feet and I wondered what it would be like to pilot a craft like that. And when it finally did touch down safely, I have to admit that I teared up.
Maybe some of my emotion had to do with the memory of the Columbia shuttle and the fears for this mission. And some was simply because I'm a a woman ... we cry at strange moments. But most of it, it was watching the physical manifestation of the American spirit, the intrepid soul that has defined this land since the first explorer set foot on our shores. We carved out our own country – we didn’t build it from bits and pieces of other nations. When we finally ran into an ocean, we looked upward and took to space. What other country can really say that?
I’m glad NASA chose to continue the space program. It would be a great loss to our culture to stifle that spirit. Space IS our final frontier and we would deny something essential to what inherently makes us American if we abandoned space exploration. Sure, a lot can be accomplished with unmanned crafts, but it’s not the same. There is an intrinsic need for us to probe the unknown, and fortunately, space is infinite.
I don’t think I’ve ever watched a shuttle landing before. I probably saw some of the moon missions land as a kid, but I can’t say I remember them. Watching that shuttle float through the night made me catch my breath. I listened to the control tower count down the decreasing altitude by thousands of feet and I wondered what it would be like to pilot a craft like that. And when it finally did touch down safely, I have to admit that I teared up.
Maybe some of my emotion had to do with the memory of the Columbia shuttle and the fears for this mission. And some was simply because I'm a a woman ... we cry at strange moments. But most of it, it was watching the physical manifestation of the American spirit, the intrepid soul that has defined this land since the first explorer set foot on our shores. We carved out our own country – we didn’t build it from bits and pieces of other nations. When we finally ran into an ocean, we looked upward and took to space. What other country can really say that?
I’m glad NASA chose to continue the space program. It would be a great loss to our culture to stifle that spirit. Space IS our final frontier and we would deny something essential to what inherently makes us American if we abandoned space exploration. Sure, a lot can be accomplished with unmanned crafts, but it’s not the same. There is an intrinsic need for us to probe the unknown, and fortunately, space is infinite.
Monday, August 8, 2005
What I'd miss about libs
When you get right down to it, I really don’t want liberals to go away. I’d prefer they stick to saving whales and leave running the government to the more enlightened (i.e. conservatives), but frankly the world would be a very boring place without them. I’d miss a lot of things.
I’d miss their ugly women. I’m no beauty, but next to the likes of Hillary Clinton, Helen Thomas, Janet Reno and Nancy Pelosi, I feel like a super model.
I’d miss screaming at the TV whenever I see CNN or Meet The Press. Watching libs spew their knee-jerk-politically-correct-everyone-just-needs-a-hug nonsense is more amusing than the Three Stooges – although the Stooges have a slightly higher intelligence factor. (And yes, I’m one of the six women in the world who find the Stooges amusing).
I’d miss busting a gut over the PETA-types who get eaten by the loveable but misunderstood species they’ve sworn to live with and protect, and the nature lovers who fall out of the tree they’re trying to save from the evil bulldozer.
I’d miss Air America. What can be funnier than the left’s weak attempt to emulate Rush Limbaugh, created by a man whose greatest claim to fame is being anally molested by a gorilla in "Trading Places"?
I'd miss trying to figure out why Christian religious symbols are offensive but we need to be more understanding of the Muslim terrorists who murdered 3,000 Americans.
I’d miss their anti-war rallies. If you ever want to see the country’s largest gathering of unwashed, jobless anarchists, check out a peace rally. I’d like to see these folks put as much effort into finding a job as they do desecrating the flag – we could wipe out unemployment.
I’d miss political correctness, because it gives me the excuse to be as un-politically correct as I possibly can be.
I’d miss confusing them with logic … like asking them why it’s okay to kill a baby but not the guy who murdered all his co-workers because he was having a bad day. Its fun to see them gape like goldfish.
I’d miss the look of horror in their eyes when someone explains joining the military might actually involve going to war, not just a free college education.
I’d miss words like “affirmative action”, “undocumented alien”, “racial profiling” and “non gender specific”. They make me giggle. A whole new vocabulary was created so the Dems could pretend they’re trying to treat everyone equally, when really they’re creating wider gaps.
I think most of all I’d miss writing about them … I mean, what would I blog if we didn’t have libs?
I’d miss their ugly women. I’m no beauty, but next to the likes of Hillary Clinton, Helen Thomas, Janet Reno and Nancy Pelosi, I feel like a super model.
I’d miss screaming at the TV whenever I see CNN or Meet The Press. Watching libs spew their knee-jerk-politically-correct-everyone-just-needs-a-hug nonsense is more amusing than the Three Stooges – although the Stooges have a slightly higher intelligence factor. (And yes, I’m one of the six women in the world who find the Stooges amusing).
I’d miss busting a gut over the PETA-types who get eaten by the loveable but misunderstood species they’ve sworn to live with and protect, and the nature lovers who fall out of the tree they’re trying to save from the evil bulldozer.
I’d miss Air America. What can be funnier than the left’s weak attempt to emulate Rush Limbaugh, created by a man whose greatest claim to fame is being anally molested by a gorilla in "Trading Places"?
I'd miss trying to figure out why Christian religious symbols are offensive but we need to be more understanding of the Muslim terrorists who murdered 3,000 Americans.
I’d miss their anti-war rallies. If you ever want to see the country’s largest gathering of unwashed, jobless anarchists, check out a peace rally. I’d like to see these folks put as much effort into finding a job as they do desecrating the flag – we could wipe out unemployment.
I’d miss political correctness, because it gives me the excuse to be as un-politically correct as I possibly can be.
I’d miss confusing them with logic … like asking them why it’s okay to kill a baby but not the guy who murdered all his co-workers because he was having a bad day. Its fun to see them gape like goldfish.
I’d miss the look of horror in their eyes when someone explains joining the military might actually involve going to war, not just a free college education.
I’d miss words like “affirmative action”, “undocumented alien”, “racial profiling” and “non gender specific”. They make me giggle. A whole new vocabulary was created so the Dems could pretend they’re trying to treat everyone equally, when really they’re creating wider gaps.
I think most of all I’d miss writing about them … I mean, what would I blog if we didn’t have libs?
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Cry me a river ... just don't cross it
The following are excerpts from an April 5, 2005 article by Eduardo Porter. The blue text is my own commentary.
Illegal Immigrants Are Bolstering Social Security With Billions Payback’s a Bitch
Since illegally crossing the Mexican border into the United States six years ago, Ángel Martínez has done backbreaking work, harvesting asparagus, pruning grapevines and picking the ripe fruit. More recently, he has also washed trucks, often working as much as 70 hours a week, earning $8.50 to $12.75 an hour. My heart’s breaking for the guy. That’s about $45,000 a year … more than the average legal American family earns.
Last year, Mr. Martínez paid about $2,000 toward Social Security and $450 for Medicare through payroll taxes withheld from his wages. Yet unlike most Americans, who will receive some form of a public pension in retirement and will be eligible for Medicare as soon as they turn 65, Mr. Martínez is not entitled to benefits. Yeah, so what? What part of “illegal immigrant” is he failing to understand?
He belongs to a big club. As the debate over Social Security heats up, the estimated seven million or so illegal immigrant workers in the United States are now providing the system with a subsidy of as much as $7 billion a year. Makes up a little bit for the free healthcare and education they’re pawning off our country.
IRCA, as the immigration act is known, did little to deter employers from hiring illegal immigrants or to discourage them from working. But for Social Security's finances, it was a great piece of legislation. One would think the libs would consider this a win-win situation: the illegals get to work and Social Security gets padded. Why are they still whining?
Starting in the late 1980's, the Social Security Administration received a flood of W-2 earnings reports with incorrect - sometimes simply fictitious - Social Security numbers. It stashed them in what it calls the "earnings suspense file" in the hope that someday it would figure out whom they belonged to. Social Security officials do not know what fraction of the suspense file corresponds to the earnings of illegal immigrants. But they suspect that the portion is significant.
"Our assumption is that about three-quarters of other-than-legal immigrants pay payroll taxes," said Stephen C. Goss, Social Security's chief actuary, using the agency's term for illegal immigration. "Other-than-legal”?! Why does the liberal contingency have such a hard time saying it correctly: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. Emphasis on "illegal".
Using data from the Census Bureau's current population survey, Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, an advocacy group in Washington that favors more limits on immigration, estimated that 3.8 million households headed by illegal immigrants generated $6.4 billion in Social Security taxes in 2002. A comparative handful of former illegal immigrant workers who have obtained legal residence have been able to accredit their previous earnings to their new legal Social Security numbers. And yet those same libs who helped them get this money are the ones whining because Grandpa doesn’t get enough to pay his medical expenses. Mr. Camarota is among those opposed to granting a broad amnesty to illegal immigrants, arguing that, among other things, they might claim Social Security benefits and put further financial stress on the system. Finally, a voice of reason!
Yet to immigrants, the lack of retirement benefits is just part of the package of hardship they took on when they decided to make the trek north. Hand me a hankie, I’m sobbing my eyes out for them.
Mario Avalos, a naturalized Nicaraguan immigrant who prepares income tax returns for many workers in the area, including immigrants without legal papers, observes that many older workers return home to Mexico. Taking tax free American dollars with them. "Among my clients," he said, "I can't recall anybody over 60 without papers.
No doubt most illegal immigrants would prefer to avoid Social Security altogether. Yeah, well so would most legal residents. As part of its efforts to properly assign the growing pile of unassigned wages, Social Security sends about 130,000 letters a year to employers with large numbers of mismatched pay statements. Though not an intended consequence of these so-called no-match letters, in many cases employers who get them dismiss the workers affected. Or the workers - fearing that immigration authorities might be on their trail - just leave. Don’t you just hate it when the law catches up with you?
Last February, for instance, discrepancies in Social Security numbers put an end to the job of Minerva Ortega, 25, from Zacatecas, in northern Mexico, who worked in the cheese department at a warehouse for Mike Campbell & Associates, a distributor for Trader Joe's, a popular discount food retailer with a large operation in California. Gasp -- illegals in California?! Who would have guessed!
The company asked dozens of workers to prove that they had cleared up or were in the process of clearing up the "discrepancy between the information on our payroll related to your employment and the S.S.A.'s records." Most could not. Ms. Ortega said about 150 workers lost their jobs. In a statement, Mike Campbell said that it did not fire any of the workers, but Robert Camarena, a company official, acknowledged that many left. The good news is that they can’t file for unemployment … yet.
Ms. Ortega is now looking for work again. She does not want to go back to the fields, so she is holding out for a better-paid factory job. A job that should really go to a legal citizen. Whatever work she finds, though, she intends to go on the payroll with the same Social Security number she has now, a number that will not jibe with federal records. With this number, she will continue paying taxes. At last, a positive twist to her sob story. Last year she paid about $1,200 in Social Security taxes, matched by her employer, on an income of $19,000. She will never see the money again, she realizes, but at least she will have a job in the United States.
"I don't pay much attention," Ms. Ortega said. "I know I don't get any benefit." Wrong. You get the benefit of living in the US without having to take on the responsibilities that go with it. No pity here.
Illegal Immigrants Are Bolstering Social Security With Billions Payback’s a Bitch
Since illegally crossing the Mexican border into the United States six years ago, Ángel Martínez has done backbreaking work, harvesting asparagus, pruning grapevines and picking the ripe fruit. More recently, he has also washed trucks, often working as much as 70 hours a week, earning $8.50 to $12.75 an hour. My heart’s breaking for the guy. That’s about $45,000 a year … more than the average legal American family earns.
Last year, Mr. Martínez paid about $2,000 toward Social Security and $450 for Medicare through payroll taxes withheld from his wages. Yet unlike most Americans, who will receive some form of a public pension in retirement and will be eligible for Medicare as soon as they turn 65, Mr. Martínez is not entitled to benefits. Yeah, so what? What part of “illegal immigrant” is he failing to understand?
He belongs to a big club. As the debate over Social Security heats up, the estimated seven million or so illegal immigrant workers in the United States are now providing the system with a subsidy of as much as $7 billion a year. Makes up a little bit for the free healthcare and education they’re pawning off our country.
IRCA, as the immigration act is known, did little to deter employers from hiring illegal immigrants or to discourage them from working. But for Social Security's finances, it was a great piece of legislation. One would think the libs would consider this a win-win situation: the illegals get to work and Social Security gets padded. Why are they still whining?
Starting in the late 1980's, the Social Security Administration received a flood of W-2 earnings reports with incorrect - sometimes simply fictitious - Social Security numbers. It stashed them in what it calls the "earnings suspense file" in the hope that someday it would figure out whom they belonged to. Social Security officials do not know what fraction of the suspense file corresponds to the earnings of illegal immigrants. But they suspect that the portion is significant.
"Our assumption is that about three-quarters of other-than-legal immigrants pay payroll taxes," said Stephen C. Goss, Social Security's chief actuary, using the agency's term for illegal immigration. "Other-than-legal”?! Why does the liberal contingency have such a hard time saying it correctly: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. Emphasis on "illegal".
Using data from the Census Bureau's current population survey, Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, an advocacy group in Washington that favors more limits on immigration, estimated that 3.8 million households headed by illegal immigrants generated $6.4 billion in Social Security taxes in 2002. A comparative handful of former illegal immigrant workers who have obtained legal residence have been able to accredit their previous earnings to their new legal Social Security numbers. And yet those same libs who helped them get this money are the ones whining because Grandpa doesn’t get enough to pay his medical expenses. Mr. Camarota is among those opposed to granting a broad amnesty to illegal immigrants, arguing that, among other things, they might claim Social Security benefits and put further financial stress on the system. Finally, a voice of reason!
Yet to immigrants, the lack of retirement benefits is just part of the package of hardship they took on when they decided to make the trek north. Hand me a hankie, I’m sobbing my eyes out for them.
Mario Avalos, a naturalized Nicaraguan immigrant who prepares income tax returns for many workers in the area, including immigrants without legal papers, observes that many older workers return home to Mexico. Taking tax free American dollars with them. "Among my clients," he said, "I can't recall anybody over 60 without papers.
No doubt most illegal immigrants would prefer to avoid Social Security altogether. Yeah, well so would most legal residents. As part of its efforts to properly assign the growing pile of unassigned wages, Social Security sends about 130,000 letters a year to employers with large numbers of mismatched pay statements. Though not an intended consequence of these so-called no-match letters, in many cases employers who get them dismiss the workers affected. Or the workers - fearing that immigration authorities might be on their trail - just leave. Don’t you just hate it when the law catches up with you?
Last February, for instance, discrepancies in Social Security numbers put an end to the job of Minerva Ortega, 25, from Zacatecas, in northern Mexico, who worked in the cheese department at a warehouse for Mike Campbell & Associates, a distributor for Trader Joe's, a popular discount food retailer with a large operation in California. Gasp -- illegals in California?! Who would have guessed!
The company asked dozens of workers to prove that they had cleared up or were in the process of clearing up the "discrepancy between the information on our payroll related to your employment and the S.S.A.'s records." Most could not. Ms. Ortega said about 150 workers lost their jobs. In a statement, Mike Campbell said that it did not fire any of the workers, but Robert Camarena, a company official, acknowledged that many left. The good news is that they can’t file for unemployment … yet.
Ms. Ortega is now looking for work again. She does not want to go back to the fields, so she is holding out for a better-paid factory job. A job that should really go to a legal citizen. Whatever work she finds, though, she intends to go on the payroll with the same Social Security number she has now, a number that will not jibe with federal records. With this number, she will continue paying taxes. At last, a positive twist to her sob story. Last year she paid about $1,200 in Social Security taxes, matched by her employer, on an income of $19,000. She will never see the money again, she realizes, but at least she will have a job in the United States.
"I don't pay much attention," Ms. Ortega said. "I know I don't get any benefit." Wrong. You get the benefit of living in the US without having to take on the responsibilities that go with it. No pity here.
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