Today I received a mailing from the Disabled American Veterans. This group routinely sends out address labels and holiday cards and then requests a donation, and they apparently do quite well with this endeavor. The money they raise is then supposed to be used to assist disabled veterans here in the United States.
I say "supposed to be used" because I have often heard allegations from veterans stating that the organization does not help vets. While I can neither prove nor disprove this, I can do a little research on my own.
Disabled American Vets (DAV) is a non-profit organization and as such, they are required by law to file a Form 990 with the IRS every year. This form must list the salaries of the board members and highest paid employees of the organization. For years now I have relied on this form to let me know if I should give to a charity or not. My criteria is quite simple; if the organization is paying exorbitant salaries they don't need my money.
How do I define "exorbitant"? I define it with a dollar amount. I don't see that anyone working for a non-profit needs to be paid more than $75,000 annually. Even in a major city, this salary is more than enough to live on. Anyone who can't needs to take a class in money management because they're living beyond their means.
DAV does not do well based on my criteria. The three highest paid members (based on their 2013 990 form, which is the most recent I was able to find) were paid more than $300,000 each. Christopher Clay was paid the most at $354,139, followed by Barry Jesinoski ($320,055) and Marc Burgess ($319,888). Of the top ten salaries, seven of them are paid in excess of a quarter of a million dollars per year. In addition to those already named, the others are Arthur Wilson ($289,761), Joseph Violante ($276,574), Anita Blum ($273,137) and Susan Loth ($272,511). Rounding out the top ten are Brian Coward ($234,112), Larry Palzin ($130,303) and Joseph Johnston ($117,781).
These figures are all pulled directly from the Form 990 filed with the IRS for 2013. Since this document is filed by the organization it is reasonable to assume that the information is accurate. $2,588,261 that was donated to the organization was used to pay salaries of only ten people.
I'll use the address stickers, and I might even use the holiday cards, but I will not be sending any money to this organization. Any organization that would use my contribution to make its board of directors wealthy does not need my support. Nor does it deserve my support. An organization like this should be put out of business and I do hope that more people learn of how they spend their money. Maybe that will help to eradicate this scourge on the public.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Immigration Reform
With the unrest in Syrbia and the economic difficulties of both Greece and Puerto Rico, there is a sudden surge in immigration throughout the developed world. While the bulk of these are coming from the Middle East, the people of Puerto Rico are leaving their island and coming to the United States in larger numbers. This has once again brought immigration back into the spotlight. While Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, it is not a state and as such, its people should be treated the same as any other people entering this country.
Our current immigration system is broken and it has been for years. It simply does not work and it's long past time to revise it. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," are the famous lines from the poem, "The New Colossus" which is engraved on a plaque and is part of the Statue of Liberty. As a nation, we should live by these words. Living by these words must be done in such a way to be fair to the immigrants and fair to the Americans who welcome them. I suggest the following:
Anyone who desires to come to America for a better life must do it legally. They should visit their local American Embassy and fill out an application. That application will then be reviewed, mostly for past criminal activity. If there is a history of violent crime, the application is denied. We do not need the criminals of other countries coming here to commit their crimes. Those are not the tired, poor, huddled masses.
This background check should be completed within two weeks. It does not take any longer than that to run a background check and extending that period only makes illegal entry easier than legal. Run the background check immediately and be done with it.
Once the background check is complete and assuming no violent crime has been found, the application will be approved. Approval means a visa to live and work in the United States. The person then has 30 days to find a place to live and register with their local government with their American address. Once they have done this, they will be able to apply for a Social Security number and a driver's license.
Within the first six months the person must report to the local government that they have found employment or are attending school on a full-time basis. They must report every six months to update their information and if they move, they must immediately notify their local government office.
In order to make this fair to the American people, no public benefits will be available to anyone who has not paid taxes for a minimum of ten years. In the event of a child born in the United States, benefits are not available until their parents have paid taxes for ten years. This includes welfare, medical, food stamps and all other public benefits. If the person has not been working in this country and paying taxes, they are not eligible for benefits.
Lastly, before any public benefits are paid to any immigrant, they must be granted citizenship. If they do not choose to become a citizen of this country, they are not eligible to receive benefits from this country.
This is the simple plan of immigration reform that I propose. It would be equitable for all involved, it involves a path to citizenship and it eliminates the need for illegally entering this country.
Our current immigration system is broken and it has been for years. It simply does not work and it's long past time to revise it. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," are the famous lines from the poem, "The New Colossus" which is engraved on a plaque and is part of the Statue of Liberty. As a nation, we should live by these words. Living by these words must be done in such a way to be fair to the immigrants and fair to the Americans who welcome them. I suggest the following:
Anyone who desires to come to America for a better life must do it legally. They should visit their local American Embassy and fill out an application. That application will then be reviewed, mostly for past criminal activity. If there is a history of violent crime, the application is denied. We do not need the criminals of other countries coming here to commit their crimes. Those are not the tired, poor, huddled masses.
This background check should be completed within two weeks. It does not take any longer than that to run a background check and extending that period only makes illegal entry easier than legal. Run the background check immediately and be done with it.
Once the background check is complete and assuming no violent crime has been found, the application will be approved. Approval means a visa to live and work in the United States. The person then has 30 days to find a place to live and register with their local government with their American address. Once they have done this, they will be able to apply for a Social Security number and a driver's license.
Within the first six months the person must report to the local government that they have found employment or are attending school on a full-time basis. They must report every six months to update their information and if they move, they must immediately notify their local government office.
In order to make this fair to the American people, no public benefits will be available to anyone who has not paid taxes for a minimum of ten years. In the event of a child born in the United States, benefits are not available until their parents have paid taxes for ten years. This includes welfare, medical, food stamps and all other public benefits. If the person has not been working in this country and paying taxes, they are not eligible for benefits.
Lastly, before any public benefits are paid to any immigrant, they must be granted citizenship. If they do not choose to become a citizen of this country, they are not eligible to receive benefits from this country.
This is the simple plan of immigration reform that I propose. It would be equitable for all involved, it involves a path to citizenship and it eliminates the need for illegally entering this country.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
The Second Amendment
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This is the wording of the second amendment as passed by Congress. When it came to the states to ratify this amendment, it was changed slightly to; "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Slightly different but the same general idea.
For decades organizations like the National Rifle Association have touted their "right to bear arms" as being a constitutional right. In looking at the amendment, it certainly does give the right to bear arms but it does not give that right exclusively. Look at the beginning of the sentence. The part that organizations like the NRA ignore. It says that a well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state. Remember, this was written at a time when the United States did not have much of a standing army. We were not the most powerful nation on the planet yet. And many people lived in what we would now call the wilderness. They needed to be able to protect themselves.
All of that has changed. Today we have a military. We have police departments at the city, county and state levels. We have a national guard. We are very well protected and we no longer need individual citizens to make up our militia. However, there is a large population of our citizens who believe that they still have the right to bear arms.
So, in all fairness, we must follow the amendment as it is written. I propose that all gun owners must register their weapons with their local police department. That registration is to be sent to the federal government where a listing will be kept of who has which weapons and where they live. Once that information has been compiled, then it will be disseminated to the military recruiters throughout the country, who will then go to the homes of the gun owners and escort them to their nearest military base for basic training and to begin their service to their country.
A militia is an organization of citizens who are required to assist the military in time of need. Our citizens cannot assist the military if they are not properly trained and basic training will take care of that. Of course they will be paid for their time. They will receive the exact same payment as anyone else going through basic training. Once the training is complete, they will be allowed to return to their homes and their jobs and their lives but they must report to their commander once per month the way any reserve soldier would. They will report, gun in hand and serve their country. This service is until death or for as long as they own a gun, whichever comes first.
This is the price for owning a weapon, as is spelled out in the constitution. Since the gun lobbyists and activities insist on calling upon their second amendment rights, let them live up to what the second amendment actually says.
For decades organizations like the National Rifle Association have touted their "right to bear arms" as being a constitutional right. In looking at the amendment, it certainly does give the right to bear arms but it does not give that right exclusively. Look at the beginning of the sentence. The part that organizations like the NRA ignore. It says that a well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state. Remember, this was written at a time when the United States did not have much of a standing army. We were not the most powerful nation on the planet yet. And many people lived in what we would now call the wilderness. They needed to be able to protect themselves.
All of that has changed. Today we have a military. We have police departments at the city, county and state levels. We have a national guard. We are very well protected and we no longer need individual citizens to make up our militia. However, there is a large population of our citizens who believe that they still have the right to bear arms.
So, in all fairness, we must follow the amendment as it is written. I propose that all gun owners must register their weapons with their local police department. That registration is to be sent to the federal government where a listing will be kept of who has which weapons and where they live. Once that information has been compiled, then it will be disseminated to the military recruiters throughout the country, who will then go to the homes of the gun owners and escort them to their nearest military base for basic training and to begin their service to their country.
A militia is an organization of citizens who are required to assist the military in time of need. Our citizens cannot assist the military if they are not properly trained and basic training will take care of that. Of course they will be paid for their time. They will receive the exact same payment as anyone else going through basic training. Once the training is complete, they will be allowed to return to their homes and their jobs and their lives but they must report to their commander once per month the way any reserve soldier would. They will report, gun in hand and serve their country. This service is until death or for as long as they own a gun, whichever comes first.
This is the price for owning a weapon, as is spelled out in the constitution. Since the gun lobbyists and activities insist on calling upon their second amendment rights, let them live up to what the second amendment actually says.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Why I May Not Vote For Hillary Clinton
Like most progressives I was very excited to see Hillary was going to run for president. I believe it is long past time that we see what a woman can do as the leader of the free world and Hillary is the most qualified by far. When she finally announced her candidacy, I was a little disappointed that her website did not have bumper stickers. I went to another site (www.carryabigsticker.com) and they had Hillary stickers for $3.50 with free shipping. I bought one and put it on my car.
While I was on Hillary's site, I did sign up to be kept informed and I made a donation to her campaign. A few weeks later, I received an email from her site that they now had merchandise, so I went to look. They did have bumper stickers, two for $5.00. I decided that even though I already have one, I would like an official one, so I ordered it. Or them. Or I would have. When I got to the shipping page I was informed that it would cost $5.87 for the shipping. Of two bumper stickers. When other sites ship them for free. Two bumper stickers would easily fit in an envelope and could be mailed for less than fifty cents. Why is the cost $5.87?
I asked the Hillary campaign this. I received an email in return (without a person's name on it) stating that this is the way the fulfillment center is set up but that they are working on correcting it. That was on May 27, 2015. Today is June 11, 2015 and I went back and looked at the site again and the cost for shipping two bumper stickers is no longer $5.87. It is now $6.09. So, the way they fixed the problem was by charging more.
I told them that if they could not get the fulfillment center to ship the merchandise at a reasonable cost, then they should order the bumper stickers themselves and keep them in their office and if anyone is only ordering bumper stickers, the office can send them out for fifty cents (even though carryabigsticker.com is free) and that would be acceptable. They never responded on why that was not possible, only that they were working to correct the problem, which they have by making it worse.
Is this a major problem? No. Is it a problem? Yes. Did Hillary fix the problem? No. Do we want a president who does not fix problems? I don't think so.
But wait. There's more. Remember I said I signed up to be kept informed of her campaign? What a mistake that was. Three emails in one day. And the campaign season hasn't really started yet. And none of them gave me any indication of her platform or why I should vote for her. They were all either to buy merchandise, to give more money, to enter a contest to meet Hillary, to host a party (Hillary would not be coming to it) or some other lame excuse to send an email.
Thank God for unsubscribe. I am no longer receiving Hillary's emails. At this point, I wonder if I am going to vote for her. I seriously think if she wants the American people to vote for her, she needs to get in touch with us and reduce her shipping prices to reasonable pricing. $6.09 to mail two bumper stickers is beyond excessive.
I think Hillary Clinton is out of touch with America.
While I was on Hillary's site, I did sign up to be kept informed and I made a donation to her campaign. A few weeks later, I received an email from her site that they now had merchandise, so I went to look. They did have bumper stickers, two for $5.00. I decided that even though I already have one, I would like an official one, so I ordered it. Or them. Or I would have. When I got to the shipping page I was informed that it would cost $5.87 for the shipping. Of two bumper stickers. When other sites ship them for free. Two bumper stickers would easily fit in an envelope and could be mailed for less than fifty cents. Why is the cost $5.87?
I asked the Hillary campaign this. I received an email in return (without a person's name on it) stating that this is the way the fulfillment center is set up but that they are working on correcting it. That was on May 27, 2015. Today is June 11, 2015 and I went back and looked at the site again and the cost for shipping two bumper stickers is no longer $5.87. It is now $6.09. So, the way they fixed the problem was by charging more.
I told them that if they could not get the fulfillment center to ship the merchandise at a reasonable cost, then they should order the bumper stickers themselves and keep them in their office and if anyone is only ordering bumper stickers, the office can send them out for fifty cents (even though carryabigsticker.com is free) and that would be acceptable. They never responded on why that was not possible, only that they were working to correct the problem, which they have by making it worse.
Is this a major problem? No. Is it a problem? Yes. Did Hillary fix the problem? No. Do we want a president who does not fix problems? I don't think so.
But wait. There's more. Remember I said I signed up to be kept informed of her campaign? What a mistake that was. Three emails in one day. And the campaign season hasn't really started yet. And none of them gave me any indication of her platform or why I should vote for her. They were all either to buy merchandise, to give more money, to enter a contest to meet Hillary, to host a party (Hillary would not be coming to it) or some other lame excuse to send an email.
Thank God for unsubscribe. I am no longer receiving Hillary's emails. At this point, I wonder if I am going to vote for her. I seriously think if she wants the American people to vote for her, she needs to get in touch with us and reduce her shipping prices to reasonable pricing. $6.09 to mail two bumper stickers is beyond excessive.
I think Hillary Clinton is out of touch with America.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
A Not-So-Long-Ago Story
An invading army entered a country, killed many of its inhabitants and occupied the territory. A small group of the people who lived in the country eventually rose up against the invaders and, using whatever means they could, fought back and drove them from their land.
This happened in the 2nd century BCE in Jerusalem when the Seleucid Empire attacked Jerusalem and occupied it as part of their country. A small group of Israelites know as the Maccabees retaliated against them and were successful in driving them out. This event is commemorated to this day in the festival of lights that we commonly call Hanukkah.
In 1987, after years of having their land confiscated from them by an invading force, a small group of Palestinians called themselves Hamas and began fighting back against the Israeli army. The same geographic area and the same scenario yet the ancient fighters merit a festival while the modern fighters are branded as terrorists.
The men and women of Hamas are freedom-fighters trying to liberate their land from the hands of an invading force that would take it from them. If someone tried to take your land, wouldn't you fight back?
It is disgraceful that in a nation that values freedom as highly as we claim to, we do not rush to the aid of the Palestinians. Instead, our government financially supports Israel and places Palestine on a Terror Watch List. These people are not terrorists. They want to live in peace just as we do but Israel will not allow it.
It is long past time to end this. Our financial support of Israel must end. Our branding Palestinians as terrorists must end. Our military support needs to be sent to Palestine to push Israel back behind the borders that were established in 1948. Israel is not entitled to any land beyond those lines.
As the leader of democracy in the free world, it is our duty to protect the innocent men and women of Palestine and give them back their land. It is our duty as peace loving Americans to help these people in their time of need.
Anyone who does not know about this conflict and the true reasons for it, should read Arabs & Israel For Beginners by Ron David. Also check out the website http://www.imemc.org for news on the Middle East told without the bias of American news organizations. In other words; for the truth.
This happened in the 2nd century BCE in Jerusalem when the Seleucid Empire attacked Jerusalem and occupied it as part of their country. A small group of Israelites know as the Maccabees retaliated against them and were successful in driving them out. This event is commemorated to this day in the festival of lights that we commonly call Hanukkah.
In 1987, after years of having their land confiscated from them by an invading force, a small group of Palestinians called themselves Hamas and began fighting back against the Israeli army. The same geographic area and the same scenario yet the ancient fighters merit a festival while the modern fighters are branded as terrorists.
The men and women of Hamas are freedom-fighters trying to liberate their land from the hands of an invading force that would take it from them. If someone tried to take your land, wouldn't you fight back?
It is disgraceful that in a nation that values freedom as highly as we claim to, we do not rush to the aid of the Palestinians. Instead, our government financially supports Israel and places Palestine on a Terror Watch List. These people are not terrorists. They want to live in peace just as we do but Israel will not allow it.
It is long past time to end this. Our financial support of Israel must end. Our branding Palestinians as terrorists must end. Our military support needs to be sent to Palestine to push Israel back behind the borders that were established in 1948. Israel is not entitled to any land beyond those lines.
As the leader of democracy in the free world, it is our duty to protect the innocent men and women of Palestine and give them back their land. It is our duty as peace loving Americans to help these people in their time of need.
Anyone who does not know about this conflict and the true reasons for it, should read Arabs & Israel For Beginners by Ron David. Also check out the website http://www.imemc.org for news on the Middle East told without the bias of American news organizations. In other words; for the truth.
Another Case of Fraud In The Justice System
This is probably one of the worst cases of fraud that has ever blemished the American Justice System. A jury in New York awarded $218.5 million in damages to the families of victims of suicide bombers in Israel in the early 2000s. On the surface, this looks like a good thing but we need to see what's truly happening here.
The defendants in this case were the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority, which is now known as the State of Palestine (since 2013). The jurors found that these two entities are liable for the deaths of Americans and under the Anti-Terrorism Act, they awarded them monetary settlements.
In the first place, did the bombers act under orders of the PLO or the State of Palestine? Nothing in any of the news articles I could find proved that they did. If these were lone bombers who were attacking Israel, then these organizations cannot be held responsible, any more than the United States is responsible for the actions of Timothy McVeigh, who blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City.
Second, the PLO did not exist until 1964 and the Palestinian Authority until 1993. Both were formed out of a need due to Israel stealing land from the Palestinians. How, then, is Israel not being held accountable for their part in this? Had they not stolen Palestinian land, these organizations would not exist, and therefore no trial could have been held. Israel is the proximate cause of this action, yet Israel is not being charged, as they should be. Israel is a nation of state-sponsored terrorism and the United States continues to support them.
Third, how many of the jurors were Palestinian-Americans? In our country, a defendant is entitled to a trial by a jury of their peers. If Palestine is on trial, then Palestinians should be in the jury box. If the Israel Law Center is allowed to represent the plaintiffs, then the jurors need to be Palestinians. Otherwise, a fair trial cannot be guaranteed. In this case, it certainly was not a fair trial.
Fourth, assuming that awards are merited (which is not certain by any means), how did they come up with this amount? If all 33 victims were 35 years old and earning $60,000 per year, and all received a 5% salary increase annually until their retirement at 65, they would have earned a total of $131,548,923 or 60% of what the jurors awarded. Why such a hefty increase over their lost earnings?
This is just one more example of Americans being uninformed and lied to. Palestine has been the victim for decades and our government not only allows it, they sponsor it. The Israelis need to be held accountable. The Israelis are the root cause of the problems in the Middle East and the Israelis need to pay their fair share for damages done.
I say bring Israel to trial for these crimes. Let the actual perpetrator of the unrest in the region be held liable for their actions. I doubt very much that Attorney Yalowitz or the Israel Law Center will be much of a help in that regard. They certainly don't care about justice. They only care about harming Palestine. Again.
The defendants in this case were the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority, which is now known as the State of Palestine (since 2013). The jurors found that these two entities are liable for the deaths of Americans and under the Anti-Terrorism Act, they awarded them monetary settlements.
In the first place, did the bombers act under orders of the PLO or the State of Palestine? Nothing in any of the news articles I could find proved that they did. If these were lone bombers who were attacking Israel, then these organizations cannot be held responsible, any more than the United States is responsible for the actions of Timothy McVeigh, who blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City.
Second, the PLO did not exist until 1964 and the Palestinian Authority until 1993. Both were formed out of a need due to Israel stealing land from the Palestinians. How, then, is Israel not being held accountable for their part in this? Had they not stolen Palestinian land, these organizations would not exist, and therefore no trial could have been held. Israel is the proximate cause of this action, yet Israel is not being charged, as they should be. Israel is a nation of state-sponsored terrorism and the United States continues to support them.
Third, how many of the jurors were Palestinian-Americans? In our country, a defendant is entitled to a trial by a jury of their peers. If Palestine is on trial, then Palestinians should be in the jury box. If the Israel Law Center is allowed to represent the plaintiffs, then the jurors need to be Palestinians. Otherwise, a fair trial cannot be guaranteed. In this case, it certainly was not a fair trial.
Fourth, assuming that awards are merited (which is not certain by any means), how did they come up with this amount? If all 33 victims were 35 years old and earning $60,000 per year, and all received a 5% salary increase annually until their retirement at 65, they would have earned a total of $131,548,923 or 60% of what the jurors awarded. Why such a hefty increase over their lost earnings?
This is just one more example of Americans being uninformed and lied to. Palestine has been the victim for decades and our government not only allows it, they sponsor it. The Israelis need to be held accountable. The Israelis are the root cause of the problems in the Middle East and the Israelis need to pay their fair share for damages done.
I say bring Israel to trial for these crimes. Let the actual perpetrator of the unrest in the region be held liable for their actions. I doubt very much that Attorney Yalowitz or the Israel Law Center will be much of a help in that regard. They certainly don't care about justice. They only care about harming Palestine. Again.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Obama and the Immigration Situation
Not everything I do is political. I've been a little lax on this blog because I was working on writing and publishing a novel on vampires. If you're interested, it's called "Vampire Tales - Book One - Genesis" and you can find it at most online book dealers.
Now on to Obama. Since moving to Tulsa I've been surrounding myself with more and more Republicans. Those who are not truly Republican are still rather conservative. I consider myself to be a breath of fresh air for their stale minds. Just about everyone I meet here gets their news from Fox. It's sad, really.
After Obama wrote his Executive Order on immigration, these people have been asking me what I think of my president now, assuming that I would now change my mind considering how he has taken power that the president is not allowed by the constitution. Or I would be ashamed of how he has taken a "my way or the highway" approach and gone off on his own without regard for the work of the Congress. Or at the very least that I would agree that the will of the people in this last election is that the Republicans are best able to run the government and we should agree with that wisdom.
To all of this I say, get real.
In the first place, Obama is an expert when it comes to the constitution. He knows where the power lies and he knows what he can and cannot do. He knows, for example, that only congress can change the laws that would grant green cards, so he did not go that far. He went as far as the law would allow him to go. That is not a power grab. That is doing his job.
Now let's look at the elected bodies. The senate passed a bill for immigration reform. That is the job of the senate. That bill was sent to the house. The house is then to re-write the bill, if they don't like it the way it is, and vote on it. If it's the same bill, it goes to the president for his signature. If not, it goes back to the senate to be re-worked by that body. When they reach an agreement it goes to the president.
In this case, the senate passed a bill and sent it to the house. The house has been sitting on that bill for more than 500 days. For over a year they have ignored their job duties and done nothing. We did not elect them to not do their jobs. The president told them if they were not going to do their jobs he would do it for them. They did not do their jobs. He did his. That is not a power grab. That is doing the job we elected him to do.
As for a "my way or the highway" approach, they seem to be a tad bit mistaken on who has that attitude. Mitch McConnell stated six years ago that his primary concern was to make sure that Obama was a one-term president. Six years later he now claims he wants to work with the president. John Boehner has consistently shown that he will not work with the president. If anyone needs evidence of that, look at how many times Boehner has brought measures up for a vote to repeal Obamacare. It's over 50 times now. Yet, they could not find time to vote just once on immigration reform. It's not Obama who has the "my way or the highway" approach. That badge sits squarely on the chest of the Republicans.
And lastly, the "people" did not speak in the last election. In fact, the majority of people do not speak in any of our elections. It's very sad that so few people in this country vote but that's the reality. Most do not. For the 2012 presidential election, there was a much larger turnout than for 2014. And the 2012 voters voted for Obama. So, if you want to argue that it's the will of the majority, that would be for Obama, not for a Republican led House of Representatives and Senate.
No, I will continue to support Obama. I stand behind his ideals and beliefs and I share his vision for a better America. Our immigration laws are unfair and need to be rewritten and he has taken a step in that direction. Hopefully his action will cause the Republicans to finally pass reform legislation and get our country moving again.
Now on to Obama. Since moving to Tulsa I've been surrounding myself with more and more Republicans. Those who are not truly Republican are still rather conservative. I consider myself to be a breath of fresh air for their stale minds. Just about everyone I meet here gets their news from Fox. It's sad, really.
After Obama wrote his Executive Order on immigration, these people have been asking me what I think of my president now, assuming that I would now change my mind considering how he has taken power that the president is not allowed by the constitution. Or I would be ashamed of how he has taken a "my way or the highway" approach and gone off on his own without regard for the work of the Congress. Or at the very least that I would agree that the will of the people in this last election is that the Republicans are best able to run the government and we should agree with that wisdom.
To all of this I say, get real.
In the first place, Obama is an expert when it comes to the constitution. He knows where the power lies and he knows what he can and cannot do. He knows, for example, that only congress can change the laws that would grant green cards, so he did not go that far. He went as far as the law would allow him to go. That is not a power grab. That is doing his job.
Now let's look at the elected bodies. The senate passed a bill for immigration reform. That is the job of the senate. That bill was sent to the house. The house is then to re-write the bill, if they don't like it the way it is, and vote on it. If it's the same bill, it goes to the president for his signature. If not, it goes back to the senate to be re-worked by that body. When they reach an agreement it goes to the president.
In this case, the senate passed a bill and sent it to the house. The house has been sitting on that bill for more than 500 days. For over a year they have ignored their job duties and done nothing. We did not elect them to not do their jobs. The president told them if they were not going to do their jobs he would do it for them. They did not do their jobs. He did his. That is not a power grab. That is doing the job we elected him to do.
As for a "my way or the highway" approach, they seem to be a tad bit mistaken on who has that attitude. Mitch McConnell stated six years ago that his primary concern was to make sure that Obama was a one-term president. Six years later he now claims he wants to work with the president. John Boehner has consistently shown that he will not work with the president. If anyone needs evidence of that, look at how many times Boehner has brought measures up for a vote to repeal Obamacare. It's over 50 times now. Yet, they could not find time to vote just once on immigration reform. It's not Obama who has the "my way or the highway" approach. That badge sits squarely on the chest of the Republicans.
And lastly, the "people" did not speak in the last election. In fact, the majority of people do not speak in any of our elections. It's very sad that so few people in this country vote but that's the reality. Most do not. For the 2012 presidential election, there was a much larger turnout than for 2014. And the 2012 voters voted for Obama. So, if you want to argue that it's the will of the majority, that would be for Obama, not for a Republican led House of Representatives and Senate.
No, I will continue to support Obama. I stand behind his ideals and beliefs and I share his vision for a better America. Our immigration laws are unfair and need to be rewritten and he has taken a step in that direction. Hopefully his action will cause the Republicans to finally pass reform legislation and get our country moving again.
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