[CA renter]

[quote=mike92104]Here’s my idea since the flow of illegals isn’t going to stop any time soon.

Based on the assumption that many of these folks are paying “coyotes” $8k-10k, I would say that f you show up on the southern border with $8k, and verifiable identification from Mexico or a country south of there, we’ll let you in. The $8k is yours to keep, but you’re required to have it before entering so we can be sure you’ll have enough cash on hand to get yourself settled. You’ll get a SSN, and we expect a tax return after 1 years showing you have gained employment.

At the same time, E-Verify should be mandatory, and employers caught using undocumented workers will have all of their assets seized. Also, if you are caught in U.S. illegally, you will be deported, and barred permanently.

If you’ve been successful in finding work in your first year, you can apply for citizenship.

Done[/quote]

$8,000 isn’t enough, and that just covers the cost of one child for one year of education. BTW, I believe that education is the highest-cost “entitlement” for illegal immigrants and their families. It’s probably the #2 reason (#1 for some families) for coming here illegally. Most immigrants who bring their families are looking to get their children into public schools so that they can be better educated and achieve the “American Dream.”

Ultimately, taxpayers are subsidizing the employers of illegal immigrants because these employers aren’t paying the full freight (not even close) of the labor they are luring here from abroad. We need to make E-Verify mandatory, and all immigrants brought/lured here to work should be given a benefit card for themselves and each dependent, paid for entirely by their employer, that would entitle them to all public benefits like education, healthcare, physical infrastructure, etc.

As of right now, schools (and, I believe hospitals?) are not allowed to ask people about their immigration status. This needs to change so that only citizens, legal immigrants, and illegal immigrants with a benefit card are eligible to attend these schools (or be admitted to hospitals, or we should bill their country for any medical costs incurred here). And we should not grant citizenship to people just because their pregnant mothers jumped the fence as they went into labor (this is actually what happens in many cases, ask the nurses who work in these hospitals).

[CA renter]

[quote=Hobie]How come no one from Congress down to an investigative news reporter has determined the mechanism and logistics of convincing a parent to give up their kid?

Gotta be a huge coordinated effort before anyone is ever close to the boarder. This is the head of the snake. Same on this side of the border.[/quote]

Definitely agree with this.

[CA renter]

[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=moneymaker] ordered kits for everyone in the family, got a 20% discount on the additional kits. [/quote]

Any enlightening info?[/quote]

I’d like to know, too.

[CA renter]

[quote=njtosd]

There is definitely a genetic component (and genetic factors are easiest to see in identical twins). See: http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/familial-malignant-melanoma%5B/quote%5D

Got it. That’s what they suspect for our family, though none of us has had the genetic testing done for it. I was thinking that you had new information about a link between melanoma and being a twin.

[CA renter]

[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=CA renter] A debilitating stroke would be horrible, but one that takes me out in one fell swoop would be welcomed (though strokes don’t run in the family), as would a good, strong heart attack.[/quote]

Lots of people are paralyzed or lose bodily functions from strokes and heart attacks, but they don’t die.

Would you call 911, or would you wait to die?[/quote]

Right, which is why I said a “good” stroke or heart attack — one that takes you out. The debilitating stuff is no good. Fortunately, for all the genetic crap we have in our family (LOTS of cancer and plenty of heart stuff, too), nobody on either side has ever had a debilitating stroke. I hope to maintain that record.

I wouldn’t wait to call 911 with a stroke, because that’s more likely to be debilitating. For a heart attack, it would depend on my age and, most importantly, the age and well-being of my husband and kids. If they’re all good, I probably would not call 911.

[CA renter]

[quote=FlyerInHi]Doctor thinks it’s just plaque from ageing. But couldn’t say for sure.

I got the small skin area cut out 3mm x 5mm The doctor gave me some options, but I said cut it out so I don’t have to worry about it. He cut out the surface of it. It’s not like the took out a chunk of skin all the way deep down. They’ll have the biopsy result in about 1 week.

15% co-insurance ($25 paid at visit). I think that the bill will probably come to $1,000 for the dermatologist.

My last visit to family doctor for propecia was $360 total. I’m not crazy about doctors so I skip the follow up visits because it’s more money, even though I only pay a small portion.[/quote]

Probably seborrheic keratoses? That would be good. Lots of people get them as they age, and they can appear large, irregular, and itch, etc. Glad you went and got it biopsied.

It shouldn’t cost $1,000 for this. It should be no more than $400-$500, and that’s on the high side, including pathology. And you should always follow up if they tell you to.

Glad to hear the doctor wasn’t too worried about it. I know it’s nerve-wracking to wait for biopsy results, but you just have to trust that it’s probably not melanoma. If it is, they’ll just call you back for a larger, excisional surgery. Most of the time, that will be it; while some patients have further treatment, most only have surgery. Please let us know how things turn out.

[CA renter]

The coastal counties also have no obligation to keep housing prices artificially inflated, especially when most of those beneficiaries aren’t paying enough in taxes to support the infrastructure and other costs to keep everything going, thanks to Prop 13.

No matter the tax situation, the counties/cities have no obligation to do anything but what’s best for the cities and counties.

Trust me, as a native Californian (Angelino), I’ve seen all the overbuilding, and lamented the fact that they’ve taken away all of our old hiking grounds and make-out spots, but the cities and counties don’t owe us that; that is not their job.

We will always need more housing for the additional people who are constantly moving here. If people don’t like the density, they can move to flyover country where they can buy a farm and live far away from other people, if that’s what they really prefer. It goes both ways.

[CA renter]

[quote=SK in CV][quote=njtosd]
Just curious, SK – is your brother an identical or fraternal twin? In any event, I completely agree with you. I can’t tell whether people are more interested in patting themselves on the back for their good habits or in condemning those who they believe have bad habits. (And who knows which is which? My mother traded in butter for margarine in the 70s because it was supposed to be a healthier alternative, and it’s full of trans fats.)

[/quote]

We’re fraternal twins. I have the hereditary things that my parents had. Hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol (all of them very well controlled with low doses of drugs, and a reasonably good diet). He doesn’t have any of those things. Just a shitload of other things that aren’t very hereditary.[/quote]

Okay, now I’m really curious about the reason for njtosd’s asking this question. NJ, have you heard that there is an increased risk for melanoma among sets of twins?

[CA renter]

I’m sorry about your father, BG. Watching someone die from cancer is one of the most devastating experiences, IMO.

Quite frankly, that’s why I don’t do anything for some heart, cholesterol, and blood pressure issues we have in our family (also genetic). A debilitating stroke would be horrible, but one that takes me out in one fell swoop would be welcomed (though strokes don’t run in the family), as would a good, strong heart attack.

[CA renter]

[quote=scaredyclassic][quote=CA renter]I would never tell you what to do with your body, nor would I tell you what you should believe.

Again, why do you think your religious freedoms give you the right to dictate to others what they should do with their own bodies?[/quote]

I suppose all societies tell people how to live one way or the other and call it either law or tax incentive or religious doctrine and provide punishments large and small to move you along

But just because something provides an incentive doesn’t make it a “religion” just because we say so.

And the constitution seems to want to keep religions out of govt decisionmaking. Maybe if everything is characterized as a religion there will be no basis for gvt. Decisionmaking and gov. Can shrink down to an instinctive amoeba.[/quote]

It’s one thing to provide incentives, and another to force someone to do something so intensely personal and life-altering as having (or not having) a baby.

Personally, I don’t think that laws, whether religious or secular, should tell people what to do with their own bodies or within their own homes unless someone else is likely to be harmed by that person’s actions.

It seems that religious and governmental powers have often been the same, or at least closely intertwined, throughout history. It’s easier to control the masses’ behaviors when you control disposition of their souls. The whole point of either government or religion is to control large, unwieldy numbers of people.

[CA renter]

[quote=deadzone]

But the more relevant issue is the fact that the illegal immigrants are working, and theoretically taking jobs from Americans. Now people argue that these are low pay jobs that Americans don’t want to do. Maybe in some cases. But far more dangerous, as previously mentioned, is the H1B visa workers. These foreigners are taking high paying jobs away from Americans. Why is there not more outrage from the public on this issue?

[/quote]

Agree with you about the H1B visas, but the immigrants who are taking those low-skill jobs ARE taking jobs that Americans would like to do, but they won’t do it for $5/hour because taxpayers pick up the slack for what their employers won’t pay, and these immigrants don’t mind living 15 to a household in slum-like conditions. Like the H1B visas, there are Americans who are perfectly willing and able to do the jobs, just not for slave wages. And this is definitely something we need to get riled up about.

[CA renter]

[quote=FlyerInHi]CAr, you’re too kind.

The appointment is later today. I’ve been watching that little stain on my scalp. I dismissed it as nothing – like a small Gorbachev stain. But it grew; and BG’s “swift death” comment caused me to make an appointment.[/quote]

Are you back, yet? Glad this blog and BG prompted you to action.

Just remember, many of us have been in your shoes more times than we care to count…and we’re still here. 🙂

Hope everything went well for you today.

————–

A PSA for everyone here, including the lurkers:

If you notice a new mole, or changes in an existing mole — including thickness/texture, bleeding, itchiness, changes in size or shape or color, etc. — get it checked right away. Do not put it off or try to convince yourself that it’s nothing. It will probably be nothing, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Melanoma can be easily cured if caught early, but it can become a very serious problem if found later. Do a monthly check in front of a full-length mirror, and check your scalp, ears (all sides), bottoms of feet/palms of hands, and all “hidden” areas, too.

[CA renter]

[quote=scaredyclassic]I was talking to a guy whose grandpa I knew the other day. Smoked and drank everyvday. How much booze. A pint of hard liquor a day. Plus beer all day long. Right up to the bitter end. Died at 87

It is my opinion that survival is 80 percent attitude. If you insist on living, you live. Weak people like me get culled out. People like my wife live to be 100.[/quote]

That’s the thing. Some of our dearest friends and family members made it to their late 80s or early/mid 90s…smoking, drinking, eating tasty foods, and not exercising all the way. One of them, who is now dealing with severe dementia, is 93, with no signs of his body giving up anytime soon. OTOH, of the people we know who are/were extreme in their “healthy living” habits, over half of them died by their late 50s.

[CA renter]

[quote=doofrat]

Does anybody remember San Simeon Mexican Restaurant that was next to Seaside Market until they kicked them out and foofed up the mall? That was the best place and I was sure the owners would open another restaurant, but AFAIK that never happened?[/quote]

I don’t remember it, but my DH does, and he loved their mahi-mahi burritos…and he’s really picky about his fish. He said he was talking to someone just yesterday about San Simeon. How funny is that?

[CA renter]

The vast majority of immigrants from Latin America come here to work. If not for the employers who are looking to skate around labor laws, they would not be here getting those “entitlements” you so abhor.

Quite frankly, if the employers were forced to use E-Verify, it would significantly cut the flow of illegal immigrants across the border.

And I would like to place the blame exactly where it belongs: on the employers. Even if we allowed immigrants to freely cross the border, but required their employers to pay for all of the “entitlements” given to these employees and all of their dependents, then I think most Americans wouldn’t be nearly as bothered by illegal immigration. Also important would be to ensure that all incoming immigrants are not criminals, and if they participate in any illegal activity while in the U.S. (including tagging/graffiti, petty theft, etc.), that we deport them immediately and ban them from ever entering the U.S. again.

Ultimately, we are subsidizing the employers with those entitlements because they don’t have to pay a living wage and nor deal with those pesky labor laws when they use illegal labor.

[Author]

Posts