Every citizen of the US should be furious about crisis and scandal at our southern border. For six months the Biden administration has encouraged and allowed tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to cross into the US at our southern border. At the end of July, the estimated number of immigrants exceeds one million, that the authorities know about.
These illegal immigrants are coming from over 124 different countries. These people are not vetted. We do not know their true names, country of origin, criminal background, health condition, education, skills, nothing. These people are being allowed in the country, loaded on buses and airplanes assisted by the US military, and flown to various unknown cities without the knowledge of that city. When the bus or airplane stops, they just arrive and need full and total support.
For sure, some of these illegal immigrants are trafficking in drugs, young girls, weapons, etc. There are gang members, rapists, repeat felons, career criminals, and murderers. Almost half of our current federal prisoners are illegal immigrants. These are very bad people!!
Many fo these illegal immigrants are sick, some have Covid, others have various communicable diseases like TB, small pox, even polio.
Most of these illegal immigrants have no education and no skills. Thus, they will immediately apply for and receive all the various social benefits at the local, state and federal levels. This will include free public education with extra support for language issues.
Why is Biden allowing this???? How can this be good for the US?
I am not going to watch the Olympics. My attitude about the games has been tainted. Sadly, and not unexpectedly, many of the US participants are taking the opportunity to protest something.
We have track stars kneeling during the US National Anthem and even turning their back on the flag. There are protests over clothing requirements, like beach volleyball and swimming, Apparently the swim caps can’t contain massive amounts of hair so the swimmers want to wear unapproved caps! Seems very petty to me.
On international TV, some US participants trash the US either by actions or words. Then, there are the gender protesters. When given a microphone, they speak harshly about the unfairness of the US regarding gender, mostly about money. Hmmmmm!
I did some research about the US Olympic team. These participants get everything paid for. Travel, food, lodging, coaching, clothing, personal counseling, etc. The funds come from private donations. The cost of developing, and presenting a world class track team is enormous. Millions of dollars! Same with the swimming team, and gymnastics.
So, what kind of pampered athlete accepts all this personal support and opportunity and then trashes the country that provided it. They are an embarrassment to the generosity of the US people.
The FAA has reported a huge increase in the number of airline passenger incidents this year. Approximately 3400 incidents have been reported in the last 6-9 months. Can you imagine riding in an airplane with 185 other passengers and experiencing a violent fight two rows in front of you? You are trapped. You can’t run away and you are 2 hours from landing. You are in a very dangerous situation!
Why are we seeing this huge increase in reported incidents? Who are the people involved?
The idiot media pundits suggest it is the airlines fault. These idiots say that because the flights are full and lines are long, people are agitated and become unruly. They are also saying that alcohol may be a factor. They blame the airline agents and attendants. Perhaps the attendants are speaking a little too directly when asking a passenger for the 4th time to wear a mask.
These idiot pundits don’t report the real reason for this increase in incidents. I know why! I recently traveled from the east coast to Montana. The experience was horrible, especially at the departing airport. I witnessed a huge number of passengers using their stimulus payments to fly. These same people are not working, they are getting weekly/monthly checks to stay home. There is a rent moratorium in my local town, so these people are not paying rent. They have money and they are travelling. Sadly, some of these travelers do not know how to behave while flying. That’s a fact. At the airport, I saw very inexperienced passengers with overloaded checked bags, bags to large to secure overhead, too many bags, passengers not having the money for baggage fees. I saw one passenger trying to write a check for the $30 baggage fee and get furious with the agent when told the airline doesn’t accept checks. And I heard a lot of bad language,
I also witnessed many passengers wearing very inappropriate clothing. Much of the clothing was provocative, indecent, and revealing especially in public and around families. Frankly, many of the passengers just did not know how to behave in public. Their voices were loud and contained harsh profanity.
The problem is behavior. We now have people traveling that do not know how to behave in public. And- when asked to change their behavior or follow the current rules, they become unruly which sometimes leads to fighting. In recent months, the FAA has reported 3400 such cases. Can you imagine that? Ugh!!!
I just got back from an 11 day trip to Montana. The state of Montana is beautiful and rugged. Montana is the 4th largest state in the US, but has less than 1 million people. Montana is bordered by Idaho, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, and Canada to the north. During the winter, the temperatures can get to minus 30.
I saw many magnificent sites like Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Bear Tooth Pass (elevation 11,000 ft.), and the Little Big Horn Battlefield. Wow!
The people in Montana are strong, tough and rugged. It appeared to me that almost all residence of Montana love the outdoors. And-they are very friendly. Everyone helps each other. In eleven days I did not hear a local complain, or utter a criticism. They do not have an easy life.
I recently made a trip to Montana. My departing flight was on a Saturday morning. When I arrived at the airport I could hardly get into the terminal. The terminal was extremely crowded. The lines for check-in were not obvious. People were standing everywhere. I could not find the end of any line. I stood in line for about 1.5 hours to get checked-in.
The line for security screening was about 60 yards long. Think about that!
I have been traveling via air for about 40 years. I have never seen a domestic airport so crowded. Here are the reasons the airport was so crowded:
-School was out. Families were on vacation.
-Pent-up demand due to Corvid.
-People are not working. They have free time.
-Stimulus checks. People are getting $$$$ from the government. So-they are traveling.
This is the truth. Perhaps it is fair. But, the local economy is not getting any boost. Many of the flights were to destinations outside the US. Ugh!!!!
California’s university system has announced that they will not longer use the SAT scores for admission into their 9 universities. The decision was made as a result of a lawsuit claiming that standardized tests like the SAT and the ACT are racist. Can you believe it? A math test is racist???
The SAT has been used by universities since 1926. The test has two parts, math and verbal, and has been revised many times over the last 95 years. The test has been used as a predictor of college success along with HS performance. It’s validity has been challenged many times, and more frequently in recent years.
Universities are being bullied by political groups representing minorities, mostly black and Hispanic. Apparently, these groups do not score well on the SAT’s as compared to other groups like Asians and whites. Therefore, the test must be racist!!! Is racism always the answer when a certain group does not achieve or accomplish. Hmmmm???
College course work is tough, especially in fields like business, engineering, computer science, pre-med, biology, chemistry, nursing, etc. Students need a strong background in math and verbal skills for these degrees. Universities admitting students without proof of math and verbal skills are not doing those students any favors, especially if those students borrow money to attend. Many will flunk out and have student debt. Ugh! Or-these students will select majors like gender studies, equity, social justice, equality, etc.
Selection to play professional basketball in the NBA is based on merit. I think admissions to public universities should follow the NBA example.
Our local “fish wrap” printed a letter from an illegal immigrant, a college student, asking the State of NC to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition to public universities. That’s like turkeys asking for Thanksgiving to be canceled.
Why should the State of NC grant any privileges to people in the state illegally. They already get free K-12 schooling. The state taxpayers pay for the universities, along with companies located in the state. Tax $$$$’s come from the citizens of NC. That is why their children get in-state tuition. Students from Ohio, NJ, NY, PA. etc. pay more. That has been the process for 70+ years. And-it seems fair and logical.
Illegal immigrants already receive significant social benefits. Too many to list here. I read a research study that showed 40% of immigrants (legal and illegal) are on some form of taxpayer funded welfare program. And- these programs are costly to the State.
Recently, my property taxes increased. The county and the State needed more revenue. The State indicated the $$$$’s would go to fund more schools. Student population, K-12, is increasing especially among Hispanics. Hmmmm?
I think the student that urged NC leaders to make illegals legible for in-state tuition should step-back and be very glad he/she can even attend taxpayer funded universities. After all, that is a gift.
I went to college in the late 70’s. To pay for college I worked every summer, Christmas holidays, part-time during school, and borrowed money from our local bank. When I graduated, I immediately started work. My student debt was paid off in about 6 years. The money I borrowed was a great investment for me.
Now- Biden has proposed to use taxpayer money to “forgive” $10,000 and $20,000 of student debt. His proposal is insane and destructive for the US economy. Remember, student debt has been “paused” since March 2020. That’s 31 months!!! An average payment of $250/month of student debt, over 31 months is $7,750 or 25% of their loan. Currently, 44 million people have student loans, with the “pause” of $7,750 each, that’s $3.5 billion fueling inflation in the US. I wonder what they are spending money on. Based on my own observations at airports, many are traveling to the Caribbean.
The average student debt today is $30,000, a good investment over a lifetime of earnings. And recent interest rates are the lowest in 70 years. There should not be a problem paying back that amount over 10 years, especially for an individual making $125,00/ year or $250,000 for a married couple. Those are the thresholds Biden has proposed. Can you imagine a couple making $250,000 complaining that they cannot afford a $250/month loan payment? At $250,000 of annual income, a $250 loan payment equals 1% of their monthly earnings.
Over 50% of the total, current student loan debt is for individuals that attended medical school or law school.
Low-income students often receive Pells Grants of $6,000 to $7,000 a year. That money is tax free and does not have to be paid back. Over 4 years, that amounts to $24,000 to $28,000. Biden has offered these people $20,000 in loan forgiveness. So-$24,000 in Pells, plus $20,000 in loan forgiveness equals $44,000. That’s a lot of money provided by taxpayers!!!
A college graduate’s starting pay is often $50,000 annually and over 10 years their pay increases to $75,000 to $80,000. But—there are problems to my calculations. Here are the problems:
-Many students take 5-6 years to graduate and borrow money each year. Students change majors, fail classes, drop out, and take semesters off. State universities cost about $18,000 to $20,000/per year. Much less if students live at home. These are individual decisions or choices leading to debt. During these years, these “students” live good.
-Students select majors with no link to good paying jobs. Some of those majors include Gender studies, Social Justice, Equality, Equity, Communications, Psychology, African Studies, etc. I even saw a major called “High School Football Coaching”.
-About 35% of recent college students do not work in the summers. They take a break from the pressures of study, and they live on borrowed money. Many recent college graduates elect to take a “gap year” after graduation. They want to figure out what they want to do. They do not have to immediately start work; they have borrowed money. If they did work for a year, the earnings for that year would exceed their loans. DUH!
-Young people, Gen Zer’s have the lowest labor participation rate of any age group in the US. Currently, 3 of 10 do not work. Many live at home. Many are playing video games. The job search websites like Glassdoor, Monster, Indeed, and Career Builder all report a dramatic drop in search activity when a new version of “Call of Duty” arrives.
-Many students elect to attend private colleges with tuition costs 50% to !00% higher than public universities. Instead of paying $18,000 year and commuting, many students move away from home and pay $30,000 to $50,000/year to attend private schools. Their choice. Howard University, a private HBCU, located in Washington, DC costs $48,000/year according to their website. Va. Tech, located about 4 hours south costs $26,000/year and is nationally ranked.
-Many students do not graduate. They quit or flunk out. But they still owe the money they borrowed. Most should not have attended to begin with. They made a bad decision.
Why should taxpayers bail out these students? What about the students that paid off student debt? What about families that saved money for college?
Student debt “forgiveness” is a horrible idea and bad for the US economy!
Almost every day in our local paper there is an article about “the affordable housing crisis.” County and city leaders are wrestling with zoning laws and proposed development plans for all types of housing, usually in the city. According to the local “fish wrap” the demand for rental housing is higher than the supply and the rental fees are not affordable for lower income families.
For the last 3-5 years that issue has been presented as a supply and/or affordability problem. And-our local leaders have tried everything to resolve.
However, I believe that income is the major problem. That side of the equation is never cited in the articles. If families want to live in the city where rents are always higher than the outer areas, than those families need better incomes. The pathway to higher incomes in this area is training and education. The area needs electricians, HV/AC techs, medical technicians, mechanics, welders, nurses of all types and office staff.
If a family of 4 has two incomes, each making $20/hour that would make their annual income at least $80,000. At that income, rental property would be available, leaving some saving amount for the purchase of a home.
Just got back from a wonderful 10 day vacation to Jamaica. The island is open to travelers from the US. All the proper covid protocols were in place. Our resort was at 60% occupancy because Europe and Canada was closed to travel. The Jamaican Staff truly appreciated the American guests. As usual, the resort was excellent, especially the Staff. The drinks were good too!
We met a lot of people from the US, including couples from North Dakota, Arizona, Georgia, TN., Ohio, WVa., Pa., MN., and North Carolina. There were a lot of honeymooners, and lots of beachfront weddings. Everyone cheered for the newly married couples.
Couples over the age of 45 were very engaging. Younger people were on their smart phones. Hmmm! Perhaps they were reading. The older crowd read from books. There was even a book exchange, very nice.
The resort had several restaurants with dress codes. The older couples did dress up, especially the women. Not so much for the younger couples. Young men often wore hats to the restaurants. I even saw a “Sons of Ragnar” tee shirt being worn by a younger guest. Hmmm!
I noticed that some couples were in to fitness. You could tell! But, regrettably a lot of couples were overweight, especially the younger crowd. Perhaps working from home added some extra pounds. I also noticed and heard people that had spent their Stimulus Payment on the trip. Guess the US economy did not get those dollars.
Many of the Jamaican Staff wore flip flops. One Staff member admired my Nike flip flops and asked if I would sell them. I paid $34 for the pair. He said in Jamaica the pair would sell for $70. Ugh!! I traded those for two drinks, both with rum floaters!
I met three lovely couples from the Phila. area. We gathered each day at the pool to discuss many topics. Very nice people.
Travel to Jamaica and take an extra pair of flip flops!!!
High Truths and Low Lies 