No More Anchor Babies!

Received today from RightMarch.com

ALERT: We have a chance today to "plug up" one of the biggest holes in American national security -- a hole that has led to millions of illegal immigrants being granted the "right" to stay in this country, even though they broke the law to get here.

That "hole" is called "birthright citizenship" for so-called "anchor babies" (children born in U.S. hospitals to illegal immigrant parents) -- and a bill has been re-introduced to STOP it.

After the Civil War, the 14th amendment was introduced into the Constitution to allow slaves to become US citizens after the emancipation. The country, especially the western territories, was wide open and ripe for homesteading. There was no welfare state to exploit, and the modern problems associated with immigration could not have been imagined. Since then it has been misused for decades to allow literally millions of illegal alien "anchor babies" -- and their illegal parents and families -- to remain in this country.

These children automatically become citizens, and thus serve as an "anchor" for their parents to remain in the country. Our immigration authorities understandably are reluctant to break up families by deporting parents of young babies. But birthright citizenship, originating in the 14th amendment, has become a serious cultural and economic dilemma for our nation.

In some hospitals in Texas, administrators estimate that 70% or 80% of the babies born have parents who are in the country illegally. It's the same story in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. And the truth is, most illegal immigrants who have babies in U.S. hospitals do not have health insurance and do not pay their hospital bills.

This obviously cannot be sustained, either by the hospitals involved or the taxpayers who end up paying the bills.

Americans are happy to welcome immigrants who follow our immigration laws and seek a better life here. America is far more welcoming and tolerant of newcomers than virtually any nation on earth. But our modern welfare state creates perverse incentives for immigrants, incentives that cloud the issue of why people choose to come here. The real problem is not immigration, but rather the welfare state magnet.

Hospitals bear the costs when illegal immigrants enter the country for the express purpose of giving birth. But illegal immigrants also use emergency rooms, public roads, and public schools. In many cases they are able to obtain Medicaid, food stamps, public housing, and even unemployment benefits. Some have fraudulently collected Social Security benefits.

Of course many American citizens also use or abuse the welfare system. But we cannot afford to open our pocketbooks to the rest of the world. We MUST end the perverse incentives that encourage immigrants to come here illegally -- including the anchor baby incentive.

TAKE ACTION: No other wealthy, western nations grant automatic citizenship to those who simply happen to be born within their borders to non-citizens.

You read that right. These nations recognize that citizenship involves more than the physical location of one's birth; it also involves some measure of cultural connection and allegiance. In most cases this means the parents must be citizens of a nation in order for their newborn children to receive automatic citizenship.

Thankfully, Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) has once again introduced his Birthright Citizenship bill that would eliminate automatic citizenship for children born in the United States. The "Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009" (H.R.1868) would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it more difficult for children born in the U.S. to gain citizenship.

Under the proposed legislation, a person born in the United States, in order to gain citizenship, must have at least one parent who is:

• a U.S. citizen or national;
  
• a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or
  
• an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

PLEASE, send a FREE message right away, urging YOUR U.S. Representative to co-sponsor and actively support H.R. 1868, the "Birthright Citizenship Act":

https://writerep.house.gov/

It's time to END "anchor baby" citizenship for illegal aliens!

Fancy Restaurant - politico photo op.

My family wanted to kinda "celebrate" last night (don't ask why, okay?). So my folks ["Never Pay Retail"] got online and found a coupon to a pricey local restaurant that serves "mediterranean cuisine" and off we went.

Now I'm not the "sharpest knife in the drawer" and I don't have much experience with overpriced restaurants so making a reservation for only five people really never occurred to me. When we got there, the little guy at the door said "Do you have a reservation?" (more like a statement than a question) and when we said "No" he frankly looked like he didn't know what to do. Fortunately for him (seriously, had nobody ever said "no" to that question before?) the Maitre'De walked up and the little guy said "They don't have a reservation?" with a sort of desperate appeal in his voice. The Maitre'De (obviously a sharp guy and a credit to his profession) looked at us and stated "You don't have a reservation?".

Honestly I think my pop lives for moments like these - let me explain. Pop doesn't like to make people feel bad so he didn't say "Good grief man! Your little guy just told you that we don't have a reservation". What did do was to say "I don't have a reservation" and (before the Maitre'De could react) he very quickly and smoothly pointed at me and asked "Do you have a reservation?" and then (before I could say anything) he pointed at mom and asked her "Do you have a reservation?" (mom might have seen this bit before) and then pointed at my daughter and said "Do you have a reservation?" then turned to the Maitre'De and stated "No, we do not have a reservation.". Then the Maitre'De replied (as only a Maitre'De can - that's how I know he wasn't just the "head waiter"),

"Oh."

"I see."

then, dimly, "Well, we don't have any open tables..." and just as smoothly the man seemed to brighten at a realization "...however there is some space on the patio. Would you care to eat in the patio?" The man said that last line with more than a hint of you really would prefer to be at Chick-Fil-A in his voice but we chose to ignore the hint. (come to think of it, that Maitre'De might just live for moments like these, too) We did one of those quick "what do you think?" counsels and decided to eat in the patio. Just then a third waiter was walking from one passageway to another and the Maitre'De said "Follow him! He'll take you to the patio."
Then it got sort of surreal.

Here, take a look - the whole world can see it - why shouldn't you see it?

While we were waiting on the roomy patio (at least 10 tables and only one other table was occupied) for our server to bring us our soft drinks (the guy seemed kinda surprised at the beverage order) people started crowding into the patio. They were all wearing matching t-shirts and carrying placards "____ for US Senate". So many people came in at once that it was hard to tell where they were coming from. Despite the fact that the patio was almost empty when we got there, waiter #3 chose to put us at a table right near the stage.

I can prove it. I have pictures. Nobody in my family took the pictures. Two idiotic "videographers" shot video and posted it to YouTube. Some politico is standing on the stage, "___ for senate" is taking up the right half of the picture and the back of my wife's head can be seen in the bottom left. This video was shot by "Idiot videographer #1". Just above my wife's head you can see "Idiot videographer #2".

Here is a screenshot from the video posted to YouTube by "Idiot videographer #2". This is a couple minutes later - "____ for senate" is on stage, and Idiot videographer #1 can be seen in the right half of the picture. He/she is in the shadows near the table where there is one man paying rapt attention to "____ for senate". In front of Idiot videographer #1 you can see my widow's peak. In this shot the food has not yet arrived and I'm busy eating sweet butter and crusty bread.

Immediately after the throng of people showed up, some guy went around giving everybody "_____ for senate" stickers and I promptly stuck mine under the bill of my USS Ronald Reagan CVN-76 cap. If I had known ahead of time that I was going to be on YouTube, I would have worn my NRA cap. After all, this is Texas and we were outside. When we saw the cameras we joked about YouTube - I didn't expect my wife to find these videos on the internet less than 24 hours later.

And you have to understand that I'm not trying to be mean to the idiots -that is- "videographers", but apparently in this age of papparazi the concept of a "release" (getting permission to take a person's picture) is a by-gone idea.

On a somewhat humorous note I wasn't very impressed by "____ for senate". My fettucini alfredo cost 34 dollars (not including tax and tip) and "____ for senate" did a stump speech about "The Plight of the Middle Class". The whole thing was a photo (video) op. If "____ for senate" wanted to actually "meet the people" in our town, HE should have gone to Chick-Fil-A.

Creative "Solutions" to Immigration

Its not a joke - somebody is actually trying to get a game show produced called "Who Wants to Marry a U.S. citizen?" Reuters has an article about it.

This is like a bad SNL skit.

10 Principles for Immigration Reform

from NumbersUSA: (emphasis mine. Don't hate me - this plan is not half as tough Mexican immigration laws and enforcement.)
1. The purpose of U.S. immigration policy is to benefit the citizens of the United States.

2. Since immigration policy can profoundly shape a country, it should be set by deliberate actions, not by accident or acquiescence, with careful consideration to ensure that it does not adversely affect the quality of life of American citizens and their communities.

3. Immigration policy should be based on and adhere to the rule of law. Immigration laws must be enforced consistently and uniformly throughout the United States.

4. Non-citizens enter the United States as guests and must obey the rules governing their entry. The U.S. government must track the entry, stay, and departure of all visa-holders to ensure that they comply fully with the terms of their visas, or to remove them if they fail to comply.

5. The borders of the United States must be physically secured at the earliest possible time. An effective barrier to the illegal entry of both aliens and contraband is vital to U.S. security.

6. Those responsible for facilitating illegal immigration shall be sought, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law and shall forfeit any profits from such activity. This applies to smugglers and traffickers of people, as well as to those involved in the production, procurement, distribution, or use of fraudulent or counterfeit documents.

7. U.S. employers shall be given a simple and streamlined process to determine whether employees are legally eligible to work. Employers who obey the law shall be protected both from liability and from unfair competition by those who violate immigration law. The violators shall be subject to fines and taxes in excess of what they would have paid to employ U.S. citizens and legal residents for the same work.

8. Those who enter or remain in the United States in violation of the law shall be detained and removed expeditiously. Illegal aliens shall not accrue any benefit, including U.S. citizenship, as a result of their illegal entry or presence in the United States.

9. No federal, state or local entity shall reward individuals for violating immigration laws by granting public benefits or services, or by issuing or accepting any form of identification, or by providing any other assistance that facilitates unlawful presence or employment in this country. All federal and law enforcement agencies shall cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities, and shall report to such authorities any information they receive indicating that an individual may have violated immigration laws.

10. Illegal aliens currently in the United States may be afforded a one-time opportunity to leave the United States without penalty and seek permission to reenter legally if they qualify under existing law. Those who do not take advantage of this opportunity will be removed and permanently barred from returning.

I love it when a bad bill dies.

From NumbersUSA:

VICTORY! Amnesty Bill Falls Following Rejection of Senate Cloture Vote

(June 28) Shortly after 11 a.m. today, by a 46 to 53 margin, the Senate rebuffed amnesty when it failed to invoke cloture on S. 1639, the so-called "grand bargain" immigration bill. Subsequently, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicated that he would pull the bill from further consideration after Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), and others had sought to ram the bill through using an arcane procedural method instead of subjecting the proposal to committee and public scrutiny.



President Bush was really wanting this clunker to become law. I even heard one commentator make a statement about "Bush'es legacy - 'No Illegal Immigrant Left Behind' ". Sometimes politics can be quite funny.

Fake Job Ads Defraud Americans

If you're feeling especially sensitive, high-strung or "politically correct" right now, then you might want to wait and read this post later when you're a little more

Okay, here is fair warning to the world at large. If I hear One More "Intelligent" Adult tell me that immigrants "only do jobs Americans won't do" I'm not even going to justify it with an answer I'm just going to hurl on their shoes.

My answer to this inane argument in the past has been a comedic 'Oh no, you can tell that's not true just by watching "Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe" on the Discovery channel.' but that no longer seems to be sufficient.

Now there is evidence on YouTube of immigration attorneys from the law firm of Cohen & Grisby explaining "how they assist employers in running classified ads with the goal of NOT finding any qualified applicants, and the steps they go through to disqualify even the most qualified Americans...". Click HERE to see the video for yourself. When you get good and mad remind yourself that these clowns are not breaking the law. There are enough loopholes written in the current immigration laws that allow these people to technically "follow the law" with NO intention of offering a job to a qualified American citizen.

Now I ask you, do you really think that Congress can be trusted to come up with good immigration legislation? Do you really think that Congress cares about what is best for American workers? Do you really believe what Ted Kennedy, John McCain and President Bush say about this latest attempt at amnesty?

We have tried amnesty over and over and illegal immigration only increases. Ted Kennedy has already pushed SEVEN amnesties into law and each time illegal immigration increased.
From NumbersUSA:
1986 - Blanket amnesty for 2.7 million illegal aliens
1994 - Section 245(i) amnesty for another 578,000
1997 - Extension of Section 245(i)
Also in 1997 - Amnesty for close to a million illegal aliens from Central America
1998 - Amnesty for over 125,000 illegal aliens from Haiti
2000 - the "Late Amnesty" for another 400,000
Also in 2000 - the "LIFE Act Amnesty" for another 900,000 [another extension of Section 245(i) ]

Senators are supposed to be smart people. Tell me this - Why would any of these Senators believe Ted Kennedy when he says this amnesty bill will end illegal immigration with a track record like his?

Let's give Attrition Through Enforcement a chance. This approach hasn't been seriously attempted yet and, as you can see, the "Amnesty" approach is failing miserably.