Senate Dream education bill death well- deserved
"Dream" death well deserved Cynthia Tucker's Column (Editoial page Editor Atlanta Journal Constitution)"Young immigrants' dreams die in Senate" was long on idealistic rhetoric and short on understanding that Americans are not willing to do virtually anything to reward illegal immigrants, or their children.
Illegal means illegal, and wishing for a back door to give status is not fair and will not be accepted by Americans. That's why the Senate voted against it. That's why this and many other proposals looking to get "a nose under the tent' for illegals just won't stand.
You can offer many justified comments about the American body politic that highlight apathy, unfocused values, even laziness, but on this issue Americans see the basic unfairness of allowing illegals a reward which they feel millions of other legal immigrants have earned by following the rules.
And, since when are we willing to paint a character portrait of illegals that makes them better than legal Americans of the same stature and standing? Finding examples of outstanding students who are illegals is just as easy as finding examples of U.S. citizens who are legal, and who deserve the opportunity to be credibly educated, maybe using funds that Ms. Tucker would use otherwise.
Did Ms. Tucker calculate the cost of educating the illegal Mr. Marcos through high school? (About $$85,000) What would those funds have paid for helping legal citizens?
The educational cost of all illegal immigrant children K-12 runs about 60 Billion dollars a year- that's Billions with a big "B" folks! That's a lot of educational improvement for U.S. citizens!
Like $20,000 a year college tuition for each of 3,000,000 legal citizens. Or 2,000,000 college tuitions, AND after school programs for 4,000,000 K-6 poor children.
And, lastly, character assassination ("craven White House, elected leaders quake and cower,") of those who want social and educational benefits reserved for citizens and legal immigrants is unworthy of Ms. Tucker and her sponsors and more, deserve condemnation and a retraction by Ms. Tucker. Those who disagree with Ms. Tucker are still operating under the assumption that America's greatest freedom, that of Free Speech, is still intact.
Or, would Ms. Tucker change that little law also?
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Thompson prescription "bad medicine" for Social Security
Fred Thompson's debate performance may illuminate his views, but the light wasn't flattering. Initially, I like ex-Senator Thompson; his personality, his viewpoint, hopefully his integrity.
In particular, however, his ideas on dealing with the Social Security "problem" may give pause to seniors.
His solution? Rein in benefits, which he feels will so overburden the system so as to cause an earlier blowup than had been thought. His way? Index the benefit's annual increases to inflation, rather than wages, which is OK by me, so long as his inflation index is the "senior index," meaning the disproportionate amount seniors spend for health care and medicines, the fastest growing component of their "living index."
To just consider overall inflation, but not the senior index type of inflation is to ignore the rapidly rising components of health care for seniors, retirees and the disabled, which is 4-5 times the overall rate of inflation. Standard inflation? 2-3 %. Health care inflation? 8-10%
In effect, health care inflation reduces seniors, retirees and the disabled purchasing power and their standard of living, given the disparity of the benefits annual adjustments and health care costs. Thompson's solution would make it worse.
Maybe a solution in the opposite direction would sell better to those avid-voting seniors. Offer to index Social Security benefits with a new "Seniors Living Index" which would take into account the horrendous and unjustified, ever growing, health care inflation, which averages 4-5 times or more the standard index of inflation. While that might drive the system to the insolvent stage sooner, it might also overcome the health industry's demonstrated ability to lobby, obfusate, and avoid the kind of scrutiny that might mitigate their ever-increasing ability to charge more and more... for less and less.
Someone once said, "Democracy is the worst system of government...except for all the others."
The American Health system is the very worst, except for all the other choices.
That doesn't mean we can't do better.
In particular, however, his ideas on dealing with the Social Security "problem" may give pause to seniors.
His solution? Rein in benefits, which he feels will so overburden the system so as to cause an earlier blowup than had been thought. His way? Index the benefit's annual increases to inflation, rather than wages, which is OK by me, so long as his inflation index is the "senior index," meaning the disproportionate amount seniors spend for health care and medicines, the fastest growing component of their "living index."
To just consider overall inflation, but not the senior index type of inflation is to ignore the rapidly rising components of health care for seniors, retirees and the disabled, which is 4-5 times the overall rate of inflation. Standard inflation? 2-3 %. Health care inflation? 8-10%
In effect, health care inflation reduces seniors, retirees and the disabled purchasing power and their standard of living, given the disparity of the benefits annual adjustments and health care costs. Thompson's solution would make it worse.
Maybe a solution in the opposite direction would sell better to those avid-voting seniors. Offer to index Social Security benefits with a new "Seniors Living Index" which would take into account the horrendous and unjustified, ever growing, health care inflation, which averages 4-5 times or more the standard index of inflation. While that might drive the system to the insolvent stage sooner, it might also overcome the health industry's demonstrated ability to lobby, obfusate, and avoid the kind of scrutiny that might mitigate their ever-increasing ability to charge more and more... for less and less.
Someone once said, "Democracy is the worst system of government...except for all the others."
The American Health system is the very worst, except for all the other choices.
That doesn't mean we can't do better.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)