DISCLAIMER: It's early, I'm on my first cup of coffee, can't spell, can't type and haven't had a lucid thought since the early days of the Reagan Administration.

That makes me about as ready to address the illegal immigration issue as our President and Congress.

Although I have firm opinions on this issue it is one on which I can still claim to have an open mind. The reason I feel comfortable in justifying that claim is that my opinions are based on an originally unbiased assessment of data involving various cultural, economic, public health and safety issues. Simply put, if the information changes, the opinions may be adjusted accordingly.

I have no intention of portraying my own position as being one of divine enlightenment or somehow the final word on such a complicated issue.

In that respect I am much less upset with having others disagree with me than I am with the level of the discourse in general.

We have become a nation too easily distracted by public relations, posing, invalid transpositioning of concepts, political manuevering and ridiculously bombastic rhetoric.

Take a moment to listen to the various "talking heads" on cable news shows to illustrate the point.

Illegal immigration is bankrupting our public welfare and healthcare systems but without it our economy would collapse from high labor costs.

Massive cases of identity fraud are causing a crisis within the financial services industry but without the use of false social security numbers the labor market could not possibly fill necessary positions that Americans simply will not work.

The ever growing "Reconquista" movement represents a direct assault upon our nation's sovreignity but to oppose the influx of Latinos into our country is nothing more than racism.

Too much bull (or should that read "toro"?) and not enough pragmatism.

I recently read two separate studies on the same issue. Both were addressing the disproportionate number of Lationos incarcerated within our nation's prison system. One attributed the large numbers to a lack of fundamental respect for the rule of law among "Mexicans" in general whereas the other determined it to be a flagrant example of gross racism within our legal system.

Neither mentioned a third possibility: it is a given that most illegal immigrants are young males, and that within any society this group engages disproportionately in criminal behavior.
ANY society, even our own.

Spring Break, Florida, 'nuff said.

There are too many illegals in this country to enforce existing immigration law?

If we'd take that same stance on speeding, littering and public nudity I'd be free to unleash my quickly approaching senility and have a much more pleasurable life.

One old man's bottom line opinion? We need to know who is in our country, know them by their real names and be aware of any criminal past they may have. Our borders need to first be secured, with guest workers allowed in as needed and any law abiding visitors allowed to work towards permanent residency or citizenship if they so desire.

I have quite a few friends who have immigrated to this country legally. paid taxes, obeyed our laws and are still after many years jumping through various government hoops in order to stay here. Streamline the system, make it functional.

To our political leadership on both sides of the aisle - quit posing and start truly addressing the problem.

It's past time to quit catering to various voting blocs and to start planning for the future.

And it's past time for me to refill my coffee.

P.S. Five years from now I'll be the naked old man that flies past you on Wendover throwing his garbage out the window. Feel free to wave as I go by.

A couple pushes on this:

"Illegal immigration is bankrupting our public welfare and healthcare systems ... "

That's an almost true statement almost because one could infer that illegal immigration (II) is the exclusive cause of bankrupting said systems, which is clearly not a true statement.

" ... but without it our economy would collapse from high labor costs."

I guess we need to define "collapse". Voiding America of II's will surely cause significant economic transition .. if it happens too rapidly, then "collapse" is a good word, if it happens slowly, it may be possible to adjust without "collapse". At any rate there will be chaos, but chaos is a good thing, imho.

Ask "WHY" Americans simply will not work. IMHO there is one universal reason - no incentives. Filling the jobs II's now do will require significant pay raises to get typical white trash lazy and jive welfare hip-hopper Americans off their ass. How's that for inflam'tory rhetoric? It will also take a generation to break the cycle, and meanwhile there are a lot who think they are "too old to be learned".

Significant pay raises means Inflation - but think of this way - fewer on public dole with an incentive to study and get along - seeing those in your neighborhood do better by working than being a bum encourages you to do the same. Making higher wages means one will no longer need to shop at Wal-mart.

This is the exact opposite of the downward spiral we've been in for the past 20 plus years - reversing the chase to cheapness.

I'll hold my breath on all the above, because my cynical mind says this country - infact the entire world - is rapidly splitting back into a modern day version of Medieval Serf and Nobility.

On Jh's note about criminality - It seems letting II's remain only reinforces the cited "lack of fundamental respect for the rule of law".

I hate reading things later in the day that I wrote early in the morning.

Upon re-reading it's painfully clear that I didn't make it obvious that the three paragraphs following my remark about "talking heads" were intended to portray comments I'd heard uttered by various news commentators and are not a reflection of my own conclusions.

Oh well, if I considered myself perfect I'd start my own talk show and change my name to Bill O'Reilly.

Or, shudder, James Carville.

jh-you were clear in your first post. It's just a matter of reading comprehension. I looked into it.

LOL - thanks Zhak.

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060824/NEWSREC0101/60824007/1007/GTCOM

Here is the article to save you time to link if you don't want to:

The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office seized an estimated $800,000 in cocaine and arrested four people during a bust this week.

Authorities stopped two vehicles on Tuesday, one on Williams Road in Madison and the other on Poole Road in Mayodan, according to a news release. Searches of the vehicles found 8 kilograms of cocaine and two guns.

Noe Alejandro Vera Ramirez, 32, of 263 East Drive in Winston Salem and Paulino Castro Cortez, 27, of 3610 Hege Street in Winston Salem have been charged with trafficing in cocaine by possession and transporting.

Arturo Lopez Herrero, 26, of 2690 Meadowwood Road in Winston Salem and Ignacio Olivas Galindo, 36, of Roy, Wash., have been charged with conspiring to traffic in cocaine.

Each was held on $16 million bond.

One interesting item the N&R left out that I heard on the radio report today: ALL FOUR SUSPECTS ARE ILLEGALS!!

Went to Wal-Mart today JDR. The employees were all shackled and forced at gun point to work there.

"Went to Wal-Mart today JDR. The employees were all shackled and forced at gun point to work there."

I will bet my personal life if another company would hire them, most would be out in one heart beat.

This is my "Dan is Simplistic" rant:

"Shackled and forced at gun point to work there", no, but who the hell actually WANT's to work at Wal-Mart? How many deliberately left Pillowtex, RJR, Lorillard Tobacco, etc. in a career move to Walmart?

Ignore the obvious, like the logistics of living 45 miles away. Offer some $10 to work for you, Dan. Get back to me with a percentage wanting to take you up ...

One thing that will pop a nerve with DD is Bush and gay marriage, one thing that will pop a nerve with JDR is eeeeeevvvviiiilll corporate America.

If you don't want to work at Wal Mart, go to a community college, get a free grant, get a job in health care (can't be outsourced) and live happily ever after. Most of these people have choices JDR, just like you and me.

I've trained many, many former textile & furniture workers who now work in the health care field.

If you just get typical white trash lazy and jive welfare hip-hopper Americans off their asses they can become something other than Wal Mart cashiers.

... and while I'm throwing punches ...

How did you get into Chapel Hill? Was it the late 70's when the boomers were finishing and colleges were letting aboug every on in? Would you get in now with your SAT's and Ranking? Who paid for it? Was you Dad there for you are you grew up? You Mom?

The point is .. for some - especially white males in the not too distant past .. things came easier, especially if Mom and Dad were there with a decent job. Sometimes you come across as "why can't all those poor bastards just go to school and become successful."

I'm not saying they can't - or shouldn't - but a little respect for it being slightly harder for some than others would be a good thing.

I call it humility. Feel free to call me an ass; sometimes I am.

I've seen plenty of those "poor bastards" go to school and become successful. I work with them almost every week in the health care field.

I saw my "little brother" (Big Brothers Big Sisters program), a black kid from a low income single mom home grow up and become successful.

Yours is the typical mindset of the left, poor people are helpless and stupid and only government handouts can make their lives better. BS. A desire to learn and succeed is all it takes.

I'm not sure what my educational experience has to do with this at all. BTW, I went to college in the early 80's, just a tad younger than you portray.

As for your last sentence, you said it, not me.

Forgot to mention, I got into UNC-CH based upon my grades, gee imagine that!! I even passed a philosophy course, as Stevie D once mentioned may be impossible for conservatives.

My parents had no connection to the university at all, no Rams club, no nothing. Dad is a Notre Dame grad. I earned my way into that school. Can you imagine?

JDR, I believe I am comprehending the way you were going in the questions posed to Dan. Which, were sadly left unanswered.

Which does not say that I believe nothing should be done to deal with the II situation. The BS that is being force fed the citizenery of the US is too much to swallow though.

Shalom

Glad you believe you are comprehending Sweet Pea, what does that mean? I wasn't answering questions for you in the first place.

I believe I am comprehending...what mush.

We agree "a desire to learn and succeed is all it takes". The point was the climb can be completed by most, but it's a steeper hill for some than others.

Your personal experience vs. your "little brother" is proof of the pudding. You had a role-model Dad; for whatever reason your "little brother" did not - which made steeper his personal hill. Bless you for giving, but help from a successful person like you gave your "little brother" a huge benefit. It's a simple fact.

Your educational experience was raised as more pudding proof . I'm sure you earned your way into that school. Good grades and being bright is a great start, as does having a Dad around. You still might qualify for UNC, but a lot who qualified in the early 80's would no longer be accepted. White skin and straight hair is often an advantage - not exclusive, not a guarantee, but odds are good they'll be getting reliable stock for future Alumni contributions; that's also a simple fact. Do you think Black Athletes that shine on the basketball court but can barely write a coherent sentence are admitted as part of UNC's Big Brother Campaign? I think not.

Another simple fact is college expenses have risen at a multiple of national inflation. Recent years have been 2x. One can still take out loans, but your Dad funding UNC helped you considerably.

It's a steeper hill for some than others.

PS. You unfairly label me a typical mindset. Nowhere did I use anything like these words: "poor people are helpless and stupid and only government handouts can make their lives better". I do not think you'll find them in any of my posts. I accept your apology.

"White skin and straight hair is often an advantage - not exclusive, not a guarantee, but odds are good they'll be getting reliable stock for future Alumni contributions.."

Not the case for my nephew. His white skin, straight hair, good grades, and well off parents were still not enough to get him into UNC-CH. So he packed his bags for Athens, GA a few weeks ago.

"The point was the climb can be completed by most, but it's a steeper hill for some than others."

So what? So is everything else in life. Is is unfair that I was born with a father to raise me and my "little brother" wasn't?

We do agree on expenses for college, I will be dealing with that in about 13 years.

"So What" .. is the point I was trying to make.

Some are more advantaged than others; that is a primary fact of life.

JDR,

Are you saying that UNC's basketball team is stacked with a bunch of illiterate negroes?

Oh, left out the nitpicker quote.

"Do you think Black Athletes that shine one the basketball court but can barely write a coherent sentence are admitted as part of UNC's Big Brother campaign?"

I do not know about UNC round ballers (just picked them to get under Dan's skin) ... but YES I DO know.

Here's an old LTE I wrote on the subject, with fact's confirmed by more than one school official including the Star Quarterback's LD Teacher, who often promised him a "D" on a given test if he would only sit quietly while every one else took the actual test.

==

I have been attending the [my daughter's High School] football games and wish the team well during this year's playoffs, but was saddened by Thursday's article on the starting quarterback.

There is no doubt he is a gifted athlete, but there should be doubt whether he will succeed in college or ever gain a Pro sports career. Nationwide, there are many like him who are being ill-served by our school systems.

350,000 kids will play football this Friday night, many with hopes and dreams pinned to a professional career, but competition is fierce. Only the creme de la creme make it, and odds are against his relatively small 6'0 180 pound frame.

Meanwhile too many are lead down this short-sighted path. A few dozen nights of high school gridiron glory are exchanged for critically needed education. Classes in “football” rather than problem solving or skilled craft training. Supervised push-ups and weight training in lieu of reading, writing, or arithmetic. athletic directors, backed by admistration, urging Teachers to up semester grades and academically qualify athletic but otherwise failing students.

Sports is a great builder of character, discipline, body, mind and spirit, but the gladiatorial direction did not well serve Rome, and America needs brains as much as speed and brawn.

James,

I agree with your entire post. Sports should be an EXTRA-curricular privilege that should only be offered to those who have at least met the minimum scholastic achievements. It should always be secondary to the education.

Actually, I was picking on Carolina too. I'm an ABC fan and always will be.

"So What" .. is the point I was trying to make.

Some are more advantaged than others; that is a primary fact of life.

Then we are in agreement. I thought you were saying it was unfair that some have a steeper hill to climb than others.

I remember a kid in high school who got a brand new Corvette and an education at Duke. Did I care? Nope?

I bought a rusty 66 Plymouth Belvedere with a hole in the floorboard and worked odd jobs for spending money. I was very fortunate that my parents paid for my education, but other expenses were on me. Once I graduated, I was cut off the purse strings like greased lightning.

So, you pickin on my Heels huh?

Yep. Picking on your heels.

Don't worry, though. My team just got a new head coach after letting one who has been fairly successful slip through their fingers. All I can say is your players may not know how to read, but mine have a 1 in 3 chance of getting incarcerated before graduation.

As a pack fan, I can't tell you how hard it is for me to say the following words:

"Woo-hoo, Carolina won!"

(Even when I'm talking about the Panthers or the Hurricanes, I have a hard time getting those words to come out)

Itsok Nit, I have many friends who disagree on the collegiate level, but we come together with the Panthers. My paw in law is a rabid Duke fan, but I'm taking him to his first Panthers game this season, where we will cheer in unison.

BTW, I pull for the Pack and the Deamon Deacons (not you personally DD) except when they are playing against the Heels. I would however pull for the Cubans before pulling for Duke :)

I would think we are all together on the Hurricanes too. That provided a well needed sports fix after basketball & football seasons were over.