"They're Poisoning The Blood of Our Country"

[RiverDog]

I can't tell you how disturbed I am at those remarks. I have two sisters-in-law, one from Ethiopia, another from Thailand. About 1/3 of my current friends are immigrants. Hell, even my primary care physician is a recent immigrant. And not all of them came here legally, so what Trump said about them hits home with me personally.

It would be one thing to complain about immigrants overloading our infrastructure, diverting funds from other areas to house them, smuggling drugs, human trafficking, or creating some sort of a security risk. Those are all legitimate concerns that I have about the current crisis. But "poisoning our blood" suggests that "our", or native-born American's blood, is pure while anyone not born here is 'poison', a blatantly racist and insulting comment.

This represents my #1 problem with Donald Trump and his supporters. He's Demonizing about 15% of the population of our country. It's sad that this man is very likely to be our next POTUS again.

[Aseahawkfan]

I'm not voting for him. I'm so damn tired of this crazy from our political parties that my main goal is stay sane while this weird ass world goes crazy.

I really don't understand how America has gone this crazy. I'm not exactly sure why our political parties have been hijacked by lunatic fringe elements and we all keep voting for these same parties without any regard for how crazy they have both gone.

It's not even voting for who you hate the least. It's voting for the least insane party and it's starting to reach a point where that isn't much of an option.

The political media should be reined in. The seeds they are sowing is bad mojo for this nation. I think the descent into insanity can be directly tied to the rise of barely regulated political media being allowed to build programming on divisive, nutty political commentary. Political media with a focus on profit and ratings needs to die. The focus should be on information delivery, accuracy, and keeping The People apprised of politics without injecting a constant divisive lunacy into the programming to keep people watching.

Trump is the a product of the modern media focus on divisiveness and lunacy. He doesn't believe half the crap that comes out of his mouth, but he knows the people he's talking to believe. So he'll say whatever he has to say to win the election because that's what the ratings and polls tell him.

What movie predicted this? Network in 1976. That's what we're seeing now: that prediction come true.

I hope there are enough Republicans like you and I that won't vote for that piece of garbage to keep him out of office. Or if he does manage to win, makes sure of a divided Congress so he will get nothing done and be sitting in office suffering constant investigations and blocks. Because even if Trump wins, if Congress is divided Trump will get nothing done.

[NorthHawk]

If you want to get rid of the MAGA BS the only way is to vote Democrat up and down the ballot.
Hold your nose if you must, but if DT gets back into power this will have been your last chance to save your democracy. He's already planning to wipe out the existing gov't personnel and replace them with Trump loyalists deep into the public service.
They have in some reports readied locations for encampments for those who oppose them and Trump has said he will go after his enemies. They are making plans to use the Military to 'Bring order back to the streets' which means martial law.
The R's in at least 1 State have passed laws where the elected members can override the vote of the people and order that State's Electoral College to vote for their chosen Presidential candidate. The extreme Gerrymandering by the Republicans and even in one case ignoring the Supreme Court order to redesign their electoral boundaries shows how they will govern.

A vote for a 3rd party will continue to legitimize the far right - keep in mind that is the Republican party of today, not the party of considered thought but of Donald Trumps whimsy. If you don't believe me, look at what Paul Ryan, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger have to say, as well as those senior Republican politicians that are retiring. To a person they say the traditional Republican party is gone and MAGA runs it.

The only way to snuff this out is to vote Democrat from top to bottom and send a huge message to that side that you don't want that BS running and eventually destroying the country. All because of the madness of King Donald the first.
In 4 years go after the radical left if that's still your concern, but the immediate threat comes from the Republicans who are far right.

[curmudgeon]

Rome is burning….

[RiverDog]

If you want to get rid of the MAGA BS the only way is to vote Democrat up and down the ballot.
Hold your nose if you must, but if DT gets back into power this will have been your last chance to save your democracy. He's already planning to wipe out the existing gov't personnel and replace them with Trump loyalists deep into the public service.
They have in some reports readied locations for encampments for those who oppose them and Trump has said he will go after his enemies. They are making plans to use the Military to 'Bring order back to the streets' which means martial law.
The R's in at least 1 State have passed laws where the elected members can override the vote of the people and order that State's Electoral College to vote for their chosen Presidential candidate. The extreme Gerrymandering by the Republicans and even in one case ignoring the Supreme Court order to redesign their electoral boundaries shows how they will govern.

A vote for a 3rd party will continue to legitimize the far right - keep in mind that is the Republican party of today, not the party of considered thought but of Donald Trumps whimsy. If you don't believe me, look at what Paul Ryan, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger have to say, as well as those senior Republican politicians that are retiring. To a person they say the traditional Republican party is gone and MAGA runs it.

The only way to snuff this out is to vote Democrat from top to bottom and send a huge message to that side that you don't want that BS running and eventually destroying the country. All because of the madness of King Donald the first.
In 4 years go after the radical left if that's still your concern, but the immediate threat comes from the Republicans who are far right.

Well, that's not an option for me. The Democrats in this state are completely unacceptable to me, mostly due to their totally unreasonable approach to energy related issues, ie the carbon tax, breaching the LSRD's, dismissal of nuclear as an option, and a proposed wind farm a few miles from where I live that covers 120 square miles and has towers taller than the Space Needle of which 78% of the locals are opposed to, issues that directly affect my quality of life and my pocketbook.

There's also the issues of crime, homelessness, and drug abuse, problems that have exploded here on the Democrats' watch, and while they may not be completely responsible for all of those problems, they have no solutions for them, either. If I find a Republican candidate that isn't a Trump supporter, and the do exist, I'm voting for them, at least here locally.

So, while I can see myself voting for Biden again should Trump get the R nomination, I will not be voting Democratic up and down the ballot.

[Aseahawkfan]

If you want to get rid of the MAGA BS the only way is to vote Democrat up and down the ballot.
Hold your nose if you must, but if DT gets back into power this will have been your last chance to save your democracy. He's already planning to wipe out the existing gov't personnel and replace them with Trump loyalists deep into the public service.
They have in some reports readied locations for encampments for those who oppose them and Trump has said he will go after his enemies. They are making plans to use the Military to 'Bring order back to the streets' which means martial law.
The R's in at least 1 State have passed laws where the elected members can override the vote of the people and order that State's Electoral College to vote for their chosen Presidential candidate. The extreme Gerrymandering by the Republicans and even in one case ignoring the Supreme Court order to redesign their electoral boundaries shows how they will govern.

A vote for a 3rd party will continue to legitimize the far right - keep in mind that is the Republican party of today, not the party of considered thought but of Donald Trumps whimsy. If you don't believe me, look at what Paul Ryan, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger have to say, as well as those senior Republican politicians that are retiring. To a person they say the traditional Republican party is gone and MAGA runs it.

The only way to snuff this out is to vote Democrat from top to bottom and send a huge message to that side that you don't want that BS running and eventually destroying the country. All because of the madness of King Donald the first.
In 4 years go after the radical left if that's still your concern, but the immediate threat comes from the Republicans who are far right.

I have no intention of doing that.

Democratic Party is filled with some real loons that Democrats seem to ignore. Right now they're not even sure where we stand on Israel, a key geopolitical ally in the Middle East. Their alphabet sexuality policies being pushed into school with underage kids who shouldn't even be thinking about such things is the kind of indoctrination you hear people complaining about when religious folks try to push their agenda into public school. Why exactly is it ok to push this kind of sexual socialization into public schools, but religion isn't allowed? Both should not be allowed. School is not there to teach sexuality or religion. That is damn wrong and Democratic voters should get control of their party for doing this crap. Then cap on the defund the police movement, hate of business at least in Washington State, and the extreme homelessness driven by the heroin/fentanyl/opiate problems in our nation they do nothing about.

There is no holding one's nose. These parties no longer represent America well. They are creating a very troubling nation.

On the Republican side, like RD said, I have zero interest in attacking immigrants. About all I want with immigration is better border enforcement, so we're not getting flooded on the Southern border where we have no control over who comes and goes. As far as immigration goes, I like it. I like people from other places coming here to help build the nation. I don't want religion in school anymore than I want alphabet sexuality indoctrination. School is to educate and prepare for a job, not to socialize and raise children. Their parents do that.

I want better support of the working class. Better social services, which the Republicans do nothing about.

I want some acknowledgement of environmental issues, just not the Armageddon politics of the left when it comes to the environment. I also don't want someone on the right telling me spewing massive waste and carbon into the environment is doing nothing. Air quality is bad at times. Water quality, which barely gets discussed, isn't great and polluting the oceans is not a great idea. We may not be on the verge of extinction like the lefts likes to push, but we definitely need clean up and to build systems that don't completely deplete the environment.

The crazy has to go. So I'm voting for whoever I can that seems to have a sane outlook on politics. Not because I think they will win, but because my vote is for sane political leadership in America. If someone doesn't vote for that, it may never come back.

[Aseahawkfan]

Well, that's not an option for me. The Democrats in this state are completely unacceptable to me, mostly due to their totally unreasonable approach to energy related issues, ie the carbon tax, breaching the LSRD's, dismissal of nuclear as an option, and a proposed wind farm a few miles from where I live that covers 120 square miles and has towers taller than the Space Needle of which 78% of the locals are opposed to, issues that directly affect my quality of life and my pocketbook.

There's also the issues of crime, homelessness, and drug abuse, problems that have exploded here on the Democrats' watch, and while they may not be completely responsible for all of those problems, they have no solutions for them, either. If I find a Republican candidate that isn't a Trump supporter, and the do exist, I'm voting for them, at least here locally.

So, while I can see myself voting for Biden again should Trump get the nomination, I will not be voting Democratic up and down the ballot.

The politics of environmental Armageddon are giving Democrats a free ticket to do whatever to "fix" the environment, while the government contracts to build wind arms and other renewable energy sources go to their buddies in big corporate businesses paid for by taxpayer money for our own "good." You wonder why I question this stuff at times, because I follow the money. This isn't all about our own "good." Environmental Armageddon politics is huge money for a lot of multibillion dollar companies that investors are making huge multiple growth on regardless if it is producing the desired effect to improve the environment.

Carbon taxes with this government approved carbon neutral rating is nothing more than illusionary government accounting. Read up on carbon taxes and how much BS they are. A pure game of corporate tax manipulation voted in by our government that doesn't actually reduce carbon emissions since companies can now just pay for the carbon they produce getting massive, taxpayer paid credits. What a scam the carbon tax rules are.

[RiverDog]

Well, that's not an option for me. The Democrats in this state are completely unacceptable to me, mostly due to their totally unreasonable approach to energy related issues, ie the carbon tax, breaching the LSRD's, dismissal of nuclear as an option, and a proposed wind farm a few miles from where I live that covers 120 square miles and has towers taller than the Space Needle of which 78% of the locals are opposed to, issues that directly affect my quality of life and my pocketbook.

There's also the issues of crime, homelessness, and drug abuse, problems that have exploded here on the Democrats' watch, and while they may not be completely responsible for all of those problems, they have no solutions for them, either. If I find a Republican candidate that isn't a Trump supporter, and the do exist, I'm voting for them, at least here locally.

So, while I can see myself voting for Biden again should Trump get the nomination, I will not be voting Democratic up and down the ballot.

The politics of environmental Armageddon are giving Democrats a free ticket to do whatever to "fix" the environment, while the government contracts to build wind farms and other renewable energy sources go to their buddies in big corporate businesses paid for by taxpayer money for our own "good." You wonder why I question this stuff at times, because I follow the money. This isn't all about our own "good." Environmental Armageddon politics is huge money for a lot of multibillion dollar companies that investors are making huge multiple growth on regardless if it is producing the desired effect to improve the environment.

Carbon taxes with this government approved carbon neutral rating is nothing more than illusionary government accounting. Read up on carbon taxes and how much BS they are. A pure game of corporate tax manipulation voted in by our government that doesn't actually reduce carbon emissions since companies can now just pay for the carbon they produce getting massive, taxpayer paid credits. What a scam the carbon tax rules are.

Besides those issues with the carbon tax of which you mentioned, I have several other problems.

First of all, I don't understand how they can pass such a carbon tax bill without a vote of the people when it is obviously a tax as the state government is getting revenue from the sale of these permits and the companies are passing that cost onto the consumer in the form of higher prices. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's a duck. And where are they going to spend the revenue they're getting from this tax? If they would use the revenue to lower the gas tax, currently one of the highest in the nation, to compensate for it, then I could understand it. But that's not what they're doing.

Secondly, the tax hits the little guy and those that live in rural areas the hardest. A person living in Moses Lake doesn't have the option of taking public transit to work in order to avoid driving his car like someone living in the Puget Sound area does.

One of the biggest issues I have with the Dems locally is their proposal to breach the lower Snake River Dams (LSRD). No one has explained to me why it's necessary to breach those dams and leave the 4 downstream and the two upstream of them intact. They're all just as big, if not bigger, than any of the LSRD's. The two upstream don't even have a fish passage. The rationale for removing them, ie restoring salmon runs, has no scientific evidence that gives us a reasonable assurance that removing them will achieve that objective. The Fraser River, the next largest river system north of the Columbia/Snake, doesn't have any dams on it yet they, too, are experiencing a decline in salmon runs, so what is it that makes them think that breaching 4 dams in SE Washington will make a difference in the salmon population?

I'm a little unlike the others in my region in that I am not turned off by the aesthetics of the wind turbines, but the fact that the public is overwhelmingly opposed to them, nearly 80% on multiple surveys, that opinion should be honored. There is no environment need for them as almost no electrical energy in this region is produced by fossil fuels. Besides, why can't they put these wind farms offshore like they do in Holland?

It's issues like those which causes me to vote against Democrats unless the Republican alternative is a Trump-style candidate.

[Aseahawkfan]

Working Americans pay for almost everything. Sure, the 1% pay roughly 20%, but they make like 95 or more % of the income and own the majority of valuable assets as well. Which is why I would prefer if I'm going to be taxed huge amounts my labor in federal income taxes, SS taxes, medicare taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes, family leave taxes, and more taxes than I can list here, then why the hell aren't we getting some nice social services to help us out.

It seems insane to me we have the highest tax revenues of any nation on the planet and yet we get some of the least help from our government until we retire. Then it's like you finally breathe a sigh of relief like you get to do now and get to travel while having health insurance wherever you go without having to put in your 40 plus hours a week just to keep your insurance regardless of what is going on in your life.

[RiverDog]

Working Americans pay for almost everything. Sure, the 1% pay roughly 20%, but they make like 95 or more % of the income and own the majority of valuable assets as well. Which is why I would prefer if I'm going to be taxed huge amounts my labor in federal income taxes, SS taxes, medicare taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes, family leave taxes, and more taxes than I can list here, then why the hell aren't we getting some nice social services to help us out.

It seems insane to me we have the highest tax revenues of any nation on the planet and yet we get some of the least help from our government until we retire. Then it's like you finally breathe a sigh of relief like you get to do now and get to travel while having health insurance wherever you go without having to put in your 40 plus hours a week just to keep your insurance regardless of what is going on in your life.

I hate to keep kicking a dead horse as I know that you don't like hearing me saying it, but the root cause of the problems you elude to is the age demographic imbalance and the resulting labor shortage. It was not something that was anticipated when they came up with these well meaning social programs like Social Security and Medicare. WW2 and the ensuing Baby Boomer generation F-ed everything up. And on the other side of the equation, starting in 1960 at the end of the boomer generation and the advent of "the pill", oral contraceptives, the birth rate plummeted and has never approached the levels that were present in the 50's. And so here we sit, with a bunch of old coffin dodgers like myself and not enough young whipper snappers like yourself to take care of us. Japan is in an even worse situation.

One of the reasons why I like Nikki Haley is that she's tackling Social Security and other entitlement programs head on instead of avoiding it and kicking the can down the road. They're going to have to do things that working people like you will hate, ie raise taxes, and that retirees like myself that will hate, cut benefits. But it has to be done if you want to have something to retire on.

Some things that they could do that would inflict the least amount of pain. Eliminate early retirement. Make everyone work until their FRA (Full Retirement Age, ie 67) before they are eligible for any benefits. It would help solve the labor shortage as it would keep more people in the work force. Secondly, get rid of survivor benefits. Make each individual use their own account vs. that of their spouse,

Anyhow, those are just a couple of random thoughts.

[c_hawkbob]

BS. SS would be entirely self funded if left alone. All these people retiring now are the ones that put all that money into the fund in the first place. If the government could leave it alone it'd be flush. Bush 'borrowed' $1.37 trillion of Social Security to pay for his tax cuts for the rich and his war in Iraq, altogether the government owes $2.7 trillion to SS but they call it "intragovernmental" spending and "intragovernmental" debt to keep it under wraps. And you know if you've ever borrowed from your 401k that the money they "borrowed" is a lot bigger hit than just the face value. Putting that $2.7T back won't near make up the difference.

[RiverDog]

BS. SS would be entirely self funded if left alone. All these people retiring now are the ones that put all that money into the fund in the first place. If the government could leave it alone it'd be flush. Bush 'borrowed' $1.37 trillion of Social Security to pay for his tax cuts for the rich and his war in Iraq, altogether the government owes $2.7 trillion to SS but they call it "intragovernmental" spending and "intragovernmental" debt to keep it under wraps. And you know if you've ever borrowed from your 401k that the money they "borrowed" is a lot bigger hit than just the face value. Putting that $2.7T back won't near make up the difference.

The problem with the SS trust fund occurred long before Bush 43 took office. It all started in 1968, when LBJ put SS and other trust funds "on budget". Prior to then, it was treated as a self-supporting entity separate from the rest of government activities. They did it just to make the numbers look better, so it would appear that the budget deficit didn't look so bad and justify more spending without having to raise taxes, so in essence, they used the revenue from Social Security payments to fund the massive spending that occurred on Johnson's watch, like the Vietnam War, the Great Society social programs, and the Space Race, which was causing members of Congress to flinch:

In early 1968 President Lyndon Johnson made a change in the budget presentation by including Social Security and all other trust funds in a"unified budget." This is likewise sometimes described by saying that Social Security was placed "on-budget."

This 1968 change grew out of the recommendations of a presidential commission appointed by President Johnson in 1967, and known as the President's Commission on Budget Concepts. The concern of this Commission was not specifically with the Social Security Trust Funds, but rather it was an effort to rationalize what the Commission viewed as a confusing budget presentation. At that time, the federal budget consisted of three separate and inconsistent sets of measures, and often budget debates became bogged-down in arguments over which of the three to use. As an illustration of the problem, the projected fiscal 1968 budget was either in deficit by $2.1 billion, $4.3 billion, or $8.1 billion, depending upon which measure one chose to use. Consequently, the Commission's central recommendation was for a single, unified, measure of the federal budget--a measure in which every function and activity of government was added together to assess the government's fiscal position.

https://www.ssa.gov/history/BudgetTreatment.html

They also did not take into account the declining birth rate and the increase in life expectancy, which has led to a steady decline in the worker-to-retiree ratio. Us baby boomers broke the age pyramid.

But how we got here is irrelevant. It's an undeniable fact that SS will run out of money to pay their liabilities in about 10 years. The numbers don't lie.

[Aseahawkfan]

I hate to keep kicking a dead horse as I know that you don't like hearing me saying it, but the root cause of the problems you elude to is the age demographic imbalance and the resulting labor shortage. It was not something that was anticipated when they came up with these well meaning social programs like Social Security and Medicare. WW2 and the ensuing Baby Boomer generation F-ed everything up. And on the other side of the equation, starting in 1960 at the end of the boomer generation and the advent of "the pill", oral contraceptives, the birth rate plummeted and has never approached the levels that were present in the 50's. And so here we sit, with a bunch of old coffin dodgers like myself and not enough young whipper snappers like yourself to take care of us. Japan is in an even worse situation.

One of the reasons why I like Nikki Haley is that she's tackling Social Security and other entitlement programs head on instead of avoiding it and kicking the can down the road. They're going to have to do things that working people like you will hate, ie raise taxes, and that retirees like myself that will hate, cut benefits. But it has to be done if you want to have something to retire on.

Some things that they could do that would inflict the least amount of pain. Eliminate early retirement. Make everyone work until their FRA (Full Retirement Age, ie 67) before they are eligible for any benefits. It would help solve the labor shortage as it would keep more people in the work force. Secondly, get rid of survivor benefits. Make each individual use their own account vs. that of their spouse,

Anyhow, those are just a couple of random thoughts.

I don't know why you believe this. The bigger problem is bad management. There are plenty of other nations getting social services that are doing well. You claiming social security is the problem after you lived in a generation that allowed you to work for the same company for most of your life while modern folks are expected to job hop, get constant insurance changes by employers, and are dealing with a huge amount of immigration to bring in cheaper labor you never had to compete against when you were coming up on top of automation, outsourcing, and all the other ways corporations are treating labor as a fungible commodity that they toss aside when it becomes problematic.

Some nations have moved to helped their people in the face of these changes, while America keeps teaching "bootstraps" while no matter how hard you work at a job, you're just a number that is part of an enormous corporate workforce that will be automated if possible.

It's a very different world than the one you worked in and retired from. You are lucky you made it because in another 20 to 50 years, I wouldn't be surprised if that entire plant you worked at was automated and using robots.

Most people watching at this point know that the end game here is universal basic income as much as I find it odious. You cannot allow a small group of monied business people to buy up the nation with small upper class tech working class, while the unwashed masses are pushed into a garbage standard of living. That's what is happening with tech stratification and the start of the age of robots.

I'm sorry you don't like it. but one of two things is going to happen: either America is going to move towards a European style socialist-capitalist economy to support their people or America is going to turn into a very stratified place that will lead to a lot of haves and have nots fighting over the scraps of the corporations. Since I don't believe that corporate leadership is interested in that type of nation, I think they will eventually accept the move to the type of Socialist-Capitalism blend most of the developed world is using because it is simply a better way to do things for working people. Sweden does it and has plenty of business owners and billionaires, while still providing very good social services for their people.

Main thing the Democrats need to do to get this done is kick loose the loons in their party and go back to their working class roots. They'll attract more moderate working folk votes and be able to reform a lot of our systems as they did in the 50s, 60s, and 70s when school was cheaper, the income gap wasn't as out of control, and America was a place a working person could prosper in.

I see it as inevitable. I don't fear like so many Republicans are taught to do. Nations in Europe live as well or better than Americans with much better social services and government support. America is one of the last holdouts doing so because of the successful divisive poliitcs being pushed by the political media that hold back progress in this nation with fear-mongering taking the focus off of real economic reform so working folk can have a better life.

Eventually Americans will see past this BS and reform the nation. They have no choice as the other option is a third world nation with an enormous income gap.

[Aseahawkfan]

https://apnews.com/article/california-medicaid-expansion-undocumented-immigrants-34d8deb2186e9195b253f499e81a3d77

What do you think of this, Riverdog?

This is why it is so easy for the right to attack the Dems on immigration. Why it's hard to understand why Democrats don't see the crazy in their own party.

This is purely irresponsible government to literally send the message around the world that California is willing to use taxpayer money to provide healthcare to every single immigrant that somehow makes it into California. The California Democratic government without the consent of the people is volunteering California state taxpayer money to provide healthcare for any undocumented immigrant that somehow makes it to California.

Irresponsible governing by Democrats. Straight using the government and taxpayer money they are responsible for managing for charity for non American citizens, but anyone from anywhere that makes it to California.

So when Trump talks, he finds ears to listen because the Democratic Party can't get control of their own loons governing in an irresponsible manner using taxpayer money and a position of power they have been appointed to by a vote of the people.

[RiverDog]

https://apnews.com/article/california-medicaid-expansion-undocumented-immigrants-34d8deb2186e9195b253f499e81a3d77

What do you think of this, Riverdog?

This is why it is so easy for the right to attack the Dems on immigration. Why it's hard to understand why Democrats don't see the crazy in their own party.

This is purely irresponsible government to literally send the message around the world that California is willing to use taxpayer money to provide healthcare to every single immigrant that somehow makes it into California. The California Democratic government without the consent of the people is volunteering California state taxpayer money to provide healthcare for any undocumented immigrant that somehow makes it to California.

Irresponsible governing by Democrats. Straight using the government and taxpayer money they are responsible for managing for charity for non American citizens, but anyone from anywhere that makes it to California.

So when Trump talks, he finds ears to listen because the Democratic Party can't get control of their own loons governing in an irresponsible manner using taxpayer money and a position of power they have been appointed to by a vote of the people.

I think it sucks. It's an abuse of power IMO, that they're using their elective office to foist their view of what's moral on the taxpayer, who has no say in any of this. Why is it California's sole obligation to give health coverage to undocumented aliens when they have over 160,000 mostly legal residents that are homeless? They have bigger fish to fry with their increasingly limited tax revenues.

My position on immigration has changed somewhat. I still want to see a robust immigration program, but there's such a huge flood now that it's overwhelmed our infrastructure and put security at risk, including the wellbeing of those trying to immigrate. The border needs to be closed down completely until they can get it under control and figure out a way to process this flood of immigrants.

I've also changed my mind about the busing of immigrants to other cities and states, at least until the federal government can step in and help the border states manage the problem. But I do agree with the mayors of NYC and Chicago who have insisted that it be coordinated so they can have staff prepared to process the arrivals, especially in the dead of winter where these northern cities can see subzero temperatures.

One of the things I've been thinking about to help alleviate the problem would be to work with Mexico and set up processing stations 100-200 miles south of the border so they can expedite those with legitimate applications, thin out the mass some. We still need young people between the ages of 18-35 as we have a labor shortage, but right now, it's out of control.

[Aseahawkfan]

I'm with you, RD.

I'm not about to start hating on immigrants. Like you, I work with a ton of great people from other places. I love the food and love the stories and learning about other cultures.

But it's irresponsible to let this uncontrolled immigration occur. The government has a responsibility not to manage the limited taxpayer generated funds in a manner that is damaging to the nation or state in which they govern.

It is very sad that other nations are so badly managed their people want to come here, but we can't let our country get destroyed by mismanagement or we're all going to be living in the third world with nowhere to go. That isn't better for anyone.

[RiverDog]

I'm with you, RD.

I'm not about to start hating on immigrants. Like you, I work with a ton of great people from other places. I love the food and love the stories and learning about other cultures.

But it's irresponsible to let this uncontrolled immigration occur. The government has a responsibility not to manage the limited taxpayer generated funds in a manner that is damaging to the nation or state in which they govern.

It is very sad that other nations are so badly managed their people want to come here, but we can't let our country get destroyed by mismanagement or we're all going to be living in the third world with nowhere to go. That isn't better for anyone.

Yeah, it's what happens when a very rich country borders a very poor one. It's obviously not a problem on our border with Canada. I can't blame the people that are trying to get into this country. The vast majority are honest, law abiding, and just want to improve their lives. But it has to be managed. But as you said, it's been so politicized that it makes getting a consensus on a rational immigration policy nearly impossible.

I have an advantage when it comes to my attitude towards immigrants as I've had direct contact with them throughout most of my adult life. A lot of people in my demographic haven't had that opportunity. There's also the very natural instinct to feel threatened when a person is speaking in a language they don't understand. You fear most what you understand least.

Perhaps technology can solve some of that. When I went to Japan last spring, I made great use out of the Google translate app as surprisingly, Japan is not very English friendly when compared to western Europe and other countries I've visited. One evening, I went into a restaurant by myself where none of the staff spoke English, but I was able to use the app to read the menu and communicate with the staff. When I started to leave, the owner of the restaurant chased me down the sidewalk, bowing and thanking me for my patronage.