First we have a riot in Gitmo. Then there is a bombing at the Boston Marthon. Connect the dots. Could we have not had a greater warning that something was cooking? Was the risk level elevated. Of course not, the war on terrorism is over. Political correctness is killing people in the country.

The writing on the wall is clear. Regardless of who is ultimately blamed by the Obama administration for this, the Obama administration is at fault. They failed to do their duty. They play word games and declare the war on terrorism is over. Even though the terrorists continue to wage war against us. The administration cannot be trusted.

Someone killed people at a major US sporting event. That doesn’t happen here. That it did is a clear indication there are too many bad guys in the country. TOO MANY BAD GUYS. We won’t keep criminals in jail. We tolerate a growing underworld of criminal foreign enterprises in our midst. The federal government won’t enforce the laws, and attacks any state that attempts to do it themselves. The local governments can’t cope with all the bad guys even before you figure in  the confusion caused by pick and choose law enforcement of the Obama administration. I don’t want to hear about amnesty, or new gun regulations regardless what party is involved. We need to enforce the laws we have. Criminals need to serve their time, people who don’t belong in this country need to get out and be kept out. Congress needs to hold the Obama administration accountable. Changes are needed. What isn’t needed is amnesty as long as we are over run with bad guys, or more stupid gun control laws regardless of how bipartisan it is.  I am not interested in hearing anything more about immigration reform. We need law enforcement reform.Starting with the top posts in the country.

This is the fault of Obama and his administrations, regardless of who placed the explosives. We need some changes in Justice and Home Land Security. Start with Holder and Napitano resigning. This experiment in Progressive Socialism has failed. It has put us at risk. Ultimately it is not the loan bomber, or Al-Qaeda, or Iran that is responsible for what happened.

Ultimately it is Obama and his staff that is responsible. They failed in their duty. They cannot be trusted.

• Guest worker program assumes many people come here to work not to immigrate.
• Uses a smart card linked to a national registry to replace all other identification.
• When card is issued DNA and other biometric identification data is collected. Background check and health check performed.
• Qualified individuals are issued cards and all records of employment, licensing, residence, and income are linked to the national registry.
• Information is available to all based on need to know tiers. Guest workers must re-certify every 90 days, at their own expense through a commercial testing facility.
• Anyone free of disease and with no criminal record can come to work in this country.
• Anyone gainfully employed, free of disease and not implicated in criminal activity may remain in this country.
• Because anyone can participate except those that should not be allowed to stay in the country, penalties for those who do not comply can be and should be significant.

Overview of program details.

To Qualify

• Guest worker applicant must submit DNA, finger prints, iris scans and detailed photo identification pictures. Guest worker  must pass a drug screening and be free from communicable diseases. Guest worker data is submitted to national and international criminal databases for background check to certify that the guest worker does not have a criminal record or is not a fugitive from justice. This data, and all other information goes into a database open to the public (with need to know limitations). If the guest worker passes they are issued a guest worker smart card that replaces ALL other forms of ID. The guest worker is given 90 days to prove gainful employment.

To Remain.

• The guest worker can stay as long as they are gainfully employed, free of criminal implication and healthy. They must prove it every 90 days. A lab company (such as those set up to do employment screening ) will administer a DNA based ID test, perform blood and drug testing. The guest worker will enter all income, employer data, and housing data in a terminal provided for that purpose. The income will be verified against department of tax records and the cost of housing will be analyzed against verified income to determine a ratio used to meet “gainfully employed” requirements. Those that meet the requirements will have the smart card updated for another 90 days. The fee for this is borne by the guest worker, or their employer.

Conditions of termination and compensation to the citizens.

• Compensation to citizens. Guest workers may stay as long as they meet the requirements. They are required through their employer to pay all taxes. The guest worker is not eligible for any tax supported benefits. This includes food stamps, welfare, housing assistance, government disability insurance and they do not accumulate credit towards Social Security.  Guest worker’s are not be permitted to remain in the country if they do not meet the requirements for renewal of their guest worker card, regardless of the reason. Collection of taxes without benefits is in lieu of paying a “right to work fee” to the citizens of the country.
• The guest worker can purchase insurance against job loss, disability and health issues the same as anyone. However they still must prove gainful employment, and remain free of health issues and criminal activity, otherwise there right to stay is rescinded.
• If a guest worker chooses voluntarily to close their account, and not to work in the country for an extended period of time they can make their account inactive. Inactive accounts can be reopened and are treated similar to initial 90 accounts after a minimum waiting period. There should be a longer minimum waiting period between consecutive instances of accounts being reopened to prevent fraud or abuse.
• Upon failure to qualify, regardless of the reason the guest worker is expected to leave the country. Those who pass subsequent qualification will have there card reinstated. There is a waiting period (recommended as 18 months) before a person who is ejected because of failure to satisfy the requirements of renewal may reapply to have an initialization of their account.
• Leaving the country. Any guest worker is free to travel into and out of the country with no special restrictions as long as the card is valid. The card serves as the identification like a passport. Record of travel is recorded like any other detail. A guest worker may surrender their right to work in the country if they are out of the country for an extended time for any reason, reapplying for entry when they return, or sub

Naturalization & other considerations

• People come here to earn wealth not available to them in their native country and with that wealth provide for themselves and their families a better future when they leave here. Guest workers like any other foreign national can apply to become citizens.  No preference is given to guest workers and like anyone they are required to go through the full process of immigration. There is no requirement that the become citizens.
• Special attention to the condition of a guest worker marrying a citizen, or two guest workers marrying and living in the country concurrently with family or the children of guest workers born in this country.  The guest worker program is not designed to encourage whole families to come to the country, but there are many workers with potential for incomes that could afford to support their families. Since guest workers are not eligible for benefits, such as education paid for by local taxes, they will be required to enroll their children in private funded schools, and pay a fee for other services they might otherwise use. Children whose mothers are workers are citizens of the guest workers native country, not granted automatic citizenship here.

Enforcement.

• It should be a felony to remain in the country on an expired guest workers card, or without applying for a card. Since anyone can get a card except criminals and the dangerously ill, this is fair to both the citizens and those who come here for the opportunity and follow the rules. It can be assumed that because anyone not a risk to the country will be issued at least an initial card, the only people that do not apply are criminals, those in too poor health to support themselves, or those that are a risk to spread a communicable disease to the general population.

Smart card information access

• The guest worker smart card will link to a database where a complete history is kept. If the guest worker qualifies for a drivers license (common or commercial) the smart card will serve as the only required ID. Employers will use the card to access the data base and get employment, training, education and housing history, as well as validating the right to remain in the country. Employers can use common biometric scanning devices to compare individuals for absolute identifications to prevent fraud. Medical records will be available to authorized medical personnel. Income, credit and housing history will be available to any landlord. And of course all DNA, Print, Iris scans, Identifying photos will be available to law enforcement. Individuals in other business or private citizens can use biometric scanning tools to validate that the person holding the card is the person the card was issued too and that they are in the country legally. Banks for example can verify the card is valid, the person is the same as the card was issued to, that the person presenting the card is legal to be in the country and with this information provide banking services.

If we are going to talk about immigration reform, lets start here. Recognizing that there is a difference between someone who wants to come here and earn a good living, and someone that wants to adopt the USA as their country forever. It simplifies the discussion. Many people who cross our borders do so for a limited time, to return to their families. Many more would like to travel home often if it weren’t for the risk. Many students who complete college then go underground would welcome this offer. There are two different needs. Those who want to come to America to be Americans, and not be part of a hyphenated diaspora, and those that simply want to participate in the worlds greatest economic opportunity while remaining attached, and eventually planning to return to their home land. With a guest worker program we can satisfy the requirements of those who don’t want to abandon their native country making it easier to develop a comprehensive immigration plan for those who do want a path to naturalization.

WmCraig

Don’t hire people to go to Philadelphia. Hire people from Philadelphia. I can get you a list of Asian, Mexican and Puerto Rican, Black, and immigrants from Eastern European who are recent college graduates that are unemployed or under employed.

Give them a decent salary, set them up with resources, facilities and train them. Let them Organize for Better Tomorrow. We are going to focus on these areas.

1. Education. The Philadelphia Education system is failing these communities and the government and education workers unions are the enemies of the target constituencies. Bring money, lawyers and solutions that are free market friendly. Advocate for charter schools, alternative community based schools, and virtual solutions like home schooling and “group settings”. Let the communities decide their needs then build programs that depend on private industry, not government. Become the catalyst for change. You may need to develop a new school certification consortium, but you should be doing that anyway to break the back of the progressive education industrial complex.

2. Industry. Talk industry, not jobs. What made our cites great was industry. Philadelphia can’t burn coal, can’t open factories. Between unions, EPA regulations, Labor Relations, taxation, zoning and the PHRC Philadelphia effectively prevents growth in the one area industrious immigrants are notoriously successful. Cottage industries. You can back that with a push to end funding for the EPA, the NLRB and other agencies allowing local and state governments to work together to achieve a balanced approach to clean air, clean water and prosperity. The war on poverty has never been a war to help people, the war on industry has created the poverty. We have millions of people who don’t get a college education, maybe not a high school diploma. In my life time a man with skilled hands, willing to work hard, sometimes take on back breaking work, could advance, improve their skills, get a better pay and make a life for himself and his family. Democrats war on industry enslaved these people to a life of hopelessness. Change that, end the war on industry, send money and lawyers to help fight the regulatory enslavement that keeps these people in poverty and build industry. Through a network connection to private funding for new cottage industries, for access to other American markets we can change the outlook for the ethnic constituencies one smoke stack at a time. Free market solutions that “Oraganizing for a Better Tomorrow” can deliver with support from conservatives in Washington and a network of private enterprises ready to make America work again.

3. Focus on Wedge issues. Democrat progressive government is not a free ride. In Philadelphia at least there are visible cracks. The mayor is under assault from government workers unions for not giving into their demands enough, from various upscale metro chic residents who are furious at their huge tax increases, from business owners lured to the city because of low real estate taxes, who find themselves suddenly seeing increases of 1000% in their bills. Right now Democrat control over life in this big blue city at least is spiraling out of control, costs going up, benefits going down, relations between Democrat constituencies becoming strained and the administration desperate to keep the lid turning to oppressive tactics and attacks. Send money, lawyers and protection and have the local “Organizing for a Better Tomorrow” organizer help his or her relatives, friends and neighbors visualize a better way, without Democrat oppression.

Come into the city where I work, and preach to us, and all that will happen is that the Democrats, their cronies and their organizers will do a post visitation debriefing where anyone who is not adequately caustic toward your interloper’s ideas will be subjected to re-education in progressive ideology.

Nothing a bunch of carpetbaggers says will  change any votes, not in big blue cities like Philadelphia.

We can win converts in these cities, the way we won support in Iraq. By being there, on the ground and not being afraid, or in a hurry to run off. You can’t win these votes with air strikes any more than Obama can defeat Al Qaeda with drone strikes.  The cost of progressive government is becoming apparent to even the most liberal supporter. We have never had a better chance to see this monster collapse from within.   But the price of a good attack, helping it collapse under it’s own weight, is having an alternative. The groups you are targeting expect more government services. We need our organizers to be there when that happens to get people the support they need without going to city hall. Through their own initiatives supported by our representatives.

Ten Million dollars is a lot of money. A small part of that money invested in local people doing local outreach before the last election, and you may have reduced the vote in Philadelphia enough to carry Pennsylvania for Mitt.
Spend that money on Carpetbaggers and you will have wasted millions more throwing it down the same empty hole that that turned up dry lastime.

WmCraig

from Out of the Blue

Pretend those big blue cities were foreign countries harboring terrorists. Admittedly that is not that big a stretch, if you are a conservative living in a Red State. So play along with me here, if the big blue cities were foreign nations harboring terrorists, that were attacking your way of life and undermining your security, what would be the first thing you would do?

If you said, send in the Special Forces, give yourself a star.

First would be reconnaissance. Get some highly trained and motivated people on the ground and get a first hand picture of  the conditions and lay of the land. And while you are there you would try and make friends. The enemy of my enemy should be my friend. You would be looking for the equivalent of native tribes, for people who have much in common, and get little or no respect from their government. You would want to identify ways we could use our influence to better their lives and win their support. The SpecFor teams, medical professionals, communications professionals, organizing and training professionals, engineers, logistical managers would set up a secure camp, begin teaching people how to win against superior forces, begin building health care, education, and develop income earning industries. Teaching people how to use the resources available to improve their lives, protect themselves from government abuse, educate their children and care for the sick and injured.

Now I don’t know about you, but what’s not to like? I mean, if you really think those big blue cities that are undermining the credibility of our electoral system by conveniently delivering enough votes to keep Republicans out of the Senate and Oval Office, why wouldn’t you want to use the proven method of nation building?

Nation building. That is the ticket. Sure it is hard work, and requires dedicate well funded and well trained people who can operate on foreign soil to create pockets of freedom and independence that weaken the stranglehold the Democrat political machine has over the people. Pockets of support for Real American values, that work to derail and discourage oppression otherwise unchecked in these foreign lands we call big blue cities.

And what Red State Republican doesn’t think the big blue cities and the blue states are tantamount to foreign lands. They don’t even speak the same language we do anymore, really.  So if we want to win. If we want to stop the slow erosion of our liberty we have got to do some nation building. American nation building, in our own back yard.

Nation building in the big blue cities, restoring American principles, teaching generations lost and oppressed under Democrat domination how to win against city hall. How to reverse job killing regulations, how to stand up against an abusive despotic government and restore our vast industrial base. What a dream.

Authors Note: Originally published 3/9 I added the first paragraph and changed the title to better convey the message. I am an advocate for setting aside policy differences and focusing on improved tactics that can gain Republicans the power needed to influence government.

That is over 17% increase in revenue. I don’t know anyone who saw their take home pay jump 17% .  Everybody saw a cut of 2% for FICA withholding tax increases. That $85,000,000,000 ($85 Billion) sequester cut is about 2.9% of the governments take.  Just let it go into effect.

Sounds fair,  doesn’t it?

I gave up 2% why is Obama bellyaching over less than 3%.

But wait, Revenues for 2012 were 2,468,600,000,000 while 2013 is at 2,901,960,000,000
That is 433,360,000,000 more cash to spend they you had last year, if you subtract the $85 Billion from the $433 billion RAISE the government will still have 348,360,000,000 more to spend this year (or about 14% RAISE)

So I we are not even asking that you get by on less cash like we have to do, but rather only a little less of a great big increase. You still got a 14% increase.

The Republicans can win by standing firm on the sequester. Obama cuts our paychecks leaving us less money to spend even though he promised not to do that. The sequester is just our way of giving the leader a chance to demonstrate by example. But instead of stepping up and showing us how,  Obama whines and throws a temper tantrum like a spoiled child with ONLY a 14% RAISE in cash to spend.

Mr. President, at a time when all the people are seeing smaller checks complaining about squeezing 3% out of your bloated  spending is not “good governing”, it is not even good politics. You need to stop scaring people because you can’t deliver good governing on only a 14% increase in money to spend.

Mr. President governing starts when you stop living the high life and put some desk time in to figuring out how to get the job done with only a nice healthy 14% increase. An increase that the working poor and the middle class you claim to represent can only dream about.

WmCraig

The problem with Democrats is, well, they act like Democrats. And historically speaking that isn’t ever a good thing for the average citizen.

For those of you preparing Republican talking points, I am sure you have better sources of  numbers.  The numbers I used are from this link: http://historical-federal-budget.theblaze.com/compare/115-116/2012-estimate-vs-2013-estimate.

Obama has been whipping up this recipe for a long time, now it is time to let him eat it. With the painful reminders of the recent tax increases on everyone that earns a paycheck, Republicans will never have a better chance to prove we can cut spending and the country will survive. The sequester is a winning place to take a stand.

The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Wilmington (DE) is in decline according to Wall Street.

” The high poverty rate in the cities slum predominately neighborhoods, scarred by drug trade and violence, along with fixed high costs including pensions economically sensitive revenues and weakening wealth levels makes it likely that Moody’s will cut the city’s bond ratings

OK, let me translate economic sensative revenues means when the approximately 1/2 of all fortune 500 business headquartered in Wilmington aren’t booming things go bust. Blame that on the Democrats in Washington such as Barack Obama and home town here Joe Biden. But this isn’t specifically directed at them, Wilmington is just innocent collateral damage in the democrats war on economic prosperity.

However this term “Weakening wealth levels” is the direct result of Obama gutting the economy of Delaware to buy votes in Ohio. Read this as Obama closed both automobile plants in our state and destroyed all the manufacturing, marketing, transportation, and distribution related business in the state in the process. These were the only large employers of high paid union skilled workers (meaning people without a college degree) and put Wilmington into a 37% unemployment bracket. Obama gutted Wilmington as part of his initiative to save the auto industry, in Ohio. There are hospitals and all those fortune 500 “virtual” headquarters business still in Wilmington but they just aren’t hiring the thousands of high school graduates, or non-graduates that were making those big union bucks building cars, or working in all those other industries supporting these two big manufacturing plants that now sit idle.

“Wilmington your purpose isn’t to achieve prosperity, but to serve as an example to others”
Even when the Vice President calls your neighborhood home, President Obama will still gut your economy and destroying your city to buy votes somewhere else.

A recent rash of train-related deaths prompted State Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R., Bucks-Montgomery) to urge SEPTA officials Thursday to do more to prevent such fatalities, even if it means reduced train speeds or lost revenue.

Although there is no clear reason why train deaths are up, many of the fatalities are suicides, and SEPTA general manager Joseph Casey said people may feel driven by economic pressures to take their lives.

Because tracks often are accessible and unguarded, they can be magnets for those looking for a shortcut, an adventure, or an end to life.

“It’s a problem that has frustrated us, always,” said James Jordan, general counsel for SEPTA and the agency’s former safety chief. “It’s an open system that can’t be fenced . . . and even at half the posted speed, it takes a long time to stop a train.”
Excerpted from an article by Paul Nussbaum, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: Friday, February 22, 2013, 7:36 AM

PART 2 Actual Value initiative – Proof Democrats never lower taxes.
First they pass the law, then when people start to complain, they add loop holes. Wonder if they charge for the loopholes or just trade them for votes.

If Council sets a 1.25 percent tax rate under AVI, 60 percent of homeowners will see tax increases, including several thousand by more than $1,000 a year.

“Should all property owners pay their fair share? Absolutely,” said Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, whose 2nd District includes some hard-hit areas, like South Philly, Point Breeze and the former Graduate Hospital area. “But, realistically, these residents did not create this system, and we need to recognize that some folks simply just cannot afford such a drastic increase all at once.”

Johnson introduced a bill Thursday that creates a hardship deferment that would allow eligible homeowners to defer any amount exceeding 2.5 times their previous tax bill until they can afford it, or until the house is sold. The owner must meet eligibility guidelines. The hardship would apply only to primary residences, and owners would have to pay at least $1,000 in property taxes. Deferred payments would be subject to a lien until payment.

The Nutter administration has some concerns about the bill. “We’re hoping the person would sell, but if they pass away, then the relatives inherit the debt,” said Revenue Commissioner Keith
excerpted from an article by

City Council has been flooded with calls from residents who are angry over skyrocketing assessments under the Actual Value Initiative.

Exceprts from an article by JAN RANSOM, Daily News Staff Writer ransomj@phillynews.com,
Posted: Friday, February 22, 2013, 7:00 AM
Richardson.

Some take away thoughts.
- There are a log of people upset with City councel.
- Notice that no one suggested lowering taxes, Mayor Nutter’s administration appears to be on record that he wants people to move or die, either way he gets paid. It strikes me that anywhere else this would be considered racist, but I could have the demographics wrong.

For those of you that follow my thoughts on how we gain power please re-read PART 2 and tell me if you know where we might hire a wedge issue advocate to start a local community organization to agitate against the establishment AKA the Democrats! One thing is certain, these people did not think Obama was going to let real estate taxes double or triple or worse.

Side bar: Philadelphia has some of the lowest real estate taxes around. As a Jersey Resident I almost moved back to save 90% which is thousands a year. Even at this new rate Philadelphia taxes are only 1/4 of what I pay on a house of equal value in New Jersey.

Philadelphia and in fact the whole Delaware Valley is an area ripe for exploitation by a Community Freedom and Opportunity Organization Activist. This needs to be someone from “the ‘hood” that is a recent college graduate either unemployed or underemployed. Someone we can hire, train, employe and support to lead the fight against city hall. Hispanic, black and especially Asian ethnic groups, along with numerous European ethnic groups are concentrated in Philadelphia and have needs that aren’t being addressed properly by the progressive/socialist/Washington DC Government triumvirate. Hence the big tax hikes. All we need to do is light the spark and fuel the fire.

The north end of Ocean City (New Jersey) is enjoying a beach replenishment project, part of an ongoing process where the federal government squanders money to insure that beach home and beach town business enjoy boom times. While I do admit that this is an important part of the economy, for New Jersey  it is not a federal issue. Somebody explain to me please how someone in Iowa can pass judgement on the merits of this expenditure? Because they are contributing.

City officials said that the north-end project was in the works even before the storm struck and that they are unsure what federal aid might be forthcoming to do more right away.
That’s not a good enough explanation for south-end homeowners, many of whom also depend on vacation-rental income.

One of the big bugaboos here in the Delaware Valley has been the relatively recent revenue generation plan of “beach tags”. Cities take in lots of money from visitors. Local business get high volume traffic, which keeps real estate values high, parking fees contribute huge amounts (in my opinion) since most towns charge by the minute to park anywhere near the beach during the season. All of this was supposed to go to keep the beaches “pristine”, create dunes as barriers (not sure against what) and replenish the sand if required. So why so much reliance on federal bail outs to do what the cities and towns should have been saving to do (or purchasing insurance against) with these fees. Parking fees, beach fees. (Perhaps they were used for “pocket” replenishment projects to expand Democrat political patronage roles and insure pristine victories. /Snark off)

“Even before Sandy hit, most of the beach there was already under water at high tide. Now it’s all the time. . . . Now it’s dangerous,” (Thad) Kirk said, citing flooding concerns.

Uhm, wait a minute. According to this source the small business people and multimillion dollar beach front house owners that depend on “rentals and tourists” for income knew that the beaches were just about gone, not because of Sandy but because of the normal natural forces at work. Not that Sandy wasn’t a natural force, just that it was an extreme rather than normal natural occurrence. So, common sense says if you are a business person and you depend on a natural resource, you invest your profits (at least a portion of them) in preserving or exploiting that resource, right? What is different about this that the natural resource is supposed to be preserved by the general public to enrich an exclusive list of beneficiaries rather then those owners providing the funds themselves?

Officials contend they are working on a solution and waiting for direction – and Sandy relief aid – from the federal government.

Why? If this is your livelihood and if the value of your property is tied inextricably to the conditions of the beach why wait for federal aid. Fix it, lien the property owners property and move on. When I was young, the city of Philadelphia decided to extend sewer lines to the far northeast section of the city where my house was located. They didn’t ask us if we could afford it, or if we needed it, they simply said, you will pay “such and such amount” which we will collect, or lien against your property and begin the process of sheriff selling it to recover the expense. Seems simple enough. Just fix the problem and lien the properties. Sell them for unpaid assessments. Of course I don’t understand why the owners were not assessed to keep of the beaches and let them pass that on to their customers. Or knowing what tax rates are in New Jersey I don’t understand why the owners who saw their high taxes being in part because of their location near the beach, let the government take that tax money and not maintain the beaches. But that is their problem.

Ocean City’s south end was among the hardest-hit areas in Cape May and Atlantic Counties when the storm roared ashore Oct. 29, crumbling bridges and sections of boardwalks, damaging homes and businesses, and washing away protective dunes and chunks of beachfront along New Jersey’s 127-mile coastline.
In spots along the mile-long stretch in Ocean City between 50th and 59th Streets, there is virtually no beach left. At high tide, waves lap over the bulkhead that separates the beachfront from the street ends and the backyards of houses lining the sea, sometimes flooding those yards.
Eight-foot-high dunes, which once protected against such flooding, are gone. Another storm could mean widespread flooding for the entire south end, which is less than a quarter-mile across at its widest point.
“All of the homes in the south end have been left completely vulnerable . . . and there is no plan to do anything about it,” said Kirk, saying Ocean City could earn a black eye if vacationers turned away from still-devastated North Jersey beach towns look for a place to vacation here.

Now that is a revelation! Thad Kirk, in his quote above indicated that the owners knew the beaches where in bad shape. They knew they had been allowed to deteriorate even before Sandy. And Jacqueline L. Urgo of the Inquirer states that the same area of the City was “was among the hardest-hit areas in Cape May and Atlantic Counties when the storm roared ashore”. Do you see a pattern of cause and effect? Owners failed to maintain the natural resource that their livelihood or property value depends upon and more importantly their safety depended upon. Yet rather than scraping together the cash needed to protect their multimillion dollar houses, and their business,  they chose to wait for an opportunity to get the federal government to fix the beach or possibly just wait until a disaster hits to take advantage of American generosity.

I would pay more taxes this year, a reasonable sum anyway, to see the beach restored, with one caveat. All beach fees for state residents are reduced to $1.00 per year for state residents.  Of course, I expect the state to pay for it. And if we have to get rid of the EPA in Washington as the price of that freedom, well that wouldn’t bother me at all.

And that brings me to this little tidbit of information.  I can’t help but laugh out loud at the thought of what this must be doing to the people who have been bludgeoning the public with this gambit to keep the property exclusive. Read that to mean “keep non-residents off the beach”.

environmental concerns about the endangered nesting piping plover, with a nesting season directly on the beachfront that begins March 15 and runs through August, could also thwart any plans for an immediate beach fill. The bird tends to prefer the less populous south end.
- Mike Dattilo, the city’s business administrator

It sounds to me like the environmentalist’s chickens have come home to roost, Only this time they arrive dressed as piping plovers.

PART 2 Elections have consequences even for small businesses.
Comments on an excerpts from an article by JAN RANSOM, Daily News Staff Writer ransomj@phillynews.com, titled AVI likely to take a big toll on small businesses. AVI stands for actual value initiative.

EAST PASSYUNK AVENUE was not always the vibrant South Philly commercial corridor it is today, with its chic boutiques, cafes and trendy restaurants. Just ask chef Lynn Rinaldi.

Rinaldi, 48, grew up on 12th Street near Tasker, not too far from the bustling strip where she and her husband own two restaurants, Izumi and Paradiso. And she could be hit particularly hard under the Actual Value Initiative, a new property-tax system based on market values.

The three-story building where Paradiso is situated, on Passyunk near Tasker Street, was assessed at $100,000 for 2013 and valued at $505,000 for 2014. Under a 1.25 percent tax rate, her $3,126 tax bill would jump to $6,312.

“People started to invest in the neighborhood, and now there are 30 restaurants along the strip,” Rinaldi said. “And the payback is, eight years later I pay double taxes.” Rinaldi said that she’ll either have to charge more at her restaurant or trim employee hours.

Rinaldi is not alone. According to data from City Controller Alan Butkovitz, 73 percent of the 5,148 commercial properties that will see tax increases under AVI are properties between 1,000 and 10,000 square feet and include restaurants, funeral homes, auto-repair shops and small grocery stores. Roughly 34 percent, or 2,321, of those small properties will see tax increases of more than $1,000.

The areas that the author is talking about were in fact run down, affordable areas not long ago. Pioneers in redevelopment like Rinaldi helped turn the values around and benefit from increased traffic, increased desirability and increased property values. This is part of the great American dream. But being successful doesn’t come without its responsibilities. We know the rewards. I am all for small business but we are talking about a small business in an industry known for its exploitation of cheap labor, as well as providing opportunities for employees of exceptional ability to earn decent if not good wages. Usually without concern over national origin or legal status. And it is in a big blue city. Big blue cities want people to pay for the Democrat patronage machine benefits, so why are we as Republicans concerned about local taxes on local businesses? It isn’t like anyone there votes Republican. I don’t recall Renaldi being a big Romney advocate.
Well the truth is I do care. I care to see the cost of local government borne by the beneficiaries of that government. And Rinaldi can’t deny that the policies of the city administration have led in part to her success. She is in the heart of a redevelopment area that is booming now, and very close to the sports complex that contains all the major sports venues. I am for protecting small businesses from the avarice of the federal government, but local government is not our problem.
Maybe Rinaldi will realize that the people that are getting elected are not her friends. Or not

Oh if you are curious it is pronounced “Pash-yunk” by natives.

WmCraig
Thoughts from “Out of the Blue”

Rush can not understand why when a majority of people think the country is getting worse why anyone would believe that Obama could get elected to three terms. Rush doesn’t reject the callers position, he seems genuinely interested in understanding because if everything is true to form, this shouldn’t be possible. Rush worked this point with a number of questions, but even though the callers conclusions didn’t seem to jive with what the “polls” indicated should happen the caller was unswayed by the questions. And the caller continued to see worsening scenarios that Obama would somehow turn to his advantage.

Let me offer a suggestion.
1. A lot of people think their jobs or their income depend on the government, and so we focus on “liberalism” or “Progressive socialism”, maybe even blame “big government” advocates and we posture our policy against these things.
2. A majority of the population earns at least a part of their income from the government so they vote Democrat supposedly. We think this is bribery of the lazy and we posture our party against this idea.
3. We see the Democrats giving rewards to what we think are single issue voters, such as amnesty for illegals, or Gay marriage, and many would have us posture our party NOT to oppose these things, or worse, are engaged in a public brawl over what we should do.

We have decided that Obama is a big government, liberal supported by progressive socialists, and that the policies of socialist liberalism dictate Obama’s action. In my opinion, nothing could be farther from the truth. And that is Obama’s camouflage. He kinda of looks like what we think we should see, so we never get a true outline of what really motivates Obama’s actions.

Red State voters should understand this. You are all familiar with the hunter, dressed in his Mossy Oaks, standing along the wooded edge of a field, floating along in his hide boat, or waiting patiently in his tree stand for the right shot. His prey in the mean time is cautiously looking around, and his eyes glancing over our camouflaged hunter see what they want to see, so the prey reacts accordingly. Seeing nothing unusual it continues on the course that will reward the hunter.

People see what they want to see. Obama knows that. Each time the Obama administration does something (such as abandoning the defense of DOMA but not overturning the laws) he creates barriers. He isolates and oppresses in the name of “freedom”. Granting this charter as a personal license, Obama creates a loyal “virtual fiefdom” of followers who have much to loose by his departure. But this too can be misinterpreted. It is assumed this is a bribe, but in fact it is a “gilded cage”. For there is no freedom, except that which Obama grants. And that which Obama grants, Obama can take away. This is kinda of like socialism, but not. It is kinda of liberal, but it is not. It is something else. Because socialism theoretically is about collective power, not personal power, and liberalism is about freedom from government power, not the concentration of power in a single person’s control.

President Obama is not a communist, socialist, or liberal. I am not sure that he is even a statist. Though like the Mossy Oak camouflage he wears a cloak that can be mistaken for all these things.
Obama is something else. I have an idea what that is, but I would like you to name it.

If we can name the threat we might defeat the camouflage, and exposed it should be obvious that there is no one safe from Obama, especially not for those that Obama “rewards”.

Can you tell me what we should call this?

WmCraig

L’État, c’est moi – Attributed to Louis XIV

To Qualify

You must submit DNA, prints, and Photo identification. You must pass a “Pee Test” for drugs and common communicable diseases. Your data is submitted through national and international criminal databases and to qualify you must not have a criminal record or be a fugitive from justice. This data, and all your information goes into a database open to the public (with need to know limitations) and if you pass you are issued a guest worker smart card that replaces ALL other forms of ID. You have 90 days to prove you are gainfully employed.

To Remain.

You can stay as long as your are gainfully employed, free of criminal or health issues and prove it every 90 days. A company (i.e. Quest Diagnostics) will administer a DNA based ID test, perform blood and drug testing. The guest worker will submit all income, employer data, and housing data. The income will be verified against department of tax records and the cost of housing will be analyzed against verified income to determine a ration for the subject value “gainfully employed”. Those that meet the requirements will have there smart card updated for another 90 days. The fee for this is borne by the guest worker, or their employer.

Conditions of termination and compensation to the citizens.

There is no reason to demand that people become citizens. Many people who come here to work, and earn wages they cannot match in their native country may not want to stay. And they shouldn’t be forced to stay. Therefor no preference is given to guest workers and like anyone they are required to go through the full process of immigration. While a guest worker they are not entitled to benefits intended for citizens. This includes food stamps, welfare, housing assistance, government disability insurance and they do not accumulate credit towards Social Security. Remember they can stay only as long as they are gainfully employed. They do however have to pay all local, state and federal taxes towards these things and anything else. Congress can choose to reduce or eliminate the standard exemption as an additional fee for the right to work here.

The guest worker can purchase insurance against job loss, disability and health issues the same as anyone. However they still must prove gainful employment, and remain free of health issues and criminal activity, otherwise there right to stay is rescinded.

Enforcement.
It is a felony to remain in the country on an expired guest workers card, Since anyone can get a card except criminals and the dangerously ill, this is fair. Since anyone can stay if they are a worker gainfully employed, this is fair. Since Citizen of past generations built the country that provides so many opportunities paying into their old age support is a fair way to compensate them and us.

Who has access to this information.
The guest worker smart card will link to a database where complete records are kept. If the guest worker qualifies for a drivers license (common or commercial) the smart card will serve as the only required ID. Employers will use the card to access the data base and get employment, training, education and housing experience, as well as validating the right to remain in the country. Employers can use common computer finger print devices to compare individuals for absolute identifications to prevent fraud. Medical records will be available to authorized medical personnel. Income, credit and housing history will be available to any landlord. And of course all DNA, Print, Iris scans, Identifying photos will be available to law enforcement,

If we are going to talk about immigration reform, lets start here. Recognized that there is a difference between someone who wants to come here and earn a good living, and someone that wants to adopt the USA as their country forever. It simplifies the discussion.

WmCraig