In-Tune News You’ll Want To Use

We will see more and more solar power cars as the technology develops and car manufacturers will start the shifting process. It is fair to say that within a few decades, fuel and oil will leave the spot light to more efficient and economical solar panels on the top of the new solar powered cars and such innovation will cause a true revolution in our lifestyle. A good and positive data that might speed things up, it is also the factor that all tests so far have been proving great performances by solar powered cars.

We can certainly admit that solar power has found in solar powered cars one of its most innovative and interesting application. Today we are living the future as we read it in novels or watched it in movies and as we said, some of these vehicles can reach the same performances of fueled powered cars and even the speed is reaching levels of sports cars. Solar powered cars are often only prototypes of some of the most prestigious and important car manufacturers in the world, but several technological elements are already implemented and fully used. Therefore it’s a just a matter of time, and we’ll see the big change.

Find out more about solar power costs and how it can help fight global warming and effect you today.

From time to time, I take time away from my book writing duties and my regular column writing to address the concerns and comments from readers.

I get it all. I get some thoughtful, linearly constructed arguments and then I get the circularly argued ones that make my head spin just trying to figure out where they are coming from and what exactly they are trying to say.

But I like them all (readers are who keep me syndicated in more than 21 publications), I try to learn from most, and take some time, on occasion, to try to answer them. Trying to answer them usually ends with my doing what good writers docheck, recheck, and then double check the sources the readers claim prove their points. I do investigative reporting!

So here goes, ready or not, hold on, and let’s see what we have to discuss today.

Reader Comment One: “… and more terrifying are the thousands of cases of TB and hepatitis they (migrant Mexican workers) spread into Los Angeles.”

I contacted the Center for Disease Control and spoke with Jessica Frickey, Health Communications Specialist. Ms. Frickey said this:

“I am attaching CDC’s most recent fact sheet on 2004 TB surveillance data. You will see that while TB was at an all time low in 2004, progress to eliminate the disease may be slowing.

As far as your specific question about illegal immigrants causing a rise in TB, CDC’s data shows that foreign-born individuals - whether illegal immigrants or legal immigrants - accounted for more than half of TB cases reported in 2004. Overall, racial and ethnic minorities also face higher rates of disease than white Americans, with both Hispanics and Blacks at a rate that is 8 times higher than whites and Asians 20 times higher than whites.

Despite these numbers, CDC does not have data to show that foreign-born individuals have caused an increase in TB in recent years.”

What I find so interesting is that this reader’s comment,

“…the thousands of cases of TB and hepatitis they (migrant Mexican workers) spread into Los Angeles.”,

was spouted with absolutely NO stats to support the supposition. His figure, “thousands of cases”, when the REALITY is that in the year 2004 was at an all time low. I wonder just where this reader got his facts. And do not miss the fact of what Ms. Frickey pointed out:

“As far as your specific question about illegal immigrants causing a rise in TB, CDC’s data shows that foreign-born individuals - whether illegal immigrants or legal immigrants - accounted for more than half of TB cases reported in 2004.”

The rate of TB among Asians was the highest group. Does this mean that this reader and his Minuteman-like comrades will be going after the Asians next and then all foreign-born people whether illegal or legal?

Does it not beg the question?

Why, do you think, and I have most certainly wondered, do people who so vehemently oppose a racial or cultural group resort to making such sweeping generalizations without much substance to back their positions?

I’ve decided to do a series of columns on this very issue with specific application to the Mexican Migrant worker problem. And yes, believe it or not, I think it is a problem that has to be solved. However, having said that, I do not think it is the problem the Minuteman-like minions would have you believe it to be. I think they have different motives, which I hope to prove in my series in the coming weeks.

Until then, let me suggest something at this juncture for your kind consideration. The reason Americans, no matter the issue, and especially with regard to people of different race and culture (and politics for that matter) will resort to such emotive blustering and grandiose exaggerations such as,

“Just look what all those thousands of disease-ridden illegal Mexicans are spreading all over our country.”

is that Americans, at least in my view (remember this is an Opinion-Editorial pieceso don’t get all twisted into a knot), is that Americans have very poorly defined “Phony-Boloney” detectors–More on that to come!

Meanwhile, get your printer cartridges filled, get a notebook and pen, you will want to print and take notes and cherish what I am going to say for decades to come (I just made up that last part so I could say something witty to end this serious piece and make my editorial word count.).

About the Author

Doug Bower is a freelance writer, Syndicated Columnist, and book author. His newest book Mexican Living: Blogging it from a Third World Country can now be seen at http://www.lulu.com/content/126241

Few of the many suggestions swirling around the current immigration debate use much common sense.

The idea to build a wall along our 2,000 mile southern border is stuck in some
peoples’ minds but they don’t say who would actually build it or how long it would
take or how much it would cost. They just say “build a wall” and think that will solve
everything. Who would do the work? Our unemployment rate is below 5%, and this is
with millions of illegal workers. Where would we find more workers to do this hard
manual labor? Where would the estimated $2.2 billion it would cost come from?
What about the environmental damage it would do to the deserts it would cut
through?

The people who say we should deport 12 million people don’t say how to do that
either. They just say “round them up and send them home”. They think arresting 12
or 15 at a time on street corners and construction sites will quickly get rid of 12
million people. They don’t consider the personnel who would have to be hired to do
this. They don’t consider the cost to find out if they are here legally, where they
came from or where they should be sent. They don’t consider where we would keep
these people until their status was decided or the cost to send them “home”.

Those who say we should stop all immigration for awhile don’t say how we would
manage here without more people to replace our low birthrate and aging workers.
They seem to think we can keep the economy going without new people, but we
don’t have enough young workers to do that. And most of the young workers we do
have want easier jobs and aren’t interested in picking vegetables or cutting lawns or
cleaning hotel rooms.

Even the people who say that illegal immigrants who have been here two to five
years should return to their homeland and come back in legally, are not considering
how many (or how few) would leave. If people have to prove they have been here for
more than two years by providing rent receipts, utility bills and paystubs, a whole
new industry will start up. The counterfeiters who are now printing driver licenses
and social security cards will start printing rent receipts, utility bills and paystubs. I
imagine most of these “entrepreneurs” will be American citizens. This bill says those
here less than two years just have to leave and not come back. Many of those people
will simply go farther underground and be exploited and mistreated more than they
are now.

And while we are all discussing this problem of illegal immigrants and raiding a few
factories and arresting a few workers, many more will be walking across the deserts.
They will simply be replacing the people we put on the buses heading south.

Common sense says we should change the immigration laws and put more money
into border protection to secure the border with Mexico. There were no immigration
laws here until the 1890s when waves of Irish immigrants forced the government to
write them. These laws have been constantly rewritten since then. It is time to do it
again, this time making more sensible laws that people can live with. This, along
with more border protection will slow the illegal immigration to a manageable
number.

If we change immigration regulations so that people can legally come into this
country with wait times of only a year instead of 10 or more, most people will do it
legally. If the fees are only a few thousand dollars, most will pay that instead of
paying smugglers and be cheated or die.

People who try to immigrate legally now, often have to wait many years and pay
many thousands of dollars in fees. Even children whose parents are already here or
spouses of U.S. citizens have to wait years to come in legally. Once people apply for
legal immigration, they are not allowed to come into the U.S. as a visitor until the
immigration papers are finalized. This means some of these family members don’t
see each other for years.

If money were put into clearing up this backlog of people waiting to get in legally,
we could then deal with the people here illegally. If undocumented people were
convinced that they should apply for legal status and will not automatically be
deported just because they register, they would do it.

The overwhelming majority of them are law abiding and would prefer to be legal
residents and workers, they are just here to provide good lives for their families. If
people understand that they can get decent jobs with safe working conditions when
they have the proper documentation and that the documents can be attained while
they are here, they would do it. They would gladly pay back taxes and fines in order
to get legal status.

As much as many citizens are against amnesty, and we all wish it had never gotten
to this point, I don’t see how the immigrants who are here illegally can be sent
away. They should be allowed to stay and register and go through the criminal
checks and approval process. The ones who qualify should be put on the path to
become permanent residents and citizens.

Over the past 20 years we have let them in, used them, enjoyed the fruits of their
labors and now we have to use some common sense and be responsible. We should
change the immigration laws and secure the border so everyone who wants to come
in will apply for legal status, and then we should legalize all the millions of people
from all countries who are here without documents.

If we make these changes and keep enforcing the “new” rules, we won’t find
ourselves in a similar or worse mess 10 or 20 years from now.

Donna Poisl is President of Live & Thrive Press and the author of “How to Live &
Thrive in the U.S. / Como Vivir y Prosperar en Estados Unidos”. She wrote this
reference guide to help immigrants learn our system and succeed in this country.
Contact Donna at http://www.howtoliveandthrive.com or Immigrants in USA Blog at
http://immigrantsinusa.blogspot.com