A Gun Happy Nation

It’s all baloney. CNN headline is “Our Hearts are Broken” as they display photos of Alison Parker and Adam Ward. Horror and dismay along with weeks of coverage after the massacres at a Colorado movie theater by James Holmes and Sandy Hook elementary school and the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. But we just can’t give up our guns.

After each event there are flowers laid at a critical location and a call for a gathering to remember those who have been killed. They call it a “vigil.” Then we all go on with life knowing that there will be another horrifying killing within the next few days.

The Los Angeles Times had an article about this very topic in the morning’s edition before the latest killing in Virginia. The article says that the United States is the leader in the most mass killing of any country in the world.

Where is our congress? On vacation forever on this issue.

So despite the killing of nine in a Black church in South Carolina and the killing in Tucson, Arizona that left Gabrielle Giffords maimed for life; Our love for guns trumps all other events. Our preference to own a gun has no limits. There is no price too high to pay that will change our love of guns.

When our leaders say we are the exceptional country is gun ownership part of that? The answer must be yes. Is there another reason we allow everyone to own a gun?

Canada’s birthright citizenship

It turns out that Donald Trump’s commentary is not new. Canada and the United States are the only countries in the world that offer birthright citizenship. Birth tourism is a thriving business in southern California. I was born in Canada. If Donald Trump is elected president of the United States will Canada take me back? From Toronto Life on May 20, 2014.

Jan Wong: Canada’s birthright citizenship policy makes us a nation of suckers

Pregnant women are travelling to Toronto from all over—China, Iran, India, Dubai, Jamaica—to have their babies on Canadian soil, and who can blame them? We’re a nation of suckers

By Jan Wong | Illustration by Graham Roumieu

Jan Wong: Motherlode

I don’t know about you, but I constantly congratulate myself on winning the jackpot in the lottery of life. Thank you, revered ancestor, for your wisdom in choosing Canada. My grandfather, Hooie Chong, came here as a coolie in the 1880s to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Once it was complete, he paid a special tax to stay on and continue working, as a laundryman. Later, he paid triple head taxes to bring over my grandmother, their son and his wife. Family lore has it that Grandfather Chong was the 10th Chinese person to become a naturalized Canadian (albeit without any right to vote).

Now there’s a much easier path to citizenship: birth tourism. Foreign companies are helping pregnant women take advantage of our breathtakingly generous birthright policy, which grants automatic citizenship—and all the rights and benefits it entails—to any baby born on Canadian soil. You don’t even have to touch the soil: in 2008, a girl born to a Ugandan mother aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Boston was deemed Canadian because the plane happened to be in our airspace at the moment of delivery. Currently, Canada and the U.S. are the only two developed countries bestowing birthright citizenship.

For pregnant women actively seeking to jump the immigration queue, birth tourism agencies offer comprehensive package deals. One such agency is the Canada-U.S. Childbirth Counselling Services Company, based in Nanjing, China. According to their website, “the best gift you can give your newborn is a Canadian passport.” The company’s $36,200 package includes airfare, assistance with visas and paperwork, coaching on how to get through the border, private accommodation with Wi-Fi and “a special person to cook and look after your personal needs.” Among the advantages that come with Canadian citizenship, the company lists “great educational resources” and social benefits, including welfare payments of “$500 to $700 a month for a single person,” plus a Canadian passport that provides visa-free entry to more than 200 countries, including the U.S., Japan and western Europe.

Birth tourism consultants recommend that clients apply for tourist visas early and fly before they start to show. Otherwise they are advised to wear loose clothing to the airport. While some airlines such as Air Canada require a doctor’s note to fly after 36 weeks of pregnancy, in this age of political correctness, a woman is unlikely to be questioned about girth. Once at the border, birth-tourism agencies advise expectant mothers to say they’re visiting Canada to sightsee.

From there, the visitor’s experience is fairly straightforward. When she goes into labour, she’s automatically admitted into one of the many local hospitals offering high-quality obstetric care. Wendy Lawrence, in-house legal counsel at Mount Sinai, says the hospital considers every labour a medical emergency. “No matter what, we help them deliver the baby.”

Once the baby is born, the hospital opens a file and assigns a number. Hospital staff aren’t required to check the mother’s citizenship, and they don’t. The province (which is responsible for birth registration) doesn’t ask about the mother’s citizenship either—a lapse Ottawa says it will address. When mother and baby leave the hospital, they move into a short-term rental. Thanks to Canada’s streamlined application process, the parental paperwork is a breeze. It takes just 25 minutes online to register a birth, apply for a birth certificate and acquire a social insurance number. Official documents arrive in the mail a few weeks later; a passport takes another month.

The Power of the NRA and Gun Manufacturers

Just last week Fareed Zakaria pointed out on his program, GPS, that 150,000 people have been killed in homicides since September 11, 2001 and 74 people have been killed by terrorists since that date. Few seem to be concerned about the killing by guns in America even though those events happen on a daily basis.

American attitude is that this is a cheap price to pay for our right to own a gun. No other industrialized country in the world has the high rate of deaths from gun violence that is experienced here. Are there more people that have mental disease in the United States compared to other countries? That is not likely.

We have accepted the NRA and gun manufacturers arguments that we are safer with more guns. Can you imagine how many more people would have been killed in a dark movie theater in Aurora, Colorado if someone else has started shooting to defend themselves?

American Political Dynasties

Family dynasties in politics goes back to our second president, John Adams. His son, John Quincy Adams was the 6th president. John Quincy was an early proponent of Manifest Destiny, an American expansionist policy popular in the 19th century. He changed his position when the expansion of American territory also meant the expansion of slavery. What was he most noted for? He supported infrastructural and educational improvements in the shape of federal projects like road and canal building, a national university, and a national bank, but met with stiff opposition from supporters of Andrew Jackson in Congress. He is renowned as one of America’s greatest diplomats before his presidency and one of American’s greatest congressmen after his presidency, but was not a particularly effective president. Source: http://us-presidents.insidegov.com/q/27/9699/What-were-President-John-Quincy-Adams-s-accomplishments, www.john-adams-heritage.com/john-quincy-adams-facts/

Then there were the Roosevelts. Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt was a republican (In office September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909) with a liberal view who started our national park system and the first anti- trust laws. He began construction of the Panama Canal. Later his famous young nephew Franklin Roosevelt who led America out of the Great Depression and through most of WWII.

The Kennedy Family was famous even before John F. Kennedy became president.

The Bayh family of Indiana consists of two representatives Birch Bayh and most recently his son Evan Bayh.

The Brown family of California. The father was Pat Brown who is famous for building the California aqueduct that helped to distribute northern California water to southern California. His daughter Kathleen served as the state’s Treasurer and son Jerry who is now serving his fourth term as governor.

The Bush family starting with Prescott Bush (1895–1972) brought us George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush as presidents. Today George W. Bush’s brother, for Florida governor Jeb is running for president.

The Gore’s of Tennessee, and the Dodd’s of Connecticut are two other families that also come to mind.

Last but hardly least is Hillary Clinton who would like to be remembered for more than being a former First Lady.

There are many other political families listed in Wikipedia.

The question is have these families really harmed America? I believe the answer, for some of them is Yes. They see politics as a business to earn money for themselves and their families at the expense of society. Here in Los Angeles at least two families were instrumental in the incorporation of separate small towns that were manipulated to purchase services from their private companies.

These situations should be a reason for more Americans to be involved in the political system.

How Changing Demographics could change America’s Politics!

Could White People be the New Minority?

Opposition to immigration has a history going back to our second president, John Adams. The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798 and signed into law by President Adams. These laws included new powers to deport foreigners as well as making it harder for new immigrants to vote. Previously a new immigrant would have to reside in the United States for five years before becoming eligible to vote, but a new law raised this to 14 years. In essence, this Act prohibited public opposition to the government. Fines and imprisonment could be used against those who “write, print, utter, or publish . . . any false, scandalous and malicious writing” against the government. (source: http://www.ushistory.org/us/19e.asp)

At the end of 2014 California’s population exceeded 38 million people and was on its way to 40 million in 2015.

A new tally, released in late June, shows that as of July 1, 2014, about 14.99 million Latinos live in California, edging out the 14.92 million whites in the state.

Asians account for more than 14% of our population. That equals more than 5 million people. Almost 1.5 million are Filipino.

Walk through your neighborhood mall and you will appreciate the large number of Non-White Americans living here.

This is bad news for the Republican Party. According to a Gallup poll taken in 2012 “Republicans are overwhelmingly non-Hispanic white, at a level that is significantly higher than the self-identified white percentage of the national adult population. Just 2% of Republicans are black, and 6% are Hispanic.”

Failure of the GOP controlled Congress to pass revised immigration laws along with their new idea of limiting legal immigration to a greater extent almost guarantees that Non-White Americans will be voting Democratic in the next national election. The Democratic Party is depending on that outcome. They have every reason to expect the turnout will be in their favor when you listen to GOP candidate talking points.

Donald Trump stands for a shrinking White minority. Google the views of the Republican candidates and you realize they do not have a solution for the 12 million illegal immigrants in this country. They oppose amnesty and none wants to grant any recognition to those people. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has even discussed limiting legal immigration.

Not one candidate, neither Democrat nor Republican, for president has voiced the idea of enforcing current law that would result in penalties for hiring illegal immigrants.

Hillary Clinton sees a path to the White House by emphasizing the Republican opposition to any legal solution.

Unless the Republican Party changes in a dramatic way it will become part of America’s history.

G.O.P. has a Chance to Win the Next Presidential Election

Twelve million undocumented immigrants are working here in the United States. Many can’t speak English. Those people are doing jobs that Americans won’t take because the pay is too low. Those illegal aliens will do those jobs because it’s better to live in the United States illegally then staying in their native countries.

Donald Trump has put the issue of illegal aliens (undocumented immigrants) front and center. The rest of the Republican presidential candidates have been too timid in condemning Trump’s remarks.

As things stand now the Republican Congress has not lived up to the promises it made. Few laws have been passed. The One Hundred and Fourteenth United States Congress has been a continuation of the gridlock of the previous two year session.

The Senate did pass an immigration reform bill in 2013. The vote was 68-32. Fourteen Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with all Democrats in favor. Unfortunately the House has not acted on the bill. “The strong bipartisan vote we took is going to send a message across the country, it’s going to send a message to the other end of the Capitol as well,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the leader of the so-called Gang of Eight. “The bill has generated a level of support that we believe will be impossible for the House to ignore.” Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/immigration-bill-2013-senate-passes-93530.html#ixzz3fG7LNSir. We know how that has worked out.

Imagine now if the House passed that legislation. That would give the G.O.P. the campaign issue that could win them the White House. Today the Republicans are considered the party blocking immigration reform. Ah, but couldn’t the Democrats claim the victory? Thus the deadlock will probably remain.

Are the Republicans wise enough to blaze a new trail? At this time there is no answer.

A Less Than United Nation

The rift between rural America and urban America reached its peak when the South declared itself a separate country. Many differences were not resolved with the end of the Civil War. Yes slavery was ended but the bitterness remains palpable. This issue really revolves around the choice of change or keep things the way they have always been. Conservatives abhor change. “(Give Me That) Old-Time Religion” is a traditional Gospel song dating from 1873.

It was good for our mothers,…
It was good for our fathers,…
It will take us all to heaven,…

The song and its sentiments have been recited in many movies because they are, in my opinion, the beliefs and philosophy of most southern and mid-western families. “Inherit the Wind” really does tell us the differences between the big city view of the world and the small town/country view.

“Five days after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on same-sex marriage, a federal judge for the Southern District of Alabama on Wednesday clarified that such couples should be granted licenses to marry. But neither judicial action cuts much ice in parts of Alabama and in other devout areas of the South where same-sex marriage is looked on as anathema. In Kentucky, four county clerks were refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples and one in Louisiana was refusing, according to a count by Amanda Snipes, campaign manager for Southerners for Freedom to Marry. In Hood County, south of Ft. Worth, County Clerk Katie Lang initially posted a statement saying she would not issue same-sex marriage licenses due to her religious beliefs, but she posted another statement online late Tuesday saying her office will issue them.”

“The Supreme Court by a 5-4 vote blocked the state of Texas, at least for now, from enforcing a strict new abortion law that was likely to close most of the state’s remaining abortion clinics. Gov. Greg Abbott had defended the abortion restrictions as Texas’ then-attorney general, and continued to support the restrictions after winning the gubernatorial election in November. He described HB 2 as “a constitutional exercise of Texas’ lawmaking authority,” and said in a statement Monday that he is “confident the Supreme Court will ultimately uphold this law.” An abortion bill that would require women in North Carolina to wait 72 hours before having the procedure cleared the state Legislature on Wednesday June 1 and is now heading to the desk of Gov. Pat McCrory.”

The above were copied from the Los Angeles Times. They accurately report the difference between Southern and Mid-Western states compared to the North East and West Coast states. The views on gay marriage and abortion are 180 degrees from each other. Those are the two most significant differences that really separate Americans. There are other issue that separate Americans too. Right-to-work states are primarily those in the South but include many mid-western states.

The above map of the Right-to-work states is similar to the maps of those states that have been more likely to oppose abortions. The also happen to be the states that fought the Affordable Care Act and other more progressive (liberal) laws.

I am not convinced America is really the united States.

Raising the Minimum Wage Rate

If we lived in a world where everyone has the right to pay whatever low rate they could manage then the least able would be paid a starvation salary. Wait, this is almost exactly the situation today. American society has established a minimum hourly pay rate that will not provide enough money to pay for housing, food, and other basic necessities.

The consequence is that those with limited ability and the resulting minimum pay must share housing and pool their low income to sustain their lives.

On the other end of the scale there are those businesses who need those low paid workers to sustain their low priced products. McDonald’s and it competitors are those businesses that come to mind. If the cost to make a burger goes up then the cost of those low priced burgers goes up. That could impact the very existence of many small enterprises.

We are faced with a conundrum!

I find myself sympathetic to both the poor and low pay employers.

Thus society must decide what is best for everyone in the long run. We see the consequence of not providing support for the poor when we look at nations like Bangladesh, India, and other southeastern Asian nations. The poor live in hovels and eat rice, beans, and anything else they can grow in a small garden. Is that the society we want in the United States?

Since we are a free enterprise society there are those who say “tough” and “it’s not my problem.”

The majority of our elected officials will make the decisions. As it stand today there are many cities and states who have decided it is in their best interest to continue raising the minimum wage. The current target seems to be $15.00 an hour. That is not a living wage but will help those who cannot obtain a higher level of education.

McDonald’s burgers at $5.00 won’t break us but just might help a little.

Cities Grow or Die

Updated May 22, 2015 because of data reported in the Los Angeles Daily News.

Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Baltimore are examples of large cities that are dying. They all have one common issue. A lack of jobs. Cities that are thriving are growing and they all have one common reason. New jobs. Los Angeles grew in population by 136,243 people since the last census says the U.S. Census Bureau. That is a growth of just the city and does not include surrounding towns such as Long Beach which have all seen similar or greater population increases.

I live near the very end of the northwest part of Los Angeles. The nearby boulevard ends about 2 miles west of my home. Despite that fact the traffic is busy all of the time. It is obviously crowded during rush hours. Simply put, we have run out of space. The land beyond the end of the city has been set aside as protected land to preserve open space with the idea of establishing a wildlife park to protect both animals and native habitat.

The question is how do we provide housing for the growing population? The answer is more apartments and condominiums. With that conclusion in mind the city has decided to permit that kind of construction. Cities do not remain static. They either grow or shrink. The growth is into the suburbs, more high rise buildings, or a combination. Spread of the Los Angeles area is a fact and is probably known throughout the world. The travel times has become nightmares for some people driving as long as two hours to get to work. Finally the city has become wiser and now has started permitting the dreaded high rise housing. Many in our city are continuing to fight this kind of construction.

Thus we have arrived at a time when many new proposals are being submitted to neighborhood councils and the city council for approval. In my area:

Two part with phase 1 for the construction of a 7-story, 193,000 sqft building to house 170 apartments including 13 live-work units and 5,700 sqft restaurant. There will also be parking for 258 cars and 196 bikes. The 2nd phase is for the construction of 166,000 sqft commercial office building with 10,000 sqft for restaurant and retail space. There will also be parking for 490 cars and 254 bikes. The office buildings being replaced are modern two story structures.
A 707 unit apartment complex that was the home of Panavision manufacturing consisting of a one story building and parking lot.
A 300 unit apartment complex most likely replacing one or two story office buildings.
A 4,000 multifamily unit development on the former Rocketdyne facility that is expected take 10 years to complete. That project is in the design phase and has not been released for public scrutiny. The information released to date says that the buildings will vary in height from 6 to 18 stories high.
The former Catalina Yachts manufacturing site will be converted into 600 units.

That is a total of 5,777 housing units which more than likely means an additional 11,000 people and their cars added to already congested boulevards. To make the additional housing more palatable new nearby shopping centers and business offices will provide jobs.

You don’t like it? Some alternative places to live are Fresno, California and Medford, Oregon. Those are two nice communities that are not faced with large growth but do offer a pleasant climate and many of the benefits of larger cities.