Immigration website

It's amazing how sometimes you don't understand the gravity of a problem until you see the actual statistics. At http://immigrationcounters.com/index.html you can see real time illegal immigration statistics. Okay, so the statistics are estimates based on past facts released by the U.S government and mathematical statistics on growth trends. The statistics are not completely accurate but they are as close as humanely possible. Even though the statistics are not 100 percent accurate, they still display the problem with America's lack of a stance on illegal immigration. More than 20 million illegal immigrants reside in the United States, while only two states in the U.S boast a population of more than 20 million. The two are Texas and California, both of which have a huge illegal immigrant problem. This statistic should worry most Americans. Unfortunately, America has chosen to neither punish illegal immigrants nor keep more illegal immigrants from crossing our borders. Billions of dollars are wired annually from illegal immigrants to Mexico in addition, billions more are spent on incarceration costs of illegal immigrant prisoners and educating the children of illegal immigrants in public schools. The argument that illegal immigrants are good for the American economy is a ridiculous one. They are a drain on the economy and they take jobs that unemployed Americans could use.
Most illegal immigrants are not bad people, most just want to have a better life, but that doesn't change the fact that all of them have broken a federal law. When someone in America breaks a law then it is expected they should have to pay for the crime. Many immigrants come to the U.S legally every year. What a slap in the face it must be for those who put in the work to become legal U.S. citizens to see millions of people breaking the law and coming into the country legally. What a slap in the face it also must be to all of the men and women who have died protecting and defending our great country. The idea of simply turning around and opening the borders to anyone after the sacrifices of American soldiers is a little mind blowing. Most illegal immigrants avoid paying federal taxes and they can't be drafted into the military. They are a drain on the economy and the American way of life. People are simply too worried about being seen as racist that they must be so politically correct that nothing ever gets done about illegal immigration. Politicians are too worried about getting votes and voters are letting politicians get away with doing absolutely nothing. The statistics are astounding and it really helped to make me understand just how bad the illegal immigrant problem has gotten. The immigration counter website gives people a glimpse of the insanity of the problem. What is more insane is that many citizens know how bad the problem has become and turn a blind eye because they are worried about political correctness.

Immigration

Our current immigration policy isn't working. It's too lax to lenient at least that's what I think and that's also what By Tamar Jacoby at the OC Register says in his article found here. http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/opinion/homepage/article_1103566.php. The bottom line is that without reform and without change Jacoby assumes that the illegal immigration is negatively effecting both parties. Right now neither nows what to think of the influx of illegal immigrants and neither knows how to solve the problem. His article focuses on Bush's immigration bill that was not approved by the senate in April and the political protests staged by Hispanic immigrants proceeding the senates decision. Jacoby felt the politicians work this year on immigration came to a halt and look at all the time they wasted. Jacoby makes the point that many native born legal immigrants probably don't know what to make of the protests by a mostly "illegal" crowd. Do those legal immigrants living here in the U.S side with their home country to the south? Or are they too worried about illegal immigration here in their new country? It's an interesting thing to ponder. If someone has more loyalty to their former country then they do to their current one then are they really citizens at all? Something has to change. In Jacoby's article he points out that in a recent USA Today poll 9 out of 10 Americans believed it's critical to get a grip on border control and the amount of illegal immigration in the U.S. This could be the single most important political issue of our age. People care about the issue this issue could easily change the fabric of American society. Our common language and culture will both cahnge if the influx of illegal immigrants continues. Illegal immigrants from Mexico are taking Americans jobs and using government resources while paying minimal taxes. It is also a slap in the face to legal immigrants who have worked hard to become immigrants to the U.S. legally. Jacoby's main point in his article is that a government policy needs to be made and there has been progress in the last year but we still have a long way to go before the reform that is needed will come into law. Jacoby is right and reform needs to happen soon, because without it there is no telling where the new America might be headed.

My ten stances

Abortion
Abortion is probably the most talked about controversial topic of our day. It is debated in politics, religions, and normal everyday society. Personally I feel that abortion is wrong. I believe that there are alternatives to abortion that are much safer for the mother and also save the life of the baby.

Capital Punishment
Capital punishment has been something discussed in Nebraska in the last several years because of our method of execution. It is also something we saw recently after the Saddam Husein trial. In my opinion capital punishment is just and it is truly the only way to punish some criminals. In my opinion if a person takes the life of other people they truly cannot complain about the death penalty.

Title Nine
Some people don't even know exactly what title nine is. Title nine states, among other things, that women have to have the same amount of athletic scholarships in a University as men do. I feel that women deserve the same university oppurtunities men do, however, mens sports make more money than womens sports do. Most universities actually make money on there male athletic programs and lose money on there female athletic programs. Title nine also prevents our university from having things like a male soccer program. I think title nine is a good idea but it is being ovber used.

Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is the practice of hiring or allowing into a university an equal percentage of minority students or employees as white students and employees. Once again I think this is a good idea but the problem comes when less qualified workers or students are brought in simply because they are minorities. Minorities should have the same oppurtunities as everyone else but I think affirmative action does nothing more than promote racism and breed distrust between the racial groups.

Immigration
This has been a huge controversy in American politics over the last few decades. Illegal immigration has hit all-time highs in America. I have no problem with immigrants entering the U.S legally. I do feel that those who enter the U.S. should learn English and learn the histroy of the United States. I really don't agree with illegal immigrants. I have the very controversial stance that illegal immigrants are taking Americans jobs and I feel they should be sent home and have to apply to become legal U.S. immigrants.

The War on Terror/Iraq
Everyone knows about this issue and it has been politicized beyond belief. I think if we approach the war on terror in the right way it is possible to win. I feel that you cannot say everything we have done in Iraq has been a failure. We stopped an oppressive government and we have also not had a major terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. I feel that we must continue fighting this war but we also must be very careful not to make it a war about oil or forget why we are actually fighting.

Seperation of Church and State
"Under God" in the pledge of allegiance, prayer in the senate, and "in God we trust on our money all falls under this category. The bottom line is there has never and will never be complete seperation of church and state in this country. I also don't feel that there should be a seperation. This country was based on religious beliefs and morals. When we go away from those beliefs then our political system has no moral foot to stand on.

Drinking Age
Obviously every one in college knows the drinking age is twenty-one. I don't have any problem with having to wait to legally drink until I'm twenty-one. I do think it is a little suspect, however, that I can be drafted at eighteen and die for my country before I can legally drink alcohol. The drinking age is meant to protect people from people who are too irresponsible to drink but if your too irresponsible to drink how can you be responsible for the lives of your fellow soldiers?

Liberal Lean of the Media
I am a journalism major who is a conservative. Typically those two things don't go together. I think it is ridiculous to see how liberal most media outlets are and how conservative outlest like Fox News are. Can't these media outlets be unbiased? Or at least if they are biased can't they admit that instead of saying they have "fair and balanced" news?

Tuition/ prices at college
This is something that personally affects college students. It's far too high. Books are too expensive and so is University housing. It has become almost impossible for some families to send there children to college. College is meant to be a place for students to learn and I think some colleges spend far too much time and money worried about research and even athletics that they forget about the students.