Becoming Legal

I recently met a British citizen who has been living in the U.S. for over a dozen years while handling international business. Last Monday the Brit, after much studying, hoop-jumping, waiting and paying fees, became a U.S. citizen. I had to ask this new citizen what their opinion was of our Illegal Immigration situation. New Citizen is not too happy with the situation on the border or the rest of the country. New Citizen waited several years, filled out a lot of forms, studied to answer many questions, fortunately already spoke English (kind of) , spent not a small amount of money, was checked and rechecked for background and character ... only to now be able to , as a New Legal Citizen, watch as millions of Illegal Immigrants get organized to demand what our New Legal Citizen spent several years obtaining legally. So I had to point out to our New Legal Citizen that if they had crept across the border illegally and performed a job that Legal Citizens would not do (supposedly) then there would be no end of people (citizens) wanting to help out and fast track you on the road to Citizenship, pay for your education, the education of your children (New Citizen's kids go to college on their own dime), provide you with taxpayer funded healthcare...etc.... Our New Citizen thinks it is nuts.
And just one other thing.....I cannot understand why, IN AMERICA, I have to press a button for FREAKIN ENGLISH !!!! THIS IS AMERICA CITIZENS...A-M-E-R-I-C-A !!!!! WE SHOULD BE SPEAKING ENGLISH ALREADY!!!! So why should I have to choose????? Can't we default to ENGLISH??? Fine if the ATM owner (or whatever other business situation decides to make me press a button to use ENGLISH in AMERICA) wants to offer another language for instructi0ns to those needing it. BUT DON'T MAKE AN ENGLISH SPEAKING CITIZEN OF AMERICA PUSH A DAMN BUTTON TO SELECT OUR OWN LANGUAGE!!!!! It's a small thing certainly but it is also symptom of the gradual erosion of what is AMERICA.
Come here with something positive to offer. Come here legally, learn the language, become a citizen if you desire. Dream big, work hard and help to enrich a great country.

I gotta go now....my head hurts................................ toomuch Boojang tonight......................

We Wonder Why We're Not Competitive

I was witness to an interesting and sad event recently. A friend of mine works for a small company, less than 10 employees, in the professional services field. This small business provides their employees with a good benefit plan which includes health, dental, disability and a retirement plan. The employer pays for it all. However, somebody somewhere is not happy. This small employer was recently visited, they did receive advanced notice, by a Department of Labor "auditor" who spent a day and a half combing through all manner of Benefit booklets, contracts, documents, notices, etc. ... A day and a half.... The stated reason for this "friendly visit", which was said to be totally random, was to check compliance with ERISA and HIPAA regulations...for a small business employing less then 10 citizens and providing BENEFITS to its employees AT NO CHARGE TO THE EMPLOYEES!!!! And for this the employer got to spend a DAY AND A HALF being scrutinized for compliance with Federal Regulations that are so ponderous (like COBRA) and numerous scarcely any company in AMERICA is in compliance ever (ok, this is my long-term observation with little scientific data supporting). The "auditor" was pleasant enough in the carrying out of the "duty". The net result, so far, is a letter, forthcoming, that will detail several, or many, deficiencies in one or more aspects of the Small Employer's Benefit Plan documentation, notification, explanation to it's employees. Most, if not all, of this stuff is supposed to be in the Plan Documents provided to the employer/employees by the appropriate insurance company. However, the "auditor" indicated that some of the Insurance Company provided documentation/notification may not be complete or in "total" compliance with Federal Regs. A parting word of caution was issued that if steps weren't taken to come into full compliance by the Small Business other agencies may be called in...like the IRS.
Now I am all in favor of employers treating employees "fairly".... but if the Insurance Company can't follow the Federal Regs shouldn't the Fed come down on them??? Why put any additional burden on the SMALL BUSINESS that is trying to provide its employees with BENEFITS??? So for me the net result of this lunacy is.......

NO EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PROGRAM!!!! CANCEL THE SUCKER AND LET ALL EMPLOYEES GET BENEFITS ON THEIR OWN. IF THE CAN. AND IF THEY CAN'T...APPLY FOR A GOVERNMENT JOB "AUDITING" SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE TRYING TO PROVIDE THEIR EMPLOYEES WITH SOME BENEFITS.

The more I think about this the more upset I become....It's our BIG GOVERNMENT constantly trying to 'take care of us" that is helping to put us under....We DON"T need them to do all of this, usually very poorly. You want to run the space program...fine (although it would probably be better run if it were private)...you want to deliver letters, ok ( i usually use email or ups or fedex)

... you want to "protect" and "defend" the Nation (start with our own borders).... Oh...I gotta go now as I feel I am hitting the point of no return...I will take it up again later.

until then...if lucky...

the boojang

Free Again

Well, after several weeks of being "BLOG-LOCKED" I guess I have been found "NOT A SPAMMER OR HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH". I do appreciate being back up.
There have been several issues on my mind during this "down-time". I will bust the Boojang out tomorrow....right now I am exhausted from listening to another round of "tax-the-rich" crap.
Why don't we just make it illegal to be rich. Then we wouldn't have the dirty, rotten bastards around anymore. Let's set a cap on income. Oh...we already have....it's called income tax...

back later.............

sleep well in America

Boojang

capital cap

On Mr. Obama



Tough not to like the guy. Quick mind, quick wit, understandable (dare I say "articulate") and seems to just "flow". Now if he weren't so (apparently so) committed to setting a cap on what a citizen is allowed to earn legally then taking all that's above the cap and redistributing it to those deemed "worthy" by himself and/or our legislators I might like him much more. If I am correct in my remembering that he said "Rich people don't need all that money"...or something very similar... I have to give him many negative marks and take him off my VOTE FOR list.

Interesting that he (and many others) don't seem to connect the ability/opportunity to "prosper" in in America (or anywhere) with the marked success of the country's business creation and maintenance. If the government penalizes the "rich" for being successful (ie sets a cap on earnings via income tax rates) and continues to saddle businesses/corporations with the responsibility of paying for more and more "programs" (bailout or otherwise) who will be interested in being in business here...aspire to create wealth here...create jobs for our citizens here... Guys, if you beat the job creators up too much they ain't gonna be interested in doing it here.... Redistribution on wealth is not consistent with what made America great. The possibility to succeed without limit is what made America great and that possibility is in danger of becoming a part of our past.

Gotta go now...my head hurts.......

Boojang