life is good - gube's Blog - Bakersfield.com

The best Christmas gift ever..,....

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:20:20 PST

Over the years my family and I have received many great gifts, many that we felt was undeserved and unexpected. In many ways those are the best presents that one can receive. This year is no exception. Two great Friends who will go unmentioned have made this Christmas extra spacial not only for me and my beautiful young wife but also for all of our wonderful children. I work construction and with the economy in dire straights work is hard to find right now. My wife works hard but but after paying the rent and bills it doesn't leave any extra cash for much. We have great kids that understand that with my job it is either feast of famine. The younger kids put on a understanding face but I know that deep down in their little hearts that they are a little disappointed that this Christmas will not be like the ones in the past. I am very proud of all my kids for keeping their heads up and not complaining about the temporary position that we find our self in. I know that this to shall pass and thing will turn around, It always does. We also know that presents are not the real reason for the season. So with a roaring fire burning in the fireplace, a lighted Christmas tree and declarations all around the house and great family chit-chat this Christmas may just be the best one ever.

Merry Christmas to All
God Bless

Gube

What would you wish for....

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:17:09 PST

If you had one wish what would you wish for.........???

Vatican forgives John Lennon for Jesus quip

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:15:56 PST

How arrogant of the Vatican to forgive Lennon for a comment that was true in most parts of the world.....And who gives a sh-t what the Vatican thinks anyway.....Do they also forgive all their pedophile priests for molesting little boys????? No the Vatican has no ground to stand on when it comes to blasphemy.....Hopefully GOD forgives the Vatican....

Reuters VATICAN CITY - The Vatican's newspaper has finally forgiven John Lennon for declaring that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, calling the remark a "boast" by a young man grappling with sudden fame.

The comment by Lennon to a London newspaper in 1966 infuriated Christians, particularly in the United States, some of whom burned Beatles' albums in huge pyres.

But time apparently heals all wounds.

"The remark by John Lennon, which triggered deep indignation mainly in the United States, after many years sounds only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success, after growing up in the legend of Elvis and rock and roll," Vatican daily Osservatore Romano said.

The article, marking the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' "The White Album," went on to praise the pop band.

"The fact remains that 38 years after breaking up, the songs of the Lennon-McCartney brand have shown an extraordinary resistance to the passage of time, becoming a source of inspiration for more than one generation of pop musicians," it said.

Lennon was murdered in New York in 1980.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27857596/?GT1=43001

gube is having gastric bypass next tuesday

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:32:00 PST

I am having Gastric Bypass next Tuesday. I am so excited.... I have been trying to get this surgery for 2 years and bam I just found out that next Tuesday is the day. I have done a lot of research on this procedure and I think I know what I'm in for.......I was just wondering if anyone in blogland has had this surgery. I would like to know if any of you have any suggestions as to help me in my recovery..............I have done a lot of reading but sometimes the best advice comes from some one that has walked this path..

thanks........gube

Priest: No communion for Obama supporters

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:25:07 PST

St. Mary's Catholic Church should loose their tax exemption for taking such a radical political stance..lol....I would have taken Communion while wearing an Obama tee-shirt. Actually I will not attend a church that tries to push their radical political rhetoric. So how about the parishioners that support the death penalty....Are they to refused Communion......How about the parishioners that cheat on their wives/husbands......How about the parishioners that support the killing of Innocent Iraqi citizens........How about the parishioners that get drunk and beat their wives and kids do they still get Communion......It seems that this priest picks and chooses which sin to condemn.

Priest says it's because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion

AP news COLUMBIA, S.C. - A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion beefore doing penance for their vote.

"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id...

The right wing killing machine is broke

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:16:25 PST

Years ago when I was a young 24 year old I used to listen to Rush everyday in my work truck. I found Rush both informative and very entertaining. He was funny and he would cover all types of social issues, all with his unique spin. My question Is what in the heck happened to that Rush. Today when I listen to Rush or any other right wing blow-hoe it's like I'm listening to the end of the world, one even predicted the end of western civilization. I am so proud that The Majority of Americans did not fall for the right wing killing Machines rhetoric  and constant dooms day predictions.
I also find it rather comical when anyone on the Fox News channel whines about the liberal media. They bitch and complain about the same thing that they do. Fair and balanced my jazz. They whine and complain about MSNBC and their liberal coverage but they expect a free pass for their ultra conservative ideological views.. The right wing killing machine is dividing this country by taking things out of context and spreading half truths.
There was a time that I could turn on any of these personalities and hear something different from each one, not any more. Today they all sound the same. Its like they all agree that today this is what we are going to pound into the ground, and pound they do. The shows are being ran just like McCain's campaign....All they do is attack Obama and try and scare us about WHAT Obama is going to do before he has even taken the oath. What they need to do is not try and divide America but try and reunite the Republican party...Because until the Republican party gets its act together the Dems will continue to thrive, They report stuff that no other news programs report.....why....because its just rhetoric not actual news......The results of the presidential election proves that. The American people are to smart to believe that Hannity or Rush has all the answers...they don't...  If they did then why don't they run for office?? Instead they choose to spew their sour grapes.
  Hopefully things will calm down and I can once again enjoy a truly informative and entertaining program soon.

NBC/WSJ poll: Obama holds significant lead

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:53:53 PST

Its all over....Brake out the champagne....Obama wins...The fat lady is singing.......

NEW YORK — With just a day left until Election Day, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama holds a statistically significant advantage over Republican Sen. John McCain in the race for the White House, according to the final NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll before the election.

Obama leads McCain by eight points nationally among likely voters, 51 to 43 percent, which is down three points from his 53-to-42 lead in the poll nearly two weeks ago.

To put Obama’s eight-point edge into perspective, the final NBC/WSJ survey before the 2004 presidential election had President Bush with a slim one-point lead over John Kerry, 48 to 47 percent.

Bush went on to win that election, 51 to 48 percent.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id...

Back in the U.S., and back in trouble

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:22:50 PST

Illegal criminal aliens who are repeat offenders deserve to be arrested and held in prison for a long time...Below are just a few of the thousands of illegal criminals that raping our daughters, Burglarizing our homes and selling drugs to our kids and killing American citizens in drunk driving accidents.............

By James Walsh.. Federal officials have sent Jose Trinidad Sanchez-Azpeitia packing to his native Mexico three times since 2003. Yet the illegal immigrant keeps coming back and getting into trouble, including convictions for drug possession, damage to property and fleeing a police officer.

He has lots of company. In the past month in Minneapolis, federal officials indicted eight men in a growing effort to slow the revolving door of illegal immigrants who return to commit other crimes. They included:

•William Contreras-Lozano, twice deported and with a drug conviction.

• Angel Espinosa-Lozano, deported three times, convicted for selling cocaine.

• Fausto Cesar Alvarado-Sagastume, returned five times to his native Guatemala, convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl.

• Napoleon Borjas-Arias, deported four times to Honduras since 1992, convicted of drug possession and burglary.

• Miguel Campos-Cardoso, arrested Sept. 4 on suspicion of possessing drugs and driving while intoxicated. Police discovered he's been deported before.

All were indicted for unlawful reentry after deportation, a felony. Officials hope that lengthy prison sentences will keep the offenders from coming back when they're deported after their release.

"We have a much more aggressive criminal alien program than we've ever had," said Scott Benneke, director of Detention and Removal Operations for the Minnesota office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

http://www.startribune.com/...

Blvd of Discrimination...........

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:11:56 PST

As I was driving down Tehachapi Blvd and Red Apple road I passed sign after sign telling me to vote to take away my fellow American citizens right to marry...The yes on 8 signs are plentiful from k-mart to the end of red apple.At least 50 signs. We are treated to large ply wood yes on 8 signs at each intersection. As I drove past each sign I have to tell you that I really felt sadden and sorry for the people that support prop 8. Promoting discrimination and feeling Morally right in doing so is very confusing to me. I do believe that all men are created equal and the tittle to prop 8 reads '' Eliminates Right of Same Sex Couples to Marry''.........Taking away the rights of other American Citizens because you don't agree with them is wrong. Prop 8 is the most expensive proposition ever. People and groups from something like 36 countries have funded one side or the other of prop 8. .......The polls are close and the results could go either way......I will be voting No on 8 because I feel it is the right thing to do......This whole mess reminds me of something a wise man once said....''Forgive then for they not know what they do''

No on 8

Praying for Election Day miracles

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:03:31 PDT

Do you believe prayer will help McCain/Palin win the white house???
Is Obama really Satan ???
Will McCain lead all these religious folks to the promise land ???
Do these religious folks scare you as much as they scare me ???"
Is GOD a fundamentalist Conservative republican ???These people believe so !
WWJD ???

Religious Americans turn to a higher power on the candidates' behalf

AP news They're fasting on the steps of the Florida Capitol, hoping God will hear their pleas to put an abortion opponent in the White House.

Prayer warriors will staff the get-out-the-vote command center Tuesday at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in Fort Washington, Md. A rabbi is distributing a prayer to be said in the voting booth. Prayer circles are seeking courage and protection for Barack Obama and his family.

The faithful are busy as Nov. 4 nears.

While politicians are making their final pitch to voters, religious Americans from across the political spectrum are appealing to a higher power on the candidates' behalf.

"We have just days to pray that someone who upholds the sanctity of life and marriage between one man and one woman will win," said Pam Olsen, co-pastor with her husband of the International House of Prayer in Tallahassee, Fla.

Olsen, who personally supports Republican John McCain, is organizing a marathon of prayer, fasting and Bible reading at the Capitol starting Saturday until the state's polls close.

"The outcome is up to God," she said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id...

I Would Make A Bad President,' Obama Says In Huge Campaign Blunder

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:07:32 PDT

Man what a idiot............

TALLAHASSEE, FL—In a campaign gaffe that could potentially jeopardize Sen. Barack Obama's White House bid, the Democratic presidential nominee told nearly 8,000 supporters Tuesday that, if elected, he would be a terrible president.

The blunder, captured by all major media outlets and broadcast live on CNN, occurred when the typically polished Obama fielded a question about his health care policy. Obama answered by saying he would give small business owners a tax credit to help them provide health care for their employees, and then added, "Now, I'm not completely certain that my plan would work because, overall, I think I would make a bad president."

According to sources, before those on hand could fully process what Obama had said, the Illinois senator continued to stumble, claiming that, were he to win the general election, he'd have absolutely no idea what to do.

"My youth and inexperience would definitely make me an awful president," said Obama, whose seven-minute misstep was further exacerbated when he called himself "no expert" on the economy. "To be perfectly honest, I'd be worried about putting me in charge of the most powerful military in the world because I'm not any good when it comes to making important decisions. Also, I'm not sure how much I care about keeping this great nation of ours safe."

"I'm an elitist, I hate Israel, and I want to lose the war in Iraq," Obama concluded, and then, seemingly unaware of the magnitude of his blunder, smiled, gave a thumbs-up to the stunned crowd, and urged his supporters to get out and vote on Nov. 4.

Immediately following the speech, Obama campaign officials released a written statement alleging that their candidate's comments had been taken out of context. In addition, Obama's top adviser David Axelrod claimed that the senator was quoting former president Abraham Lincoln when he said, "I am not the guy to head the executive branch of the United States government. Trust me. I'm really not."

Beltway observers agreed that the gaffe could come back to haunt Obama on Election Day.

"This might very well be the sound bite voters have in their heads when they step inside that booth on Tuesday," ABC political analyst George Stephanopoulos said. "It's just not the message you want to send to voters when you are up in the polls. Saying that you would make a bad president, especially when your entire campaign has been built around the idea that you would make a good president, doesn't play well with independent and undecided voters."

"Also, swing states like Ohio and Florida have historically leaned toward the nominee who thinks he'd be a good president, rather than the nominee who thinks he'd 'probably just screw everything up worse,'" Stephanopoulos added.

An analysis of historical documents supports Stephanopoulos' claim, and confirms that the past 55 winning presidential candidates—with the exception of a dying Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1944—all strongly maintained they would be good or great presidents throughout their campaigns, and never hinted otherwise.

"I think Sen. Obama may have opened up a slight window for John McCain here," New York Times reporter David Sanger said during Wednesday's taping of Charlie Rose. "If the McCain camp can find some way to exploit this miscue, it could have the potential to be a real game-changer."

However, a CNN poll taken moments after Obama's speech revealed that the candidate's misstep may have simply gotten lost amid the 24-hour news cycle. Though most citizens said they would prefer a candidate who thinks he'd be a good president, 23 percent said they would still vote for someone who thinks he would make an okay president. Furthermore, 35 percent of citizens said they would vote for a nominee who promised to be a serviceable, or even a so-so, president.

Forty-two percent of citizens polled said that, at this point, a "just plain bad" president would also be good enough.

"I am more certain than ever that I will vote for Obama," Windham, NH resident James Kilner said. "This is the first time I have really connected with a candidate, mainly because I think I would make a pretty bad president, too."

As of press time, the McCain camp has yet to respond to the potentially damaging blunder. However, many feel this is exactly what the Arizona senator needed following a mistake he made earlier in the week when he said that "a vote for McCain is a vote for mass genocide."

....and what if prop 8 passes??

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:51:20 PDT

What cracks me up about the yes on 8 fanatics is that they believe that denying gays to marry will some how make the gay issue go bye,bye..............Because of all the fuss over gay marriage that the haters have created the one thing for sure now is that all their kids are very well aware of Homosexuals.........Gays are part of our society and they are not going to go ''back into the closet'' because some silly proposition passed...........To me it comes down to do I believe that all men are created equal.....The answer is Yes i do............Besides gay marriage will not effect my marriage or my life one bit. I really believe that in 20 years this will be a non-issue because most kids today view homosexuality differently then their folks.............

No on 8

If they weren't illegal ..they would be alive....

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:10:08 PDT

They are illegal and they ran from the police because they KNOW that they are illegal criminals...........They are not victims they are criminals that are destroying our country............Arrest and deport all illegal aliens today...you sow what you reep!

Four immigrants died while trying to flee authorities by jumping into a canal on the Gila River Reservation.

The incident began on Sunday around 12:30 pm., when Gila River Indian Community police officers pulled over a suspicious van near State Route 87 and Gilbert Road, on the reservation.

When officers walked toward the van, the driver drove off but encountered officers on the other side of the road

The van, which authorities suspect carried about 20 illegal immigrants, was boxed in.

Passengers ran.

A man was rescued from the canal on Sunday. He is in the custody of federal immigration officers, according to Gila River spokeswoman Alia Maisonet.

Fourteen other suspected illegal immigrants who escaped from the van are also in federal custody; five of them were found near the site of the stop; nine were found near the Honeywell testing facility west of the Santan Mountains.

Some jumped through a farm fence while others attempted to escape through a nearby canal that was 7 feet deep, Maisonet said.

All four bodies found in the canal were adults. There were no children involved in the incident, authorities said.

One of the victims, a woman, was airlifted to a hospital but died Sunday night. The body of a man was also found that same night.

Sunday's search ended shortly after 8 p.m., when it became too dark, Maisonet said.

The search resumed Monday morning, when rescuers found the bodies of two men.

The banks in the canal are inclined and slippery, which made it difficult for the jumpers to get out, Maisonet said.

Some immigrants were wearing two sets of clothing, which weighed them down, she added.

Three Gila River officers jumped in the canal Sunday and rescued a man and the woman who later died at the hospital.

A water rescue team from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office was called in.

Bureau of Immigation and Customs Enforcement spokesman Vincent Picard said an investigation is ongoing and it has not been determined whether the driver drowned.

The immigrants were from various countries, including Mexico and Guatemala, Picard said.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2008/10/28/20081028CanalDrowning1028.html

Police arrest Mich. man for car wash vacuum sex

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:53:32 PDT

WTF is wrong with some poeple?????

AP NEWS Police say a Michigan man has been arrested after "receiving sexual favors from a vacuum" at a car wash.

The Saginaw News reports the 29-year-old Swan Creek Township man was arrested Thursday in Saginaw County's Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.

Police Sgt. Gary Breidinger says a resident called to report suspicious activity at the car wash about 6:45 a.m. An officer approached on foot and caught the man in the act.

The suspect, whose name wasn't immediately released, is being held in the Saginaw County Jail.

Next Prez Could Keep, Break Court's Balance

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:51:18 PDT

This is one of the main reasons that I am voting for Obama.................

(Newser)The next president will be able to either preserve the Supreme Court’s current ideological balance, or set it on a new conservative path, the Wall Street Journal reports. The youngest of the court’s liberals is 69, while the oldest of the conservatives is only 72. Hence, John McCain could deliver the most conservative court in decades, while Barack Obama would be likely to maintain the status quo.

What kinds of nominees are the candidates likely to appoint?

McCain has typically been uninterested in judicial politics, and will probably rely on the same Republican legal establishment as President Bush. Judges from this group would probably emphasize the original intent of the Constitution’s framers.
Obama, a constitutional scholar, disagrees with the notion of “original intent,” and would appoint justices interested in applying modern context and expanding rights.

Obama's Plumber Calls Joe Out

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:49:56 PDT

lol.............

CHICAGO - Flush that, "Joe the Plumber"!

Barack Obama's own toilet and sink repairman came to his client's defense yesterday - saying newly famous plumber Joe Wurzelbacher needs a reality check.

Troy Dunn, 44, a licensed journeyman working for Boersma Plumbing in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood, where Obama lives, told The Post that Wurzelbacher was bad news for the profession.

"That Joe the Plumber isn't even a licensed plumber," said the Democrat, union member and strong Obama supporter.

"He's taking our work. [John] McCain talks about the middle class, and then he brings up this guy as his champion. The middle class is being hurt by people exactly like him," said Dunn, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Oak Forest and has an 8-year-old daughter.

"The biggest problem for this industry is that people like him turn up, unlicensed and working illegally, and they take work away from people who are working aboveboard."

Dunn said he began working on Obama's house - and its six bathrooms - four years ago and has returned roughly every six months to do such tasks as fix leaky faucets and, in one case, investigate a "bad smell."

"I've never met him, but I've met his wife," he said.

"She's a real nice lady . . . I'm not a big fan of going there right now, though, because of the Secret Service . . . It's kind of a pain."

In Florida yesterday, McCain defended Wurzelbacher, saying the Ohio man had been "smeared."

Dunn said, "McCain made Joe the Plumber look like a joke. I think he was using Joe the Plumber, the poor guy. He probably won't get any work anymore now that everybody knows he doesn't have a license."

http://www.nypost.com/seven...

My Hero Joe has big balls..........................Go Joe ! Good job !

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:04:22 PDT

Arpaio raids Mesa City Hall; mayor outraged

Mayor outraged by sweep for illegal migrants

My Hero Joe has big balls..........................Go Joe ! Good job !

Sheriff Joe Arpaio traded angry words and accusations with Mesa officials Thursday after 60 deputies and posse members armed with search warrants stormed City Hall and the public library in the middle of the night in a hunt for illegal workers.

"I believe the safety of our citizens was gravely compromised" when Maricopa County sheriff's deputies in "battle gear" swept into city buildings about 2 a.m. while cleaning crews were at work, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith told reporters. "I believe we had set the scene where bad things could have happened."

Arpaio defended his tactics, claiming the raid came only after a former city employee called the sheriff's illegal-immigration hotline to report that a cleaning company under contract with the city was hiring illegal immigrants.

Deputies fanned out and arrested three people; 13 others, including a manager at Management Cleaning Controls, were arrested at residences later that morning, Arpaio said. Ten were arrested on suspicion of identity theft and six for potentially being in the country illegally.

The 16 arrested included six people who were not named in the warrants. Arpaio said they are still looking for 15 more company employees.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/10/17/20081017MCSOoperation1017.html

Big Mouth Mayor puts town in harm's way

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:42:40 PDT

Go Joe...........Jimenez is a traitor who should be ran out of Guadalupe for standing up for illegal behavior. Illegal immigration is wrong, Jimenez was wrong and now the good honest people of Guadalupe are the real victims of illegal immigration.

byNicholas Riccaidi

GUADALUPE, ARIZ. -- Six months ago, this town of 5,500 took a stand against the most powerful lawman in the state.

As Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's deputies swept through town during a controversial operation searching for illegal immigrants, Mayor Rebecca Jimenez confronted the 76-year-old sheriff and told him he wasn't wanted.

The town, founded by Yaqui Indians a century ago, became a symbol of a grass-roots rejection of Arpaio's tough anti-immigration tactics.

But now, Guadalupe is having second thoughts about how it fought the sheriff.

After the confrontation, Arpaio struck back by canceling his contract to patrol the one-square-mile town, forcing officials to search for another agency to protect Guadalupe.

Jimenez, 36, was replaced as mayor, and the city's new leaders are trying to find some way to persuade Arpaio to stay.

"This town really does need him," said Janice LaBorin, 25, a home healthcare worker. "There are too many criminals and little gangbangers here."

Plenty of people still want Arpaio out, but among some, defiance has given way to contrition.

Jimenez "took the wrong tactic," said Lupita Llamas, the owner of two Mexican restaurants in a mostly empty colonnaded shopping arcade. Arpaio is "a powerful person. You have to talk to him carefully."

The rift between Guadalupe and the sheriff began the night of April 3, when Arpaio brought his anti-illegal immigrant sweep to the parking lot of the Family Dollar store.

The two-day operation was one of several Arpaio has launched across Maricopa County ostensibly to stop crime, but also to identify illegal immigrants.

Arpaio, who calls himself the "toughest sheriff in America," has taken the aggressive position that he can arrest and deport illegal immigrants even if they have committed no serious crimes.

Deputies stopped people for the slightest infractions -- a cracked windshield, broken taillight, jaywalking -- and asked whether they were in the country legally.

Residents complained that deputies were stopping anyone who looked Latino, which is basically the entire town. Guadalupe is 51% Latino and 49% Native American, according to census figures.

Helicopters buzzed overhead while Arpaio held forth before television cameras at his parking lot command post.

Jimenez confronted him there. As cameras rolled, she complained that his news release falsely stated that town officials had asked him to come to fight illegal immigration.

"You came here under false pretenses," she said.

"I came here to protect your community from crime," Arpaio replied.

As he walked off, he added, "If you don't like the way we operate, you get your own police department."

Two weeks later, Arpaio sent Jimenez a letter notifying her that he would cancel the contract because it now appeared that Guadalupe, which had been patrolled by the department for 20 years, would not let him enforce all state laws.

http://www.latimes.com/news...

if you you think thats creepy....ha that aint nothing

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:11:57 PDT

Palin is creepy......Wacky religion.........wacky people.......creepy, very creepy.

Open Letter to John McCain: America Needs "Bailout" from Illegal Immigration

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:48:26 PDT

September 21, 2008

Senator John McCain
United States Senate
Washington, D.C.

Dear Senator McCain:

America is in the throes of an economic crisis of such grave consequence that former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has described it as a "once in a hundred years" occurrence, which would make it potentially more devastating than the Great Depression.

In reacting to this once in a century crisis, President Bush and Congressional leaders have reportedly reached an agreement to take yet another $700 billion dollars of taxpayer money to purchase bad debt from failing U.S. banks and other financial institutions.

When implemented, the so-called rescue fund will increase America's public debt to $11.3 trillion dollars.

In addition to the latest trillion-dollar crisis, we Americans face other overwhelming economic challenges: Social Security and Medicare are reportedly headed toward insolvency. Democrats would like to implement universal health care (socialized medicine). Most of the nation's infrastructure is old and in need of repair or replacement, and our nation absolutely must achieve energy independence for both national security and economic security reasons.

Given the precarious state of the nation's economy, it should be clear that America can no longer afford to feed, house, educate, and provide medical care to tens of millions of foreign, non-English speaking peasants who have violated U.S. borders and laws and who have no legal basis for being here.

With all due respect, Senator, your advocacy on behalf of illegal aliens ignores the economic, social, educational, and cultural burdens that would be unfairly dumped on the backs of American citizens, most of whom are also taxpayers.

Illegal aliens currently here already cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars each year. Amnesty would dump additional billions onto the backs of overtaxed citizens.

Furthermore, "comprehensive reform" anything like the McCain-Kennedy proposals from the summer of 2007 would encourage tens of millions now living in Mexico and other points south of our borders to come here illegally, thereby further jeopardizing homeland security and adding more distress to American citizens.

Senator McCain, in light of the severe economic meltdown facing we the people, why not embrace a plan that immediately secures the borders, deports those here illegally, and requires an orderly and lawful process for all people wishing to migrate to America?

Why not a plan that respects American citizens and honors immigrants who stand in line, wait their turn, and follow the rules?

Why not a plan that is America First, even blatantly jingoistic?

Why not abandon that commitment to amnesty and replace it with a vow to restore the rule of law to our suffering nation?

Why not a plan to bail out American citizens from the devastation that illegal aliens bring to our homeland?

Thank you for your consideration, Senator.

Sincerely,

John W. Lillpop
San Jose, California