By Joe Dejka
The majestic strains of Handel's “Hallelujah” chorus trumpeting from a slide projector seemed out of place.
Amid the legions of public school board members and superintendents — 1,000 from throughout Nebraska — the religious masterwork sounded a discordant note — somewhat like the aroma of beef stew wafting through a PETA convention.
Bent over the projector was Lincoln attorney Neal Stenberg, preparing to deliver some timely advice: Allowing religious music at school programs is OK, as long as you abide by simple rules to keep from running afoul of the U.S. Constitution.
“I think there's a need to remind people it's lawful,” he said.
Every winter, America's educators wrestle with how to deal with the First Amendment's Establishment Clause — commonly interpreted as requiring the separation of church and state — while recognizing the traditions on which the holidays are based.
Although most districts have found a way to balance those interests, fear of lawsuits and confusion about the law have driven some school boards and teachers to cut religious songs unnecessarily from school settings.
Last year, school officials in North Carolina pulled the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” from an elementary school winter concert after a parent complained the song contained the words “Santa” and “Christmas.” Widely ridiculed for their decision, school officials then reversed themselves.
In a backlash against such bans, a Redding, Calif., substitute teacher is gathering signatures on a petition that would require the state's public schools to let students listen to or perform Christmas music.
Despite confusion about the use of religious music in schools, Stenberg said, courts have upheld its constitutionality.
When schools use religious music, however, the objectives must be secular, he said.
“It's important to understand the distinction between teaching religious music for a secular purpose and trying to inculcate some religious value through the use of music. The former is lawful, the latter is not,” he said.
Stenberg's credentials lie in music and school law.
He is a former legal counsel for the Nebraska Association of School Boards and currently advises several school boards and Southeast Community College. His brother, Don, is the former Nebraska attorney general.
Neal Stenberg, 59, took voice lessons at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and professes the ability to sing a tenor aria in four languages. He sings in the St. Paul United Methodist Church choir in Lincoln and, in his younger days, ran with a rock band called Sour Mash.
Schools, he said, should select music for its educational value, such as its historic value or the skills it demands of musicians, not to advance a particular religious belief.
In 2002, an atheistic couple sued the Woodbine Community School District, northeast of Council Bluffs in Iowa's Harrison County, to prevent the choir from singing “The Lord's Prayer” at high school graduation. The school board had overruled the decision of the principal and choir director not to use the song. A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the school's intent in singing “The Lord's Prayer” was to promote Christianity.
“The court said, ‘There is no secular purpose here.' The whole purpose by the board is to actually add a prayer into the graduation,” Stenberg said.
Choosing a diverse selection from different faiths “just makes good sense,” to show people their traditions are being respected, he said.
In 2008, three-quarters of Nebraskans and Iowans identified themselves as Christian, the same percentage as the country overall, according to Trinity College's American Religious Identification Survey.
Three percent of Nebraskans and 4 percent of Iowans identified themselves as non-Christian, including Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu.
Fifteen percent of Iowans and 17 percent of Nebraskans said they had no religion. The rest didn't know or declined to take the survey.
Stenberg said that although offering musical diversity is desirable, it isn't necessarily enough to stay within the law.
“If the purpose of using ‘Silent Night' as a song is to try to persuade someone to become a Christian, then the fact that you add in a Hanukkah song isn't going to save you,” he said.
On the other hand, he said, a public school choir singing a repertoire of all religious songs at a local church would be constitutional if the performance could be defended on educational grounds. For example, a church setting might offer unique acoustics or accompanists that make it a can't-miss opportunity for students, he said.
Alan Potash, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the main hope with winter concerts or programs is that students feel included by the music selections.
“The music teacher should know who the audience is. ... And to alienate one religion or alienate students is not an appropriate educational experience,” Potash said.
He said he fields calls each year from parents concerned about programs that put too much emphasis on one faith over another.
The Anti-Defamation League says in position statements that school choirs should not sing religious music only and should not focus on a particular holiday or denomination, and that officials should excuse public school children from singing religious music without fear of embarrassment or peer pressure.
The National Association for Music Education contends that the study and performance of religious music within an educational context “is a vital and appropriate part of a comprehensive music education.”
The chorales of J.S. Bach, the “Hallelujah” chorus, spirituals and Ernest Bloch's Sacred Service all have an important role in developing a student's musical understanding and knowledge, the association says.
By some estimates, Stenberg said, 60 percent to 75 percent of serious choral music is based on sacred themes or text. Serious music from some historic periods is almost exclusively religious, he said.
In the Omaha Public Schools, elementary school teachers choose music based on the community and culture in which they teach, said Linda Hulsey, the district's vocal music supervisor.
They can “absolutely” use religious music, but the program should be diverse and include many genres, she said.
She said she reviews the selections and asks the teachers to have their principals review them as well.
As a result, programs vary widely from school to school.
For example, this year's program at Columbian Elementary School in west Omaha was decidedly secular. Under the theme “Sing a Song of Seasons,” the children sang about hot chocolate, snowmen and presents, but also about springtime, summer days, the beach and Halloween skeletons. None of the lyrics spoke of Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, the seven-day celebration based on African festivals.
Columbian music director Linda Schoening said the music was selected with regard to a substantial Jewish population in the community around the school. Next year, she said, she might include a variety of religious songs from different traditions.
Stenberg said districts can legally cut out all religious music, but by doing so they could face a backlash from those who want their traditions included. And they must beware to avoid using government to squelch religious freedom, he said.
When school officials in Frenchtown, N.J., refused to let 8-year-old Olivia Turton sing “Awesome God” in a talent show, a federal judge ruled the district had trammeled her freedom of speech.
“Even the ACLU entered this case on Olivia's side,” Stenberg said. “And that's saying something.”
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Stem Cell Research
Stem cell research is one of the most controversial disputes that our national government is trying to settle. There are many arguments against stem cell research, but the main argument is that embryonic stem cell research is morally wrong. I disagree. So many successful stories have come from embryonic stem cell research that it's ridiculous we are still fighting over this issue.
Everyone gets touchy when it comes to embryonic cell research. Embryonic cells are taken from an egg after it is fertilized. The first source of embryonic cells was from a 5 to 9 week old fetus, taken from a pregnant female having an abortion. Now there is a new method that is called in vitro fertilization. This process is all done in a lab and does not require an abortion. The problem with embryonic research for many people is that they consider it murder. I do not consider this murder because the in vitro method does not require an abortion. Many cases there are surpluses of embryos left after this procedure, and the extra cells can be given to other couples or frozen to be used for future research.
While our country is fighting an endless fight, Britain has made a huge difference with stem cell research. British researchers at Sheffield University have managed to grow tiny hair cells found in the ear, which one day could help repair hearing in deaf patients. Professors Martin Birchall and Anthony Hollander from the University of Bristol teamed up with doctors to form one of the first organs made from stem cells. They created a windpipe that was transplanted into 30 year old Claudia Castillo. Professor Hollander also invented "cellular bandages" from bone marrow that can be used to repair torn knee cartilage.
Stem cell research has amazing potential to save human lives someday. Look at all the good Britain has done! Embryonic research can lead us closer to finding the cure of Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, birth defects, spinal cord injuries, etc. America could be doing the same if we would just stop fighting over this issue.
--Left Sock
Everyone gets touchy when it comes to embryonic cell research. Embryonic cells are taken from an egg after it is fertilized. The first source of embryonic cells was from a 5 to 9 week old fetus, taken from a pregnant female having an abortion. Now there is a new method that is called in vitro fertilization. This process is all done in a lab and does not require an abortion. The problem with embryonic research for many people is that they consider it murder. I do not consider this murder because the in vitro method does not require an abortion. Many cases there are surpluses of embryos left after this procedure, and the extra cells can be given to other couples or frozen to be used for future research.
While our country is fighting an endless fight, Britain has made a huge difference with stem cell research. British researchers at Sheffield University have managed to grow tiny hair cells found in the ear, which one day could help repair hearing in deaf patients. Professors Martin Birchall and Anthony Hollander from the University of Bristol teamed up with doctors to form one of the first organs made from stem cells. They created a windpipe that was transplanted into 30 year old Claudia Castillo. Professor Hollander also invented "cellular bandages" from bone marrow that can be used to repair torn knee cartilage.
Stem cell research has amazing potential to save human lives someday. Look at all the good Britain has done! Embryonic research can lead us closer to finding the cure of Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, birth defects, spinal cord injuries, etc. America could be doing the same if we would just stop fighting over this issue.
--Left Sock
Friday, December 4, 2009
Obama Touts Dip in Unemployment on Jobs Tour
President Obama seized on the report Friday showing a slight dip in the jobless rate to put an upbeat face on the economy to an audience in a Pennsylvania region where 41,000 are out of work.
Speaking to a crowd in Allentown, Pa. -- the first stop on Obama's multi-city jobs tour -- the president touted Friday's government report showing the nation's unemployment rate dropped to 10 percent in November.
"Overall, this is the best jobs report that we've seen since 2007," Obama said, adding that U.S. employers cut 11,000 jobs in November, the lowest monthly job loss in nearly two years and 115,000 fewer than economists predicted.
"This is good news just in time for the season of hope," he said, "but we've got a lot more work to do before we can celebrate."
Too many Americans have "felt the gut punch of a pink slip" and "good trends don't pay the rent," he said.
The Labor Department's Friday report marked an improvement over October's 111,000 jobs lost. But the respite may be temporary, as many economists expect the jobless rate to keep climbing into next year as the economy struggles to generate enough jobs for the 15.4 million people out of work.
The unemployment rate fell to 10 percent from 10.2 percent in October, where economists expected it to remain.
If part-time workers who want full time jobs and laid off workers who have given up looking for work are included, the so-called underemployment rate also fell, to 17.2 percent from 17.5 percent in October.
There was other positive news in the report. The average work week rose to 33.2 hours, from a record low of 33 hours. Economists expect employers will increase hours for their current workers before hiring new ones.
The department also increased its job estimate for September, to a loss of 139,000 from 219,000, and for last month, to 111,000 from 190,000.
Swing voters in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley helped Obama win the pivotal, populous state. But the region's jobless rate inched up another half percentage point in October to 9.8 percent. About 41,000 people are currently unemployed, the highest number since 1984.
Small businesses that power the economy in the region are starved for credit and laying people off. Stimulus dollars for roads, bridges, schools and social services are mired in Washington and state bureaucracy.
"In the last two or three months people are getting disillusioned," Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, a Democrat, told the Wall Street Journal in advance of Obama's speech. "If he's kicking off this tour and nothing of substance comes out of it, it's gonna kill him," he said.
Obama told Pennsylvanians Friday that he's optimistic that banks will ease lending next year and that should help businesses that want to expand and hire new workers.
When asked what his administration could do to loosen tight credit, especially for struggling small businesses, Obama said that banks were "way too easy in terms of giving credit" -- which he said contributed to the near financial collapse. Obama said banks now "have swung in the opposite direction" and that the administration will push them to lend to credit-worthy customers. The president said "they were used to saying yes to everybody and now they're saying no to everybody."
In a speech from Washington next Tuesday, Obama plans to unveil a proposal to "jump-start" business hiring across the country.
The president plans to send Congress a list of ideas he supports for a new jobs bill. He will endorse sending the biggest chunk of fresh money to cash-strapped state and local governments to stem their layoffs and on expanding a program that gives people cash incentives to fix up their homes with energy-saving materials. Obama will also endorse new tax breaks for small businesses that hire workers.
The nation's unemployment rate fell in November because the number of jobless Americans dropped by 325,000 to 15.4 million. The jobless rate is calculated from a survey of households, while the number of jobs lost or gain is calculated from a separate survey of business and government establishments. The two surveys can sometimes vary.
The rate also dropped because fewer people are looking for work. The size of the labor force, which includes the employed and those actively searching for jobs, fell by nearly 100,000, the third straight decline. That indicates more of the unemployed are giving up on looking for work.
The participation rate, or the percentage of the population employed or looking for work, fell to 65 percent, the lowest since the recession began. Once laid-off people stop hunting for jobs, they are no longer counted in the unemployment rate.
The economy has now lost jobs for 23 straight months, but the small decline in November indicates the nation could begin generating jobs soon.
Yet even as layoffs are easing, the slow pace of hiring is causing headaches for political leaders. The employment report comes a day after Obama hosted a "jobs summit" at the White House, where he told economists, business executives and union leaders that he is "open to every demonstrably good idea" to create jobs.
This ties in well with American Government. Jobs is one of the presidents many duties that he has to oversee along with the economy. If he was to ignore the economy and not worry about jobs the United States would be a failure in the eyes of the rest of the world. As Chief of the economy the job growth is very important to the president and our government, because Congress has passed new laws concerning the economy and jobs.
Pinkbandit
Speaking to a crowd in Allentown, Pa. -- the first stop on Obama's multi-city jobs tour -- the president touted Friday's government report showing the nation's unemployment rate dropped to 10 percent in November.
"Overall, this is the best jobs report that we've seen since 2007," Obama said, adding that U.S. employers cut 11,000 jobs in November, the lowest monthly job loss in nearly two years and 115,000 fewer than economists predicted.
"This is good news just in time for the season of hope," he said, "but we've got a lot more work to do before we can celebrate."
Too many Americans have "felt the gut punch of a pink slip" and "good trends don't pay the rent," he said.
The Labor Department's Friday report marked an improvement over October's 111,000 jobs lost. But the respite may be temporary, as many economists expect the jobless rate to keep climbing into next year as the economy struggles to generate enough jobs for the 15.4 million people out of work.
The unemployment rate fell to 10 percent from 10.2 percent in October, where economists expected it to remain.
If part-time workers who want full time jobs and laid off workers who have given up looking for work are included, the so-called underemployment rate also fell, to 17.2 percent from 17.5 percent in October.
There was other positive news in the report. The average work week rose to 33.2 hours, from a record low of 33 hours. Economists expect employers will increase hours for their current workers before hiring new ones.
The department also increased its job estimate for September, to a loss of 139,000 from 219,000, and for last month, to 111,000 from 190,000.
Swing voters in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley helped Obama win the pivotal, populous state. But the region's jobless rate inched up another half percentage point in October to 9.8 percent. About 41,000 people are currently unemployed, the highest number since 1984.
Small businesses that power the economy in the region are starved for credit and laying people off. Stimulus dollars for roads, bridges, schools and social services are mired in Washington and state bureaucracy.
"In the last two or three months people are getting disillusioned," Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, a Democrat, told the Wall Street Journal in advance of Obama's speech. "If he's kicking off this tour and nothing of substance comes out of it, it's gonna kill him," he said.
Obama told Pennsylvanians Friday that he's optimistic that banks will ease lending next year and that should help businesses that want to expand and hire new workers.
When asked what his administration could do to loosen tight credit, especially for struggling small businesses, Obama said that banks were "way too easy in terms of giving credit" -- which he said contributed to the near financial collapse. Obama said banks now "have swung in the opposite direction" and that the administration will push them to lend to credit-worthy customers. The president said "they were used to saying yes to everybody and now they're saying no to everybody."
In a speech from Washington next Tuesday, Obama plans to unveil a proposal to "jump-start" business hiring across the country.
The president plans to send Congress a list of ideas he supports for a new jobs bill. He will endorse sending the biggest chunk of fresh money to cash-strapped state and local governments to stem their layoffs and on expanding a program that gives people cash incentives to fix up their homes with energy-saving materials. Obama will also endorse new tax breaks for small businesses that hire workers.
The nation's unemployment rate fell in November because the number of jobless Americans dropped by 325,000 to 15.4 million. The jobless rate is calculated from a survey of households, while the number of jobs lost or gain is calculated from a separate survey of business and government establishments. The two surveys can sometimes vary.
The rate also dropped because fewer people are looking for work. The size of the labor force, which includes the employed and those actively searching for jobs, fell by nearly 100,000, the third straight decline. That indicates more of the unemployed are giving up on looking for work.
The participation rate, or the percentage of the population employed or looking for work, fell to 65 percent, the lowest since the recession began. Once laid-off people stop hunting for jobs, they are no longer counted in the unemployment rate.
The economy has now lost jobs for 23 straight months, but the small decline in November indicates the nation could begin generating jobs soon.
Yet even as layoffs are easing, the slow pace of hiring is causing headaches for political leaders. The employment report comes a day after Obama hosted a "jobs summit" at the White House, where he told economists, business executives and union leaders that he is "open to every demonstrably good idea" to create jobs.
This ties in well with American Government. Jobs is one of the presidents many duties that he has to oversee along with the economy. If he was to ignore the economy and not worry about jobs the United States would be a failure in the eyes of the rest of the world. As Chief of the economy the job growth is very important to the president and our government, because Congress has passed new laws concerning the economy and jobs.
Pinkbandit
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Illegal Immigration Effects in America
The United States' borders have been lightly protected and illegal immigrants have been crossing in uncontrollable numbers. There is an estimated 22 million illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration has been a breeding ground for many thorns in the United States' side. These thorns include, but are not limited to, crime, disease, and burdening the tax payers of the United States.
Illegal immigrants have many different ways of getting here. Some simply come here on a visa and never leave. Others use false identifications and other false documents to stay here. Some cross the dangerous terrain, guided by "coyotes," people paid to smuggle them across, and avoid the Border patrol to get here. Some are smuggled across in vans in large groups. In all methods they face great risk. There is always a risk of getting deported if caught. There is the danger of the wilderness. The guide could ditch them and leave them for dead. People have died from vans with illegal immigrants stuffed in it crashing.
Anywhere from 700,000 to 1,289,000 crimes are committed by illegal immigrants each year. Most crimes by illegal immigrants go unrecorded. These crimes end up costing the victims, and all Americans, too. In 2003, about 267,000 illegal immigrants were incarcerated, and in Federal correctional facilities. That statistic is costing Americans 6.8 billion dollars a year.
The crimes illegal immigrants commit leave deep scars in the American society. About 2,200 people are murdered by illegal immigrants per year. Close to 131,000 cases of sexual crimes are recorded a year. Crimes illegal immigrants commit also stretch to drug trafficking. About 80% of all drugs and narcotics come from across our southern border. About 4.5 million pounds of cocaine come across our borders, which totals to 72 billion dollars worth of cocaine on the streets of America.
Many illegal immigrants are wanted for repulsive crimes. In Los Angeles, out of 1,500 homicide warrants, 95% of those are for illegal immigrants. Out of 17,000 wanted fugitives there, 67% are illegal immigrants. The ratio of sex offenders is higher in the illegal immigrant population than it is to the general population. A sample of 1,500 sexual crimes shows 35% of those were molestations, 24% were rapes, and 41% of them were sexual homicides.
MS-13, a gang mostly made from illegal immigrants, is considered by the FBI to be the most dangerous gang, and one of the fastest growing. It is a gang formed from guerilla soldiers in El Salvador. It has been infecting areas of mass illegal immigrant population. The gang is spreading to places once considered safe. MS-13 has infected 33 states. The crimes this organization commits are some of the most violent and gruesome police have seen. One Virginia woman was kidnapped and taken to Florida where she was beaten and raped. They are responsible for most of the drug, weapon, and human smuggling across the border.
Illegal immigration also is a problem because they do not have insurance or driver's licenses. When illegal immigrants get into wrecks, they tend to be hit and run because they have no insurance. This puts the financial burden on the victim. Illegal immigrants also tend to drive drunk or impaired more, pair that with the fact that they can't read road signs and many accidents happen that cause fatalities. Like Min Soon Chang who was killed by an illegal immigrant, Jorge Humberto Hernandez-Soto, going 100 miles per hour down the wrong side of the highway. Jorge Humberto Hernandez-Soto had been deported 17 times before this tragic incident.
Not all victims of these terrible collisions die. Many victims face years of rehab to get to their once normal state. John Hesler was hit in 2003 by an illegal immigrant in an uninsured car. John would then face many years in rehab knowing the person who put him into this situation escaped back to Mexico. There are many more sad stories of people killed or maimed by illegal aliens.
Illegal aliens are also clogging up our hospitals. Because of the Emergency Medical Treatment Act of 1985, hospitals are required to treat illegal aliens. They have no way of paying the hospital bills. This forces the hospital to close. From 1993 to 2003, 84 hospitals were closed in California due to free services provided to illegal aliens. Illegal immigrants are also bringing diseases that have never been here or have been eradicated here. Tuberculosis has sprung out of control in the illegal population. It costs thousands of dollars to treat. Also leprosy, or Hansen's Disease, Dengue Fever, and Polio have found their way back into the United States.
When illegal aliens come here, they have what is called an "anchor baby." This acts as their anchor to stay here. Any one born inside the borders automatically becomes a citizen. About 350,000 anchor babies are born each year. Since they are citizens they get welfare money. Thousands of tax payer dollars are fed into families of illegal immigrants each year. Thousands of illegal immigrants then stay here and jam the thorns into the sides of Americans every day.
For the children of illegal immigration there is a language gap. Most do not speak English, so the government must spend more to educate illegal aliens. The cost per year to educate them is 34.5 billion dollars. Most will not even continue on the secondary schooling. This money could be better spent on resources for our schools or better pay for the teachers. It could also hire more teachers to create better learning environments.
Illegal immigration is more than just one singular problem. It is like a weed that has a very complex root system. While many people think it is just one problem, they do not see thet amount of damage it causes. Thousands of people die from the crimes and the diseases it brings. Billions of dollars out of tax payer's wallets go to take care of illegal immigrants. Billions for extra education, and billions for treatment of third world diseases.
Sources:
http://www.usillegalaliens.com
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43275
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Illegal_immigration_-_Methods/id/1496609
Interview by Rita Cosby. MSNBC.
Sincerely,
Batman
Illegal immigrants have many different ways of getting here. Some simply come here on a visa and never leave. Others use false identifications and other false documents to stay here. Some cross the dangerous terrain, guided by "coyotes," people paid to smuggle them across, and avoid the Border patrol to get here. Some are smuggled across in vans in large groups. In all methods they face great risk. There is always a risk of getting deported if caught. There is the danger of the wilderness. The guide could ditch them and leave them for dead. People have died from vans with illegal immigrants stuffed in it crashing.
Anywhere from 700,000 to 1,289,000 crimes are committed by illegal immigrants each year. Most crimes by illegal immigrants go unrecorded. These crimes end up costing the victims, and all Americans, too. In 2003, about 267,000 illegal immigrants were incarcerated, and in Federal correctional facilities. That statistic is costing Americans 6.8 billion dollars a year.
The crimes illegal immigrants commit leave deep scars in the American society. About 2,200 people are murdered by illegal immigrants per year. Close to 131,000 cases of sexual crimes are recorded a year. Crimes illegal immigrants commit also stretch to drug trafficking. About 80% of all drugs and narcotics come from across our southern border. About 4.5 million pounds of cocaine come across our borders, which totals to 72 billion dollars worth of cocaine on the streets of America.
Many illegal immigrants are wanted for repulsive crimes. In Los Angeles, out of 1,500 homicide warrants, 95% of those are for illegal immigrants. Out of 17,000 wanted fugitives there, 67% are illegal immigrants. The ratio of sex offenders is higher in the illegal immigrant population than it is to the general population. A sample of 1,500 sexual crimes shows 35% of those were molestations, 24% were rapes, and 41% of them were sexual homicides.
MS-13, a gang mostly made from illegal immigrants, is considered by the FBI to be the most dangerous gang, and one of the fastest growing. It is a gang formed from guerilla soldiers in El Salvador. It has been infecting areas of mass illegal immigrant population. The gang is spreading to places once considered safe. MS-13 has infected 33 states. The crimes this organization commits are some of the most violent and gruesome police have seen. One Virginia woman was kidnapped and taken to Florida where she was beaten and raped. They are responsible for most of the drug, weapon, and human smuggling across the border.
Illegal immigration also is a problem because they do not have insurance or driver's licenses. When illegal immigrants get into wrecks, they tend to be hit and run because they have no insurance. This puts the financial burden on the victim. Illegal immigrants also tend to drive drunk or impaired more, pair that with the fact that they can't read road signs and many accidents happen that cause fatalities. Like Min Soon Chang who was killed by an illegal immigrant, Jorge Humberto Hernandez-Soto, going 100 miles per hour down the wrong side of the highway. Jorge Humberto Hernandez-Soto had been deported 17 times before this tragic incident.
Not all victims of these terrible collisions die. Many victims face years of rehab to get to their once normal state. John Hesler was hit in 2003 by an illegal immigrant in an uninsured car. John would then face many years in rehab knowing the person who put him into this situation escaped back to Mexico. There are many more sad stories of people killed or maimed by illegal aliens.
Illegal aliens are also clogging up our hospitals. Because of the Emergency Medical Treatment Act of 1985, hospitals are required to treat illegal aliens. They have no way of paying the hospital bills. This forces the hospital to close. From 1993 to 2003, 84 hospitals were closed in California due to free services provided to illegal aliens. Illegal immigrants are also bringing diseases that have never been here or have been eradicated here. Tuberculosis has sprung out of control in the illegal population. It costs thousands of dollars to treat. Also leprosy, or Hansen's Disease, Dengue Fever, and Polio have found their way back into the United States.
When illegal aliens come here, they have what is called an "anchor baby." This acts as their anchor to stay here. Any one born inside the borders automatically becomes a citizen. About 350,000 anchor babies are born each year. Since they are citizens they get welfare money. Thousands of tax payer dollars are fed into families of illegal immigrants each year. Thousands of illegal immigrants then stay here and jam the thorns into the sides of Americans every day.
For the children of illegal immigration there is a language gap. Most do not speak English, so the government must spend more to educate illegal aliens. The cost per year to educate them is 34.5 billion dollars. Most will not even continue on the secondary schooling. This money could be better spent on resources for our schools or better pay for the teachers. It could also hire more teachers to create better learning environments.
Illegal immigration is more than just one singular problem. It is like a weed that has a very complex root system. While many people think it is just one problem, they do not see thet amount of damage it causes. Thousands of people die from the crimes and the diseases it brings. Billions of dollars out of tax payer's wallets go to take care of illegal immigrants. Billions for extra education, and billions for treatment of third world diseases.
Sources:
http://www.usillegalaliens.com
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43275
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Illegal_immigration_-_Methods/id/1496609
Interview by Rita Cosby. MSNBC.
Sincerely,
Batman
Medical Malpractice
Medical practices in the United States have improved dramatically over the last few decades. The number of new diseases and cures doctors have discovered has increased exponentially. Unfortunately, like the number of new discoveries, the number of medical malpractice suits that are filed has increased exponentially also. Medical malpractice law suits are a major problem and need to be capped and regulated by the government.
Physicians fear and expect malpractice suits. Often they happen more than once to every physician. Just because a physician has been sued does not make them bad. Some physicians in high risk fields such as surgery and obstetrics are often sued every six years. Surgeons have to pay anywhere from $30,000 to $200,000 a year in medical malpractice insurance premiums, since they are so likely to get sued. Physicians are forced to buy malpractice insurance. Malpractice insurance rates are incredibly high, to cover physicians for when a lawsuit is filed.
Physicians practice defensive medicine, or the ordering of unnecessary tests, to prevent being sued for malpractice. Reports say that 18 -28% of all tests done are to prevent law suits. Many doctors are afraid to admit mistakes, in fear of being sued, so if they make a mistake they will not ask for help to fix the mistake, therefore they will not learn from their mistake.
Lawyers make 30% to 50% of the amount of money won from cases. This promotes lawyers to look for "victims", or people to claim they have gained injuries from doctors. This puts the court system into disarray and prevents people with true claims from getting the legal help they need.
Patients are allowed to sue for obscure situations. For example a pediatrician was sued after an infant underwent a routine two month check up, then later that week died of sudden infant death syndrome, even though sudden infant death happens with out warning. In another case, after a woman under went life saving pancreatic cancer surgery, she sued for a pain in her arm that she blamed on the medicine the physician gave her.
States that impose a medical malpractice suit cap tend to have more physicians. Many states have enacted a $250,000 cap on non – economical malpractice suits. Malpractice insurance rates are much lower, so the states attract many new physicians. Also different specialties in the medical field that have lower malpractice suit, or insurance, rates seem to attract more physicians.
If malpractice suit caps were put in place, more Americans could access health care. It would be cheaper, therefore easier for people to access. Physicians would not fear being sued, so they would be less likely to perform defensive medicine.
Medical malpractice suits are a very extreme problem in our country. There is an answer to help the problem in our country: the government should regulate, and cap the amount of a medical malpractice suit. It will have a positive effect on many parts of the health care and judiciary system: help lower the overall cost of health care and take some of the stress off the judiciary system, and cause there to be less scam cases.
The Green Giant
Dubai Downfall
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Gulf markets tumbled again on Tuesday, taking no comfort from Dubai World's plan to restructure about $26 billion of its estimated $59 billion in liabilities, which appeared to calm global fears of contagion.
In a sign that concern among banks was subsiding, UAE interbank offered rates eased, with the 3-month rate falling to 1.90500 percent from Monday's 1.94125 percent fix.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi stocks fell about 6 percent on their second trading day since Dubai last week asked creditors of government-controlled conglomerate Dubai World and property arm Nakheel for a delay on debt repayments as a first step to restructuring.
Dubai World, which led the emirate's transformation into a regional hub for finance, investment and tourism, unveiled details late on Monday of a plan covering $26 billion of debt owed by its main property firms, Nakheel and Limitless.
"This is definitely good news, it shows they are still committed to their payments, and it removes all fears that this is a complete default," said Hassaim Arabi, chief executive at Gulfmena Alternative Investments.
News of the plan helped global markets edge higher, but did not halt the sell-off in the Gulf, which followed comments by Dubai's leading finance official on Monday that the government would not guarantee Dubai World's debts.
The market in Qatar, reopening after a five-day Eid al-Adha holiday, plunged more than 9 percent, while Kuwait's bourse was down 2.55 percent.
'It's a beginning'
"It's a beginning, and it's definitely a positive step in that it gives us a scale of the problem," said a Dubai-based strategist. "But the main concern remains unchanged. What is the outcome of those negotiations with regard to the Nakheel problem?"
The Abu Dhabi market had also plunged on Monday, an 8.3 percent fall that was its worst one-day drop on record, while Dubai's 7.3 percent slide was its biggest in more than a year.
But after sharp falls last week, Asian and European stocks were up on Tuesday, following a rise on Wall Street overnight.
Dubai says Dubai World is on its own
UAE to back banks amid meltdown in Dubai
Dubai debt plea sends fear around world
"Dubai is still a risk, but most of Asia has very limited exposure to Dubai, other than isolated banks. So people may want to avoid the banks, but most other companies are okay," said Francis Cheung, an equities strategist at CLSA in Hong Kong.
Dubai World said its restructuring efforts would not include other firms such as Infinity World Holding, Istithmar World and Ports & Free Zone World, which includes DP World, Economic Zones World, P&O Ferries and Jebel Ali Free Zone, or JAFZA. Dubai World said those firms were financially stable.
The statement said Dubai World would look at options for deleveraging, including asset sales, funding requirements and formulating restructuring proposals to financial creditors.
"It's a step in the right direction," said Raj Madha, a banking analyst at EFG Hermes in Dubai.
"I'd like to see the details it promises, basically: which entities they're talking about (selling), how big a haircut they're going to take."
--
Steve
In a sign that concern among banks was subsiding, UAE interbank offered rates eased, with the 3-month rate falling to 1.90500 percent from Monday's 1.94125 percent fix.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi stocks fell about 6 percent on their second trading day since Dubai last week asked creditors of government-controlled conglomerate Dubai World and property arm Nakheel for a delay on debt repayments as a first step to restructuring.
Dubai World, which led the emirate's transformation into a regional hub for finance, investment and tourism, unveiled details late on Monday of a plan covering $26 billion of debt owed by its main property firms, Nakheel and Limitless.
"This is definitely good news, it shows they are still committed to their payments, and it removes all fears that this is a complete default," said Hassaim Arabi, chief executive at Gulfmena Alternative Investments.
News of the plan helped global markets edge higher, but did not halt the sell-off in the Gulf, which followed comments by Dubai's leading finance official on Monday that the government would not guarantee Dubai World's debts.
The market in Qatar, reopening after a five-day Eid al-Adha holiday, plunged more than 9 percent, while Kuwait's bourse was down 2.55 percent.
'It's a beginning'
"It's a beginning, and it's definitely a positive step in that it gives us a scale of the problem," said a Dubai-based strategist. "But the main concern remains unchanged. What is the outcome of those negotiations with regard to the Nakheel problem?"
The Abu Dhabi market had also plunged on Monday, an 8.3 percent fall that was its worst one-day drop on record, while Dubai's 7.3 percent slide was its biggest in more than a year.
But after sharp falls last week, Asian and European stocks were up on Tuesday, following a rise on Wall Street overnight.
Dubai says Dubai World is on its own
UAE to back banks amid meltdown in Dubai
Dubai debt plea sends fear around world
"Dubai is still a risk, but most of Asia has very limited exposure to Dubai, other than isolated banks. So people may want to avoid the banks, but most other companies are okay," said Francis Cheung, an equities strategist at CLSA in Hong Kong.
Dubai World said its restructuring efforts would not include other firms such as Infinity World Holding, Istithmar World and Ports & Free Zone World, which includes DP World, Economic Zones World, P&O Ferries and Jebel Ali Free Zone, or JAFZA. Dubai World said those firms were financially stable.
The statement said Dubai World would look at options for deleveraging, including asset sales, funding requirements and formulating restructuring proposals to financial creditors.
"It's a step in the right direction," said Raj Madha, a banking analyst at EFG Hermes in Dubai.
"I'd like to see the details it promises, basically: which entities they're talking about (selling), how big a haircut they're going to take."
--
Steve
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