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The Mexican Flu Epidemic: Are We In Danger?: Left of Center View

Disease is and should be a major concern for any government. Plagues and other diseases have decimated both urban and rural populations across Europe since the days of Charlemagne. Africa, India, even the U.S. have all seen major outbreaks in this young century. So yes governments should worry about the spread of disease, and border control is certainly a significant part of that, but again things are getting blown out of proportion. The media is whipping us into a frenzy so that they can report on the very frenzy they’ve created.

Swine Flu kills hundreds - scream the headlines. What isn't reported is that the regular flu kills tens of thousands of people in America alone every year. It just doesn't make very good media copy, so that part of the story is largely ignored.

The real story should be the lack of affordable health care available to the world populace. Emergency rooms around the country are clogged with people who can't afford primary care. Hospitals can't turn them away, so they have to treat them knowing that they will have to pass the cost on to the patients that can afford to pay their bills, hence the $10 aspirin. It is a flawed system to be sure but somehow still a lucrative one. There is plenty of money and that seem to govern the system more than the access and quality of care. But since corporate America is reluctant to report on its own dirty secrets, until of course they become public knowledge from another source, then they try to run and control the story, the real story, the institutionalized denial and of affordable health care, will never be reported on as feverishly as the latest penile drug.

But there is a bright side to some of the media hysteria. People pay attention. The important preventative information finally gets passed on. People start wearing condoms and washing their hands after going to the bathroom, which if you think about goes a long towards making the world a better place.

Kyle Pesonen - Staff Writer | E-mail Comments on this column. | Click icon to Digg this article

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The Mexican Flu Epidemic: Are We In Danger?: Right of Center View

This is one more example of why our porous borders need to be secured and we need to clamp down on illegal immigration. People with communicable diseases are coming into our nation undetected and exposing our population to a deadly threat that can’t even be seen until it’s too late. We need to be able to stop these things before they come into the nation.

Before you think I’m some sort of raving bigot let me clarify why I believe that immigration is a health issue. When someone legally immigrates to the U.S. they are required to pass health screenings and be tested for communicable diseases before being granted entry. This helps to reduce the spread of disease across borders. In times of epidemic, even legitimate travelers are subject to higher scrutiny before being allowed to roam free amongst our citizenry. This keeps down the number of potential carriers of disease coming into the country.

People who enter the country without documentation pose increased risk to others around them because there is no control over what they bring in with them. This is not to say that all incoming undocumented immigrants pose a disease risk. Many that come across the border are healthy and pose no risk to anyone. The problem is that the ones that do pose a health risk coming in undocumented pose a greater risk of spreading the disease both because they do not seek health care as quickly and they often live in close cramped quarters with many others increasing the number of people who will carry their contagion further.

This latest disease threat is just one more example of why we need to be aware of the dangers of being complacent when it comes to our security. We can’t simply stand by and hope nothing goes wrong. We have to take a proactive approach to keeping our people safe and secure. We don’t need to panic but we do need to be aware. Like it or not it is just safer to know who is coming and going than not to know.

The Realist - Patriot at Large | E-mail Comments on this column. | Click icon to Digg this article

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Should The U.S. Government Be Able To Sieze Assets Hidden In Foreign Banks?

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A Legal Immigrant’s Perspective

If you are not a Native American, you are an immigrant, so am I. I came legally to this country at the age of five with my parents who worked hard, paid taxes (even Jesus paid taxes), lived by the rules of this great nation and never took or accepted a penny from the government. We came seeking FREEDOM from a communist country. It was months before we were able to enter the US legally. I remember us getting medical exams, shots (small pox), background check, references, and going through numerous interviews once we arrived. I also remembered people coming to the US from all over the world who waited years since it was based on "Quotas". Read more...

Solving Our Immigration Problem

The major problem our country is facing with illegal immigrants today is because of the exploitation of these immigrants. We believe the solution to this problem is two-fold. First, we should allow more immigrants in this country to cut down on the number of illegal ones. Second, all immigrants should be educated about their rights at the expense of the government. Below, you will find an in-depth look at our suggested reforms.

Reforms for immigration limitations:

-New immigrants can't equal more than 1% of the US population in a given year (the population being from the last recorded census). That 1% will be further divided up to allow only a certain number of immigrants each month.
-Each country of origin for immigrants will be allowed a certain percentage of that 1%. No country could receive more than 10% of the total amount and no country can receive less than .1% of it. The left over percentage will be divided up between all countries as follows: Read more...

Do Elements Within the La Raza Movement Pose a Threat to America?

La Raza means literally “The Race” in Spanish. The movement was formed in 1968 to promote the interests of the Mexican-American community. Like the NAACP and other affirmative-action minded organizations, La Raza has many members that are interested in being part of America and promoting equality for all Americans. The fundamental goals as stated by the movement are benign and represent the ideals of American diversity and cultural pride.

There is another movement affiliated with La Raza that has historically been more militant and still maintains documents within their organization that point to isolationistic views Read More

A Plan

The one major thing that seems to be lacking in the immigration debate is a real plan that addresses the legitimate concerns with illegal immigration. There are strong opinions on both sides and a lot of rhetoric but there isn’t really any solid plan being promoted to address the illegal immigration issue in a way that is both fair and logical.

So, that being said here is my idea:Read More

Trucking Cross Borders

This is mainly a concern for the trucking business. If we allow these people to come into our country, bringing cargo that we in America have, and can supply, then we are saying that the American working people are not needed, and have lost all say to legally enforced DOT (Department of Transportation) laws.Read More