The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could not have come at a more inconvenient time. Why do I say this? Well, Congress and the Obama Administration were just about to pass legislation for some off-shore drilling. This is one thing that I like what Obama is trying to do!
This oil spill is one thing that both sides of the aisle can agree on to fix. First off, the people in charge need to figure out how to clean up the spill. If you know me, I am not too big on protecting the environment or hugging any trees. However, this oil spill affects more than just the environment; it affects the wildlife (which I do not car too much about either) and the people who depend on the water and the wildlife as a means of food and income. And I do realize that the oil is now about 20 miles away from the coast line of Louisiana which could create another disaster all in itself.
Unfortunately, the “experts” on this case are still unsure what has caused the explosion. This is not good for people on the side that I agree with. The people who are against off-shore drilling will most likely use this spill/explosion as a reason why we as a nation should not drill off our shores. My counter-argument to that is: an explosion like that is very rare. The chances of another explosion or spill like what has just happened is very slim because of the stricter regulations and more precautions that will be taken.
Before we jump to any rash decisions on whether or not we should drill off-shore, we should weigh the options.
Pro-drilling:
-Chances are slim that another spill will happen again.
- It will start to wean our country of the dependency of foreign oil.
-It would create jobs.
-There is a potential for a decrease in oil/gas costs.
Con-drilling:
-Another spill/explosion could happen again.
-The environment will could get hurt.
-There is a potential of the loss of wildlife and drinking water.
-It could cost too much to do this.
I am not an expert on this issue by any means and I am more than sure that all of you know where I stand on this issue. But on a final note, this oil spill could be a good thing! At least we know there is still oil off our shores! Hopefully this mess can get cleaned up soon and some off-shore drilling legislation will come about.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Illegal means Illegal.
As a few days have passed since the passing of Arizona’s new law on immigration, I feel it necessary to bring light on the subject from a slightly different perspective. There has been a lot of talk about the constitutionality of this law and how Arizona could have done such a horrible thing. However, when one truly examines this law (not that I have read the entire law) I strongly believe that this law will hold up constitutionally.
Immigrants have been a key factor to America ever since, well, colonial America. My relatives came to this country trying to start a new life. Most of my relatives came from Ireland and my last name used to be O’ Connor but my great great grandfather wanted to become more American and dropped the “O.” Well, my relatives that came to America to change their lives came over the legal way.
The one reason why Arizona decided to make this law was because of the illegal immigration. If the Mexicans that come to America looking for work would only come over the legal way, there would not be any problems. However, just like most things here in America, the system is a little broke and people take advantage of it. Simply put, people come over illegally because they can.
In the department of Homeland Security we have the Border Control Agency. Their responsibility is to secure our borders and make sure the only people crossing the borders are legal immigrants and travelers on both sides. Since the Border Control Agency seems to neglect their responsibilities and countless presidents have refused to do something to secure the borders America is facing a difficult problem of illegal immigration. This is where Arizona has stepped up to the plate.
Some question the validity of the Arizona’s new law which does not actually take effect until late-July. Those who question this law ask if this law is “legal stereo-typing.” Seriously, how could a country that prides itself on everyone being an individual and privacy ask people if they are citizens or here legally? Well my friends, for one, it is pretty easy to tell who is Mexican when one lives in the Southwest. But, let me remind you that this law does not just apply to illegal Mexicans, it also applies to illegal students who stay longer than their visas allow. The justifiable reason the state of Arizona has in this law is the Supreme Court case in 1968 called “Terry v. Ohio” when the Court ruled with the Fourth Amendment that there is a thing called “reasonable suspicion.”
Reasonable suspicion will help Arizona’s law in courts because the state can claim they had “reasonable suspicion” that this person or that person is here illegally. Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer has said that this law will not allow racial profiling (check out the link): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/30/arizona-governor-signs-revising-new-immigration-law/
Let us say the Governor Brewer is right; let us now examine why Arizona would pass such a law. First off, this law was passed because the people of the state are affected by illegal immigration every day. Living in New York, I do not experience this as much mainly because I do not live next to the Mexican border or live on a farm and in need of cheap labor. Studies have suggested that illegal immigration has been the cause of violent crime rates going up in the cities and states that are most affected: http://ccis.ucsd.edu/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg131.pdf
The hope of this law is that by catching illegal immigrants the crime rate will be reduced. Another good source you should check out is this: http://www.dallasfed.org/research/border/tbe_orrenius.html
This site explains the effects of illegal immigration. Back to Arizona’s law we should wonder if this law came in part because the national government has done little to nothing to prevent illegal immigration. Illegal immigration and border control is the national government’s responsibility but states are allowed to have their own policies. Arizona has felt like the national government has not done enough to keep the state safe so they took matters into their own hands. Arizona is more affected by illegal immigration that states like Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, etc. Therefore, Arizona has every right to protect its interests.
Am I concerned with some of the questions that are brought up by this law? Of course. However, I feel that good things can and will come from this law. Just like syndicated columnist George Will: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042702741.html
I feel that this law will help Arizona in the long run. President Reagan and his Administration have come the closest to immigration reform but it did not work in the long run. Their policy was to grant amnesty to those illegal immigrants that were caught. They way they were given amnesty was by having to pay a hefty fine. However, people were just willing to get pay the fine if they were granted amnesty. Arizona has now taken the next step to try and stop illegal immigration. They are actually trying to make something that is already “illegal”, illegal. Hopefully President Obama and national lawmakers see that Arizona is willing to stand up against illegal immigration and start passing national legislation.
My one and only concern of this law is that it could have potential backlash against the Republicans in November. But, I do have faith and I think this is one of the first steps to real change. I hope that all of you who read this get a chance to check out those links I posted.
Immigrants have been a key factor to America ever since, well, colonial America. My relatives came to this country trying to start a new life. Most of my relatives came from Ireland and my last name used to be O’ Connor but my great great grandfather wanted to become more American and dropped the “O.” Well, my relatives that came to America to change their lives came over the legal way.
The one reason why Arizona decided to make this law was because of the illegal immigration. If the Mexicans that come to America looking for work would only come over the legal way, there would not be any problems. However, just like most things here in America, the system is a little broke and people take advantage of it. Simply put, people come over illegally because they can.
In the department of Homeland Security we have the Border Control Agency. Their responsibility is to secure our borders and make sure the only people crossing the borders are legal immigrants and travelers on both sides. Since the Border Control Agency seems to neglect their responsibilities and countless presidents have refused to do something to secure the borders America is facing a difficult problem of illegal immigration. This is where Arizona has stepped up to the plate.
Some question the validity of the Arizona’s new law which does not actually take effect until late-July. Those who question this law ask if this law is “legal stereo-typing.” Seriously, how could a country that prides itself on everyone being an individual and privacy ask people if they are citizens or here legally? Well my friends, for one, it is pretty easy to tell who is Mexican when one lives in the Southwest. But, let me remind you that this law does not just apply to illegal Mexicans, it also applies to illegal students who stay longer than their visas allow. The justifiable reason the state of Arizona has in this law is the Supreme Court case in 1968 called “Terry v. Ohio” when the Court ruled with the Fourth Amendment that there is a thing called “reasonable suspicion.”
Reasonable suspicion will help Arizona’s law in courts because the state can claim they had “reasonable suspicion” that this person or that person is here illegally. Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer has said that this law will not allow racial profiling (check out the link): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/30/arizona-governor-signs-revising-new-immigration-law/
Let us say the Governor Brewer is right; let us now examine why Arizona would pass such a law. First off, this law was passed because the people of the state are affected by illegal immigration every day. Living in New York, I do not experience this as much mainly because I do not live next to the Mexican border or live on a farm and in need of cheap labor. Studies have suggested that illegal immigration has been the cause of violent crime rates going up in the cities and states that are most affected: http://ccis.ucsd.edu/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg131.pdf
The hope of this law is that by catching illegal immigrants the crime rate will be reduced. Another good source you should check out is this: http://www.dallasfed.org/research/border/tbe_orrenius.html
This site explains the effects of illegal immigration. Back to Arizona’s law we should wonder if this law came in part because the national government has done little to nothing to prevent illegal immigration. Illegal immigration and border control is the national government’s responsibility but states are allowed to have their own policies. Arizona has felt like the national government has not done enough to keep the state safe so they took matters into their own hands. Arizona is more affected by illegal immigration that states like Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, etc. Therefore, Arizona has every right to protect its interests.
Am I concerned with some of the questions that are brought up by this law? Of course. However, I feel that good things can and will come from this law. Just like syndicated columnist George Will: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042702741.html
I feel that this law will help Arizona in the long run. President Reagan and his Administration have come the closest to immigration reform but it did not work in the long run. Their policy was to grant amnesty to those illegal immigrants that were caught. They way they were given amnesty was by having to pay a hefty fine. However, people were just willing to get pay the fine if they were granted amnesty. Arizona has now taken the next step to try and stop illegal immigration. They are actually trying to make something that is already “illegal”, illegal. Hopefully President Obama and national lawmakers see that Arizona is willing to stand up against illegal immigration and start passing national legislation.
My one and only concern of this law is that it could have potential backlash against the Republicans in November. But, I do have faith and I think this is one of the first steps to real change. I hope that all of you who read this get a chance to check out those links I posted.
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