Ariona Law

I wonder, do these views reflect the narrow viewpoints of the posters on this board, or the viewpoints of recent immigrants to the Virgin Islands. In other words, are the new people moving to the USVI xenophobes and racists or is it just the few 'posters' on this website???

It is clear to me that the VI is a mult-racial society. I have to wonder how satisfied some of these people are with their new home.

Recently I was speaking with a friend on the board who made a similar observation.

Sounds like you have it all figured out, the demographic above has the highest unemployment rate, right.

I find it interesting that because someone is against ILLEGAL immigrants, but not legal immigrants you call them racists!
I am also against people who rob banks, rob stores, do home invasions, steal cars, do murder, white collar crime, or break and enter. These things are ILLEGAL as well.
After all, the people who do all of these things are just trying to better their lives in some way but at the expense of others.
Some are worse than others to be sure, but they are all ILLEGAL and I am for laws trying to stop all of that. Why aren't you???

"Arizona's Republican lawmakers won another victory yesterday as Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law a bill that will ban ethnic studies programs in the state's public schools. "

I think this is taking it too far.

"...The measure signed Tuesday prohibits classes that advocate ethnic solidarity, that are designed primarily for students of a particular race or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group...The measure doesn't prohibit classes that teach about the history of a particular ethnic group, as long as the course is open to all students and doesn't promote ethnic solidarity or resentment..."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37112122/ns/us_news-life/

yes that is true but who makes these decisions and what do they base the decisions on. It is not clearly written and that is the problem as I see it.....I don't think I want someone making that decision for me, if I don't think it is a good class for me than I don't attend.
Any type of history can promote resentment and anger, history wasn't all good but it is important.

I've never lived in AZ, and so am unable to fully appreciate just how dire the situation must be for the majority of state residents to support the various forms of legislation that have been recently enacted. The school measure applies to public K-12 classrooms, where students don't enjoy the luxury of, "if I don't think it is a good class for me than I don't attend."

Terry,

I am a black female, I don't care for illegal immigration for the record. If you look at my previous statements on this matter, I said I don't blame the immigrants or the new administration.

But the problem I have with this is the businesses and corporations. Why do we, the public, the taxpayers, have to keep picking up the tab when these businesses screw up. Let me explain this to the best of my ability, Home Depot had day labor centers. People objected, but state officials throughout the country said the day laborers needed to have somewhere to go to be picked up for work. Mortgages, for the first time in history, people were able to buy a home without proving assets, income, having a deposit or even a need for a social security number. The banks said the immigrants needed housing. If my memory serves me correctly, Bank of America was one of the banks that said the immigrants could use consulate cards to get credit cards and to open bank accounts. Then if my memory serves me correctly, WalMart wanted in on the action for money transfers. I could go on and on about how these businesses and corporations laid out the red carpet.

Everything started going south, they turned to the taxpayers. The taxpayers bailed out the banks, the auto industry, the mortgage industry, the insurance industry, the investment industry, the construction industry. Now what I don't like is how all of this was done at our expense, we lost our jobs because of cheap labor, we've lost our retirement savings due to greed. Businesses brought these people in, and now they want to use tax dollars to get them back to their countries?

As STXBob says, when you travel, you must leave the country at a certain date or risk going to jail or a fine. I do know that some countries you can go and pay for an extended tourist visa, but, most countries, before you can leave the airport to enter that country you have to show a return ticket and some countries make you put a deposit for your return ticket.

I just think it's time businesses pay for their own screw ups. It's bad enough they pass higher costs on to the taxpayers for their products, like gasoline, the company has some kind of accident or cleaning of equipment, we get higher gas prices. When people steal some of the items in stores or if they suffer losses from product recalls, we get higher prices.

We can deport them as people say, but that would be getting businesses off the hook again. That will not stop the businesses from bringing in more immigrants, legal or not. I mean even Bill Gates of Microsoft said we should have more immigrants- highly skilled, but still more immigrants. It is the businesses that will bankrupt this country, not the social services provided to the citizens, and that's my opinion. I hope this explanation doesn't sound rude or selfish, but, I think the businesses are responsible, they continue to say government can't do this or do that, yet, they have a history of overcharging the government, and now they want to privatize schools, and everything else. I guess the perfect example of this is the private contractors in Iraq, the fraud and overcharging of Medicare and Medicaid.

Terry,

I also forgot to say, when the lawsuits are filed, government meaning the taxpayers are picking up the tab again. The immigrants have a better chance of winning a lawsuit against the government than the businesses. From what I've read, suits filed against Joe Arpaio have already cost about $40 million. The immigrants have filed lawsuits against border patrol, difference police and sheriff, jails, prisons and detention centers.

The businesses are in a win-win situation. It's time they pay for their own screw ups.

@anjell -

this is going off topic, but this does remind me of the fact that tea party rallies have been screaming about president obama being responsible for higher taxes, when in fact, taxes are not necessarily, lower, but they are not incredibly higher either.

see Tax bills in 2009 at lowest level since 1950
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/taxes/2010-05-10-taxes_N.htm?csp=obnetwork

and the person saying "take your gov't hands off my medicare"...

i mean, really.

when things go downhill, it's time to find a scapegoat. back in the day (the 70's recession, post-war, gas shortages), i remember richard pryor joking that blacks could rest easy since the american public had found some "new n!@&er$"... the vietnamese.

it's par for the course, and there's really nothing one can do but let it run its course, because apparently it's something that's bound to happen. but i think it's important that those of us who stay plugged in, not be quiet through the din. it's very important that our voices be added to the conversation.

I find it interesting that because someone is against ILLEGAL immigrants, but not legal immigrants you call them racists!
I am also against people who rob banks, rob stores, do home invasions, steal cars, do murder, white collar crime, or break and enter. These things are ILLEGAL as well.
After all, the people who do all of these things are just trying to better their lives in some way but at the expense of others.
Some are worse than others to be sure, but they are all ILLEGAL and I am for laws trying to stop all of that. Why aren't you???

i do not believe being against illegal immigrants is de facto racism, but i do believe that those who run below the radar (illegals) will stay there, leaving those who are legally in this country who are latino will be in plain sight and subject to undue attention of law enforcement. and so, for this reason, i don't agree with this law. on the other hand, i also feel that arizona is reacting to the fact that they are getting no help from the federal government. i believe that i have said that already but it was so far down the thread that it bears repeating.

meanwhile, president obama has asked for debate and consideration of the an immigration reform bill. aspects of the bill are subject to discussion, you may or may not agree with everything in the bill.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration

Guiding Principles

President Obama believes that our broken immigration system can only be fixed by putting politics aside and offering a complete solution that secures our border, enforces our laws, and reaffirms our heritage as a nation of immigrants. He believes our immigration policy should be driven by our best judgment of what is in the economic interest of the United States and what is in the best interest of the American worker. President Obama recognizes that an orderly, controlled border and an immigration system designed to meet our economic needs are important pillars of a healthy and robust economy.

Strengthen Border Control

President Obama will protect the integrity of our borders by investing in additional personnel, infrastructure, and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

Improve Our Immigration System

President Obama will fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and enable legal immigration so that families can stay together.

Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally

President Obama will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by preventing employers from hiring undocumented workers and enforcing the law.

Bring People Out of the Shadows

President Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.

Work with Mexico

President Obama will promote economic development in Mexico to decrease the economic desperation that leads to illegal immigration.

-------

some may say "while the grass is growing, the horse is starving"... so contact your reps, and let them know how you feel! we are not helpless bystanders.

A Davis,

I don't think you are off topic, because all of this is tying in to this debate around illegal immigration. I mean even with what I had said above, the businesses and corporations are the ones receiving the tax breaks. They are also getting the tax subsidies, government grants. So with the lower working class out of work, and most of the middle class people of color out of work, the taxes are falling on those middle class workers that have a job. At one time it was the poor people of color paying most of the taxes because they didn't have the tax write-offs so they couldn't itemize deductions, but they don't have jobs now.

And with things happening here in the states, it's not just the brown people being targeted, it is blacks as well.

Terry,

I don't say you are racist because you are against illegal immigration. I will never say you are racist for that. I am against illegal immigration too, but we all have our reasons why. I keep mentioning that I am a black female, because I am trying to show that even though as a person of color it has been at least 10 years of suffering from illegal immigration for other minorities who are citizens of this country. This, I will give you a couple more examples of how it has affected me, once I went to a store, and this white lady said to me, "are you concerned with all the illegal immigrants coming to this country?" I said to her "no. should I be concerned." She then said, "Aren't you concerned that they are taking the jobs from blacks, you guys are the ones to be affected," with that she had a smirk on her face. I said, "oh no I'm not worried." When I got home I called my aunt and told her that I didn't want to get into this conversation with her, and that I knew eventually this would affect everyone in this country once the businesses got used to paying cheaper wages, meaning that yes it was affecting the blacks and american latinos but in the end it would reach up to everyone else.

Once I met this guy that was actually from Mexico. I don't know why guys, well even women from Mexico and Central America always ask me where I'm from when I have an American accent. I don't know if maybe they think I'm Puerto Rican or Dominican, but, anyway I think I look black. But anyway, when I told this particular guy that I was black and American, he made a remark to me that I later found out was derogatory, it was something like, "tienes sangre laNegra."

But when I say that blacks are also suffering, last month in Philadelphia a Sgt. Robert Ralson shot himself and said that a black man tried to rob him. This had a APB all out manhunt for a black man with cornrows. Then last week a guy in Ohio was robbing banks but used what the media says is "a black mask with the name player" and police was out looking for a black man when he wasn't black at all. Last week in Farmington New Mexico, three young guys was arrested for, as the police report, kidnapping a Native American from a Navajo Reservation. The newspaper said the man was disabled, and the three guys shaved a swastika in his head, and used a permanente marker on his body. Now this case, I can see how the three young guys can say this is a joke, I say this literally because they didn't hurt him like stabbing or shooting him, but they are facing 35 years in prison and the DA is seeking hate crimes and they are all under 25 years old. But with racial tensions so high here in the states, and all the threats against the president, I think people need to be clear with their intentions, and make sure it's worth their actions.

VOTE in November

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be - please read it!!

The article below is completely neutral, ...not anti republican or democrat.

Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day.

It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000

EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

545 PEOPLE--By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them..

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.... . The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace
545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ.
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power..

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it......... Is up to you.

This might be funny if it weren't so darned true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table, At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes Are the rule.

Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts Anyway!

Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.

Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think.

Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries Tax his tears.

Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways To tax his ass.

Tax all he has Then let him know That you won't be done Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers; Then tax him some more, Tax him till He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he's laid...

Put these words Upon his tomb, Taxes drove me to my doom...' When he's gone, Do not relax, Its time to apply The inheritance tax..

Sales Tax
School Tax
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Excise Taxes
Property Tax
Cigarette Tax
Medicare Tax
Inventory Tax
Real Estate Tax
Well Permit Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Inheritance Tax
Road Usage Tax
CDL license Tax
Dog License Tax
State Income Tax
Food License Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Gross Receipts Tax
Social Security Tax
Service Charge Tax
Fishing License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Building Permit Tax
IRS Interest Charges
Hunting License Tax
Marriage License Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Personal Property Tax
Accounts Receivable Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service FeeTax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Utility Taxes Vehicle License Registration Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians? ' I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!!
YOU can help it get there!!!
GO AHEAD - - - BE AN AMERICAN!!!

Rotorhead,

That is a good thing you shared this. It is funny about the tax story. My favorite line was the tax the gas.

I'm laughing as I write this part though. Most people voting never use these tips when voting. Most people never look at the financial disclosures the elected official have to release, like senate financial disclosures. You can google this information to find out most of their assets. And most don't look at the campaign donors.

I think sometimes people are voting on emotions, fear or favortism. Like Joe the Plumber, he has no background in politics, but he is now elected to some position in Ohio. He didn't give his true name at the beginning. Sarah Palin never released her medical records as far as I know, but people are still after the president for his birth certificate. The border fence in Arizona, the contract was given to someone in the administration when Bush was in office, the virtual fence contract. When Mark Sanford was under ridicule, people wanted his wife to run for governor. I am laughing because I think people are making a mockery of this voting system. And I think that all politicians if not most of them are not for the public but for their own interests. Like in Arizona, people were complaining about illegal immigrants for a long time. Different border groups were active, but they were always called racists, some were jailed, some were sued, but after it affected a senator, boy did they clamp down on the border.

Here's something that should get attention, I sometimes think this lady is sometimes to the extreme, this is the actual title, "Black Ass: Racist Top Ice Officials; Jihadists Preferred Over Blacks" http://www.debbieschlussel.com/3002/black-ass-racist-top-ice-officials-jihadists-preferred-over-blacks/ This was about a black applicant that was qualified but was told those exact words and that he would never be an agent at her agency because he is black. He did win a lawsuit for discrimination and it has the case numbers and transcripts.

But all in all, I did give the links to show the Neo-Nazis in Arizona in pictures on the streets wearing the beige uniforms and the black combat uniforms because, I wanted to open the discussion about this. To me, this stirs up bad emotions and images, because of the history behind it. So, there you have these groups out in the open. But, you have people either for religious or culture reasons that cannot do the same. Like Muslim women, some wear the Hijabs, but Americans will fight all they way that they shouldn't wear the Burqas in public. Then you have Muslim men, some black from the states and Caribbean, as well as from other countries, if they were to wear the Skull cap - Kufi or sometimes called Taqiyah, head wrap sometimes called Kalansuwa they are profiled and some places it is banned. Then in some religions and cultures, the men don't shave or cut their hair, or some wear dreadlocks, and this is not always allowed, or they are profiled and watched. Then you have some street gang members that wear their gang clothing and they are profiled and watched. So I think this is something that needs to be discussed, because either one of these can bring up emotions in each and everyone of us. I guess what I'm saying is how is one acceptable and the other isn't. BTW, I am not a Muslim, I was just asking this question in general.

@rotorhead:

glad you shared this. it gets funnier as it goes along but it's serious business.

we, the citizens, represent the biggest "special interest group" in the united states of america. and we don't even use our power the way we should.

we should be constantly on the lookout for candidates, and when one presents him or herself, we should be obtaining the platform, background, and current info on these people.

for those of you who fear that lobbyists and special interests are funding junkets and campaigns, and what's the use, what can one person do... i tell you, no lobbyist or special interest group can buy your vote.

when i hear people say they are going to vote for someone because they may as well, since their preferred candidate does not have the financial backing or the poll numbers and they don't want to "waste" their vote, i say to you that the psychological game is won when you come to that conclusion.

as for those who don't vote at all... that's the real waste.

vote from strength and not fear. stand up for the candidates you favor and share their information and true facts with your friends and loved ones when it makes sense to do so. that's our job.

Dear Tea Baggers: Taxes are designed to provide benefits to the public, such as education, healthcare, roads, police and national security, retirement, environmental stewardship, universal telephone coverage, food and drug safety, building safety, etc. The benefits and services may not be perfect and efficient, but if there were no taxes, how would the country work?

And what does this have to do with Arizona?

Maybe all of the tax money being spent on illegals, either in trying to stop them, catch them, educate them, feed them, or give them medical.

STXBob,

You are right on the money. And to answer your question about what it has to do with Arizona, it is obvious in some of the Caribbean countries like the Cayman Islands, that taxes is needed, you can't run an economy based on tourism or the financial sector. With how the brains of the financial sector gambled other people's money and gave themselves big bonuses and salaries, I don't think I would want to trust them.

Terry,

Are you serious or playing a joke? Well, I guess I'm just wondering because after all that I have been through, it would seem I would be a person on the front line of protests against illegal immigration. But it happens that I'm not out there for any of the protests for or against illegal immigration.

anjell, how can you say the three young men didnt hurt the native american? and yes, that was a hate crime. i dont see how you can say otherwise. seriously floored me to see what you had written.

Speee1dy,

Good question. I basically said I can see how the three guys can say it was a joke. With the laws the way they are a good attorney would argue that it was a joke. Then when the police searched their homes, they did have rap music on their face book, but then they also found white supremacist materials. I think that I am looking at the big picture and things that are happening here in the states - there has been a lot of cases of blacks and latinos and jews being stabbed or shot and racial slurs yelled out during the attacks even swatiskas being spray painted on minority groups cars and houses and then they admit to seeking out minorities to harm. I do think the kidnapping charges are going to stick, and no argument here on this one. I hope this explains what I wrote a little better. I can also see your point given that the man was described as mentally disabled - this they didn't say what the exact disability was.

Anjell, I'm serious. Aside from the crime many in AZ are upset over the tax money that is spent on illegal aliens. That money could be spent on other things that STXBOB had on his list.
There are many illegals who other than breaking the law by being here illegally are staying out of trouble. Many are hard working and pay taxes. Many don't, they try to live off of the system. Of course there are many citizens who do the same thing but there seems to be no recourse for that. Our system seems to be broken and we have to stop the leak of endless money going out and this to many is a good place to start.
The crime is another issue! My friends son is a BLM wild fire fireman in the southern area of AZ. Now because of all of the drug cartels and illegal smuggling trade, they will not respond to a fire until an armed BLM (police ?) force is on sight to protect them. SAD!

Terry,

I see your point. Here in California, we've been having a rash of fires believed to be set by illegal immigrants also. There was a flood disaster in San Diego County, and the residents were complaining that there was illegal immigrants coming to get the food, clothing and other things meant for the residents that were affected, meaning those displaced and those that lost their property, saying also that some was taking the stuff back to Mexico.

I guess what I'm saying here is there are lots of arguments for and against illegal immigration. But the fact of the matter is, the employers will still bring them in, they don't want to pay a decent living wage, healthcare, retirement, or deal with unions. The RepubliCONS is using this issue to gain votes, as they never side with public and social services, they have always sided with businesses. I think we will see another case of voters being turned away from the polls this November, as we saw in 2000, 2004.

What is funny about this is Arizona did not want to comply with the Real I.D. act, but, now they want to force people of color to show proof of citizenship.

Another thing people don't want to admit, most of the Mexicans are actually Native Americans. I say most, because you also have people there from the Middle East. Like in Honduras, some of the people are Jordanians and Palestinians, but people mistake them for the indigenous peoples. I've read that Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world from Mexico is really Lebanese.

You may be right and if so we need to get very aggressive in fining the businesses.
Although years ago one of my customers had a water bed manufacturing company. He was always being raided and they would take away about 75% of his workers. He told me, and I believe him, that they would have all of the paperwork (forged) to prove they were either US citizens or that work visas. He said you could not tell except at some point in time some would forget what SS number they had given him. After a raid, they would be back across the border and up in Phoenix by 7 AM in time for work the next day. He would not rehire them.
I don't know what the answer is unless they do something like they do with guns, have a data base that can be easily checked with both fingerprints and photo. Is that what you are referring to with the Real ID Act?

I thought Native American were from registered Indian tribes. I know that many "Mexicans" come from a mixture of Spanish and Indians, but unless they are registered with a tribe they are not considered "Native Americans". The tribes, at least out here, are very strict about their registration lists.