Issue 116 Ideal immigration part 2 July 9, 2013

Well part one was all about the basic requirements to get into the United States. Today is about who sponsors people to come in. Don't know what I mean? Read on and find out.

Farm/construction Sponsors: Basically, some people just want to come to a country, work for a short period of time and then leave. This includes migrant workers on farms and construction sites. Rather than just have a random number of people show up to want to be hired by a farmer/ Foreman and risk not having work, we can have a guest worker program. Each farmer/ Foreman determines the number or workers needed to help harvest their crops before the season starts and they give this information to the United States State Department. From there the State Department takes applications from those who wish to work such a job up to the total asked for. Then they hand the individual applicant a workers visa which allows them to stay in the United States for 9 months. Then if need be, transportation is provided to the now confirmed worker to the job sight. At the end of the 9 month period they will be picked up to be flown or driven back to their country of origin or a country of their choice. During the farming/construction season, the farmer can ask for additional workers if needed and the State Department will accept new applications based on the farmers needs. Also, the person with the workers visa will be able to come and go as they please with them simply going through the verification system to show that they left and when they return, but they can only do this through that 9 month window. If a worker is fired, the State department brings them home, but the farmer must provide a reason for their firing. If the worker was determined to be lazy or some other negative fireable offense, then the worker will not be allowed to work on any farm or other business for whatever time remains on their visa, and be suspended from being allowed to work next season. But if the firing was due to having too many workers, or the inability to pay, or some unreasonable reason, then the worker will have be allowed to have first dibs on any openings in what remains from the 9 month season, or be given first dibs at work next season. After working using such a visa for four times in a 6 year period, the individual will be allowed to become a citizen along with their immediate family (wife, husband and children).

Some of you are wondering why I would have the State Department bring them to the area for work and then fly them home. Simple, we want them to be able to get directly to the job and also make sure they take no detours that would allow them to get "lost" amongst the American populace. The cost savings of not having to find them later will be well worth the cost.

Business Sponsors: Both large and small businesses may sponsor people to come work for them. It works in the same way as a workers visa for farmers, but the length the individual is allowed to stay is increased to a full 2 years with the ability to renew or become a full citizen (along with their immediate family) once the two year window is complete. In this case however, the business pays the cost to ship the individual or individuals to the United States. There is no need to be selective about who comes to the United States or for the government to determine skill requirements as the individual businesses will know the exact skills they want. So this removes the governments need to figure out who has the skills the business world needs and saves us taxpayer dollars trying to figure it out. Also, Business can be more selective about whom they want and thus can name individual people that they wish to work for them, as such it eliminates the need to have long application lines like with the workers visa for farmers. Again, they will be allowed to come and go as they please to their country of origin during the 2 year window, but if they should be fired for any reason they will not have the opportunity to come back unless they find new employment or try to become a full citizen (discussed in part 3).

Education Sponsors: Here we have something similar to Business sponsors. People from foreign countries that are accepted into an American college will have their names given to the State Department and be allowed to come for the full duration of their educational career. If that education lasts at least two years then they will be allowed to remain in the United States as a full citizen (no family, unless they are already married, or get married during the two years). Like the business sponsor visa's, they will be allowed to come and go as they please to their country of origin during the length of their educational career, but if they should be kicked out of school for any reason they will not have the opportunity to come back unless they find another education establishment to attend or employment or try to become a full citizen (discussed in part 3). We want educated and talented people for the businesses we wish to support and so that these young men and women can start new businesses. Therefore having them become citizens once they complete their education is a wise and healthy option. (Note: the education sponsor and the business sponsor may be combined as the requirements are similar and it is not unheard of that businesses will sponsor a person’s education and hire them later.

Conclusion: By having these sponsorship programs it makes it easier to come and work in the United States and simplifies immigration. All the individuals will be mandated to go through the background check and be verified that they came into the country as well as when they leave to go home to their country of origin. Also, each version provides an opportunity to become a citizen of the United States after a certain period of time. The sponsor program is designed to take as much of a burden off the immigrant as possible so as to insure ease of the process and provide a sensible and easy path to citizenship if the person so desires.

Issue 115 Ideal Immagration part 1 July 8, 2013

Immigration is the hottest topic amongst politicians in all western countries. Why? Because immigration defines what jobs are taken, how the country progresses forward and even new political leaders. I write today a 3 part breakdown of an ideal immigration system. Let's get started.

Know who goes in and out: One of the key pieces needed for modern 21st century immigration is a system that monitors when someone from another country comes into a country. This can be done through a passport or even electronic finger prints, but it also must be applied when the person leaves as well. The reason is so that we know that they actually left. There are thousands of immigrants who come here to the United States legally and they simply disappear into society. The result is that we never know if and when they leave. So by tracking these people as they come in and out we will know whether we have to find them or not. As an added bonus, we can also track where they go when they leave to better help understand population movements and use it as a form of intelligence if say they happen to be an enemy of the State.

Back Ground Checks: With all the data mining going on, background checks are becoming very routine. Thus, we can easily apply it to those visiting the United States and those who want to become American Citizens. So what do we look for in a background check? We look for what groups they are affiliated with (economic, ideological, religious, etc). This helps determine if they may or may not potentially be spies or terrorists. Job history and family history also aid in determining if the person is right for society. There will be two tiers of classification though. Tier one are those who are visiting for a vacation which can generally last 2 months. As such government officials will look at the type of tickets they bought (one way, two way, for how many people, etc.) and their other purchases such as hotel rooms and intended places of travel. This is a type of profiling to aid in determining if the person is a possible threat, but vacations are short and only require more modest scrutiny such as basic affiliations. Those wanting to stay longer will require a full and lengthy background check to get a clearer picture of who they are.

Those who come in illegally: It is hard to police those who sneak over the boarder (and they are not just Mexicans, they are Irish, Russian, African, etc.). Any new immigration policy will attempt to deal with them in some way, shape or form. Problem, if you try to determine if they were born to illegal immigrant parents or not, it is almost impossible without a birth certificate. As such if they do have a birth certificate they should become legal citizens right away. But for those without then they will have to apply like everyone else. I offer no penalty save deportation if it is determined that they have no job, are homeless and may have gang or other negative affiliation. Those without such affiliations will be allowed to stay, and receive a small $1,000 fine. Why such a small fine? You're not going to take back taxes from them, or give them additional punishments? Well, no as that would not solve the problem at all. The small fine works to pay for the costs of them becoming official citizens if the want (those who do not want to be citizens will have the fine used to buy them a plane ticket home). Jailing them just costs too much and makes no sense for a person who committed a non-violent crime, and taxes that they should have paid if they came legally are nearly impossible to determine. So I will not bother wasting time on something so expensive. But these illegal migrants will be required to go through a background check. As to those who are deported, they may re-enter after 90 days if they are determined to be a person in good standing through the background check, and this time we know who they are and when they leave.

Conclusion: By making the system requirements easy to understand and go through, you limit the hard ship and incentive to seek an alternative rout such as illegal immigration. Keep it simple, yet effective. Once done, the only ones left crossing will still be those who wish to dodge the system for what ever reason. If and when caught, they will go through the same process as an illegal immigrant who is already in country, a background check, a small fine and possible deportation. We want immigration, and we want them to come in the front door. Sure the above is not ideal. Some may want all illegals deported, or want more penalties and fines, but those cost lots of money and the crime is almost always victimless. There is no sense jailing some one for a crime if their punishment is better served like a traffic ticket, and that they still must go through the same process as everyone else. The ideal is not ideal, but it is better than the status quo.

Issue 114 Pirates always win July 5 2013

Ever wonder why industries like the music industry and television always try and fail to protect their owner ship of songs and shows. Because Pirates on the internet always find a way to get that information and offer it up for free. Even more so, hackers (modern internet pirates) are taking other wise secret or proprietary information and bringing it to the public eye. And you know what, they cannot be stopped.

Dumb Government: Governments have always thought that they could control the airwaves, but they failed to account for pirate radio. These pioneers of radio found unused or hijacked signals to broadcast their music (and that of others). Sure it is illegal, but it did not stop them. If a pirate station would be shut down, then another would take its place. The internet made this easier as now sites like YouTube could broadcast anywhere all over the globe. Many times these pirates would translate foreign television and post it too. Thanks to the internet, bootleg versions of shows with quality equal to the original could be brought before the masses. As a result, laws changed. Copyrights became loosened up allowing people to see and sing what ever songs they want by different people without fear of being sued for copyright infringement. That’s right you can sing a Green Day song on YouTube or similar sight without the government coming after you (at one point people were being sued for singing songs as advertisers would post ads which gave those individuals money). Basically, government gave up.

The movie and CD industry: Bootlegs (illegal copies of the original) are common. Any knock off can be bought off a street corner for less than half the price (quality is a different issue). Entire villages in China make money from bootleg products. But the industries were forced to adapt. Some conscripted these bootleggers to make copies of their music and shows for them. Others release the CD's and videos as soon as the movie completes its run in theaters. Basically they try to head off the bootleggers before they can profit off their illegal bounty. But others still just move on. They stopped fighting these pirates and just let them do as they please. Companies make money from the first airing of a show, movie and song and then let the fur fly as bootleggers scramble to make cash on the product. Companies make their profit and then move on accounting for the bootleggers speed to bring products to the market. So companies know they must offer something better to entice people to buy more than just the movie. That is why some offer behind the scenes looks and mini shorts as part of the package. Bootleggers will get those too, but they have to rip the information out of a CD or DVD first that may be encoded. Thus, the industries buy time to make a profit while we enjoy better entertainment for a reduced price. In other words consumers reap the rewards.

Intellectual property: Hacktivists and others want more information to be made available to the average person. They are fighting copyrights laws to end monopolies on numerous journals, and articles and even patents. The result is hacktivists and other sights providing that content for free and making money based on site visits from advertisers or small downloading fees. The internet has allowed information to spread like wildfire and even if you manage to shut down one site thousands stand ready to take their place. Like wise government secrets are not safe either and thus we now know not just those we are being spied on but how they are doing it. This is thanks to these hackers and whistleblowers (regardless of their motives) providing us with the ability to watch our government and react to its abuses (in some respects the hackers are replacing the press in this role). As a result, governments are forced to re-evaluate themselves and are forced to change to fit their illegal programs within the framework of proper law that still protect our rights. So thank you pirates.

Conclusion: Pirates have existed in one form or another throughout history. They challenged social norms and pushed boundaries often forcing change. Today’s pirates (hackers) and bootleggers are doing just that. They have become de-facto protectors against corporate monopolies, corrupt governments and over priced entertainment. The pirates will continue to win, and they are unstoppable.

Issue 113 Keeping Secrets July 4, 2013

How do you keep a secret safe from prying eyes in an age of computers? Well, there are a few ways how to do just that.

Cryptography: Basically encrypting the messages digitally with only the receiving person or persons having the key to decode the message. This can be as low tech as a cereal code or a piece of digital tech. One group intends to offer up a service that encrypts all your calls. They have been using this program in Iraq and Afghanistan so as to protect Soldiers phone calls to their families back home from terrorists tapping in and targeting their families. Basically it uses the internet to create a link between the two individuals talking. The entire communication is encrypted so that only the two individuals have access to the content of the call or message. It is important to know that the same program must be used by both persons in order to talk for without it the content of the message or call cannot be understood. As an extra security measure the data from the message or call is deleted once the call is complete leaving no trace of contact between the individuals ever having been made. It is not an alternative to the phone company just yet and the service is a simple monthly fee (based on the interview with the individual) but essentially it works like Skype but with security devices installed.

Speed: Communications go very fast. As a result we can talk to each other across the globe. But that speed is not enough. Apparently, communications being delivered faster can prevent intercepts by those trying to listen in. Currently in testing, quantum communications which use photons to communicate are seen as the next big thing in communication. The information moves so fast that no listening device can catch the signal. Current prototypes are wired but future ones will be wireless. On top of being fast, many communications using this still experimental technology are encrypted as well. Reason being is that technology will not remain stagnant and a quantum interceptor may be eventually developed. However, these devices come with another unique feature; you can tell if your communication is being tapped into. So you can instantly drop the call in that instance. It does this by reading any disruptions in the signal (those disruptions are those accessing the call) aka, the photons in the communication are being disrupted. So speed in communication is now life when it comes to keeping a call safe.

Low tech: Others may simply have to remove themselves from as much of the tractable world as possible. Social Networking sites and search engines track your every move. GPS devices in phones keep tabs on you and the government or clever hacker can turn them on even when they are off. Mot to mention call logs are always recorded. The internet though has more privacy so long as you know which services to use (ones that conceal and protect your private information) or have the right program.

Get security: Cyber security firms are a growing business. Former government officials and hackers are getting into the act. Even former spooks whose job it is to find people are now switching roles to enable certain people to disappear. They know the governments along with others are watching and now they want you to pay to keep your secrets and your personal life safe. So expect more services similar to companies like life lock, or hacktivists looking to make a quick buck to come to your aid.

Conclusion: With the thought of people looking at your private email and postings on the internet, people are feeling violated. And I don't blame them. Probably the simplest thing to do is to either limit your use of the search engines and the social networking sights or do like I do, don't post anything or search anything that can potentially be used against you. It really is that simple. Don't post or search what would embarrass you, your family or your friends. Hope you find this information helpful. Good luck.

Issue 112 Fuel from food July 3, 2013

We have all heard of bio-fuels like ethanol and bio-diesel. But why is it good and why is it bad? Let's analyze.

The good: Currently we use "fossil fuels" like oil. These fossil fuels are limited due to the amount we are able to access and the amount we have yet to discover. And thus is not considered a renewable resource. Bio-fuels on the other hand are renewable. They are made from plants like corn, switch grass and even oils from animals slaughtered at the slaughter house to make our hamburgers. We basically grow the fuel we need to run our cars and power our homes and appliances.

Neutral: It has been proven (or at the very least debated extensively) that these bio-fuels are no cleaner than there fossil fuel counter parts. Basically they put about the same amount of pollutants in the air. Environmentally speaking, they still cause ecological damage as these fuels are extracted from crops. This means cutting away at forests and other parts of the natural environment to grow them. So it can be just as bad as an oil spill in some instances.

The bad: The biggest issue is that these fuels take more energy to produce than they put out. Think of it this way, it takes a full gallon of gasoline to make just a half gallon of bio-fuel. As such, bio-fuels while bio-degradable have less power out put. On top of this, growing bio-fuels can be considered a security threat. By using more crops to make fuel rather than food you limit the food supply. It is great for the farmer as he makes allot of cash, but it means that to meet out food requirements we have to get it from other countries. This may inadvertently make us dependant on food from other countries and thus controllable. Don't think it has happened before; well it has to small island nations during the age of imperialism. The Dutch East India Company had islanders grow cash crops and forbade the growing of food crops. This made the islanders dependant on food from the company. If the islanders rebelled, then the company simply cut off their food supply. But a more pressing issue may result. Food being grown for other purposes will inherently make food prices rise and may result in people being priced out. Basically, they cannot afford to buy food. This has happened in Ireland (Great Irish Famine) and Nepal. The result was an artificial famine despite plenty of food.

Conclusion: Are bio-fuels worth it? Maybe not. However, the fact that we are considering alternatives is a good thing. Currently wind and solar are still developing but are not efficient enough to work large scale. Natural gas is just as polluted as gas despite the larger number of sources from which it can be obtained. Hydrogen can defiantly work, but it has no infrastructure to take advantage of the "clean" technology. Whatever the solution to our energy woes, unfortunately bio-fuels are not it.

Issue 111 Data collection and spys July 2 2013

Data collection or data mining is a practice of accumulating data and then putting all that data together to make use of that information. This information is your phone records, your tax records, surveillance camera footage from anywhere. The list goes on and on. So I'm here to tell you that big brother is always watching.

They know what TV you’re watching: When you turn on your TV, the cable provider knows through the box that you are watching a particular channel at a given time and thus knows what show you are watching. Same thing with certain forms of radio, they know you are tuned into a certain frequency and thus what you’re listening too. It is disturbing to know that they know your likes and interests. And guess what, it is all used by the companies to sell more ads and thus the information is up for sale. In fact this information was used by the Democratic Party to help President Obama win his second term in office by looking at who was watching what and when so they could buy ads and commercial time so as to get those likely to vote out to vote for the President. The republicans lagged behind but their strategists predict that in the next election such information will play a crucial role.

They know what you’re searching: Just like with the cable providers, the internet search providers and social networking services know what you are searching and how often you view those pages. These are primarily used to sell ads so that they make money. Think this is wrong, well you agree to them collecting your data when you downloaded their technology to use on your computer. Again, this information is up for grabs and in fact does not require a warrant by police to view as it is not considered by law a personal conversation. Civil rights activists are up in arms however to make such information require a warrant as per the fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

They are watching you: Public cameras are also used to gather information. They can know when you passed through a red light or with just a simple search program can track you from your house to your work place. Adding in simple devices like easy pass and membership cards like a cvs card or a discount card as per your exclusive membership enable them to also know what stores you stopped in and what you bought in each of those stores. You are being tracked everywhere you go.

Data miners: A data miner finds and collects all this information, all without the need for a warrant to get a clear picture of your habits and interests. Such people work for both the government and for private agencies for spying, for locating missing children, to just selling advertisements. It even helps with public relations with respect to getting a president re-elected. Your information is no longer yours to keep.

Conclusion: You are being watched by literally everyone. They know when you use your cell phone and what number you’re calling. The only thing at the governmental level they cannot do is listen to your actual conversations or read your mail (physical and electronic) with out a warrant. Civil liberties activists are suing the government to make all such data apply to the forth amendment so as to protect citizens from any more intrusions by the government with some going a step further to stop private companies from collecting and keeping our data as well. Be aware, big brother along with everyone else is watching.

Issue 110 State's ripping off our healthcare July 1 2013

Did you know that the State and local governments in the United States are reaping the benefits of our high priced health care and are in fact making it more expensive? Well, that is exactly what they are doing according to the Forbs article "How State Governments Raise Costs and Rip hundreds of Billions off the Federal Government using Health Insurance Premium Taxes" by Avik Roy (posted 5/25/2013.

How they rip us off: The article used Ohio as an example to demonstrate how States raise costs on health care. Ohio charges a 5.5% sales tax on Insurance premiums with an additional 1% state health insurance tax. In 2011, the average employer based plan for a single person is $5,025 which resulted in the average Ohioan spending an extra $327 a year just in taxes alone. Yup, that’s our money that we thought was going to health care that isn’t.

It gets worse: The Federal Government spends $300 billion a year (approx) through the tax code to subsidize employer sponsored health insurance. With Ohio being 3.7% of the U.S. population that means $11.1 Billion of that subsidy flows through Ohio and then gets taxed as part of a person’s individual insurance tax. This results in Ohio collecting an extra $721.5 million a year in tax revenue just from the federal money going to subsidize these plans.

Yup it gets even worse: Medicare and Medicaid are also affected. $50 billion is spent on Medicare part D and another $200 billion on Medicare advantage. Over half of Medicare enrollees are in private managed care plans accounting for around $150 billion a year. Using the same math the federal government spends $400 billion on privately managed Medicare and Medicaid plans with $40 billion a year that States collect in tax revenue by taxing those premiums. Altogether that is about $75 billion a year to State governments due to an accounting trick.

Yea, we dug our own grave: These costs and the amount of money that States are going to rip us off in taxes are only going to increase and that is partly due to subsidies in Obama care (the affordable care act). This accounting trick was used to justify Medicaid’s expansion. As a result, with the overall Expansion State revenues will increase by 1.6 to 1.7 billion over 10 years. Ohio Medicaid expansion is an additional 2.5 billion, but 1.7 billion will be paid in taxes with possibly the whole amount offloaded onto tax payers through the same accounting gimmick.

The States are not alone: Counties, cities and towns may also tax premiums and services. In 2012, the total combined State and local sales tax rate in the U.S. was 9.61% leading to an extra 29 billion (approx) being spent by the federal government to make up the costs. If you add taxes specific to health care premiums and that number is raised to 30 to 35 billion in spending. Let’s face it, we are being ripped off.

Hospitals are not immune: Provider taxes are paid at the hospital and are passed onto consumers by charging higher prices. These same taxes are used to rip off Medicaid subsidies because States set their own reimbursement rates for Medicaid and thus States increase the rates equal to the increase in taxation allowing for the hospitals to come out revenue neutral at the end with the federal government paying the costs in taxation through the reimbursement from the federal government.

Conclusion: So what is the answer to this major spending increase that is ripping off taxpayers and increasing our health care costs? Simple, we have to stop taxing health care premiums, services and hospitals. Apparently these taxes alone increase the health care costs on over 180 billion Americans with private coverage and make it costlier to subsidize the coverage for the poor. That is over half the U.S. population being affected by higher health care costs and it is time we eliminate this extra expense that harms the poor, the elderly, the uninsured and the average American who just wants to get and stay healthy. This is why certain taxes should not exist.