Two Easy Ways to End Immigration Problems In the US

The two biggest fears regarding immigration problems in the US are 1) Illegal immigrant using social services and benefitting from government programs while not paying into the system; and 2) Illegal immigrants corrupting the political system as a voting block. The first solution is to eliminate the current income tax system entirely and replace it with a simple sales tax system. Everyone, regardless of whether they currently file taxes, have a valid social security number, or have a valid "green card" all need to buy goods and services. It's unescapable!!!!! A sales tax system would totally eliminate the need to even file taxes. It would be totally fair to everyone, as it would more heavily tax those who are rich and spend more than those who are poor and spend less. The only things that would stop such a simple solution are the huge lobbies in Washington DC that represent Tax Accountants and Tax Lawyers. Clearly they would have to find another job.............sob! OMG, what about the IRS?? They would become nearly irrelevant and have to be scaled way down to a much smaller size. The second solution takes care of itself via the first solution. The biggest problem with Illegal Immigrants voting is that they should not vote unless they are part of the system and paying into the system. In the absence of the first solution, we need to require some method of assuring that those who vote are also filing tax returns and paying their fare share into the system that they are benefitting from. How can this be accomplished? In this age of computers and databases, it would be easily ascertained that a person has files and/or paid their taxes, and it would be equally easy to make two years of filing and paying taxes a requirement prior to giving a person a voter registration card. Granted, this would give additional responsibilities to the voter registration boards, but that wouldn't be so bad, as they could increase their employment rolls to help offset the people fired by the IRS, Tax Accountants, and Tax Lawyers. I welcome your comments.

Fix The USPS or Privatize It

Every year it seems that the Congress has to appropriate funds for the USPS so they can continue to operate and lose money. Who pays for that? That's right, the tax payers!

The USPS is a "Quasi Government Agency" which means that they get all the benefits of being a government agency, but they have a mandate to make a profit. Well that's really working well! (Not!)

The USPS makes a profit on first class mail and most parcels. Where they lose money is in the sheer volume of third class mail for which they charge a pitifully small amount compared to the other classes of mail. Third class mail is all the endless streams and reams of advertising fliers, brochures, advertisements, etc. that fill your mail box every day even though you never asked for them. Most of the third class mail you receive ends up in the trash, or hopefully in a recycle bin.

It's time that Congress get into the 21st Century with their legislation by either fixing the USPS or privatizing it. The internet, and email marketing have made the need for third class mail totally unnecessary. If we eliminate third class mail the USPS will become profitable thereby reducing waste in government and relieve the burden on tax payers, we will save huge numbers of trees by eliminating the wasted use of paper, and also reduce the massive volume of paper sent to landfills and recycling centers.

Congress is constantly lobbied by marketing and advertising associations to keep the third class mail rate down. Clearly they have been successful, but at the expense of the taxpayers. If Congress can't get out of this expensive rut, the mail system should be privatized so as to create an environment where common sense is mandated by the motivation of profits. Privatizing the delivery of parcel delivery has clearly been successful by notable companies such as UPS, Fed Ex, and others. There is no reason to assume that privatizing first class or third class mail would be any different. Lobbies would no longer influence Congress in these matters, and private (could be public) companies would charge a fair rate for the delivery of all mail. The government could then simply worry about the terms and conditions under which these companies needed to operate. I suspect that, under any circumstances, the companies would operate more efficiently, and not have any need for government subsidies, and thereby relieve the unnecessary burden on tax payers.

Regardless of whether we choose to charge appropriate rates for third class mail in the current system, or whether we choose to privatize, the tax payers will benefit.

Motor Vehicle Department Needs To Take Responsibility

There are drivers who go 15-20 miles per hour slower than the posted speed limit, of perhaps 65 mph, in the left hand lane of a super highway.  We can all agree that this is an accident waiting to happen. There are nervous, panic stricken drivers who will not make a left turn unless there is no oncoming traffic for at least a mile down the road.  We can all agree that this is frustrating and a continuous cause traffic delays.  There are drivers who will come to a complete stop at the end of an entrance ramp to a super highway because they are either to afraid to merge into traffic or simply don't know any better.  These people are an accident waiting to happen.

OK, you get the idea.  While I initially get angry at these types of drivers, I realize that they can't help themselves.  Let's face it.  There are some really nervous people out there that really shouldn't be driving at all.  There are some people with poor depth perception.  There are some people with no ability to gage their speed relative to surrounding traffic and in order to anticipate safe turns or lane changes.  There are some drivers who are just plain too stupid to drive.  Somehow, these people got a driver's license.  WHY ISN'T THE MOTOR VEHICLE DEPARTMENT HELD ACCOUNTABLE??

How in the world did these types of people get their license in the first place?  A driver's license is a privilege license.   That is why a person, in theory, has to take a road test, a vision test, and pass a written test to prove they have the capabilities necessary to earn that privilege.  In theory the standardized tests and procedures of the Motor Vehicle Department are intended to ensure that only capable drivers get a license.  First of all, I am not sure that the current tests are adequate for determining whether a person is a capable driver.  I think that really needs to be revisited.  My question is......Who was the official (in some cases a police officer) who decided to issue a driver's license to these people in the first place?  Why is there no accountability?


Let's say you were in a traffic accident caused by one of the aforementioned drivers who was clearly at fault.  Assuming you survived the accident, wouldn't you want to know the identity of the person (officer) responsible for giving this person a license?  Wouldn't you want to know that the officer's record isn't full of similar drivers getting into accidents?  Wouldn't you like to know if the offending driver has a long record of similar accidents?

There are some simple solutions to this general problem:

1. Every driver's license needs to have the identity of the officer(s) that gave the road test, vision test, written test.
2. Immediately after a traffic accident the event needs to be entered as part of the driver's license history.
3. Depending on the severity of the accident and the driver's history, the driver need to reapply for and be retested before they can drive again.
4. The accident records of the DMV officers need to be reviewed and the officers need to be held accountable for whom they issue licenses to, and when warranted, the officers need to be fired or reassigned out of the DMV.

There are lives and property at stake here!  I believe it is criminally stupid to allow incompetent drivers to have driver's licenses.  I believe it is criminally stupid to not hold the DMV and it's officers responsible for issuing licenses to incompetent drivers.