From the 31 December 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

ARIZONA’S GREAT IMMIGRATION LAW

By Bob Confer, www.BobConfer.net

Immigration has always been a key contributor to the health of the United States of America. The constant influx of the fresh minds and well-grounded ideals of hardworking, dedicated individuals who want to change their lives for the better have through the years provided vim and vitality to our society, giving us little pockets of hope and new direction across the country.

People come to us for a reason. We are the most unique and free nation in the world and the American Dream is as close as one can get to the realization of a heaven on Earth. Because of the endless opportunity we offer, recent legal immigration to the US has been even more robust than it was back in the heyday of European arrivals. 10 million foreigners became Americans during the 1990’s and we are seeing a similar pace in this decade. That’s one million people every year who want to move to America and be Americans, one million people making themselves better and we as a nation better.

But, for every million legal immigrants there are 700,000 illegal immigrants moving into the States, adding to the nebulous population of existing illegals that is somewhere between 12 million and 20 million lawbreakers. These people are so unlike those who arrive legally: they purposely break our immigration laws, want the rewards of American employment (and entitlements) yet don’t want to actually be Americans, choosing instead to live amongst the shadows and remain Mexicans at heart and by actions. Because of this, they are not making us better. Instead, they are hurting our nation, compounded by the fact their incognito ways stifle their ability to move up the ladder of opportunity. They cannot advance themselves, their families nor our society.

Our federal government knows this is a problem. Congress hears about it from their constituents on a daily basis and, deep down inside, they all to a man know we have eggs on our face, for here we are the World’s police force and we cannot even protect our own borders, a “silent invasion” being allowed to take us over. Despite this, our government continues to drag its feet, making one wonder if the powers-that-be welcome the illegal influx.

One of the benefits of our republic style of government is that the states can succeed where the federal entities fail. Arizona, a border state that sits at the very epicenter of this problem, has recently passed a law that will go great lengths to control the situation. Effective January 1, the state will focus on the parties who, after the Feds, have been most guilty in allowing the invasion to occur: business owners.

Illegal immigrants are here because the opportunity exists for them to be employed, despite federal and state laws to the contrary. Thousands of businesses have willingly broken the law and have given them jobs, reaping the benefits of abundant cheap manual labor, a bottomless pool of workers that these unsavory businesses can pay under the table while not doling out benefits or contributing to income taxes. Fraudulent businesses employing illegal aliens….two wrongs don’t make a right, never have, never will. 

Arizona’s law will nip this in the bud. Along with random inspections of employers by state agencies, it encourages people who suspect a business of employing illegals to call the sheriff or county attorney who will then investigate the claim. If it is proved that it is the case, on the first occasion the business will have its license suspended and, on the second offense, it will be permanently revoked.

This method of enforcement is so basic, yet so ingenious. Arizona, without putting up a 376-mile fence, going on a great round-up, or, God forbid, firing a shot, has found a way to control the invasion by taking away the ultimate attractant, the dirty businesses that offered jobs to the illegals, opportunity that was something akin to – and no better than - setting aside carrion for vultures.

From the 24 December 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN 2008
By Bob Confer, www.BobConfer.net

The holidays are a special time not only for “the reason for the season” but also because they tend to bring out the very best in people. Even those who tend to be the curmudgeonliest end up showing some love for their fellow man while those who are typically non-participative in the community donate to worthwhile causes.

Arriving hand-in-hand with these positive behaviors are the thoughts that people have for making themselves better. New Years resolutions abound, with people looking for ways to reinvent themselves. More often than not these goals are never reached, a victim of all talk and no action.

Maybe things can be a little different in 2008. A melting pot of this respect for humanity, the sense of community and the need for the new definition of self can truly work wonders for the common good. If people chose to make a resolution that didn’t benefit only themselves but instead made one that changed others we would all be better for it.

Therefore, I am asking that each and every one of you resolve yourselves now to keep alive the sense of community that you have now and dedicate yourselves to better the world around you not just during the holidays but year round.  Become involved, become a leader, take people - if not the community as a whole - under your wing and take them all to a destination or an idea they may not have strived for or reached on their own. Give back to the community that has in some way given to all of us.   

Many people believe giving back to community means donating to a cause. Sure, that’s one way, but there is so very much more that you can do to positively affect people from all walks of life. It’s free, all you need is to give some time, some energy, and, most of all, some heart. Some of it’s easy. Some of it’s difficult. But all of it is worth the effort and, definitely, the rewards.

What can you do? The choices are many. You could lend a helping hand to a youth organization like the Boy Scouts, the PTA or little league, directly impacting the youngsters who represent our future. You can participate in the affairs of this wonderful nation in which we live by offering your two cents at a town meeting, putting your opinion to print, or even running for office. You can enlist in the military. You can join a community service organization like the Lions Club or Rotary. You can do some chores and offer companionship for the lonely senior down the street. You can be active in the outreach programs run by your church.

Those are but a few of the many, many things you could do. It’s up to you as to what you can accomplish as a leader and as a doer. The sky’s the limit and the goals are yours.

From the 17 December 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

RECOGNIZING WORLD WAR II

By Bob Confer, www.BobConfer.net  

December Seventh came and went this year, just as if it were any other day. There was limited fanfare, almost no press coverage and minimal remembrance. Sadly, to most Americans it really is just another day.

But, to many others – specifically our senior citizens – December Seventh is a crucial day on the calendar, a day to reflect on the moment that changed their lives, and the lives of everyone around them, forever. It was on that day 66 years ago that Pearl Harbor was attacked, bringing America into World War II. For those who lived through the emotional roller coaster of the 1940s, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, quite often more so than Veterans Day, is the day that the emotions and the memories come flooding back and WWII takes center stage in their hearts and minds.       

Today’s youth and adults, from teens to Baby Boomers, are completely disconnected from those feelings, hence the day being lost in the shuffle. Some of that is warranted to a degree, while a great deal of it is based in indifference. Admittedly, we did not grow up during that era so there is no way that we can adequately share in the thoughts of our elders. On the other hand, all of us should be able to express something and share in the experience with a little empathy and patriotism.

Patriotism is the more difficult of the two feelings to project because honest-to-goodness patriotism is something lacking in modern life. It seems that my generation, those before it and those after it take our nation for granted and don’t have even the slightest inkling of the uniqueness and wonders of America, some people even buying into hatred for our country. From this comes a lack of attentiveness to history. We saw this on December Seventh when the anniversary of the attack was but a footnote in the news of day, nowhere near the top story with true coverage of our remaining vets utterly lacking.

Having empathy for them is a much easier and more meaningful task. Nowadays there are very few souls who can relate to what they went through, but the sheer scope of their acts and the trials they experienced can genuinely affect us all when we hear their tales. It’s really powerful stuff. Those who fought for global liberty served on lengthy tours away from their families, lived amongst the horrible elements, ran suicide attacks like that on Normandy where they wondered if they would see tomorrow, and, over the course of the war, saw almost a half million of their boyhood companions cut down (and many more maimed) in front of their very eyes. Those who stayed back on the home front were just as wonderful: they raised families while their men were away, tended the crops that fed our citizens and soldiers, built our war crafts, and brought our nation of the Great Depression. Everybody pitched in during World War II.

Sharing the feelings and hearing the stories of those who fought in or lived during the War are becoming increasingly-difficult tasks. WWII’s participants are well into their Golden Years and many of them in the twilights of their lives. Unfortunately, old age has taken its toll on many of them and the years gone by have truly come and gone, the images in their brains no longer vibrant. Worse yet, the youngest of World War II veterans are now in their 80s. All WWII vets have reached the peak of longevity and we are losing them at an alarming rate of 1,200 per day.         

Because of this fragility of human life and the waning of existing memories, now, more than ever, we need to make a concerted effort to keep discussions and dedications about World War II alive and vibrant. We need to recognize our seniors, veterans and citizens alike, for their struggles and accomplishments during that era. It was a trying, deadly, and even a special time that showed the world the unlimited strength of American resolve and determination.

From the 10 December 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

CORN SUBSIDIES SHOULD GO DOWN
By Bob Confer, www.BobConfer.net

Federal subsidization of agriculture has become a necessary evil, more or less out of its own existence. Such is the outcome when government so greatly interferes in capitalistic endeavors: once the dominoes are set into motion by its “invisible hand” the damage is done and the pieces can never be put back to normal. We cannot go back to a true free market economy in regard to our foodstuff because the act of giving money to the farming industry has become so utterly entrenched in the ways of doing things and affects so many facets of our total economy (from food processors to retail establishments to the end consumers) that there is no way the system can be abandoned without unreasonable duress placed upon the entire nation. 

But, this does not mean that that the current way of doing things cannot receive some manipulation. The Federal Government uses the same worn-out methods that have been in play since 1933 (the Agricultural Adjustment Act) and improved upon in 1949 (the Agricultural Act), an era when Americans were too amicable to quasi-communist actions (i.e. Social Security, Civilian Conservation Corps) made popular by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Many of these practices are outdated or their scope too vast.

Among the problems that should be rectified is the determination of what exactly should be subsidized. Subsidies were put into play to lower national risk, offer security for domestic food producers and instill lower food prices in the marketplace to benefit all consumers. The main crux behind all three factors is “food”; subsidies were implemented to keep the creation and purchase of food affordable. That being said, certain subsidies, those not related to foods, should be dropped.

Of all the crops, corn has quickly become the poster child for such reform. A great deal of the corn planted on American soil is deserved of federal funds as it is one of the more significant inputs of our diets, providing not only table corn, but also corn syrup and sustenance for our cattle and chickens. Even so, corn is suddenly and uniquely positioned as a crop that’s more than just a food. It has become a renewable resource as well, accounting for 98% of the ethanol (the government’s fuel additive du jour) produced in the States. Corn is now a veritable yellow gold, bubbling crude’s best friend, with levels of ethanol at 10% per gallon of gasoline and 15% mixes becoming increasingly popular.

Because of this distinction as a non-food, a great deal of current and future corn production should theoretically be eliminated from the corporate welfare rolls. In 2007, American farmers planted an unbelievable 92.9 million acres of corn. Of that, 15 million acres were dedicated to ethanol production, meaning that 16% of all total corn output is not attributable to food. This number will grow substantially in the coming years as current ethanol output is expected to go from about 5 billion gallons this year to 9 billion gallons by 2010.

For all corn planted in 2005 (the most recent year that final data is available) federal subsidies exceeded $9.5 billion. Assuming the same for 2007 – which, admittedly, is a shot in the dark because the ten-year average is $5.25 billion – over $1.52 billion would have been thrown away this year to farmers who were supposed to feed our citizens but, instead, fed the Big Oil monster. That’s $1.52 billion that was stolen from the mouths of babes and injected into your fuel tank. Without reform, this misdirection of funds will continue because many subsidy payments are nearly automatic and there is no accountability factor in any form of the past, current, and future Farm Bills.

These dollars, if they really need to be used, are better spent on other crops such as soybeans, which are losing ground (figuratively and literally) because American farmers are finding preference in growing revenue-heavy corn.

Another reason that these corn-fuel subsidies should end is that we’ve already spent more than enough on ethanol through energy-related subsidies. Ethanol producers were paid $7 billion in federal and state monies in 2006 alone. These incentives by themselves amount to freebies that equal $1.40 per gallon. Add to that mix the cheap corn that someone, somewhere is reaping in this mess and the ethanol market looks like a sham, something that a self-serving federal government maintains in an effort to make itself look good in the eyes of our increasingly-“green” populace. 

From the 03 December 2007 Greater Niagara Newspapers

ENGINEERING A DISASTER IN NEW YORK STATE

By Bob Confer, www.BobConfer.net

New York State’s Office of the Professions, an arm of the State Education Department, regulates 47 different professions that require licensure or certification. Some of the people under its watch are certified public accountants, physicians, psychologists, and engineers.

Engineers, just as the other professionals, have to meet specific criteria in order to be licensed. Among these requirements is mandatory continuing education. During every three-year period during which an engineer is registered by the State, he or she must complete at least 36 hours of acceptable continuing education.

Such a requirement makes perfect sense. Engineering is a fluid science - an art - that must adjust to new technologies, materials, and standards in order to offer the strongest, most-attractive and safest designs possible. Only with a lifelong engagement in learning the ever-changing nuances of his trade can an engineer appropriately do his job.

This standard of NYS Education Law (Article 145; SS7211) does have its weaknesses, though. It’s most glaring: engineers who work for the State of New York, its public authorities and local governments and were employed by such entities as of 2004 are excluded from the training requirement. So, unlike their private sector brethren, government engineers are not required to make themselves better or learn the intricacies of, or new developments in, their chosen career path. 

This disconnect is not only an insult to the licensed engineers, but it is also an insult to our citizens. The impact that the under-trained public sector engineers have on our day-to-day lives is vast. Their handiwork is anywhere and everywhere. They are the ones who design the roads we travel on, the bridges we drive across, the power plants that supply our electricity, and the facilities that provide our drinking water.

Without constant and appropriate education these engineers may not offer the best concepts possible. Their designs might not reflect the use of newer materials or methods. Because of that, their designs have the potential to impact taxpayers in extraordinary ways: With no exposure to what other engineers practice, government engineers may be unable to apply some of the less-costly, energy-conserving and material-saving tactics that others use. For that reason, construction and maintenance costs will be higher than necessary.

The old ways of doing things are not only more costly, but quite possibly, more dangerous as well. A key reason behind the continuing education requirement (clearly called-out in the law itself) is the guarantee of professional engineers offering a product or process that includes “the safeguarding of life, health, and property.” If this is so important - which it should be - why should government engineers be excluded from the clause when what they do so highly affects all of these factors? As mentioned, they are building our infrastructure and creating the facilities that give us sustenance. If they err in their ways, take an ill-advised shortcut, or use outdated if not suspect methodology than they are destined to put the citizens at risk. What if their inappropriately-prepared ways cause a bridge to collapse, a road to crumble, the power grid to fail, or the water supply to be tainted?

Because of this crucial impact on our lives, government-employed engineers need to be held to the same high standard – if not a higher one - that private-sector engineers are. Continuing education makes for a better individual and, in the end, a better and safer product. If this licensing situation is not changed (and changed immediately) this ill-advised placation of its employees by state government could put us all in harm’s way.