For the next 20 years, the #1 issue for the USA will / should be....?

[N.Bailey]

My company health plan will cover a non working domestic partner, but will not cover a working wife. My wife and I have 2 separate plans, 2 deductibles, etc since she works. If she quit though, she would be on my health plan.

Would that still be true if your wife happened to work a job that didn't have healthcare benefits?

 

[pisco]

You are correct. Money sent to Mexico is not helping the US economy.

I completely disagree. Mone sent out of the country represent only a fraction of what was earned by the workers (they have to buy food, pay rent, put gas in their vehicles, etc.). Assuming that anybody employing these workers is making a profit, then all the money paid to immigrant labor is only a fraction of the money earned by the employer who pays taxes, employs non-immigrant workers and spends the profits they earn by either reinvesting them or spending them on consumer goods for themselves. And any time money is sent by Western Union, fees are taken out, which leads to higher employment for American workers, more taxes paid, higher profits for the company, higher stock prices, higher dividends for investors...

Once again, I do not advocate that we continue to allow illegal imigrants in to this country. But all those who argue that immigrants are nothing but a drang on the economy show a very weak understanding of the economic realities of low wage immigrant labor and it's value to our economy.

 

[Papa Deuce]

I completely disagree. Mone sent out of the country represent only a fraction of what was earned by the workers (they have to buy food, pay rent, put gas in their vehicles, etc.). Assuming that anybody employing these workers is making a profit, then all the money paid to immigrant labor is only a fraction of the money earned by the employer who pays taxes, employs non-immigrant workers and spends the profits they earn by either reinvesting them or spending them on consumer goods for themselves. And any time money is sent by Western Union, fees are taken out, which leads to higher employment for American workers, more taxes paid, higher profits for the company, higher stock prices, higher dividends for investors...

Whatever.... once this money leaves the US, it is no longer a good thing. And, BTW, it isn't like it is a TINY amount. Our landscaper told me that his guys telll him that it is about HALF of the pay they get. That is why they choose to live 10 guys in a home..... to cut expenses so they have more to send home.

Like I said, I am SURE that one company, WESTERN UNION, is THRILLED with the idea of all this money being sent "back home". Yipppee for Western Union.

 

[JimFitz]

Bottom line: Illegal Immigrants are a danger to our country. Line up and do it the same way my ancestors did.

 

[chobie]

Flag burning.

 

[Bob Slydell]

My company health plan will cover a non working domestic partner, but will not cover a working wife. My wife and I have 2 separate plans, 2 deductibles, etc since she works. If she quit though, she would be on my health plan.

Would that still be true if your wife happened to work a job that didn't have healthcare benefits?

If it's anything like my company, then no, it wouldn't still be true. The way our HR department defines it, if your spouse works full time AND has employer-sponsored healthcare available to them, they must take the available healthcare plan at their employer and not be covered under the company's plan.

In my case, when I started here, my DW paid for her healthcare under her employer and I paid for healthcare under my employer for myself and our kids (they reimbursed the difference in premiums, BTW).

Once my DW made partner, she was no longer under employer sponsored healthcare (she became the employer, not an employee, thus would have been paying the full amount of healthcare expense). Thus, she's now allowed to be covered underneath our healthcare.

 

[pisco]

Whatever.... once this money leaves the US, it is no longer a good thing. And, BTW, it isn't like it is a TINY amount. Our landscaper told me that his guys telll him that it is about HALF of the pay they get. That is why they choose to live 10 guys in a home..... to cut expenses so they have more to send home.

So you view illegal immigration as the predominent threat to our country and you either employ illegal immigrants or a company that employs them? Am I getting this right?

Like I said, I am SURE that one company, WESTERN UNION, is THRILLED with the idea of all this money being sent "back home". Yipppee for Western Union.

I can't compete with such well thought out and researched rhetoric so I will bow out of this debate.

 

[antmaril]

I said terrorism because our enemies would kill all of us if they could. They will continue to try and we must be diligent. If we're not, the rest of it doesn't matter one bit.

 

[Papa Deuce]

So you view illegal immigration as the predominent threat to our country and you either employ illegal immigrants or a company that employs them? Am I getting this right?



I can't compete with such well thought out and researched rhetoric so I will bow out of this debate.

Every landsacping company that I am aware of uses them. I don't consider the "people" themselves, a threat, rather what having them in the US ILLEGALLY causes. That is the threat. Also, now that I "KNOW" they are illegal, I will try to find a company that doesn't use them. We'll see if it is even possible.

I don't get why "some" people --- not necessarily you --- just blow off the whole ILLEGAL part, as if it shouldn't even be an issue.

And, I am QUITE sure that I am at least as well researched -- and probably moreso --- than you are. My thoughts on ILLEGALS have grown continually more negative as I read the "numbers" about how much they cost in real dollars, not to mention the intangibles.

If California is losing 10 BILLION a year, I can only imagine that as a country the numbers must exceed 100 BILLION dollars..... but hey, Western Union likes it!