The Arizona law has forced illegal immigration to the forefront. Neither political party wants to touch it. The obvious solutions will cost votes to whichever party leads the reform.

In a nanny state with a weak economy, illegal immigration is a huge problem. Illegals will add to poverty and take money from government provided healthcare, welfare, education, and even Social Security. What is the impact of illegal immigration on 10% unemployment? It can’t be helpful, not to mention the added criminal activity.

Small business may be the key to  economic recovery and even provide an answer to illegal immigration.  Over half of the population works for small business and for years the growth of the economy has been due primarily to small business.

Small business is paralyzed and in fear of what is coming next to tax or regulate them. They are certainly taking no risks. It appears that Obama is happy to bailout Wall Street, state governments, and even illegals. He has not dedicated a speech to small business and even shut out the Chamber of Commerce when he held a small business summit last year. He only attended the meeting for minutes.

Imagine the economic impact of reducing illegal immigration and at the same time cutting or reducing payroll taxes for small businesses willing to hire people. Obama seems willing to welcome illegal immigrants with open arms while ignoring small business. What’s up?

What’s up is politics as usual. It is all about votes. Mexican immigrants are a huge voting block for the democrats. Small business is in the tank for republicans. The fall elections will now determine policy and priorities.

Obama ran on the promise of changing Washington. I don’t know if he really believed his own hype, or was just saying what would get him elected. Regardless, the country is now moving in a more liberal/progressive direction. It means bigger government and less freedom.

Whether you are for bigger government or smaller, there is a need for better politicians. The first step is removing the career politicians. Ted Kennedy recently died after serving over 40 years in the senate. This should never happen again. Robert Byrd died after over 60 years in congress. It seems death is the only way to get someone out of office. Why do we continue to vote these guys in?

It should first be said that even the congressmen who passed the 2000 page bill out of committee have confessed they are not really sure how the whole thing will play out. Once passed, the bill will go to the thousands of government employees sitting in cubicles to clarify the rules and develop enough paperwork to destroy all the trees in the Amazon. You wanted big government, you got it baby.

Here is what we know for sure. There will be many more regulations for the lawyers to salivate over. Companies providing financial services will be paying higher taxes and fees. The Federal Reserve already controls the flow of capital to the banks for lending, but the process will now be more limiting.

Basically, the state will run the banking industry. This is great news for Wall Street (they will never be allowed to fail), and as usual, bad news for main street. This will continue the decline of the smaller banks. They will either die or be eaten up by the Wall Street boys. We, the little people, are promised “consumer protection”.

Consumer protection is a misnomer. There are only two reasons we need protection – first we don’t read, and second we make dumb decisions. This bill promises no more “hidden charges”. There were never any hidden charges to begin with, everything is spelled out in financial documents. The small print and the numbers of pages was the problem. America – start reading! It’s ironic that the bill is 2000 pages. The government, just like the banks, know we will never read it and just trust them to take care of us.

Americans love credit. They knowingly signed on to higher rates just to get the cash. It was unwise for many to do so. It was also unwise for the banks to lend to people unable to pay it back. Try to get credit now. The banks have learned their lesson and the people are cutting up their credit cards like mad. This is the free market is working. Do we really need a huge government intrusion to muck up the works?

The bottom line for us is a more complicated credit system and more fees. If you think the fee system at banks is ridiculous now, just wait. Free checking will be a thing of the past and who knows how many more fees will be passed on to us. All this in the name of “reform” and “consumer protection”.

The economy is like the weather. It comes in cycles. We’re all responsible for the recent economic bust. A free market economy will correct itself. These reform initiatives from the government at best will slow the recovery. At worst, will bury us so far in debt that money will never flow for the finer things in life again. As the government takes more of the pie, the people will have less to spend. Welcome to America, Mr Marx.

The Tea Party and others are protesting bigger government and the growing national debt. The cost of healthcare and other huge entitlements are causing anger across America. The confusing unemployment numbers continue to hound all politicians. But there is one number that affects all Americans and may be more of a factor in the fall election than any other.

The most dominant water cooler topic is the latest price of a gallon of gas. Every few days democrats, republicans, independents, the employed, the unemployed, the poor, and everyone else stop at the local station to fill their tanks. I take note of the number even on days I don’t need to stop. The people who hate to talk politics, know this number well. The only people oblivious to the power of the price of gasoline – politicians.

The BP oil spill has revealed the true colors of most politicians. They are quick to ban drilling and preach the environmental message. They claim the evil oil companies don’t want us to run our cars on algae or heat our homes with recycled plastics. Most agree with Bush that we are “addicted to oil”. I hate that comment. We can’t be addicted to oil any more than we can be addicted to water. It is essential for life!

Whether we like it or not, oil is to our economy what water is to the human body. It may not be possible to switch to “alternative fuels”. Besides transportation, oil is central to all manufacturing and many everyday products like plastics and rubber.

The worst moment in our economic recession was when gas topped $4 per gallon. People reduced driving and business suffered. My neighbors complained more about the price of gas than anything else going on at the time. Environmentalists boldly say they want higher gas prices so we will use less. That approach would certainly work to reduce our consumption, but destroy the economy in the process.

The oil spill reminds me just how much oil is still out there. If you want to grow the economy, produce more oil. In the meantime, let the free market  take care of producing alternative fuels. The American people would pay top dollar for a clean energy choice and companies would line up to collect the profits. Until then, fossil fuels are our lifeline – “drill, baby, drill”.

BP employs over 80,000 Americans and has already lost $75 billion in value on the stock market. The cost of the clean-up with the inevitable parade of civil lawsuits is going to lead them into financial hell and maybe even bankruptcy. Why does Obama want to prosecute on top of the coming lawsuits?

I think the real issue here is that BP represents what the political left hates the most – a big oil company making big profit. With the ridiculous number of laws on the books, the government can punish whoever they choose. 40% of Americans will enjoy watching BP being punished.

Should their crime be compared to a drunk driver killing a kid on a bicycle, or getting a ticket for rolling through a stop sign? Will the government seek to imprison BP executives or just confiscate their money?

We can certainly expect less drilling and higher oil prices in the future. Other big oil companies should fear the long arm of the law as the government will be coming for them, too. 40% of the drilling in the gulf is done by foreign countries, including China and Cuba. I wonder if Obama will go after them?

The left will brag about how great it will be to run our cars on algae and electricity, while the economy goes the way of BP. Whether we like it or not, our economy is an oil based economy. Giving up oil is tantamount to giving up our way of life. Some even celebrate that possibility.

The government is doing it’s best to outlaw all accidents turning personal tragedy into goldmines for the lawyers. This may all come down to something as small as a 6 inch bolt being used in place of a 3 inch bolt. The bolt broke under unrealized pressure from being under a mile of water. One of the men who died on the rig may have put the bolt there thinking everything was fine.

Do you believe the executives sitting in a boardroom in London are actually agreeing to reduce oil drilling safety and standards to make more money? The government is utterly incompetent in dealing with this. At this point, it would not surprise me to see the government take over BP.

I believe in a free market. BP will have to face customers, shareholders, and lawsuits as part of the capitalist system. This will be the best response to any guilt that BP may have.

It’s time for cooler heads to prevail.

I confess to being an independent conservative my whole life. I am educated with graduate and post-graduate degrees. I was never a straight A student or the smartest in the class. I am a small business owner with, I think, a great deal of common sense. I enjoy the daily economic/political debate that never takes a break. Watching the financial channels can be almost as entertaining as a roller coaster. With all that said, here is my take on what is right with the tea party economics and wrong with the liberal/progressive view.

The tea party message is very simple and clear. They are for smaller government, lower taxes, and less spending. This separates them from both the republican and democrat parties. Republicans talk of lowering taxes and reducing government, but they seldom do and never cut spending. Democrats proudly expand government, increase spending, and raise taxes. I like the tea party view because the end result is more freedom. Freedom is what my soul craves, even at the risk that a greedy person gets rich.

The liberal/progressive message is harder for me to accept. Here are just a few of their tenets that I can’t agree with.

• The way out of an economic recession is to spend more money. This is an insane tactic on the micro-economic level and I can’t trust it on the macro level.
• Entitlements improve the economy. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, now healthcare, farm subsidies, and more may be helpful programs but cannot possibly sustain a national economy. With the population aging and living longer, I would like to hear an honest liberal assessment of how we are going to pay for just Social Security in the future.
• Legal and illegal immigrants raise the standard of living for Americans. The theory says immigrants take the lower paying  jobs pushing other Americans up the economic ladder. I can’t comprehend this one. I guess that makes me as unintelligent as a tea partyer.

For the sake of brevity, I will stop. I understand why you have to have a Harvard degree to be a progressive. Much of liberal economics does not make sense.

Bigger government to me means more fraud, corruption, and waste. Bigger government means paying more for less and making the system much more complicated. I think politicians want to do good and most have big hearts, but the end result seems to be an expansion of rules and systems plus higher taxes and less freedom for individuals.

The best answer for all is to limit the terms in office for elected officials. We don’t need a constitutional amendment for that, just go vote. Somewhere along the way we allowed being a congressman become a career.

I’m from the south. Can you drink ice tea at those parties?

Regardless of your view on the new Arizona immigration law, it has put the problem front and center for all of us. The issue is simple – if we are not going to have open borders then how do we deal fairly with the influx of millions of immigrants.

There are two factors surrounding immigration that makes finding a solution almost impossible. One is the Mexican drug trade and the other is poverty. There is a two thousand mile border between the worlds wealthiest country and one of the worlds poorest. If I were a father in Mexico and there was constant threat of violence or I could not make enough money to feed my family, I would not hesitate to walk across a border to find a better life.

6000 people were killed in Juarez (across the border from El Paso, TX) in 2008. In Mexico there is a real drug war. Since most of the drugs in the United States come from Mexico, that’s where the military could be used. They don’t need to be border patrol. If the drug cartels could be destroyed and the Mexican streets be made safer, not as many would be running to the USA.

Changing a nations economic situation will take time. If Mexico had an economy like Canada, there would be no immigration problem. NAFTA and other trade deals have helped the Mexican economy, but it is only a start. Making the challenge even greater is the corruption at all levels of Mexican government.

I do not understand the amnesty crowd. How can giving away citizenship be a solution? I thought we were a nation of laws? The better word is surrender. We don’t want to solve the problem, so just give up. It is a slap in the face to all those who worked so hard to become American citizens. It would also open the door to every Tom, Dick, and Osama.

I have an idea that no one has tried yet. Don’t come up with an immigration reform bill, build a wall, or put our troops on the border. Start with enforcing the current laws. Catch illegals and then do what the law says. I would even agree to making it easier to becoming a citizen, but enforce the laws on the books. The Arizona law is nothing more than a copy of the federal law, it simply puts enforcement responsibilities at the state level.

Once again the big, bloated, federal government fails.

I am not racist. I do not oppose Obama because of his skin or even his heart. I actually believe he is a good man and I would welcome him as a neighbor. It is his mind that bothers me. The extent of his belief in government intrusion is alarming, and I believe, a real detriment to economic growth. I don’t care about the “redistribution of wealth”. I worry about the money that I use on necessary travel, mortgage, and food being taken away to pay for bloated government.

I am self-employed and I am struggling because my clients are small businesses. They are scared to death of mandated healthcare laws, future energy taxes, and a host of other “progressive” ideas. They are not opposed to healthcare for everyone or a cleaner environment. They just want to make a decent living. Wall Street and Washington may be crowing about recovery, but small business people are cowering in fear of the next regulation. They are afraid to hire, to build, and to take basic risks that are important in growing a business. Unions, government staffers, Wall Street executives, and even the poor don’t have a clue. It is not because they are stupid or racist, it is because small business is not the big fish making the splash.

There are red light cameras in my town now. I legally turned right on red, but I got ticketed for not coming to a complete stop for three seconds behind the white line. I don’t blame the camera intrusion on Barack, but government is responsible. That tax, I mean fine, will cost me $125. At that very intersection I buy my gas. The local government just raised the tax .02 per gallon. Totally, I will now be paying .50 tax on every gallon I buy. I rent my cars across the street from the gas station. States are moving to impose a huge car rental tax to pay for healthcare, from $2-15 per day per car. At the same time, I am making less money. And there are those with the audacity to question my anger? Or worse, accuse me of racism or ignorance?

Each month I pay more in taxes than anything else. More than the mortgage, ten times more than healthcare, and three times more than food. I don’t take vacations that cost money anymore. I love books and gadgets, but have reduced the purchase of those to almost nothing. I am trying to figure out ways to reduce the cell phone bill and cable TV. I made the mistake a couple of years ago of buying a big HDTV. I should have kept the 27″ basic TV. This is some recovery, huh!

I hear of economic crisis, but I don’t see any change in government. I read of the enormous pensions of government employees, and living in Chicago, there are headlines everyday about government abuse, fraud, waste, and nepotism. Take away government employees and the population of Chicago would be that of Peoria. I wonder if the millions of government employees have reduced travel, purchasing accounts, or any budget line item. Barack’s federal budget was the biggest in history, and so is the debt. By the way, there is no economic crisis for government until the people are out of money.

I don’t see the fall election as any solution. I am not looking for a party of no, I am looking for a nation of no. The spending, taxation, and intrusion of government appears to be unstoppable. But I say we try.

The poop tax is my idea, inspired by watching the creativity of politicians. I am not a regular pooper and it bugs me that some people can go everyday, like clockwork. All this pooping requires too much water and it stains the environment. I think that five poops a week is enough. Every poop over five should be taxed. The money can pay for the greening of American and the IRS can do random poop audits to find the cheaters who fail to pay for their excessive pooping.

If you think this is crazy, let’s look at some real ideas on the table. New York is considering an 18% tax on non-diet soda. Some call it the “fat tax”. There are calls for new taxes on fast food, to protect the children. The government loves to tax Americans addictive lifestyles. Expect higher tobacco, alcohol, and gambling taxes. Oh, and you can bet there will be more building permits given, at a higher fee, to increase the opportunities to sin (casinos).

Believe it or not, there are still a few things that have not been taxed. Many are calling for an internet tax. Main Street is excited about a tax on Wall Street. Capitals gains, interest, and dividend taxes are not enough. Right now trading on Wall street is tax free. There are over a billion trades a day. Imagine the money collected if you put a tax on every trade! Services are not currently taxed. Get ready to pay taxes for beauty salon services, haircuts, gym memberships, and tons more.

Rental cars will be hit with huge taxes soon. Estimates are that a tax ranging from $2 to $15 per day will be added on each car rented. The thought is that businesses pay for most rental cars.

I don’t fish so I am happy to see that fishing license fees will double. Come to think of it, maybe we are looking at this gay marriage thing from the wrong angle. If it were legalized the government could charge enormous fees for the marriage license. It wouldn’t cost me anything. Expect fees for permits, licenses, traffic citations, and government services to soar.

The democrats have done a great job at always promising to tax the rich. Many people vote for a democrat thinking they will be free of new taxes. Don’t believe it! Right now, it doesn’t matter who you vote for we are on an expensive road. Social Security, Medicare, healthcare, wars, debt, and pension for government employees have to be paid for. All the taxes you pay now, will rise.

The government’s addiction to our money worries me. The largest pile of money in the world is the retirement savings of Americans (like a 401K). I would not be surprised at an attempt to nationalize these funds. The government would promise greater returns and reduced taxes for individuals, and they would have immediate access to trillions.

I believe the only way out of our mess is wholesale change. Your vote really has a monetary value. The person you vote for is going to take your money. Maybe we should spend a little more time getting to know these candidates rather than just voting for a party.

I live in an upper middle class suburb of Chicago. Though the majority of residents are conservatives, government is enormous. Even the government here is struggling. They just announced the layoff of teachers. The town council voted for a 2 cent per gallon tax on gas. We now pay a total of 50 cents for tax on each gallon. The state is proposing a 2/3 increase on individuals income tax and a 1/3 increase on corporate tax. We have the income, so they will continue to raise the taxes.

I was mailed a traffic ticket last week which will cost me $125. My crime – a mounted camera caught me failing to make a complete stop at a red light. I was making a legal right turn on red, but that doesn’t matter. I viewed the video online and it’s true, I am guilty of rolling over the white line as I made the turn. The camera is not there for safety, it is there to get cash for the local government.

The federal government is certainly doing it’s share of getting more of our money. I don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but congress just passed a healthcare bill that includes a few taxes. Here is a list:

• For individuals with “Cadillac insurance plans” ( I don’t even know what that means), there is a 40% tax over a certain amount.
• For small businesses with 50+ employees, they will be required by law to provide health insurance for their employees. They will face heavy fines and penalties if they don’t obey. This is a big reason the bill calls for an additional 16,000 IRS agents.
• For businesses in the healthcare industry – pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, insurance, and tanning salons (yep, you heard right); they will face higher taxes and fees. I’m sure they will cheerfully pay those and not pass any costs on to us.
• For those lucky enough to make over $200k per year, you will have a higher medicare tax taken from your payroll check.
• Capital gains, investment, and interest income will have added tax to pay for healthcare.
• It will be harder to get the medical deduction. Until now you could take a medical deduction if over 7.5% of your income went for healthcare expenses. This bill raises that percentage 10%.
• If you don’t have insurance now, by law you will have to buy it or be fined. This will not be a problem if you have income. Actually, it is not really a problem if you don’t have income. Those with income can be taxed and it will be payed for you.

As long as we can keep paying, there will be no healthcare crisis. If this bill does not pay for itself as the democrats promise, no problem, they can tax more of our income.

The New York Times reported that 2010 will be the first year that Social Security benefit payouts will exceed the receipts from taxes. You could take all the money from the three wealthiest American families – the Buffet’s (Warren not Jimmy), the Gates, and the Walton’s and not begin to provide enough resources for the coming Social Security bailout.

Don’t worry, there is still money to tax so there is no crisis. Whew!

I give democrats credit for doing all they can to take care of the disadvantaged. Their method of paying for these programs is the problem. First, they somehow believe that big government spending will help the economy and somehow save money. Their second step is the age old socialist tactic of income redistribution (taxation). Margaret Thatcher said “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” This brings us to the republicans.

Traditionally, democrats spend and republicans pay. Republicans are like the parent at the kitchen table looking over the bills. A good parent will do more than just complain to the family about what they are spending. A mature parent will come up with ways to generate more money. The problem in Washington is that the republicans are now the irresponsible siblings of the democrats and whine because they don’t get their way.

I cringe at these conservative arguments that claim Obama is a socialist, a Muslim, the Anti-Christ, and is not born in America. Is this the best the right can come up with? It doesn’t matter, WE still have to pay for this healthcare bill. Have republicans forgotten about capitalism? Do they even know the story of the industrial age, telecommunications, railroads, gold rush and mining, energy, and technological advances through American entrepreneurs? It wasn’t Social Security that made this country great, it was the freedom to dream and work toward a better life.

I have listened to republicans whine over the last year because the democrats would not listen to their healthcare ideas. I’m glad they didn’t listen! The republican ideas were as bad as the democrats. The free market is the only hope that we will ever see basic needs met for every American. The free market is the only hope that we will again see a vibrant economy. The free market is the best solution for joblessness. This should be the message of republicans.

At one point, Obama heard the cries of the republicans and invited them to a one day healthcare summit. Instead of begging for his crumbs, they should have held their own “grow the damn economy” summit every day until small business in America was confident to invest, hire, and take risks again. By the way republicans, we are still waiting.

The democrats have made profit into a dirty word. The republicans need to make Americans feel sexy again for makin’ money! We are not looking for a program or a handout, just protect us from the heavy hand of government and the stifling power of big business.