Home of Today’s Common Sense

Published - Brownsville Herald - 10/16/2005 Published in the National Publication of the Libertarian Party the LP News -November Issue.
There are few issues that stir the passions such as Immigration Reform does. Nearly every ethnic group, American Regional Interest, and political interest uses it as a way to recover waning status with their constituencies and to gain relevance and power. One only need look at the variety of pundits spewing solutions, from the sensible to the fear and hate mongers.
I am personally torn between, political idealism fostered by my immigrant Irish roots, and the sensibilities of lawful conduct, required by peace, order and national stability. Growing up in the sixties, serving in a war, followed by a 30 plus year career with the U.S. Customs Service and extensive work and travel in some of the world’s less orderly places, has instilled in me a real understanding of the necessity for the peace and order.
My idealistic nature tells me that any human being should be able to live and work anywhere in the world that there is a demand for his/her skills and talents at a livable wage. Each person develops unique talents and skills and should be able to make them available where they are most needed and therefore will secure the highest pay for that particular skill.
That’s where the issue becomes complicated! We must have peace and order but at what cost. The political reality is that whichever political administration attempts resolution, the ramifications will almost assuredly be costly in political terms.
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Published - Brownsville Herald November 13, 2005
You may have noticed that that we now have a name for my column, not just “Contributing Columnist”. I chose “Today’s Common Sense” for several reasons, firstly because I hope it encourages the native good judgment in those who read it. Secondly, as sort of a continuation of Thomas Paine’s good works. He was also a former Customs or Excise Collector, and he believed that “Rights and Liberties were the essence of a person’s humanity. I find that I share many of Mr. Paine’s beliefs as well as his practical application of them.
On March 3 the Brownsville Herald published my perspective of Social Security entitled “Government just wants to maintain its power. “
I believe more than ever that a reform is critical, not as much because I worry about the solvency but because we can not trust our “Rulers” both at the State and Federal levels, to have the interests of retirees at heart and do anything but seize more power from the people that they are supposed to serve - not rule.
The proposals for social security described in the, Libertarian, Cato Institute Brochure on the Social Security remodeling “Its Your Money” describe a system, similar to the Federal Employees Retirement System, in effect now for more than ten years, that promises to treat all retirees fairly. That alone is a big change.
Current systems deprive many retired public servants of the social security benefits that they contributed towards.
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