Home of Today's Common Sense

Published Brownsville Herald 8/6/2006

My favorite columnist, Ruben Navarrette, again focused his sights on an issue that I have been thinking about for some time but just had not gotten around to delving into.
In his column After immigration policy, lets reform Congress. He went on to assert that “Apparently the august institution is more broken than the U.S. –Mexican Border.”
If you just look at the Senate immigration bill and the spending mandated in it that seems only there to satisfy political friends. The House bill appears to be so unreasonable that it can only serve to keep the power of life and the future of immigrants in their hands, so they will continue to have a product/largess to exchange with labor and lawyer organizations in return for support, both political and financial.
I have written “ad-nauseum” regarding immigration reform and will attempt to focus a little “Common Sense” into Congressional reform, a place that seems devoid of such stuff.
I am guided by a pocket copy of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence given to me by Congressman Ron Paul, a Libertarian with a Republican label. One of the lights in a dark place. More »

Published Brownsville Herald 7-2-2006
On January 9 of last year The Brownsville Herald published my article entitled Capitalism is alive and well. That article has become one of the most popular “Today’s Common Sense” columns ever published. More than 370 of you went to my Web site and re-read the article or secured reprints. I thank you for your interest.
I have been back to the flea market on Route 77 often, for a repeat of the “elotes” that I am so fond of, to buy some of the spices and herbs, that I don’t grow in my garden; to get the great produce at such good prices (the red – green – and orange peppers and watermelons were especially good last week). However, one of the biggest reasons that I brave the parking, traffic and occasionally the dust is to buy that wonderful tasting, locally caught gulf shrimp at such good prices. I also love to listen to the stories of Louisiana in that Cajun “twang”. I have yet to find better shrimp (from the standpoint of taste or even size/price) at any price – anywhere. More »

Published – Brownsville Herald 6-18-2006
Schools have closed for the summer and the fall elections cannot be far away!
I have railed in these columns about how few folks voted and exhorted more folks to get involved and I continue to encourage everyone who lives in our United States to join the party of your choice and get involved. Let the party leaders hear your concerns directly; don’t wait for a media outlet to divine what you believe the country should look like.
However, all this time the only thing I have been doing has been to write these columns and pontificate on what everyone else should be doing.
Over the last several months, I finally listened to my own advice and joined a party and got involved. I selected a party that best reflected my values at this point in my life.
“The research I have been doing in the last few years for these columns helped me to see that the two-party system is quickly becoming a single entity of two factions of what appears to be a cross of socialism and fascism. It seems to support a government control of people and resources based on the dispensation or withholding of benefits and enforced by a force peopled by those who personally attack anyone with a perspective different than theirs. The enforcers also don’t seem to be bothered by a lack of facts as they seem to create them as needed. More »