How to Solve Illegal Immigration

This is a very interesting take on immigration. The video is a bit long, but is worth watching, enjoy. Let me know what you think…

The American Dream

This country has been called the land of opportunity, I agree 100% with this statement. If you set your mind to it and work hard you can do it.

I know that there always be hurdles to overcome and that it is not easy, but it is possible. I aso know that is easier for some and more difficult for others.

My question is, why are so many people from this great country not taking advantage of these opportunities?

I hear people complain about the government, the economy and more, and I always say to them, you have no idea how good you have it here.

It is about time people started appreciating all the wonderfull opportunities available to them. Here are two examples:

• I have had many conversations with a person that is currently receiving government assistance. She told me she had a baby to “get out of her mother’s house”, the baby was her meal ticket to get assistance. She lives in subsidized housing, a nice townhouse, she gets WIC (for those who might not know is a food assitance program for pregnant women and children under 5 years old), food stamps, and works part time 4 hours a day.
  She told me that when she goes to the agency that provides her with the assistance, the person in charge tels her what to do to beat the system and be able continue to receive these funds, she also said that before her child is 5 she will find a guy to get her pregnant again, so she can continue on the benefits.

• I also met a person that came here from another country, she has no real formal education, and little money to start. She finds a job and rents a room at a house. She works 3 jobs, send money home to her family.
  She managed to save enough to start her own business with a friend. She told me that when she first got here she did not have a good handle in the language, so she took clases at a local church.
  I asked if she had received any help, she said, nice people gave her advice, but she could not get a loan, not being from here, not having credit.
  Today, she managed to go to college and has her own business.

I offten wonder why is there such a big difference. I know that there are two extreme cases, but it upsets me to see such potential wasted.

I have the theory that those people that come from abroad appreciate more what they see here, because they come from such different sets of circumstances. The locals on the other hand, tend to not know how the rest of the world lives, and take all of the oportunities this country has to offer for granted. They get upset and say that foreigners come to take their jobs.

If we could send highschoolers to live in the shoes of kids in other countries for a summer, they would realize that not everybody has what they have. I think they would come back changed and make better use of the resources, their freedoms and their lifes.

Maybe they would not take for granted this wonderfull nation and all of the great opportunities that it has to offer…

Fantasy Island

There is an Island off the northen part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula called Mackinac Island. This island has a lot of history. It has been a vacation destination since the 19th Century and it is where the famous Grans Hotel is located. You where they filmed that movie “Somewhere in Time“. Of course I had to see the movie before going.

 There are no cars allowed on the island, there are horse drawn carriages adn lots of bicycles. There are a ton of little inns and other places to stay.

The first time I went there was in the Spring, definetly is the best time to go. We stayed in a small beach hotel in Mackinac City (a considerably cheaper way to go) we enjoyed the activities in town that night and the next day aremed with our bicycles, we took the ferry to the island.

It is such a beautiful place, very picturesque. It has lots of natural beauty and old houses. Check out pictures here. Iam not selling, they are not mine.

We where able to ride most of the island in one day, taking into consideration stopping and that neither one of us was in the best shape. I loved to go in the Spring because the flowers were blooming, walking or riding I often had to stop to take in the wonderful aromas of the flowers, and the colorful scenery. I had the best time there.

I have to warn you about something though, there is also the “aroma” of horse poop, even though the pick it up frecuently, you are going to feel it in some places. I think it is more noticeable in the summer. Sorry, I had to go there.