Write in primary for write in candidate.

[VoiceofReason]

It may be time for independent candidates to run. Google “polls both parties” and look through the items that come up.

[seamusTX]

I suppose I am the eternal optimist though because I believe this country will eventually do what is necessary. You do not see demonstrations in the streets because the majority of people that recognize the need for those changes I mentioned are not the type of people that take to the streets with a sign unless the situation becomes intolerable.

I also believe that the United States eventually will come up with better solutions. To quote Churchill, "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else."

I take a long view of history. The U.S. has made remarkable progress in terms of wider participation in the political process at all levels, elimination of corruption, and transparency in government.

If you look back at the early days of the Republic, only a small minority could vote, millions were slaves, husbands could literally treat their wives like dogs short of outright murder, people went to jail for political speech and writing, it was completely legal to secretly pay a politician any amount of money as long as it was not an outright bribe, senate seats were for sale, and overall a small group of people made all the decisions with little accountability.

BTW, the national debt in 1790 was a far larger portion of GDP and total assets. Probably it was greater than ever since (though economic reporting was nowhere near as detailed as it is now).

As for demonstrating in the streets, that is mainly for young people who have the time and energy.

Older people can donate money and volunteer effort to candidates that they favor. That does not happen much. Recently Tea Party candidates have received that kind of support. Ron Paul did in 2008, but it remains to be seen whether he will again. Ross Perot did in 1992, and we know how that worked out.

- Jim

[tacticool]

Write in Ron Paul if you're annoyed with the Republican leadership. That will send a message.

[seamusTX]

You don't need to write in Ron Paul. He will be on the Republican primary ballot as a presidential candidate. However, he also has been a congressman for 30-some years.

- Jim

[tacticool]

I thought it was an online primary to pick a write in candidate for the general election. My bad.

[hpcatx]

Write in Ron Paul if you're annoyed with the Republican leadership. That will send a message.

Or Gary Johnson, if you're not a Ron Paul fan.

I don't believe there should be any restrictions when it comes to firearms. None.

[seamusTX]

The president can't write laws or amend the constitution (which some of the candidates talk like they think they could). They can sign or veto bills, and presidential vetoes rarely are overridden.

I think a couple of relevant questions to ask are what existing executive orders they would revoke, and whom they would appoint to key positions like attorney general and the supreme court. Homeland security and BATFE also are relevant to RKBA issues.

Gary Johnson is a former governor of New Mexico. I could not have said that off the top of my head. I had to look it up.

- Jim

[VoiceofReason]

It is true the president can’t write laws or amend the constitution. But a popular president that is a true leader can wield a lot of political power over congress. The president can also take unilateral action on some things without even consulting congress.

If we had a president that had the courage and was a true leader, he would have immediately dispatched Navy Seals to recover the body of David Hartley in Falcon Lake, and warned the government of Mexico not to interfere. He would also send enough troops to the border to stop the flow of drugs across the border.

The problem we now have in this country is that the politicians of both parties do not really care about the country. All they really care about is image and getting re-elected. Their first loyalty is to the party and not to the country.

We have troops dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are involved in Libya and concerned about events in Pakistan. Meanwhile we have a situation building in a country we share a border with that threatens to tear that country apart.

We need a change in elected representatives and leaders, not just two parties with the same old goals.

[seamusTX]

... send enough troops to the border to stop the flow of drugs across the border.

Please bear with me for two minutes.

Most drug smuggling and illegal immigration do not involve people crossing the border on foot. We could build a replica of the Great Wall of China on the Mexican border, and little would change.

If you look at drug seizures, many of them are inside goods like laundry equipment manufactured in Mexico that are shipped by truck and signed off by customs. They find drugs in the wheel wells of planes coming from South America. A parcel of something like 50 pounds of cocaine washed up in Galveston recently, probably tossed overboard from a boat persused by the Coast Guard.

Most illegal immigration is people who enter on tourist or student visas and then overstay and violate the terms of their visa.

As I said already, neither situation is going to change while Americans want to buy illegal drugs and hire illegal aliens at low wages.

- Jim

[VoiceofReason]

Jim,

I have to disagree with you on part of your statement. I was a Sheriff’s Deputy in South Texas, a good friend I patrolled with is now the Police Chief of a small town in South Texas and my Son has two good friends that are Border Patrol.

While a sizeable amount of drugs are seized and a number of Illegal Immigrants are stopped at places such as the Sarita checkpoint and elsewhere, there is still a large number of Illegal Immigrants that come across the border and walk to pick up points to be transported by vehicle north. There is still a lot of drugs that cross the border on the backs of “mules”. There is a lot of crime committed in South Texas by Illegal Immigrants on foot.

Illegal Immigration could be stopped by putting first time offenders in jail for two years and then sending them back. Now they are just put on busses and taken back to Mexico and many are back in the U.S. within 48 hours.

Most people don’t know how much crime is committed on this side of the border due to the drug traffic and Illegal immigration. Murders related to drug trafficking many times are not reported as such. Homes are broken into and people robbed by illegal immigrants. If you work out in the brush country, you had better be on your toes and carry. When I was with the Sheriff’s Department, a 13 year old girl was raped and killed by an illegal immigrant in her home. We caught him.

I could tell you stories you wouldn’t believe about a Police Chief sent to prison for being involved in drug trafficking and lawyers arrested for financing drug trafficking.

I just wonder how long before people say enough.

[seamusTX]

People will take whatever opportunity they can get to sneak into the country, smuggle drugs, or otherwise commit crimes.

What I'm trying to say is that if the U.S. could completely eliminate all illegal border crossing from Mexico, the flow would go elsewhere. It always does. Island nations like Australia and New Zealand have illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Nobody is walking there or paddling a kayak.

This problem has been going on through the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations, with Republican and Democratic control of the house and senate. It has defied every attempt to stop it.

The reason is that Americans want to employ cheap labor and don't care about legality. I know people in real life who say they can't hire a native-born American to work on roofs or do drywall. ICE has busted plants that employed hundreds of illegals for jobs like butchering chickens.

It's not just Mexicans, either. There barely is a convenience store or motel owned by native-born Americans. Most of them are operated by Asians. Why do I have a feeling all their paperwork might not pass muster?

Illegal immigration and drugs, along with gambling, prostitution, and obscene pornography, are demand-driven problems. They have been with us through all of recorded history. Even in countries where they execute offenders, they can always find more offenders.

- Jim

[VoiceofReason]

People will take whatever opportunity they can get to sneak into the country, smuggle drugs, or otherwise commit crimes.

What I'm trying to say is that if the U.S. could completely eliminate all illegal border crossing from Mexico, the flow would go elsewhere. It always does. Island nations like Australia and New Zealand have illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Nobody is walking there or paddling a kayak.

This problem has been going on through the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations, with Republican and Democratic control of the house and senate. It has defied every attempt to stop it.

The reason is that Americans want to employ cheap labor and don't care about legality. I know people in real life who say they can't hire a native-born American to work on roofs or do drywall. ICE has busted plants that employed hundreds of illegals for jobs like butchering chickens.

It's not just Mexicans, either. There barely is a convenience store or motel owned by native-born Americans. Most of them are operated by Asians. Why do I have a feeling all their paperwork might not pass muster?

Illegal immigration and drugs, along with gambling, prostitution, and obscene pornography, are demand-driven problems. They have been with us through all of recorded history. Even in countries where they execute offenders, they can always find more offenders.

- Jim

Then are we to accept the crime and corrupiton that go along with these activities?

I wish I could remember who said "That which we tolerate, we condone".

[seamusTX]

If I knew the answer I would be running for K.B.'s senate seat.

I'm not trying to be a jerk. I've seen the same problems as long as I have been able to understand them—more than 40 years. One politician after another had tough programs, and all of them failed. Probably none of them made more than a momentary improvement.

Case in point: When I was an older teenager in the 1970s, there were just a few daring kids my age who used hard drugs like heroin. The decent kids stayed away from them. I didn't even know what cocaine was then.

Now kids age 10 and 12 are using hard drugs. Everyone who wants illegal drugs knows where to get them.

Something like a trillion dollars has been spent on the "war on drugs" since Nixon declared it. We have all kinds of indignities, mandatory urine testing, warrantless searches, no-knock home intrusions, chipping away at the fourth amendment with the approval of the Supreme Court, long mandatory minimum sentences—and zero progress.

All attempts to stop illegal immigration will go the same route. The smugglers will become more resourceful, and the forgers of immigration documents will do a better job. (They do pretty well now.)

Demand-driven problems can't be solved on the supply side. No individual person can solve them, even if we appointed him dictator (which is my perpetual answer to your first question).

- Jim

[hirundo82]

I don't want to start a flame war or anything, but no one wants to be a surgeon's first patient or a lawyer's first case to take to court. Why, exactly, would you want the President of the U.S. to have no experience?

I don't know; maybe you should ask some Obama voters.

[VoiceofReason]

Child pornography and child prostitution are demand driven and have been around for a long time but that doesn’t relieve society of the responsibility to fight it and try as much as possible to stop it.

I suppose the point I am trying to make is that we haven’t lost a fight until we become convinced we can’t win. Once we become convinced we can’t change the government, we give the government permission to totally control us. Once we become convinced we can’t change things, we give ourselves permission not to try.

Slavery was demand driven and had been around forever but due to determination and tenacity it was stopped.

As a country we have lost the will to stand up for what is right and fight that which is wrong. We have been convinced that right and wrong is just a matter of perspective. Minorities have become empowered and the majority has been marginalized.

We have been convinced there is nothing we can do.

Well I refuse to believe that.