They're Leaving?!?! Our Dream Come True...

Hey, dig this article from the USA Today:

Illegal immigrants leaving Arizona
Updated 23h 15m ago | Comments1,098 | Recommend81 E-mail | Save | Print |

Wearing plastic handcuffs and waving U.S. flags, youth pastor Magdalena Schwartz of Mesa, Ariz., left, prayed with others outside a Senate office building to protest measures criminalizing clergy who aid undocumented immigrants in March '06. Illegal immigrants are leaving Arizona because "they don't want to live in fear," Schwartz said.

The Rev. Glenn Jenks, right, talks with men waiting for work outside the Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church in Cave Creek, Ariz., in August. However, new state laws come down hard on employers who hire illegals, sending many undocumented workers elsewhere.


PHOENIX (AP) — Illegal immigrants in Arizona, frustrated with a flagging economy and tough new legislation cracking down on their employers, are returning to their home countries or trying their luck in other states.
For months, immigrants have taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the state's new employer-sanctions law, which takes effect Jan. 1. The voter-approved legislation is an attempt to lessen the economic incentive for illegal immigrants in Arizona, the busiest crossing point along the U.S.-Mexico border.

And by all appearances, it's starting to work.

"People are calling me telling me about their friend, their cousin, their neighbors — they're moving back to Mexico," said Magdalena Schwartz, an immigrant-rights activist and pastor at a Mesa church. "They don't want to live in fear, in terror."

Martin Herrera, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant and masonry worker who lives in Camp Verde, 70 miles north of Phoenix, said he is planning to return to Mexico as soon as he ties up loose ends after living here for four years.

"I don't want to live here because of the new law and the oppressive environment," he said. "I'll be better in my country."

He called the employer-sanctions law "absurd."

"Everybody here, legally or illegally, we are part of a motor that makes this country run," Herrera said. "Once we leave, the motor is going to start to slow down."

There's no way to know how many illegal immigrants are leaving Arizona, especially now with many returning home for normal holidays visits. But economists, immigration lawyers and people who work in the immigrant community agree it's happening.

State Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa, the author of the employer sanctions law, said his intent was to drive illegal immigrants out of Arizona.

"I'm hoping they will self-deport," Pearce said. "They broke the law. They're criminals."

Under the employer sanctions law, businesses found to have knowingly hired illegal workers will be subject to sanctions from probation to a 10-day suspension of their business licenses. A second violation would bring permanent revocation of the license.

Nancy-Jo Merritt, an immigration lawyer who primarily represents employers, said her clients already have started to fire workers who can't prove they are in the country legally.

"Workers are being fired, of course," she said. "Nobody wants to find out later on that they've got somebody working for them who's not here legally."

When immigrants don't have jobs, they don't stick around, said Dawn McLaren, a research economist at Arizona State University who specializes in illegal immigration.

She said the flagging economy, particularly in the construction industry, also is contributing to an immigrant exodus.

"As the jobs dwindle and the environment becomes more unpleasant in more ways than one, you then decide what to do, and perhaps leaving looks like a good idea," she said. "And certainly that creates a problem, because as people leave, they take the jobs they created with them."

Pearce disagreed that the Arizona economy will suffer after illegal immigrants leave, saying there will be less crime, lower taxes, less congestion, smaller classroom sizes and shorter lines in emergency rooms.

"We have a free market. It'll adjust," he said. "Americans will be much better off."

He said he's not surprised illegal immigrants are leaving the state and predicts that more will go once the employer-sanctions law takes effect next month.

"It's attrition by enforcement," he said. "As you make this an unfriendly state for lawbreakers, I'm hoping they will pick up and leave."

/end
How about that... all this hand wringing about "What to do about illegal immigration", and here's a solution right in front of us, and it's WORKING.

Senator Pearce should be on every talk show on every station for the next 2 months.... he's a hero.

These people "don't want to live in fear"... hey, you're here ILLEGALLY!!! Every damn day you're here, you should be very afraid!!! And if you're NOT afraid, we've failed as a nation!!!

Of course, the sad sad sad part of this is, I'm such a naive little doggy, I foolishly ASSUMED that there were already HEAVY PENALTIES for employers who had illegal aliens on their payrolls... Or NOT!! Shows how wrong I can be...

Anyway, share this with everyone you know.... maybe someday, these slimy politicians will get the idea that we're really sick and f-ing tired of illegals being here, and we're more than ready for it to end...

3 hours to kickoff... time to organize the bacon, and the cheese, and the ground sirloin for the epic bacon cheeseburgers...

Big Money and Small Dogs...

Greetings.

Very cold here.... very cold.

Today's topic, since it's Christmas, is big money. You definitely want to be related to these people... and if they're cheaping out on your gift, you need to get that addressed....


This is Lloyd Blankfein. Hello, Lloyd. Why is this guy so happy?? Well, he's a big shot at Goldman Sachs, the right hand of your very own Federal Reserve, and rumored apparatchnik of the Fed's vaunted "Plunge Protection Team", errr, sorry, their Committee on Open Markets, I think they're calling themselves...

Anyway, Lloyd is gonna make $70 Million Dollars! Not bad. He's being lauded at the moment for keeping Goldman Sachs out of the subprime mess.... tell me again how "no one saw this coming".... Yeah.

So, If you're on Lloyd's Christmas list, you're looking for something big.... like a new Corvette Convertible. Seriously, income for income, percentage vs percentage, Lloyd buying you a Corvette is like me getting you a $50 gift Card to Home Depot.... I know. You're feelin' me.


This is Robert Nardelli. They call him Bobby around the office...(actually, they don't, but it would be pretty funny). Anyway, speaking of Home Depot, Bob used to run the place. He was only making like ten to fourteen million a year at that gig though. He was at the controls when they lost 40% of their market value, and then mysteriously sold off some of the most profitable components of the company. Strange. But anyway, after that amazing performance of Captaining the ship, he retired with a very juicy $210 million dollar severance package. Nice. That'll keep you in Bacon Cheeseburgers for awhile, dude....

Not to worry though, his retirement barely got rolling, his golf lessons were just starting to show some results when he was named Chariman and CEO of the new Chrysler Corporation. Heh heh, yeah, after his "MVP-like" season at Home Depot, you can see where Cerebrus was thinking "we gotta have this guy". A-Rod just got a lotta money, but he probably deserves it, he was MVP of the freakin' league!!! Bob? Ahhh, not so much, no.... nuh uh...

But if you're on Bob's Christmas list, you should probably be thinking Corvette also... assuming he has any of the amazing retirement money left, if he bought you a new Corvette Convertible, that would be like me buying you a $25 Gift Card to Home Depot. And you'd probably call me a cheapskate if I did that... So, note to Bob, you better buy them a Corvette Convertible, and a $60,000 gasoline credit card, for that to be a reasonable gift.... yeah, you're feelin' me. I'm just trying to help.


This is Trouble. No no no, His NAME is Trouble... He's a little boy Maltese doggy. And here at The Adventures of Fireplug Headquarters Bunker of Ultimate Defense (and Bacon Cheeseburger Repository), we Love the small Doggy, in all it's forms...

You may recognize the woman in the picture, that is the notorious Leona Helmsley, recently passed away. Allegedly not a nice person to work for, but we have to give her some props, she left a $12 million dollar trust fund, to care for her dog Trouble, for the rest of his life. Now, if you're going to be a super millionaire - billionairre, at least you can do something good with the money. Like, take care of a dog. Yeah. See, you're feelin me now!!! Yeah, exactly.... You love it.

That guy can get a Corvette Convertible, and drive to Culver's every day for a Bacon Cheeseburger!!!

Well, that would have been the end of the post today, but in a very late-breaking story, Former #1 Golfer in the World Greg Norman (aka the "Great White Shark") has announced that he and former #1 Tennis Star Chris Evert are engaged to be married. They allegedly carried on a hush romance for a year or so, and announced their engagement this morning.... This will be his 2nd marriage (after a recent ugly divorce) and her 3rd marriage. More to follow on that, next time.

Until next time, enjoy!!!

Return of the Native

Hey, what's up?!?!?!

Well, I'm back in Wisconsin... yeah. I'm so thrilled... Whew. At those "welcome centers" at the state line, they oughta pass out Prozac and a little Oxy for people...

Had a great trip.


Here I am with the fellas in Florida....



Here's my Driver, getting ready to take me golfing....


The Epic 3rd Tee... Carry that water, and then dogleg right. If you really are in control, you can blow your tee shot over those trees on the right, and be in great shape... That used to be impossible, but Hurricane Charley knocked down some of the big trees there, so now, that's really the play...


The Frankster, while he's an excellent cart driver, is really a professional R/C Pilot... a small part of Frank's Flying Circus, his little air force... That little purple and white plane is a modern electric airplane, and it really flies. Electrics used to be a joke, but no more. That thing is for real, it is legitimate, it is awesome. Has big power, and is very airworthy....


I guess we gotta go home.... Seriously, these people in Northern Florida / Southern Georgia are not wasting any time on the highway... I was still getting passed... And, to those of you in law enforcement, I coulda photoshopped that, okay, so take it easy.... (I didn't, but I could have...)


A little gas stop just outside Atlanta... The GMC Envoy SLT, for those who want more Bacon Cheeseburgers... or something like that. Someone help me out on the slogan...


Yep, I'm home.... And it's cold, and snowy, but The Doc did make me chocolate chip cookies, which is never a bad thing, either....

All in all, a great trip. Besides the golfing, and the flying, and the hanging around Harpoon Harry's, and the Naples Poker Room, and the fine cigars, it really was kind of a drag...

(Yeah, right...)

Anyway, it's also my birthday, and I've already received a great number of Happy Birthday greetings, so thanks very much for that, I appreciate it.