Our country is broken. 

We can play the blame game all day long, but what good will it do?  An old commonplace pattern seems to be repeating with regard to our policies like an old broken record that can’t seem to get out of stuck mode. Politicians in Congress seem to have too much time on their hands because they spend more of their time bickering instead of creating solutions.  We should be developing and creating solutions that will help Americans, our economy and our national security in a practical manner.

In addition to our country being broken, we see other parts of the world falling apart as revolutions spread.  We can never seem to predict what is going to happen from one day to the next in the Middle East – so maybe it’s time to have a stronger back-up plan as we push for a stronger western hemisphere.  After all, we ought to know the ins-and-outs of what is going on in our front and backyard.  In fact, I believe we are putting too much emphasis on the Middle East and we need to balance it out with a push for a stronger western hemisphere.

A notable individual who stands out to me is Carlos Slim.   Slim is a Mexican-born citizen who acquired much of his wealth via communications. He is the richest man in the world and his telecommunications empire involves over 100 million subscribers in the Latin America.  Indeed Slim is no stranger in trying to help our United States economy by providing more jobs when he bought a stake in CompUSA in 1999 for $800 million. Unfortunately, the sales of computers were slowing down at the time because they were more and more obsolete as new technology became available. Carlos tried everything to keep the chain alive but it eventually closed.

Although I know Carlos is a very busy business man, I took some time to see what his views were as it relates to international government policy affecting our continent.  I found his innovative ideas regarding immigration and tourism a path we ought to consider – particularly if it is a win-win for both economies.  He is absolutely right when he said we ought to have more action tanks instead of just think tanks.  I have not seen much recent news with regard to Slim and policy out there, but was impressed when he did say government ought to take care of public education.  I agree.  We ought to introduce into our high school curriculums an educational scope that will offer skill sets in preparation of taking care of our elderly.  Although Slim does not appear active in helping create new policies, I believe he is influential enough to bend his ear a bit regarding education that will solve future challenges.

The Problem:  Aging population is exhausting much of our federal tax revenues coupled with declining birth rates.

The Solution:  Offering a skill set or educational curriculum that will help take care of our elderly, and creating new tax payers instead of burdening the existing ones in an effort that will ensure the security and well-being of our parents and grandparents.

Many of us are at a point where we need to look ahead and think about our parents.  Are we going to stick them in nursing homes?  Or, are we going to hire aids that will help check in on our parents in their own homes?  If you’re a Mexican-American, you will find that many of us choose to have our parents move in with us so that we can have them in our own homes where we can all take care of each other.  Grandparent time is important to us because we do value the older generation passing customs and family traditions to our children.

The United States, Canada and Mexico will soon be facing some serious challenges regarding our aging population particularly when the U.S.  and Mexico have rapidly plunging baby rates and a rapidly growing aging problem.  In 2011, the birth rate of the United States fell to its lowest level recorded in American history.

Eventually both the United States and Mexico will be competing for people to live in each of our own countries.

In addition to this, the AARP has made it extremely clear to Congress to not cut Social Security and Medicare in light of the fiscal cliff deal.  So let’s do the math, shall we?  Since 2010, Social Security has been paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes.  How in the hell can we fund Social Security and Medicare without burdening existing tax payers with more tax increases?  It’s simple — we bring out the good hardworking people who are living in the shadows of society and are already contributing to gasoline, sales, liquor, tire taxes and etc., and we create new official tax payers through them — the immigrants.  It would be in AARP’s best interest to welcome a solution that will sustain our elderly without burdening existing tax payers.

As our elderly rely on prescription medication, and since prescriptions are much cheaper in Mexico we ought to make it easier for them to get cheaper medication.  Indeed one of the biggest complaints by our elderly is the cost of medicine and we know that many of them in the Southwest make trips to Mexico to obtain cheaper medication.  This is where it might be a good idea to look into Carlos Slim’s immigration and tourism ideas when he said:

“[Customs and Immigrations at airports] should not [be] this environment where you feel like you’re coming to an insecure place,” Slim said, in an interview with Mexico Secretary of Tourism Gloria Guevara Manzo and WTTC President and CEO David Scowsill. “[It should be] a warm welcome, not only when you go to the airport, but at the hotel. Immigrations officers and customs [officials] must have this relationship with the ministry of tourism, and bring a friendly aspect [to travel].”

It’s time for the 113^th Congress to shit or get off the pot.  We need them to stop with their partisanship bickering and we need to see action now.  Our elderly are dependent upon solutions.  We must take care of our elderly and Homeland issues.  We ought to work on a stronger western hemisphere – especially as it relates to our continent.

Both Mexico and the United States are experiencing plunging birth rates and this is a concern particularly when the United States will have a smaller pool of migrant labour to recruit from.

What kind of labor should we be concerned about?

I am concerned about health services and taking care of our elderly.

What kind of education and skill set might we need in order to take care of our parents?

More importantly, I am not a big fan on sticking our aging parents in nursing homes.  For the most part, I think  Mexican-Americans are big believers in taking care of our parents in our own homes.  No offense to the nursing homes, and I believe there is a need for them, but I also believe it is unreasonable to have all of our parents in nursing homes when they get older.  We value our parents and we do not want to see them stuck in a home wasting away.

How do we prepare for the aging population?  Do we have schools available that will provide the skill set in taking care of our own?

According to the The Economist:

FENCES, soldiers, infra-red cameras: the United States goes to great lengths to hold back the teeming masses across its southern border (see article). But the masses are teeming less. Mexico’s birth rate, once among the world’s highest, is in free-fall. In the 1960s Mexican mothers had nearly seven children each (whereas women in India then had fewer than six). The average now is just over two—almost the same as in the United States. The UN reckons that from 2040 the birth rate in Mexico will be the lower of the two.  …  Today’s falling fertility rate will curb the flow. But the main motors of migration will still be economic boom or bust—on both sides of the border.

In 2011, the birth rate in America fell to the lowest level in recorded history.  According to Business TIME:

As our largest generation moves toward full-on retirement we are minting what promises to be our smallest generation, a group that from the very beginning of its working years will face the impossible task of supporting millions of entitled old fogeys. Something will have to give.

Indeed something will have to give, and the United States ought to prepare and have proactive solutions that will curb the influx of retirees and new challenges.

As an Arizona Independent registered voter, I would rather have 4 more years of Obama Care than 8 years of Romney Care.  Nobody knows what they are gonna get with Mitt Romney since he has reversed his position on just about every political issue imaginable.  We know what we are going to get with President Obama, and I just cannot trust a politician like Romney.  Mitt Romney refuses to be transparent with his tax returns yet wants Americans to trust him?  How can Americans trust him when nobody knows what his real convictions are?

How can Romney explain wanting to increase our war and defense budget by $2.1 trillion, yet not want to take care of our elderly and senior citizens here in our Homeland?  He would rather spend money bombing other countries while ignoring Homeland issues here relating to Americans?  Doesn’t make sense to spend money abroad and increasing war budgets, and Americans are tired of war.

Mitt Romney has reversed himself on all positions ranging from health care, immigration, abortion and pro life.

In fact, Mitt Romney’s own Republican cohort called him out on his own hypocrisy — see below:

The moment was, of course, the exchange between Rick Santorum and Romney when Santorum was aggressively challenging Romney about health care. Romney was going through his standard defense of his health-care plan, saying it was right for Massachusetts but not for other states. Santorum wasn’t buying it: “Think about what that means going up against Barack Obama … You are going to claim [about the Affordable Care Act], ‘Well, it doesn’t work and we should repeal.’ And he’s going to say, ‘Wait a minute, governor. You said it works well in Massachusetts.’ Folks—we can’t give this issue away in this election. It is about fundamental freedom … It’s going to be on your ballot as to whether there should be a government mandate here in Florida. According to Governor Romney, that’s OK.”

The New Yorker wrote about Mitt Romney’s reversals — indeed, Romney is making every attempt to be teflon on just about every issue ranging from abortion, immigration, health care, and jobs.

 

Mitt Romney can be a hard man to pin down. But there is one thing that he’s been clear about: if he becomes President, he will repeal Obamacare. That simple promise, more than any other that Romney has made, illuminates what is most at stake in this year’s election. The campaigns may spend most of their time talking about taxes and jobs. But health care is where the election’s outcome will have the most immediate and powerful impact on how Americans live.

Abolishing Obamacare would eliminate subsidies for people buying insurance and rescind regulations requiring insurance companies to guarantee coverage and benefits (for instance, to people with preëxisting conditions). Romney’s proposed alternative is to give individuals a tax break when they buy insurance and to push them toward high-deductible insurance plans, which he believes will make them more rigorous and price-conscious in choosing doctors and treatments. Romney also wants to reform Medicare by encouraging more competition among private insurers. The details are skimpy, but the core principle is that unleashing the power of the free market will bring down costs and raise quality.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/10/29/121029ta_talk_surowiecki#ixzz2A2maJWre

Mitt Romney simply cannot be trusted and cannot identify with the average ordinary American.

I would rather have 4 more years of President Obama than to have 8 years of Mr. Multiple Choice Mitt Romney.

I perceive Romney as a crony capitalist who will hurt the middle class.