Taking down the bird feeder!

Okay. Okay....I love it b/c it shall SINK. glub, glub, glub.

Agree. Beside, there are not enough jobs in this country. This would end up displacing more people. We'd have poor and hungry people living in Central Park again like it was during the Great Depression. Get too many of those and then well see what happenes to our social order. I think I can make a prediction on that. Another New Deal plan will have to be put into place before the civil unrest leads to mad voters that will overthrow the government. Happened once, will happen again.

Occupy Central Park.....

Irrespective of who gets in, the only way that I see this being turned around is to first restore faith in the banking system and recover some of the money that has been stolen.

Only then will further options be possible.

I agree that most people prefer jobs over handouts. In this economy, there are plenty of applicants for almost any job. Many people have given up looking for work -- futility is a bigger problem than laziness.

It's easy to blame minorities because they comprise a disproportionate percentage of welfare and food stamp recipients. But most of the black and hispanic people I know are either working very hard -- or very upset about not having a job.

How upset are they? We find out in November. Black unemployment is currently 14%. Obama received 96% of the black vote in 2008. If people really do prefer jobs over handouts, the unemployed will be a major factor in the upcoming election. If he gets 96% again, maybe unemployment is not such a big deal after all.

As you say, efficiency has reduced the need for workers. However, tax and regulatory costs are driving more jobs offshore than are being lost to advances in technology. Cost and competition are such major concerns that employers would rather have the work done poorly overseas than act as a cash register for our bloated government.

The 2012 election boils down to a battle between the takers and the makers. Soon enough, we will discover if voters want more handouts or more jobs. Sometimes life really IS as simple as that.

"takers and makers" - I like that.

Pity that they don't divide by party lines.

I know exactly which party to vote in November if I want more bird feeders -- complete with imported birds to feed. I can vote against that party -- and I plan to.

But as you say, it's not cleanly divided by party lines. I can easily vote against the takers, but it's not so easy to vote in favor of the makers.

Deport the illegals.

Deporting the illegals is a start, but it's not enough. Many illegals work in the "underground economy", where they receive sub-minimum, tax-free wages. Sometimes they make up the difference with welfare, which simply adds to the burden of legitimate workers.

Wiping out the illegal workforce may be necessary and desirable, but it will not automatically result in legitimate citizens being hired into jobs that will magically start paying a living wage. The best that can be hoped for is that deportation puts a dent in welfare expenditures. It's worth a try, but don't expect more than that.

It sounds like you favor amnesty for illegals. Illegal is illegal and we don't need it.

I don't favor amnesty for illegals, but there can be no expectation of job recovery for real citizens just because we toss the illegals out of sub-minimum, off-the-books jobs. The emphasis for immigration enforcement should be on those who are collecting welfare and medicaid.

The sheer size of the problem means there is no such option as deporting them all at once. Go after the easy targets first (illegals on welfare/medicaid) and revisit the issue when the first wave has been dealt with. If we reach the point of diminishing returns, it's time to consider other options. Zero-tolerance is an ideal goal, but the size of the population dictates a phased approach.

Illegals on welfare need to go first. By welfare I mean any benefit received because of others paying taxes.
Schools being one of the targets.
Spanish needs to disappear from all govt documents and all packaging.

There may be a time when we really need the workers and that is when we need to assess the situation again.

Seal the border.

Refreshingly, spot on, V.

Most do, which is why we need to deport the illegals and tell the citizens to find jobs.

I am not so certain of that, surely "taking" without giving back happens at both ends of the spectrum?

Not here. The pollies take and take. They should be the first ones to go~

There is no spectrum here. The bird-feeder goes.

Away with the brownshirts, eh? Just like January. We shall see next week, my RB.

Away with the brownshirts, Away with those without shirts, like those marching in the homo parades.

This example clearly illustrates what the progressive communists have in store for America.

I might add, DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW will go a long way towards a cleanup too.

ROMNEY/RYAN = Rescue and Recovery

that's good, do you write that bumper sticker?