Immigration

With the Minnesota Senate passing a bill that gives financial aid to illegal immigrants for college educations, I sit back and wonder where their minds are. Don't get me wrong. I understand the logic of helping these kids who have grown up here grow and learn. And since many have been here most of their lives, in many ways they are U.S. citizens. But, become citizens before we pay for their education. In order to get a job they are supposed to prove they have the ability to work here. Evidently, the parents have worked here for a long time, whether legally or illegally, in order to support the family. Are illegal immigrants paying taxes toward the financial aid? Do they file income taxes? If they want to live here, why not go through the process of becoming a citizen? I agree with one senator who voiced concerns about paying for the education and then the student not being able to work. With the current economic climate, and the fact that our country is in such debt, it ticks me off that I may be paying for illegal immigrants to get a college education. In essence I will be paying for people of other countries to gain an education while our country continues to go into … [Read more...]

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Senseless Act

As I hunched over the StarTribune, attempting to give my tired body a rest, a co-worker looked at the big-screen TV in horror and asked if that was a bomb. I turned to see "Terror at the Boston Marathon" above a photo as the news reporter was talking about the incident. The break room was noisy - someone speaking loudly on his cell phone, people punching in, others punching out, lots of greetings and conversations. I couldn't hear anything the news reporter was saying, so I stood next to the TV until the room cleared out as people went on their way. I was mortified and in shock. Two bombs had exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, injuring and killing spectators and runners. I hurt for those who were injured or killed, and for those who love them. I hurt for those who witnessed the carnage and will have those images imprinted on their minds forever. I hurt for our nation and the impact this will have on other events. It doesn't matter who did this, whether it was a locally born psychopath or a foreign terrorist, the fallout will be the same. Our way of life will continue to change. We stand and say we will be strong and will not let these acts of terror change … [Read more...]

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I’m off and running!

I am finally publishing my book, which has kept me very busy over the last few weeks! Though I never thought I would work with self publishing, that is the direction I am going. I had never wanted my work associated with self publishing, except in the book arts arena. I worked at a small press for a while and some of the self published garbage that came through gave me no respect for the industry. Anyone can publish anything, no matter how bad it is. I felt that self publishing would not lend any respect to my work. But the publishing industry is changing, and I guess I am changing with it. Print on demand is more popular, even with the large publishing houses, and working with authors who self publish also appears to add another dimension to their business. It started with me submitting the manuscript to a Women of Faith writing contest. I was hoping to win a publishing package, but I didn't, so I dismissed the whole thing. Then I got a call from WestBow Press, the company working with Women of Faith on the contest. I said, "Thank you but I'm not interested." A few weeks later, I got a another call while I was sitting in the hospital room with my mother. For some … [Read more...]

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Seven more words!

Here are seven new words to get those writing juices flowing for a paragraph-long story. You can still write a story using the words from the last couple of posts. Just go to past projects, click on the writing project you want to submit for and submit the story through the comment section below the instructions. Submit a story for as many as you would like!   The new words: Poster, egg, donkey, barrel, slither, jump, brown.     … [Read more...]

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