Do you think people from Alaska should be allowed to vote?

[Ramblin Rat]

:popcorn:Do you think people from Alaska and Hawaii should be allowed to vote and run for national office?

[HeadRat]

Why not, it's America?

[Ramblin Rat]

If that's true how cum they don't have a football team?
When's the last time they won the World series?

[emerse]

Why let people from Texas? That is where that dunce that is in there now is from....:popcorn:

[Ramblin Rat]

LOL...cum to think of ot we did have a Prez from Arkansas

[paintermike]

Why let people from Texas? That is where that dunce that is in there now is from....:popcorn:Yes Texas is quite a strange place---BUT BARACK HUSSANE OBAMA??? :wtfMAYBE CHANGE HIS NAM TO BUBBA OR SOMETHING TO HIDE THA ACCENT!!!!! COME ON GIVE ME A BREAK!!! IF YO BELIEVE HIS SHIT THAT YO WILL BELIEVE THE LEADER OF IRAN!!!!SORRY!!!

[Drewskie]

paintermike :kib: obama is an american you have to be to run for office. Just because his name sounds pretty shady, he cant help that. He was born from a white girl in hawaii. His dad just happened to be a black man from africa. He is not a terrorist like all you republicans accuse him to be. I voted for bush, i was rapped up in all his bs. Now look at our country headed towards recession. Another 4 years of the same bush administrtation policy will for sure be the end for america. And Mccain's policy is about 90 percent the same as Bush's. It is time for a change, and i think that that black man with the weird name is the best candidate. Although it really pisses me off that neither of the two men turned down this bail out bill. Shit half of the money is goin to foriegn investors like china and the uk. We need to build this country from the bottom up starting with the american people!:banghead

[Ramblin Rat]

according to Brad Sherman a democratic congressman from California international banks that have subsidiaries in the U.S.A. can transfer their bad debts and then apply for relief under the bailout program.
He is pissed off cuz the Bank of Shangai can transfer bad debt to its' subsidiary The Bank of Shangai of Los Angeles and get relief from U.S. taxpayers. He says this bailout plan is a bailout of Beijng, Tokyo, and London.
:wtf

[Ramblin Rat]

Drewskie, you led us of topic, the question was "Should people from Alaska and Hawaii be allowed to vote and run for national office?"

I guess I'll let you slide since you said Obama was born in Hawaii.

Hey wait a minute I thought you had to be born in the U.S...?:banghead

[emerse]

YO I MEAN YO, oh hell nevermind.:moon

[HeadRat]

Drewski, even though hating bush is the "buzz word" of now, you need to look at the congress, which is democratic majority I believe. They are the ones that raise bills, issues, and vote on them. The President only has VETO power of them.
One person, can not, and could not, put us in the situation we are in now.

[emerse]

He is 100% right, even though I think the current administration took away some of our rights, got us into trouble and to many screw up's to list. However doesn't it really all boil down to being "our" fault? The other day 100's of thousands made the phone calls and emails on the same day to "our" congressmen and women. When was the last time something like that has happened?
Its up to us to make change, no matter which side of the fence you are on.
I have worked with many people in the states-overseas and most of them never vote..... It should not be a right, but a must.:cheers

[Ramblin Rat]

there's a lot of people out there (most in fact) who have the "right" to vote but actually have no business voting cuz the don't understand the issues.
Cum to think of it there a few running for office or already in office who have no business being there for the same reason. Look at the idiots running around the conventions with the silly hats and pins. They heard it was a "party" so they showed up.:crazy3

[emerse]

Good point, they were some people wearing pretty gay hats and outfits for the right wing..... I guess Regan would be rolling over in his grave, oh wait he has probably already for forgot.

[Ramblin Rat]

...there you go again..

forgot what...

[HeadRat]

My biggest concern was that Congress is the one that passed the bills to get our Per Diem Taxed. It's not something that might happen it is something that DID HAPPEN.
You don't get a 40 hour week with over time, you get money that isn't taxed, but now you have losted half of that by them taxing your per diem. How long do you think it will be before they start looking at your WAGES?

[sumospud]

be careful fokes BIG BROTHER is watching. OH and CLINTON to.:rockwoot:

[The Wild Rover]

Drewski, even though hating bush is the "buzz word" of now, you need to look at the congress, which is democratic majority I believe. They are the ones that raise bills, issues, and vote on them. The President only has VETO power of them.
One person, can not, and could not, put us in the situation we are in now.

First off, I am a dyed in the wool bi-partisan. There is no right or wrong party. It is a shame, that we proclaim we are the most free country in the world, yet we cannot manage to get more than 2 LEGITIMATE parties successful in this government. It's sad. And we fight over this. We need to embrace change. We need to move past this 2 party system...and Ralph Nader or Joe Paul or whatever his name is is not the answer.

The main point you make is that one person, the person that is the head of our government, does not make the difference. I am curious as to what is the difference in the number of Republicans vs. the number of Democrats in congress?
I would also contend that these people, no matter who is in majority #'s wise, does not dictate how each bill is voted on. The percentage of when each member is present, or absent, does not dictate that the bill will always be in the overall congress majority's favor. You have to be there to vote, which shows that not all bills have all the members of congress present and voting, so that opinion of the majority Democrat congress is a null point.

Other than that, Bush IS an idiot, we all know this. There was no WMD's found, which is why we originally went to war in Iraq. Colin Powell, a great man, knows when to get out. There was not at the time we decided to go to war in Iraq a threat from Al Qeida present in Iraq at this time...but there was one in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sadly, as a people, we believed our government knew what was best and we trusted them. We need to carry them from office and send them all to re-tirement, and pull a Mulligan, a do-over if you wish. Both of these issues, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have been largely ignored compared to Iraq. It is a shame we have come this far with this knucklehead W. In all fairness, is any person out there really convinced, and based on your reasoning that one person doesn't make a difference, namely the president with his veto powers, really feel that McCain or Obama can change the way we are heading right now...without the American people voicing their opinions and beliefs. It is the lobbyists, and their money influences that actually sway the vote. Basically I disagree with you, but that's what makes us a great country, our ability to voice our opinions.:cheers

[Ramblin Rat]

If they tax per diem it will be harder to find people willing to work overseas.
If they cannot find enough people they will have to offer more money.
Don't sell yourself short guys and this issue will resolve itself.:2cents

[The Wild Rover]

:popcorn:Do you think people from Alaska and Hawaii should be allowed to vote and run for national office?

Good grief. I would bet the literacy rate in Hawaii is higher than Texas.

[Pops]

George W. Bush was not born in Texas. His family moved there from the far east when he was young. F**ed him up, I think. Culture shock deee-lux.
Don't blame it all on Baja Oklahoma, or as you call it, Texas. There have been a lot of good points made in this thread, when you wade through the BS. Right now I am more interested in how to fix it than who broke it.

I sat around for the last few years wondering how all these new homes were getting financed when there were few good jobs around paying what it would take to be able to buy one (except my Meth brothers here), and I did not write my congressman or picket the local banks or lending institutions, or anthing like that, I just wondered and worried about it. I did not vote for or even against anyone or any thing. Well, I need to get off my hiney and actually do something other than bitch about it.

Now somebody tell me what I can do. Any ideas how to dig us out of this shithole? Anything positive? (and I know I am a positive ass, there is a big old + sign tattooed on it)


WILD Rover for President!:cheers

[Megga Watt]

doesn't make a difference, namely the president with his veto powers, really feel that McCain or Obama can change the way we are heading right now...without the American people voicing their opinions and beliefs. It is the lobbyists, and their money influences that actually sway the vote. Basically I disagree with you, but that's what makes us a great country, our ability to voice our opinions.:cheers

I agree 100% WR, it's the lobbyists with all that money, and the lack of the one line veto power for the president that is screwing up our political offices. We the people want everything on automatic so we don't have to bother with it. Well it's been on automatic way too long. The $700 Billion bail out is the perfect example. The main reason the congress turned it down is they and their lobbyist did not have all their pork attached to it yet so they can profit from it. Now after they get their way they will pass it and sent back to the president to be approved. Well now if the president veto's it due to the pork the country suffers, and once again he gets the blame. But if the president had a one line veto final authority that can take all the pork and BS out of the Bill we all might be better off. Personally I believe all lobbyist should go to jail for life, the president and the head of congress should both have combined one line veto power and we should have equal parties, (Democrats and Republicans) in congress at all times so one party doesn't have a majority rule over the other. All politicians should have term limits and should have to go through every bill and law once a year to enforce what is on the books instead of making new redundant laws that still won't be enforced and takes more and more of our rights of freedom away every law.
We need a huge shake up in our politics and I still believe we should have a vote of no confidence (start over) at the voting booth if we do not like the way things are going. OH ya and count all the votes we the people put in the ballot boxes instead of the electoral vote, what a bunch of BS that is. OK I am going back to drinking here in Pattaya, f**k this political BS I voted for Donald Duck again this year. :2cents

PS I am against the bail out bill completely I think the bad banks should fail it will make us stronger for it. :2cents

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely

[HeadRat]

The main point you make is that one person, the person that is the head of our government, does not make the difference. I am curious as to what is the difference in the number of Republicans vs. the number of Democrats in congress?For the most part, they vote down party lines and why every 2 years people are concerned with who has the majority

Other than that, Bush IS an idiot, we all know this. There was no WMD's found, which is why we originally went to war in Iraq. Hussein himself was a WMD, ask the Kurds.

Sadly, as a people, we believed our government knew what was best and we trusted them. Did Clinton send missles into Afghanistan and Sudan because their were training camps there after the Embassy Attacks or because he wanted to get the press off him and the blow job scandal, as per "Wag The Dog"? Some would also contend that "...yeah, he sent missles, he didn't invade a country or two..." which I would respond post 9/11, "yeah, and that worked didn't it? Stopped terrorism all together?"

Afghanistan, have been largely ignored compared to Iraq. Mostly because Afghanistan, not counting the recent violence has been a SUCCESS. We kicked the crap out of the Taliban, established a government, and then started to troop down, but you can't buy votes with that kind of news and why you didn't hear much about it.

As for you lobbiest point of view, I agree whole heartedly. I don't believe their is a one of them that doesn't do something for money. If you look back at the founding fathers and even the constitution the founding fathers did NOT expect Congress and House of Reps to be a JOB. They thought of it as your country duty. You do it 2 years and then someone else does it, but it has been polluted by people that do it for a living. Along with that, most of the Reps and Congress people you see as your reps, don't even see most of what happens. They are briefed by pages that tell them THEIR opinion of what they took from actually reading the paper work, and then advise them as to what to vote.

I do agree with you, Bush is a babbling idiot, but I will give him something that I have not been able to give any other president since JFK. He says what he is going to do, and he DOES IT. Right or wrong, he doesn't flip flop in his views. There is a LOT to be said for that. He is also not the worst president in history

I give you these as evidence:
Franklin Pierce - 1852 hires Nathanel Hawthorne to write "The Life of Franklin Pierce" which paints the picture of Franklin Pierce as the SAVIOR of the country, even though he is a documented pro slavery raging alcholic

Oscar Wilde "Anyone can make history, but it takes a great man to make write it"

Aaron Burr - VP to Jefferson and only lost the Presidency because Hamilton used his influence to get Jefferson the win, leading to the infamous duel where he killed Hamilton. Following that, he was arraigned for treason FOUR times.

John Tyler - After he loses re-election, he later backs the South in the Civil War.

Millard Filmore - Anti-Immigration nut that makes Tancredo look like a progressive. Wanted to not only keep Irish Catholics out of America, but wanted to kick out the ones who were already US citizens!

Warren Harding - Besides all the scandals, lost the White House china in a Poker game.

Calvin Coolidge - Went to South Dakota and caught so many fish he stayed for 3 months. Turn out the South Dakota people stocked the lake every night and were working to get Coolidge to fall in love with the state so they could get some money... it succeeded and they created the world's first tourist trap... Mt. Rushmore!
The worst part is that the Mississippi River had flooded and wrecked havoc in 6 states causing all kinds of disaster... and he was vacationing and catchng fix... The Nerve of some Presidents...

[Ramblin Rat]

All I'm sayin' is tax, or no tax...if the money ain't right don't sign the paper.
If you sell out for less money you're draggin' us all down.

:usa:

[Drewskie]

we should just go back to the old days and duel it out for office:AR15. I strongly agree that this Right wing Left wing shit has gotten so out of hand. And i agree that being in congress should be a duty for the people not a full time job. We are screwed man either way we look at it, no matter who is president there is still gonna be corruption in wall street that filters down to people in the house and senate. I know that our founding fathers did not want our country to come to this, but sadly it did. And everyone can sit here and point fingers all day. There is just too much bs going around that has everyones feathers ruffled. All i want to see in the next four years is a plan to dig our country out of this massive whole we are in, i know its not gonna happen anytime soon, but we need a plan. The people in congress, shit alot of them need to be in jail for fraud no doubt about it. All those ceo's that get 40 million a year to tear apart a company just so they dont have to pay taxes like wtf has our country come too. I am probably one of the youngest guys on this site, and i apprieciate all the insite that yall have offered me, it has really opened my eyes on to what actually goes down in our counrty. And quite frankly it disqusts me. I have somewhere around another 60 years left on this planet, and god i hope that one day i can look at our countrys law makers and actually be proud of their decisions. Because right now, its still the less of two evils!:wtf

[paintermike]

George W. Bush was not born in Texas. His family moved there from the far east when he was young. F**ed him up, I think. Culture shock deee-lux.
Don't blame it all on Baja Oklahoma, or as you call it, Texas. There have been a lot of good points made in this thread, when you wade through the BS. Right now I am more interested in how to fix it than who broke it.

I sat around for the last few years wondering how all these new homes were getting financed when there were few good jobs around paying what it would take to be able to buy one (except my Meth brothers here), and I did not write my congressman or picket the local banks or lending institutions, or anthing like that, I just wondered and worried about it. I did not vote for or even against anyone or any thing. Well, I need to get off my hiney and actually do something other than bitch about it.

Now somebody tell me what I can do. Any ideas how to dig us out of this shithole? Anything positive? (and I know I am a positive ass, there is a big old + sign tattooed on it)


WILD Rover for President!:cheers yes Pops ther is something you can do!!!! CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN!!! MAYBE TOM COBURN AND SO ON. I hav called them so much on the MEXIGAN thing and wished others would too!!!I want our STATE BAC!!!Encourage others to JAM THE LINES AND E-MAIL THEM UNTIL THEY GET SICK OF US!!!I hav called RANDY TERRILS OFFICE MANY TIMES AND ALSO ICE AND CONGRESSMANS, BUT UNTIL WE JAM THERE E-MAILS AND PHONES THEY WONT GET THE MESSAGE.

[Pops]

Run into him frequently at My Place BarBQ. Never discussed politics...he is the wrong sort of politician for me. I just might have a few suggestions and questions next time, though. I am currently working on a letter, but I will not post it here. Being in the minority, I get bashed enough.

[paintermike]

Run into him frequently at My Place BarBQ. Never discussed politics...he is the wrong sort of politician for me. I just might have a few suggestions and questions next time, though. I am currently working on a letter, but I will not post it here. Being in the minority, I get bashed enough. Well!!! I don't know how it is in your part of the state-- but while I was working on the New remodel to T.BOONE PICKENS stadium , the last Safety Meetin we had there was 60 mexigans and 11 white's, anddddd I was makin $4.50 more an hour in "87" , and it was the job was 100 yards behind where we we're!!!As far as I can remember we didn't have 1 mexigan on the job!!!It's really strange to me that we haven't heard one thing during this election talks about ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!!! But of course they are only sendin $42 B back to Mexigo and a large percent don't put any money bac for us who would like to re-tire someday.We had alot of UNION hands on the job and they whined all the time about the Mexigans , BUT DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD PICK-UP THE PHONE AND CALL OR SEND E-MAILS. NOOOOO. so I got to the point that they didn't have anything to bitch about.AND THAT'S ALL I HAV TO SAY ABOUT THAT!!!

[guitartexan]

If you do a little research, you find interesting facts. Most of what is happening now in the financial markets had its inception nearly a decade ago. The man that holds the office of the president will be blamed for many things, but he is not resonsible for every ill and sneeze you have. Get real. If he was an idiot he would never have gotten to be the President of the Unoted States. It would be interesting to me for someone to PROVE that he lied about WMD's, or that he STOLE the 2000 election. I suggest you count the votes carefully and accept the outcome, or prove something. This has been rehashed for years now. If there was a shred of PROOF it would be out there. Surely some Bush hater out there has something!?..........or maybe not.
Check this out. This financial disaster got rooted under Clinton.

WASHINGTON — Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank’s efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.

So did Frank’s partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions.

Now that Fannie Mae is at the epicenter of a financial meltdown that threatens the U.S. economy, some are raising new questions about Frank's relationship with Herb Moses, who was Fannie’s assistant director for product initiatives. Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie.

Both Frank and Moses assured the Wall Street Journal in 1992 that they took pains to avoid any conflicts of interest. Critics, however, remain skeptical.

"It’s absolutely a conflict," said Dan Gainor, vice president of the Business & Media Institute. "He was voting on Fannie Mae at a time when he was involved with a Fannie Mae executive. How is that not germane?

"If this had been his ex-wife and he was Republican, I would bet every penny I have - or at least what’s not in the stock market - that this would be considered germane," added Gainor, a T. Boone Pickens Fellow. "But everybody wants to avoid it because he’s gay. It’s the quintessential double standard."

A top GOP House aide agreed.

"C’mon, he writes housing and banking laws and his boyfriend is a top exec at a firm that stands to gain from those laws?" the aide told FOX News. "No media ever takes note? Imagine what would happen if Frank’s political affiliation was R instead of D? Imagine what the media would say if [GOP former] Chairman [Mike] Oxley’s wife or [GOP presidential nominee John] McCain’s wife was a top exec at Fannie for a decade while they wrote the nation’s housing and banking laws."

Frank’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Frank met Moses in 1987, the same year he became the first openly gay member of Congress.

"I am the only member of the congressional gay spouse caucus," Moses wrote in the Washington Post in 1991. "On Capitol Hill, Barney always introduces me as his lover."

The two lived together in a Washington home until they broke up in 1998, a few months after Moses ended his seven-year tenure at Fannie Mae, where he was the assistant director of product initiatives. According to National Mortgage News, Moses "helped develop many of Fannie Mae’s affordable housing and home improvement lending programs."

Critics say such programs led to the mortgage meltdown that prompted last month’s government takeover of Fannie Mae and its financial cousin, Freddie Mac. The giant firms are blamed for spreading bad mortgages throughout the private financial sector.

Although Frank now blames Republicans for the failure of Fannie and Freddie, he spent years blocking GOP lawmakers from imposing tougher regulations on the mortgage giants. In 1991, the year Moses was hired by Fannie, the Boston Globe reported that Frank pushed the agency to loosen regulations on mortgages for two- and three-family homes, even though they were defaulting at twice and five times the rate of single homes, respectively.

Three years later, President Clinton’s Department of Housing and Urban Development tried to impose a new regulation on Fannie, but was thwarted by Frank. Clinton now blames such Democrats for planting the seeds of today’s economic crisis.

"I think the responsibility that the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or by me when I was president, to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Clinton said recently.
I sure hope McCain wins.:rockwoot:

[Drewskie]

Well!!! I don't know how it is in your part of the state-- but while I was working on the New remodel to T.BOONE PICKENS stadium , the last Safety Meetin we had there was 60 mexigans and 11 white's, anddddd I was makin $4.50 more an hour in "87" , and it was the job was 100 yards behind where we we're!!!As far as I can remember we didn't have 1 mexigan on the job!!!It's really strange to me that we haven't heard one thing during this election talks about ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!!! But of course they are only sendin $42 B back to Mexigo and a large percent don't put any money bac for us who would like to re-tire someday.We had alot of UNION hands on the job and they whined all the time about the Mexigans , BUT DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD PICK-UP THE PHONE AND CALL OR SEND E-MAILS. NOOOOO. so I got to the point that they didn't have anything to bitch about.AND THAT'S ALL I HAV TO SAY ABOUT THAT!!!


Dude there is no "g" in mexican or mexico! if your gonna bash someones race at least be kind enough to spell there country right. And if your boss didnt think that you deserved more pay than the "unexperienced mexicans" thats your fault:sport002:

[Drewskie]

Gtexan im glad you put that up! i heard that on the news and i was so supprised. No one really remembers that at all. But shit when Clinton was in office i was way to young to even care about politics. My parents have voted republican my whole life until this year i think my mom is gonna support obama. but thats neither here nor there. Back to your post this problem really did start with clinton giving the go ahead to let people get into houses that they couldnt afford. And i agree that alot of republicans called this crisis to happen. Clintons plan made our economy boom but for a short few years, i guess he wasnt looking at the long term as most presidents dont. But all that being in the past, i feel that obama's economic plan would be better for the people and our economy more so than mccain's. All my friends cant believe y am supporting him, ive lived around republicans all my life lol but i just really think obama has real feeling towards the american people.:rockwoot:

[Junior]

Dude there is no "g" in mexican or mexico! if your gonna bash someones race at least be kind enough to spell there country right. And if your boss didnt think that you deserved more pay than the "unexperienced mexicans" thats your fault:sport002:

Not to be a dick here, but to point out the obvious...

If you're going to give someone shit about their spelling, at least pay attention to your reply.
There= a location
Their= possesive

Also, check punctauction. Normally we all let these things fly, but remember everything is a two way street. Don't be scared to capitalize "I" and the first word of a sentence. Also, proper nouns, such as "mexican or mexico" as that's equally insulting.
My:2cents

[Ramblin Rat]

It does seem kind of odd that on a forum for overseas workers someone would have a problem with others traveling to another country to try and make some money and feed their families.

[guitartexan]

This IS an overseas forum. The difference is that we ply our crafts and trades legally- that means getting all the clearances, shots, paperwork, license's, etc. that is needed to work in a host country. I have never cut the wire to get into one of these countries.

[Ramblin Rat]

only by the luck of the draw...

[paintermike]

This IS an overseas forum. The difference is that we ply our crafts and trades legally- that means getting all the clearances, shots, paperwork, license's, etc. that is needed to work in a host country. I have never cut the wire to get into one of these countries.AMEN TO THAT!!!

[Ramblin Rat]

or in the case of a few jus' plain ol' dumb luck...

[guitartexan]

Nice side step around the issue.

This is an overseas forum for people willing to go through the process and to do things according to the law. If you are not willing to do that and support those who do break the law, then perhaps you should not have a clearance.:2cents

[Megga Watt]

Nice side step around the issue.

This is an overseas forum for people willing to go through the process and to do things according to the law. If you are not willing to do that and support those who do break the law, then perhaps you should not have a clearance.:2cents

They just don't seem to get it, if any American ever stepped foot on any other country's soil without proper paper work (Including Mexico) we would go to jail for a long time, in a jail cell where we would be lucky if they feed you every day if they don't torturer you trying to find out if you were a spy or not.
We travel and work in each and every country with the proper papers and we get clearances and go through hell the legal way to get to do what we do.
People that just cross a border are just too lazy to go through the proper channels to get the proper visa's to work in this country so yes they are criminals and should go to jail. Don't give this crap they can't afford to go through proper channels, they have to pay these people one hell of a price just to get them across the borders. But we Americans are way too kind we just send them home at our own expense.
So ya I am pissed at all the illegals in the USA, get them the hell out!!!!
Start a international workers program like every other country has done for cheap labor so we can control who comes and works in this country. :banghead:2cents

[The Wild Rover]

This is starting to develop into an interesting thread. I started from the beginning, with the opening comment about people from Alaska and Hawaii, and if they should be allowed to vote. I must admit, I thought it was just a simple opener, from a newer member. He's a member, he has a right to an opinion, especially in this forum. Alaska shouldn't vote because they don't have a football team or won the world series? I always wonderded why they called it the "world series anyhow". Who did the Red Socks play...Japan or Cuba?
I think you were just joking around, trying to start a thread discussion. It's a long one and I think a good one.
John Hefter, have you worked on a lot of other projects overseas? I don't know you, but I hope you find lots of work from this site, and I hope, in return, you post up when you know something. A good lead.
There are a lot of guys on this site that have only worked on Zachry China. I want to believe you newer guys would learn something from some of these guys that have been around. Most of this info is for you guys anyway...we know most of this stuff. It would be easier for me just to e-mail Ratbrother and ask him where the next job is, and not tell any of you guys. But this site is here to help you...something nobody did for me. Everything back then was done by hand. From resumes to TS Clearance forms in ink! We did all this stuff before there was an internet. We did it by phone. We had to type the stuff and mail it. Shit man, tech-no-logy is a bitch! :cheers
So when I read the whole thread, I would have a hard time believing that somebody would think it would be ok (I don't really know if you do or not, to be honest and fair to you) to work in another country, as an expatriot, without going through the correct channels, or having your legal paperwork in line. There is so much, as a cleared contract employee to one of the U.S. Gov't signatory contractors, that most guys working in the field for these signatory, bonded contractors don't see.
The contractors that work direct for the govt., specifically many jobs right now that we are working, the govt. requires that each employee have a valid Joourneyman's or Master's License from a State, and had to have attended an accredited institute, ABC, IBEW,ect . They want proof. The govt. now wants accountability for the work. They deserve this, they PAID for it! This includes a history of the projects these employees have worked on, specifically how it pertains to the project we are bidding on. Not much for new guys in this area, as most guys that just worked one or two jobs, we can't use.
The govt. has to approve every man. After this is done, we have to attach proof, in the form of current certification, for each employee, working in their specific trade. This all has to be filled out in the govt's required format. Then we have to do the resumes, again in their required format. So now we, as a contractor have to not only hire people to confirm all of this info, we have to keep the TS cleared employees up to date on their required licenses and certifications. Then we have to gather the info from the JPAS system, the JCAVS paperwork, the clearance paperwork, the SCI paperwork, the VAR and CCR paperwork. Keep this in mind, because we have to offer contracts, employee incentives, classified paperwork handling procedures, bidding for the project, hopefully being able to keep the men working continuosly for a 330 paycheck. There is a lot of paperwork, flight schedules, hotel paperwork, MI+E, because the Govt. requires that we turn over receipts now...yep, gone are the days real soon where the full per diem is just handed over...everything is to be accountable.
This does not count the paperwork for secure materials, shipping, customs, tools, shipping all this back. They want all this.
So this idea that someone might sneak through the backdoor, cracks me up....this is not the same as someone sneaking into another country to work to try to feed his family. I do give the people that go through this credit...it has to be hard to give up everything to provide for your family...
But I provide for my family, and I follow the rules, and I pay taxes. Most of these illegals do not, but they reap the benefits...and it is wrong because there are people that do work, and do pay taxes, that we should be taking care of first. People like the elderly, the vets that somehow got lost in the system...the sick, people working 2-3 jobs to break even, on minimum wage, unskilled labor. A lot of them pay taxes. Most do the right thing.
My wife is from Eastern Europe. I spent almost 2 years of paperwork, and numerous flights, visas both for my wife and son to the US and for my self back and forth to her country, so that she could come to the US, just to start over once she got here and apply for a greencard. My point is that I chose to do the right thing, my wife and son came here, through the proper, legal channels. It is not fair, for people that want to come here, and go through the proper channels, all to come to the US to make a better life for their families, and become US citizens, and then pay taxes like you and me...but yet there are people in the States that think it is ok for people to sneak in because "They take jobs Americans don't want"...Well, it's not ok. It's not right bro, so I can only hope you were just joking around.:cheers

[Ramblin Rat]

Wild Rover the title of this thread was of course a joke. It was intended to be provocative and draw readers to the thread. Of course I have nothing against people from Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Arkansas, etc.

I found this phone number on a Border Patrol website:

1-800-BE-ALERT

They had a picture of a guy named Jesus Albina Navarro-Montes
There is a $350,000.00 award out for this guy. if you find yourself painting a stadium and you are the only white guy on the crew then keep an eye out.
That would be a pretty nice raise.

I think we have two separate issues here.

1)The law is the law and it should be followed

2)Racism is racism and it should not be tolerated

If you are on a job with suspected illegal aliens call the Border Patrol. If your suspicions are true they will solve your problem. If you are having trouble earning a living and competing for jobs in these tough economic times you may want to look into broadening your skills through further education.

Guitartexan I don't believe you are a racist. I'm sure your concerns are that of any good patriot as far as protecting our borders from illegal aliens and the abuses of our system that are perpetrated by undocumented workers.

I do not support illegal workers. I do not support racism.

If there are any closet KKK members or white supremacists on this site then perhaps you should not have a clearance

[Drewskie]

They just don't seem to get it, if any American ever stepped foot on any other country's soil without proper paper work (Including Mexico) we would go to jail for a long time, in a jail cell where we would be lucky if they feed you every day if they don't torturer you trying to find out if you were a spy or not.
We travel and work in each and every country with the proper papers and we get clearances and go through hell the legal way to get to do what we do.
People that just cross a border are just too lazy to go through the proper channels to get the proper visa's to work in this country so yes they are criminals and should go to jail. Don't give this crap they can't afford to go through proper channels, they have to pay these people one hell of a price just to get them across the borders. But we Americans are way too kind we just send them home at our own expense.
So ya I am pissed at all the illegals in the USA, get them the hell out!!!!
Start a international workers program like every other country has done for cheap labor so we can control who comes and works in this country. :banghead:2cents


i totally agree with you bro, we do need to tighten our borders and start a legal work program aimed at illegals who want to better their life in our country. Theres nothing wrong with wanting to provide for their families, but it should all be done in a legal manner like us expats do!:cheers

[paintermike]

Wild Rover the title of this thread was of course a joke. It was intended to be provocative and draw readers to the thread. Of course I have nothing against people from Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Arkansas, etc.

I found this phone number on a Border Patrol website:

1-800-BE-ALERT

They had a picture of a guy named Jesus Albina Navarro-Montes
There is a $350,000.00 award out for this guy. if you find yourself painting a stadium and you are the only white guy on the crew then keep an eye out.
That would be a pretty nice raise.

I think we have two separate issues here.

1)The law is the law and it should be followed

2)Racism is racism and it should not be tolerated

If you are on a job with suspected illegal aliens call the Border Patrol. If your suspicions are true they will solve your problem. If you are having trouble earning a living and competing for jobs in these tough economic times you may want to look into broadening your skills through further education.

Guitartexan I don't believe you are a racist. I'm sure your concerns are that of any good patriot as far as protecting our borders from illegal aliens and the abuses of our system that are perpetrated by undocumented workers.

I do not support illegal workers. I do not support racism.

If there are any closet KKK members or white supremacists on this site then perhaps you should not have a clearanceHA!!!HA!!!HA!!! You are right--- being a Painter on a Stadium in MID--AMERICA --YOU DAWM RIGHT YOU BETTER BE LOOKING FOR THIS KIND!!! THAT IS IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR EYES OFF OF YOUR TOOLS SO THEY WON'T BE RIPPED OFF!!!So what should we go to school for to broden out skills for a ELECTRICAN!!! DON'T REALLY THINK THAT RACISM HAS ANY PART HERE, IT'S A SITUATION THAT ALL THE WORKERS, HOSPITALS, TAX-PAYERS, POLICE, WELFARE SYSTEM, HOUSING ,AUTOMOTIVE, is facing today!! I guess you haven't heard about California looking for help now. I WONDER WHAT BROUGHT THAT ON ?? MAYBE LONG LINES AT THE HOSPITALS?? SORRY-- BUT THE SITUATION ISN'T A JOKE WHEN WE ALL ARE IN THE TRADES THAT WE ARE TRAINED IN. KKK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT EITHER!!! MAYBE BEIN A REDNECK FROM THIS GRAND LAND DOES. BESIDES THAT THEY WILL CHANGE THEIR NAMES RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING TO JESUS AND EVERYBODY KNOS THAT EVERYTHING IS COOL. OH WELL!!!!

[guitartexan]

you[/I] should not have a clearance

Now THAT I can agree with. G-Texan

[guitartexan]

Why did the last part of that last sentence in the quote from John turn out like that? It didn't have any [I/you/i] in the post. I am wondering why it changed.

[Ramblin Rat]

Good question G-Tex. I don't know exactly what happened either. Originally I had the word "you" in italics. The funky "I"'s in brackets on either side of the word "you" are the macro that causes the word "you" to appear in italics. Seems like you can choose B for bold I for italics or U to underline. There must be a way to do two of these functions or all three at the same time. If you don't know how it cancels out the first option. When you chose B for bold it overrode my [I] for Italics and caused it to revert to just normal text but now showing the [I] on either side of the word "you"
Maybe somebody else knows the solution.