I suppose we could start taking the children of business owners who hire undocumented workers and putting them in camps in the middle of Texas. That'll probably fix the problem real quick. Of course that would never even be considered. I'd be shocked if most of them have to pay more than an insignificant fine, even thought they are just as (if not MORE) responsible for illegal immigration than the workers. Again, Trump has undocumented workers employed at his properties as I type this. The idea that this isn't being talked about AT ALL in regards to this debate is absurd. I don't give a shit if he knew or not. His draconian stance on the issue demands nothing less than 100% cleanliness on the issue. And we know for a FACT at least two illegal immigrants were employed at his properties. And it isn't even on the goddamn media radar leading up to this speech. It's a joke and a failure of the profession.
Now that I look it up, it seems that the IRS does require employees to be verified as eligible to work in the United States, and it looks like that process does involve the provision of a Social Security Number. I have to wonder how exactly an employer can get around that process. Providing a fake SSN shouldn't be doable; there are no duplicate SSN's, and an SSN could always be cross-referenced. If a person with a certain SSN is working in Idaho and is reporting that to the IRS, an illegal immigrant couldn't well be working under that SSN in Texas and also reporting, since you can't work in two non-adjacent states at once. Seems like the government could just have someone write a computer program that would detect those instances automatically, so it shouldn't require human investigations until after the discrepancy was detected.
How would you then get a hold of an illegal immigrant employee? You could always just withdraw some cash from the bank and pay it in person. But if you hired many people, that would ostensibly leave a gap--"Why is this company withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash, and where is all that money going?" At some point, you'd think an illegal monetary flow would be detectable via algorithm. The mere presence of services rendered would also presumably leave a trail. If you run a large vineyard, somebody needs to pick those grapes, and if you have no record of hiring anyone or paying them, clearly you're getting the labor from an illegal source.
No major corporation can operate without documenting its activities so it can look for inefficiencies and address problems. You'd think this would leave detectable traces. Is hiding illegal employees easier than I'm thinking, or do the authorities not have the resources or the powers to detect those traces?
Now that I look it up, it seems that the IRS does require employees to be verified as eligible to work in the United States, and it looks like that process does involve the provision of a Social Security Number. I have to wonder how exactly an employer can get around that process. Providing a fake SSN shouldn't be doable; there are no duplicate SSN's, and an SSN could always be cross-referenced. If a person with a certain SSN is working in Idaho and is reporting that to the IRS, an illegal immigrant couldn't well be working under that SSN in Texas and also reporting, since you can't work in two non-adjacent states at once. Seems like the government could just have someone write a computer program that would detect those instances automatically, so it shouldn't require human investigations until after the discrepancy was detected.
How would you then get a hold of an illegal immigrant employee? You could always just withdraw some cash from the bank and pay it in person. But if you hired many people, that would ostensibly leave a gap--"Why is this company withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash, and where is all that money going?" At some point, you'd think an illegal monetary flow would be detectable via algorithm. The mere presence of services rendered would also presumably leave a trail. If you run a large vineyard, somebody needs to pick those grapes, and if you have no record of hiring anyone or paying them, clearly you're getting the labor from an illegal source.
No major corporation can operate without documenting its activities so it can look for inefficiencies and address problems. You'd think this would leave detectable traces. Is hiding illegal employees easier than I'm thinking, or do the authorities not have the resources or the powers to detect those traces?
I always figured it was mostly small business owners who abused this process. If the owners pay the workers out of their own pocket there is no record to track...
Now that I look it up, it seems that the IRS does require employees to be verified as eligible to work in the United States, and it looks like that process does involve the provision of a Social Security Number. I have to wonder how exactly an employer can get around that process. Providing a fake SSN shouldn't be doable; there are no duplicate SSN's, and an SSN could always be cross-referenced. If a person with a certain SSN is working in Idaho and is reporting that to the IRS, an illegal immigrant couldn't well be working under that SSN in Texas and also reporting, since you can't work in two non-adjacent states at once. Seems like the government could just have someone write a computer program that would detect those instances automatically, so it shouldn't require human investigations until after the discrepancy was detected.
How would you then get a hold of an illegal immigrant employee? You could always just withdraw some cash from the bank and pay it in person. But if you hired many people, that would ostensibly leave a gap--"Why is this company withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash, and where is all that money going?" At some point, you'd think an illegal monetary flow would be detectable via algorithm. The mere presence of services rendered would also presumably leave a trail. If you run a large vineyard, somebody needs to pick those grapes, and if you have no record of hiring anyone or paying them, clearly you're getting the labor from an illegal source.
No major corporation can operate without documenting its activities so it can look for inefficiencies and address problems. You'd think this would leave detectable traces. Is hiding illegal employees easier than I'm thinking, or do the authorities not have the resources or the powers to detect those traces?
I always figured it was mostly small business owners who abused this process. If the owners pay the workers out of their own pocket there is no record to track...
I've told the story of by friend's father before. A farmer whose entire political view was formed by listening to Rush Limbaugh (and an almost proudly open racist) not only hired illegal immigrants to pick rocks in his fields, but actually had a trailer on the back of the house property to house them in long-term. It would be silly for me not to admit me having this knowledge about perhaps the most right-wing person I knew growing up hasn't influenced my views of the whole situation. After all, who was going to catch him in middle of nowhere Minnesota?? Me and my friends couldn't do jack shit compared to them as far as work ethic was concerned at 16 years old. Again, I literally saw the exchange of money, I've set foot in the aforementioned trailer. I've seen the deal go down, so to speak. And he and nearly everyone else in and around my hometown are almost certainly die-hard Trump supporters. In a way, considering how so many of them talked openly about minorities, Trump was just the Republican Party catching up to the rhetoric of so much of what I heard growing up in rural America.
Now that I look it up, it seems that the IRS does require employees to be verified as eligible to work in the United States, and it looks like that process does involve the provision of a Social Security Number. I have to wonder how exactly an employer can get around that process. Providing a fake SSN shouldn't be doable; there are no duplicate SSN's, and an SSN could always be cross-referenced. If a person with a certain SSN is working in Idaho and is reporting that to the IRS, an illegal immigrant couldn't well be working under that SSN in Texas and also reporting, since you can't work in two non-adjacent states at once. Seems like the government could just have someone write a computer program that would detect those instances automatically, so it shouldn't require human investigations until after the discrepancy was detected.
How would you then get a hold of an illegal immigrant employee? You could always just withdraw some cash from the bank and pay it in person. But if you hired many people, that would ostensibly leave a gap--"Why is this company withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash, and where is all that money going?" At some point, you'd think an illegal monetary flow would be detectable via algorithm. The mere presence of services rendered would also presumably leave a trail. If you run a large vineyard, somebody needs to pick those grapes, and if you have no record of hiring anyone or paying them, clearly you're getting the labor from an illegal source.
No major corporation can operate without documenting its activities so it can look for inefficiencies and address problems. You'd think this would leave detectable traces. Is hiding illegal employees easier than I'm thinking, or do the authorities not have the resources or the powers to detect those traces?
I always figured it was mostly small business owners who abused this process. If the owners pay the workers out of their own pocket there is no record to track...
I've told the story of by friend's father before. A farmer whose entire political view was formed by listening to Rush Limbaugh (and an almost proudly open racist) not only hired illegal immigrants to pick rocks in his fields, but actually had a trailer on the back of the house property to house them in long-term. It would be silly for me not to admit me having this knowledge about perhaps the most right-wing person I knew growing up hasn't influenced my views of the whole situation. After all, who was going to catch him in middle of nowhere Minnesota?? Me and my friends couldn't do jack shit compared to them as far as work ethic was concerned at 16 years old. Again, I literally saw the exchange of money, I've set foot in the aforementioned trailer. I've seen the deal go down, so to speak. And he and nearly everyone else in and around my hometown are almost certainly die-hard Trump supporters.
That is exactly the snapshot I envisioned. Even the right-wing part doesn't surprise me. Hopefully you all realize you can be conservative without being xenophobic. I'm finding out by discussions on this very forum that I'm more of a fiscal conservative and libertarian than I am a right-winger. Alas, there is no party for me...
Incidentally, my mom was the main bartender in town for well over a decade, and was probably not only one of the only Democrats in town, but also the one who always threw his shit back in his face. They liked each other, but I think he very much respected the fact that my mom wouldn't put up with his BS, mostly because she had a black niece. It's a hell of a thing. On so many levels he was just horrible, yet he took me in at my mom's request for a whole summer when she moved after my parent's divorce and he was there for support and was legitimately shaken when my mother suddenly died in 2002. Growing up in a small town is weird.
Incidentally, my mom was the main bartender in town for well over a decade, and was probably not only one of the only Democrats in town, but also the one who always threw his shit back in his face. They liked each other, but I think he very much respected the fact that my mom wouldn't put up with his BS, mostly because she had a black niece. It's a hell of a thing. On so many levels he was just horrible, yet he took me in at my mom's request for a whole summer when she moved after my parent's divorce and he was there for support and was legitimately shaken when my mother suddenly died in 2002. Growing up in a small town is weird.
People are complex. That's the one consistent thing in life. My parents are completely religious right-wingers but they aren't giving me a lot of grief about my not pushing my daughter into towing the church line. It's the biggest shock of my life and has me wondering how solid their beliefs really are. If they really believe my daughter and I will go to Hell, why aren't they more vocal about it? So far the battle I expected is non-existent...
That's the thing about Heaven and Hell. Believing that some people are headed for eternal damnation when they could get into paradise means you have an obligation to do anything you can to save them. Compared to an eternal afterlife, everything in this life is meaningless except for how you use it to get into Heaven instead of Hell. If you think you know how to get into Heaven, it would be criminal not to try to save people.
Now that I look it up, it seems that the IRS does require employees to be verified as eligible to work in the United States, and it looks like that process does involve the provision of a Social Security Number. I have to wonder how exactly an employer can get around that process. Providing a fake SSN shouldn't be doable; there are no duplicate SSN's, and an SSN could always be cross-referenced. If a person with a certain SSN is working in Idaho and is reporting that to the IRS, an illegal immigrant couldn't well be working under that SSN in Texas and also reporting, since you can't work in two non-adjacent states at once. Seems like the government could just have someone write a computer program that would detect those instances automatically, so it shouldn't require human investigations until after the discrepancy was detected.
How would you then get a hold of an illegal immigrant employee? You could always just withdraw some cash from the bank and pay it in person. But if you hired many people, that would ostensibly leave a gap--"Why is this company withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash, and where is all that money going?" At some point, you'd think an illegal monetary flow would be detectable via algorithm. The mere presence of services rendered would also presumably leave a trail. If you run a large vineyard, somebody needs to pick those grapes, and if you have no record of hiring anyone or paying them, clearly you're getting the labor from an illegal source.
No major corporation can operate without documenting its activities so it can look for inefficiencies and address problems. You'd think this would leave detectable traces. Is hiding illegal employees easier than I'm thinking, or do the authorities not have the resources or the powers to detect those traces?
I always figured it was mostly small business owners who abused this process. If the owners pay the workers out of their own pocket there is no record to track...
Small business owners... or the President of the United States.
Remember Nannygate, back in the Clinton administration. The GOP went apoplectic over Zoe Baird having employed and undocumented nanny. Now, Trump's family-owned-and-controlled businesses are allegedly passing out fake green cards in the midst of Trump declaring an "immigration crisis" and the right couldn't care less.
So it seems the teleprompter Don address was a dud. It wasn't the greatest thing ever he imagined in his mind. Oh well. Thoughts and prayers.
I'm sure he'll take it well. /S
Temper tantrum incoming tomorrow when he flips on the TV for executive time and he realizes that everyone could not care less about the same old tired racist fearmongering note he's been playing.
I think the odds are close to 100% that he calls in to Fox and Friends in the morning in a desperate attempt for attention.
While most politicians know how to strike more than one note. Trump does not. “Immigrants are coming over the border to kill you” is practically the only speech Trump knows how to give.
Now that I look it up, it seems that the IRS does require employees to be verified as eligible to work in the United States, and it looks like that process does involve the provision of a Social Security Number. I have to wonder how exactly an employer can get around that process. Providing a fake SSN shouldn't be doable; there are no duplicate SSN's, and an SSN could always be cross-referenced. If a person with a certain SSN is working in Idaho and is reporting that to the IRS, an illegal immigrant couldn't well be working under that SSN in Texas and also reporting, since you can't work in two non-adjacent states at once. Seems like the government could just have someone write a computer program that would detect those instances automatically, so it shouldn't require human investigations until after the discrepancy was detected.
How would you then get a hold of an illegal immigrant employee? You could always just withdraw some cash from the bank and pay it in person. But if you hired many people, that would ostensibly leave a gap--"Why is this company withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash, and where is all that money going?" At some point, you'd think an illegal monetary flow would be detectable via algorithm. The mere presence of services rendered would also presumably leave a trail. If you run a large vineyard, somebody needs to pick those grapes, and if you have no record of hiring anyone or paying them, clearly you're getting the labor from an illegal source.
No major corporation can operate without documenting its activities so it can look for inefficiencies and address problems. You'd think this would leave detectable traces. Is hiding illegal employees easier than I'm thinking, or do the authorities not have the resources or the powers to detect those traces?
I always figured it was mostly small business owners who abused this process. If the owners pay the workers out of their own pocket there is no record to track...
As @semiticgod said doing that to any significant extent would be difficult. The IRS would know for instance what the expected ratio of employee costs to sales revenue would be and what expected gross profit would be for any small business. If figures are markedly different that would be a red flag that the business needs investigation. In order to get round that problem you would have to: - go entirely into the black economy and not declare any of your income. - not declare a proportion of your income and carefully match similar non-declarations to the rest of the books to give a convincing picture of a business smaller than its reality. - use money laundering to disguise the true source of income. Those alternatives are unlikely to be palatable or easy to follow for most small business owners.
It seems to me that there are 2 ways to explain the current situation:
1) The social and political acceptability of hiring 'illegals'. Although this practice is against the law, the belief seems to be widespread that the true offenders are those seeking work rather than offering it. That belief goes right up to many of the most senior members of all 3 US branches of government. As a result I suspect the law has deliberately been designed to be unenforceable. It would be simple in principle to detect the use of fake paperwork - but not if databases are specifically designed to be unable to talk to each other and laws are written to prohibit information acquired for one purpose (such as social security) being used for another (such as labor control). You can see the same sort of process operating in systems of gun registration in the US, which are normally specifically designed to be near useless.
There are of course concerns about allowing government to make use of 'big data'. It's only in the last couple of years that significant numbers of people have started to express those sorts of concerns about commercial users of data (like Facebook), but there's a long history of such concerns about government in the US. It's fine to take the philosophical position that individual rights and freedoms should mean you don't constrain the hiring practices of US citizens, although that position sits uneasily with the US constitution - which brings me onto the second explanation ...
2) Constitutional protections for illegal immigrants We've talked before about the fact that most of the protections in the US constitution apply to all persons and not just citizens and legal residents. That means for instance that laws prohibiting illegal aliens from working are inconsistent with the constitution. In that light it's perhaps not too surprising that, even where such laws exist, there is little enforcement of them.
It's perhaps worth noting here that many of the laws about immigration in the US also appear inconsistent with the constitution. The fact that they have not been ruled to be so is the result of Congress granting itself powers to make such laws under the 'plenary power' doctrine (see this article for a little background on this). The Supreme Court has generally accepted this, even though it doesn't fit with a strict construction of the constitution. However, there is still an ongoing struggle about whether there are limits to this general idea that immigration law is not subject to the constitution. The courts have rebuffed Trump's recent attempts to extend immigration law in a number of areas (such as redefining being in the US without authorization as a criminal offence rather than an administrative one, or ending birthright citizenship) - though it's quite possible that they would not interfere if such changes were made through a proper Congressional process rather than by executive fiat.
So it seems the teleprompter Don address was a dud. It wasn't the greatest thing ever he imagined in his mind. Oh well. Thoughts and prayers.
I'm sure he'll take it well. /S
Temper tantrum incoming tomorrow when he flips on the TV for executive time and he realizes that everyone could not care less about the same old tired racist fearmongering note he's been playing.
I think the odds are close to 100% that he calls in to Fox and Friends in the morning in a desperate attempt for attention.
While most politicians know how to strike more than one note. Trump does not. “Immigrants are coming over the border to kill you” is practically the only speech Trump knows how to give.
The point of the address was basically to make the border issue seem like bigger than it is, to justify the shutdown and further battlelines.
Democrats say U.S. doesn’t govern by ‘temper tantrum’ after Donald Trump makes case for wall on TV
https://globalnews.ca/news/4828544/democrats-temper-tantrum-donald-trump-border-wall/?utm_source=notification/ Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate said that the United States does not govern by “temper tantrum” after U.S. President Donald Trump made his case for a wall along America’s border with Mexico. Trump made his case for a border wall on Tuesday night, saying he’s called congressional leaders to the White House on Wednesday to “get this done,” and adding that it could all be resolved in a 45-minute meeting. Dream on.
"A liar's worst enemy is someone with a good memory"-Dodinsky
What Happened When A Trump Supporter Challenged Me About the Wall
What happened to the border wall money Congress already gave Trump?
https://qz.com/1516960/trump-speech-tonight-he-hasnt-spent-border-wall-money-he-already-has/?fbclid=IwAR351zvVLpKhLr_sjCjdXhFqmIViQ44HnWfhSl26O1DihtXy3ILHYh7XJAk As Donald Trump’s presidency ends its second year, the US has failed to spend most of the money already allocated for a wall on the Mexico border or build a single foot of new wall there. The president will address the nation tonight (Jan.8) at 9pm US eastern time, and plans to travel to the southern border again this week, as part of his ongoing attempt to pressure Democrats to approve more federal spending for the border wall. His administration has funded eight 30-foot-tall wall prototypes and Trump staged a press event to inspect them in California. Yet hundreds of millions allocated for the wall remain unspent, and there has not been a single foot of new wall built on the border with Mexico in his term, according to reviews of Homeland Security contracts, extensive surveys of the border by USA Today and calculations by multiple news outlets. Trump’s administration has so far spent just 6% of the $1.6 billion allocated for any physical barrier upgrades on the southern border in the fiscal 2017 and 2018 budgets, according to calculations by Senate Democrats, including Patrick Leahy of Vermont: The $109 million “expenditure” figure there, however, does not take into account funds that are promised to companies through signed contracts that have not yet been completed (and therefore are not yet paid). Nearly 60% of those funds have been promised in contract awards made through the Army Corps of Engineers via Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. That includes 35 of 40 miles of replacement wall funded by the fiscal 2017 budget and $700 million of the $1.2 billion funded in the 2018 budget, she said. In other words, the DHS has committed about 60% of the money for physical barriers via new contracts, while 40% of the money remains uncommitted. In fact, the government shutdown over the wall is stopping the agency from committing more money to build it. “An additional approximately $300 million is ready to award as soon as the government reopens” the DHS spokesperson said.
Fact check: Trump's previous misstatements on immigration, the border and the wall
R Kelly criminal investigation heats up in Georgia as the district attorney's office is now looking to speak with previously unknown witnesses in ongoing probe
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6570703/R-Kelly-criminal-investigation-heats-Georgia.html?fbclid=IwAR32mnV7vhFiof__jMs2UzjBo1O8hXGGiHjy0Ij6vFSNsSW-PqcFG1XxWOs R Kelly has been under investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office since 2017 That probe is now getting a second life after Lifetime aired Surviving R Kelly, and officials are now looking to speak with previously unknown witnesses Among the woman that have been contacted is Jocelyn Savage, who had not spoken to investigators prior to the show airing The Cook County District Attorney's Office said it has no information on crimes committed by Kelly in Chicago and there is no probe at this time There was no comment on any possible probes in New York while the LAPD has yet to respond to a request for comment The criminal investigation into singer R Kelly that was first launched in 2017 by the Fulton County District Attorney is heating up after Lifetime aired a six-part docuseries about the singer's alleged victims over the weekend. A source tells DailyMail.com that the district attorney's office is now seeking to interview a few of the women who appeared on Surviving R Kelly but had previously been unknown to investigators. Joycelyn Savage was one of those woman, and and interview is being coordinated between her and the district attorney's office said the source.
Denver City Council unanimously votes to ban gay conversion therapy on minors
Trump's speech last night was a total dud. He looked (as he constantly called Jeb Bush) very "low energy" (and that curious sniffing issue continues to arise). He claimed 90% of heroin enters the country because there is no wall, yet the actual truth is 90% of heroin enters the country through legal ports of entry. He claimed Democrats asked for a steel instead of a concrete wall and that is his compromise (no Democrat has done so). He continues to insist Mexico is indirectly paying for the wall (it isn't). Moreover, he continues to conflate dishwashers and maids with a handful of violent criminals, which is an ages old propaganda technique. It was a complete dud, the act of a con-man who is out of ways to spin his snake oil and is just desperately flailing to sell you something else in his cart. The main thing it showed was that our media is, in fact, broken when it comes to dealing with him.
This morning, Trump (who apparently thinks the proper spelling of forest is from the Tom Hanks movie) is now declaring California will get no more diaster relief, presumably because it is overwhelmingly Democratic. Remember what I said yesterday about cruelty and punishment?? The town of Paradise was entirely burned down. I've talked to many of them at my job. They lost everything. This is horrible:
Russian troll farms could have never known what to target as far as social media goes without help from US political operatives, which is something I (and Hillary Clinton, for the record) have been saying for well over a two years. Now we know Manafort and Gates were handing private campaign polling data over to Russian agents. There is no innocuous reason or explanation for doing so.
The sniffing thing could be due to Adderall. I've read somewhere that Trump like to snort Adderall before campaign appearances/Stops. He did it during "The Apprentice" as well.
Trump sure sounds like someone at the end of his rope. He's wigging out, and he has only his own words to blame for it, despite him trying to shift blame to the Democrats.
Hey, remember how right-wing pundits and preachers keep telling us that transgender women just want to use public ladies rooms so they can attack our wimminfolk?
Hey, remember how right-wing pundits and preachers keep telling us that transgender women just want to use public ladies rooms so they can attack our wimminfolk?
There are no stories of transgender women or men hiding out in bathrooms waiting to sexually assault people. There are any number of stories of assaults like this one or even murders committed AGAINST transgender people. I'm sure the defense will be they never would have been assaulted if they were in the "correct" bathroom.
I'd say do it. How many other households in the DC area aren't going to be able to pay off their water bill due to the Shutdown? I'd even make the excuse of "since the bill is such a high amount, the regular 30 day notice will not apply and the water will be shut off in seven (7) business days if a payment is not met."
And that picture of Trump attempting to drink from a water bottle as he holds it with his two tiny hands is just adorable.
I'd say do it. How many other households in the DC area aren't going to be able to pay off their water bill due to the Shutdown? I'd even make the excuse of "since the bill is such a high amount, the regular 30 day notice will not apply and the water will be shut off in seven (7) business days if a payment is not met."
And that picture of Trump attempting to drink from a water bottle as he holds it with his two tiny hands is just adorable.
This is the kind of stupidity a government shutdown has reduced us to. I may be wrong, but do any other Western democracies even HAVE government shutdowns as a possibility??
Trump is now saying that migrants are driving straight across the border in "unbelievable vehicles" that are "bigger, stronger, and faster" than ICE has. So apparently the border situation has now turned into Mad Max: Fury Road overnight. This is just lunacy. Where the hell is he even getting this stuff from?? I'm starting to question whether he might be clinically insane.
I'm guessing he is pulling it straight out of his backside. There is no lengths he won't go to. He lies desperately, continually. He doesn't want to be seen as weak or a loser.
Even Fox has somewhat abandoned Trump at the moment:
Fox's Shep Smith comes through with immediate fact-check of Trump's lie-a-thon
Trump is now saying that migrants are driving straight across the border in "unbelievable vehicles" that are "bigger, stronger, and faster" than ICE has. So apparently the border situation has now turned into Mad Max: Fury Road overnight. This is just lunacy. Where the hell is he even getting this stuff from?? I'm starting to question whether he might be clinically insane.
Trump is listening to Brandon Judd, the border patrol agent who appeared with him when he called the press briefing.
We've made fun of how to get to work in the White House, but Judd seems to be checking all the boxes such as appearing on Fox and continuously praising the president. Click here to read more from the NYT about him, but there was this little tidbit from the article about how Judd will jump to conclusions to support his narrative:
Last year, Agent Rogelio Martinez was killed while on patrol in Texas and his partner, Agent Stephen Garland, was seriously injured. Mr. Judd and other National Border Patrol Council officials have repeatedly said the two agents were the victims of a savage attack by smugglers or undocumented immigrants. No evidence of smugglers was ever found in the area, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was possible that the men were hurt accidentally. Oscar Carrillo, the local sheriff, helped investigate the case and concluded that the two men could have been hit by a vehicle.
If Judd really has Trump ear, expect more of the same of these types of personal stories, to the point if Trump ever says "people at the border, in charge keeping our country safe says..." read it as "Judd told me..."
Comments
How would you then get a hold of an illegal immigrant employee? You could always just withdraw some cash from the bank and pay it in person. But if you hired many people, that would ostensibly leave a gap--"Why is this company withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash, and where is all that money going?" At some point, you'd think an illegal monetary flow would be detectable via algorithm. The mere presence of services rendered would also presumably leave a trail. If you run a large vineyard, somebody needs to pick those grapes, and if you have no record of hiring anyone or paying them, clearly you're getting the labor from an illegal source.
No major corporation can operate without documenting its activities so it can look for inefficiencies and address problems. You'd think this would leave detectable traces. Is hiding illegal employees easier than I'm thinking, or do the authorities not have the resources or the powers to detect those traces?
DONALD TRUMP'S NEW JERSEY GOLF COURSE ALLEGEDLY GAVE FAKE GREEN CARDS, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS TO UNDOCUMENTED EMPLOYEES
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-golf-course-may-committed-immigration-crimes-1274608
Remember Nannygate, back in the Clinton administration. The GOP went apoplectic over Zoe Baird having employed and undocumented nanny. Now, Trump's family-owned-and-controlled businesses are allegedly passing out fake green cards in the midst of Trump declaring an "immigration crisis" and the right couldn't care less.
I'm sure he'll take it well. /S
Temper tantrum incoming tomorrow when he flips on the TV for executive time and he realizes that everyone could not care less about the same old tired racist fearmongering note he's been playing.
I think the odds are close to 100% that he calls in to Fox and Friends in the morning in a desperate attempt for attention.
While most politicians know how to strike more than one note. Trump does not. “Immigrants are coming over the border to kill you” is practically the only speech Trump knows how to give.
- go entirely into the black economy and not declare any of your income.
- not declare a proportion of your income and carefully match similar non-declarations to the rest of the books to give a convincing picture of a business smaller than its reality.
- use money laundering to disguise the true source of income.
Those alternatives are unlikely to be palatable or easy to follow for most small business owners.
It seems to me that there are 2 ways to explain the current situation:
1) The social and political acceptability of hiring 'illegals'.
Although this practice is against the law, the belief seems to be widespread that the true offenders are those seeking work rather than offering it. That belief goes right up to many of the most senior members of all 3 US branches of government. As a result I suspect the law has deliberately been designed to be unenforceable. It would be simple in principle to detect the use of fake paperwork - but not if databases are specifically designed to be unable to talk to each other and laws are written to prohibit information acquired for one purpose (such as social security) being used for another (such as labor control). You can see the same sort of process operating in systems of gun registration in the US, which are normally specifically designed to be near useless.
There are of course concerns about allowing government to make use of 'big data'. It's only in the last couple of years that significant numbers of people have started to express those sorts of concerns about commercial users of data (like Facebook), but there's a long history of such concerns about government in the US. It's fine to take the philosophical position that individual rights and freedoms should mean you don't constrain the hiring practices of US citizens, although that position sits uneasily with the US constitution - which brings me onto the second explanation ...
2) Constitutional protections for illegal immigrants
We've talked before about the fact that most of the protections in the US constitution apply to all persons and not just citizens and legal residents. That means for instance that laws prohibiting illegal aliens from working are inconsistent with the constitution. In that light it's perhaps not too surprising that, even where such laws exist, there is little enforcement of them.
It's perhaps worth noting here that many of the laws about immigration in the US also appear inconsistent with the constitution. The fact that they have not been ruled to be so is the result of Congress granting itself powers to make such laws under the 'plenary power' doctrine (see this article for a little background on this). The Supreme Court has generally accepted this, even though it doesn't fit with a strict construction of the constitution. However, there is still an ongoing struggle about whether there are limits to this general idea that immigration law is not subject to the constitution. The courts have rebuffed Trump's recent attempts to extend immigration law in a number of areas (such as redefining being in the US without authorization as a criminal offence rather than an administrative one, or ending birthright citizenship) - though it's quite possible that they would not interfere if such changes were made through a proper Congressional process rather than by executive fiat.
Democrats say U.S. doesn’t govern by ‘temper tantrum’ after Donald Trump makes case for wall on TV
https://globalnews.ca/news/4828544/democrats-temper-tantrum-donald-trump-border-wall/?utm_source=notification/Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate said that the United States does not govern by “temper tantrum” after U.S. President Donald Trump made his case for a wall along America’s border with Mexico.
Trump made his case for a border wall on Tuesday night, saying he’s called congressional leaders to the White House on Wednesday to “get this done,” and adding that it could all be resolved in a 45-minute meeting.
Dream on.
"A liar's worst enemy is someone with a good memory"-Dodinsky
What Happened When A Trump Supporter Challenged Me About the Wall
https://medium.com/@vickyalvearshecter/what-happened-when-a-trump-supporter-challenged-me-about-the-wall-e54e86a5edd1?fbclid=IwAR2HxETTCq7TX1NgmU9TfZfXUd_T0NAL077SSDsw-ZvMden7rlUGSwAbkQQTrump address alternative: Stormy Daniels to fold laundry in her underwear on Instagram live
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jan/8/stormy-daniels-fold-laundry-her-underwear-instagra/?fbclid=IwAR06HIrQwPReSqOfxtGFQpqGBDxKwF-ux9GcFHXL9UIqvKpukr1qiLDTlr8THIS CARTOON HAS 7 TIPS FOR FACT-CHECKING ONLINE INFORMATION
https://factcheckingday.com/assets/files/hs2xhbfskr.pdfWhat happened to the border wall money Congress already gave Trump?
https://qz.com/1516960/trump-speech-tonight-he-hasnt-spent-border-wall-money-he-already-has/?fbclid=IwAR351zvVLpKhLr_sjCjdXhFqmIViQ44HnWfhSl26O1DihtXy3ILHYh7XJAkAs Donald Trump’s presidency ends its second year, the US has failed to spend most of the money already allocated for a wall on the Mexico border or build a single foot of new wall there.
The president will address the nation tonight (Jan.8) at 9pm US eastern time, and plans to travel to the southern border again this week, as part of his ongoing attempt to pressure Democrats to approve more federal spending for the border wall.
His administration has funded eight 30-foot-tall wall prototypes and Trump staged a press event to inspect them in California. Yet hundreds of millions allocated for the wall remain unspent, and there has not been a single foot of new wall built on the border with Mexico in his term, according to reviews of Homeland Security contracts, extensive surveys of the border by USA Today and calculations by multiple news outlets.
Trump’s administration has so far spent just 6% of the $1.6 billion allocated for any physical barrier upgrades on the southern border in the fiscal 2017 and 2018 budgets, according to calculations by Senate Democrats, including Patrick Leahy of Vermont:
The $109 million “expenditure” figure there, however, does not take into account funds that are promised to companies through signed contracts that have not yet been completed (and therefore are not yet paid).
Nearly 60% of those funds have been promised in contract awards made through the Army Corps of Engineers via Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. That includes 35 of 40 miles of replacement wall funded by the fiscal 2017 budget and $700 million of the $1.2 billion funded in the 2018 budget, she said.
In other words, the DHS has committed about 60% of the money for physical barriers via new contracts, while 40% of the money remains uncommitted. In fact, the government shutdown over the wall is stopping the agency from committing more money to build it. “An additional approximately $300 million is ready to award as soon as the government reopens” the DHS spokesperson said.
Fact check: Trump's previous misstatements on immigration, the border and the wall
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna956271?fbclid=IwAR23q5wqBLJtYo3C1DB3TbmWxcWevt6XjhX_BWlPBDKk_qS-vq0Bo2see4INBC News has fact checked more than a dozen claims made by the president and administration officials ahead of his Oval Office speech.
Retiring Border Chief Calls Trump's Wall a Waste of Time, Money
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-border-wall-waste-time-money-retiring-border/story?id=44978156&cid=share_facebook_widget&fbclid=IwAR11oy6vqVSUxdNdLzwE8VnrtTLyzCPHji4nYatJ0MhXQqgbESjnMjHuFAAMayor of Texas Border Town: There Is No Crisis Here, Trump’s Wall Is Pointless
https://truthout.org/articles/mayor-of-texas-border-town-trumps-wall-is-pointless/Prowler spent 3 hours licking doorbell at stranger's home
https://abc13.com/home/prowler-spent-three-hours-licking-doorbell-at-home/5033930/?sf205592558=1&fbclid=IwAR1MGUU0ClHAiD9GxTDZURj35PIVKBgEwdSbd8df3kY5cNr2trSS9LxKA2wEuwwww.
R Kelly criminal investigation heats up in Georgia as the district attorney's office is now looking to speak with previously unknown witnesses in ongoing probe
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6570703/R-Kelly-criminal-investigation-heats-Georgia.html?fbclid=IwAR32mnV7vhFiof__jMs2UzjBo1O8hXGGiHjy0Ij6vFSNsSW-PqcFG1XxWOsR Kelly has been under investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office since 2017
That probe is now getting a second life after Lifetime aired Surviving R Kelly, and officials are now looking to speak with previously unknown witnesses
Among the woman that have been contacted is Jocelyn Savage, who had not spoken to investigators prior to the show airing
The Cook County District Attorney's Office said it has no information on crimes committed by Kelly in Chicago and there is no probe at this time
There was no comment on any possible probes in New York while the LAPD has yet to respond to a request for comment
The criminal investigation into singer R Kelly that was first launched in 2017 by the Fulton County District Attorney is heating up after Lifetime aired a six-part docuseries about the singer's alleged victims over the weekend.
A source tells DailyMail.com that the district attorney's office is now seeking to interview a few of the women who appeared on Surviving R Kelly but had previously been unknown to investigators.
Joycelyn Savage was one of those woman, and and interview is being coordinated between her and the district attorney's office said the source.
Denver City Council unanimously votes to ban gay conversion therapy on minors
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/07/denver-bans-gay-conversion-therapy/?fbclid=IwAR2ggZIqFQqRUjxRutpmP9leN8VyEqK5rxmjnPuf-L4CdAgcuSFQQwQh18MThis is a good thing. Teaching people to hate themselves is not the answer.
Denver the first jurisdiction in Colorado to pass such a ban.
Jimmy Carter dismisses Donald Trump's wall lies with short and sweet statement
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1824263/-Jimmy-Carter-dismisses-Donald-Trump-s-wall-lies-with-short-and-sweet-statement?detail=emaildkreClarification from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter:
"I have not discussed the border wall with President Trump, and do not support him on the issue.” -- Jimmy Carter
Trump's speech to be 8 minutes long, Democrats demand equal time
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1823460/-The-Christian-Right-could-be-irrelevant-by-2024-EXvangelicals-are-working-toward-it?detail=emaildkrehttps://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1824343/-Trump-s-speech-to-be-8-minutes-long-Democrats-demand-equal-time?detail=emaildkre
The Christian Right could be irrelevant by 2024. EXvangelicals are working to ensure it
Team Trump prepares effort to suppress parts of Mueller report if necessary
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1824304/-Team-Trump-prepares-effort-to-suppress-parts-of-Mueller-report-if-necessary?detail=emaildkreCALIFORNIA: Gov Newsom starts w/a bang: Proposes major ACA improvements AND Single Payer ACA waiver!
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1824352/-CALIFORNIA-Gov-Newsom-starts-w-a-bang-Proposes-major-ACA-improvements-AND-Single-Payer-ACA-waiver?detail=emaildkreExxonMobil takes another big hit as SCOTUS says Massachusetts AG has power to pursue oil giant
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1824211/-ExxonMobil-takes-another-big-hit-as-SCOTUS-says-Massachusetts-AG-has-power-to-pursue-oil-giant?detail=emaildkreTornillo prison camp for migrant children set to shut down by month's end
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1824218/-Tornillo-prison-camp-for-migrant-children-set-to-shut-down-by-month-s-end?detail=emaildkreStates that spend more on libraries, parks, and highways have happier Americans says new study
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1824181/-States-that-spend-more-on-libraries-parks-and-highways-have-happier-Americans-says-new-study?detail=emaildkreFood stamp funding could run out, causing widespread hunger, if shutdown continues through February
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/7/1824189/-Food-stamp-funding-could-run-out-causing-widespread-hunger-if-shutdown-continues-through-February?detail=emaildkreRosenstein expected to depart DOJ in coming weeks if new attorney general confirmed
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/rosenstein-expected-depart-doj-coming-weeks-once-attorney-090615321--abc-news-topstories.html?.tsrc=notification-brknewsIF being the operative word.
This morning, Trump (who apparently thinks the proper spelling of forest is from the Tom Hanks movie) is now declaring California will get no more diaster relief, presumably because it is overwhelmingly Democratic. Remember what I said yesterday about cruelty and punishment?? The town of Paradise was entirely burned down. I've talked to many of them at my job. They lost everything. This is horrible:
Meanwhile, this sure smells a hell of alot like collusion:
Russian troll farms could have never known what to target as far as social media goes without help from US political operatives, which is something I (and Hillary Clinton, for the record) have been saying for well over a two years. Now we know Manafort and Gates were handing private campaign polling data over to Russian agents. There is no innocuous reason or explanation for doing so.
Ex 'Apprentice' Staffer Says Trump Snorts Adderall and 'Can't Read'
https://www.complex.com/life/2018/12/ex-apprentice-staffer-trump-snorts-adderall-cant-read
TOM ARNOLD CLAIMS DONALD TRUMP SNORTED ADDERALL ON 'THE APPRENTICE' SET
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-snorted-adderall-apprentice-tom-arnold-noel-casler-1257787
It's kind of sad that even his own State Department isn't backing him up.
Fact Check: State Department says 'no credible evidence' terrorists entering through southern border
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/fact-check-state-department-says-no-credible-evidence-023315930--abc-news-topstories.html
And now this:
DC Water board debates whether they can cut off White House service after Trump admin misses payment
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/dc-water-board-debates-whether-can-cut-off-white-house-service-trump-admin-misses-payment/?fbclid=IwAR334PYMMhIaVUH_jnaK2nW_VZupsQ-Xg-Uloin7Uv76fO96whK9xnPvDdE
Vice News is blaming Mitch McConnell
The Shutdown Is Mitch McConnell's Fault
The Senate majority leader can end the shutdown by defying Trump. He's just refusing to do so.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a3mmaz/the-shutdown-is-mitch-mcconnells-fault?fbclid=IwAR1_FQy6Ts6lqLvkhMHABbsB5Eq6GH_8ujNh3FaUDM2B2J_JP6rrRZs7hXo
Trump sure sounds like someone at the end of his rope. He's wigging out, and he has only his own words to blame for it, despite him trying to shift blame to the Democrats.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-collusion-debate-ended-last-night
https://www.greensboro.com/news/north_carolina/women-verbally-abused-sexually-assaulted-transgender-woman-in-bar-bathroom/article_e4f2a2bf-c64a-50c8-82ed-f2ec21e6c050.html
How many other households in the DC area aren't going to be able to pay off their water bill due to the Shutdown? I'd even make the excuse of "since the bill is such a high amount, the regular 30 day notice will not apply and the water will be shut off in seven (7) business days if a payment is not met."
And that picture of Trump attempting to drink from a water bottle as he holds it with his two tiny hands is just adorable.
County: Put crumpled Confederate statue in indoor display
https://www.greensboro.com/ap/north_carolina/witness-alleging-ballot-fraud-in-congressional-race-arrested/article_aacadb69-4a30-5be4-8c95-6ae2a11a101f.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latestWitness alleging ballot fraud in congressional race arrested
https://www.greensboro.com/ap/north_carolina/witness-alleging-ballot-fraud-in-congressional-race-arrested/article_aacadb69-4a30-5be4-8c95-6ae2a11a101f.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latestZero Lawmakers Representing Border Districts Support Donald Trump’s Wall
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-border-wall-opposition_us_5c35adb9e4b05b16bcfc05bd?fbclid=IwAR0URlB23Ek3EaXRi81f_tezIuLd28ZoFkM7a2Qjs3oyveOrDjxjKLy_T-sEven Fox has somewhat abandoned Trump at the moment:
Fox's Shep Smith comes through with immediate fact-check of Trump's lie-a-thon
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/8/1824637/-Fox-s-Shep-Smith-comes-through-with-immediate-fact-check-of-Trump-s-lie-a-thon?detail=emaildkreTwitter reacted to Donald Trump's fear-mongering address to the nation
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/8/1824622/-Twitter-reacts-to-Donald-Trump-s-fear-mongering-address-to-the-nation?detail=emaildkreTrump's Personal Alamo Has Mulvaney Eyeing The Exits, Jared To Save The Day
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/8/1824586/-Trump-s-Personal-Alamo-Has-Mulvaney-Eyeing-The-Exits-Jared-To-Save-The-Day?detail=emaildkreNorth Carolina Republican sets off fire alarm while fleeing questions about elections fraud
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/8/1824483/-N-C-Republican-sets-off-fire-alarm-fleeing-questions-of-elections-fraud?detail=emaildkreThe networks were suckered by the "national emergency" threat
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/9/1824616/-The-networks-were-suckered-by-the-national-emergency-threat?detail=emaildkreVirginia GOP increasingly doomed as Supreme Court rejects effort to block fairer state House map
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/8/1824520/-Virginia-GOP-increasingly-doomed-as-Supreme-Court-rejects-effort-to-block-fairer-state-House-map?detail=emaildkreDemocratic rep who faced racist Republican attack ads frames his old rap lyrics in new office
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/8/1824534/-Democratic-rep-who-faced-racist-Republican-attack-ads-frames-his-old-rap-lyrics-in-new-office?detail=emaildkreTrump all but told reporters his speech and border trip weren't news. Networks still ran the speech.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/9/1824705/-Trump-all-but-told-reporters-his-speech-and-border-trip-weren-t-news-Networks-still-ran-the-speech?detail=emaildkreTrump holding onto threat of emergency declaration, or ... anything but actually making a deal
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/9/1824706/-Trump-holding-onto-threat-of-emergency-declaration-or-anything-but-actually-making-a-deal?detail=emaildkreNobody knows what the administration's new Syria policy is, including the White House itself
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/8/1824291/-Nobody-knows-what-the-administration-s-new-Syria-policy-is-including-the-White-House-itself?detail=emaildkreTrump says meeting with Democrats was 'total waste of time'
https://news.yahoo.com/trump-says-meeting-democrats-total-waste-time-204702863--business.html?.tsrc=notification-brknewsBut, but, I thought he was such a great negotiator!
We've made fun of how to get to work in the White House, but Judd seems to be checking all the boxes such as appearing on Fox and continuously praising the president. Click here to read more from the NYT about him, but there was this little tidbit from the article about how Judd will jump to conclusions to support his narrative:
No evidence of smugglers was ever found in the area, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was possible that the men were hurt accidentally. Oscar Carrillo, the local sheriff, helped investigate the case and concluded that the two men could have been hit by a vehicle.
If Judd really has Trump ear, expect more of the same of these types of personal stories, to the point if Trump ever says "people at the border, in charge keeping our country safe says..." read it as "Judd told me..."