APPLICATION BY COUNTRY
Some 27 nations, including China, Russia, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Germany, Switzerland and Egypt, have compulsory military service, with some remaining on the reserve rolls until about age 45. By comparison, 43 countries, including the US, Canada, Italy, Japan, France, and Iraq, do not require military service. The United States enacted the Selective Service Act in 1917 requiring all men between the ages of 21 – 30 to register and possibly serve in WW I. Since then the system has been tinkered with. In readiness for WW II, the rolls swelled to 50 million men, of which 16 million served on active duty.

REGISTRATION
Until the 1960s, registering for the draft was considered a right of passage for young men when they turned 18. Their draft card was carried as a badge of honor, signifying “I am ready, willing and able to go fight for my country.” In 1975 the draft system was discontinued, and an all volunteer service was instituted. Though the 2008 selective service rolls contain 14 million names, registering for the draft has long been ignored, forgotten, and not enforced.

SO WHO FIGHTS OUR WARS?
Our all volunteer services fight our wars, wherever they are sent around the globe. Those who do not volunteer for military service, openly view it as a choice of occupation and not a commitment to give back to the country that has provided them a free and safe environment in which to live and work.

CURRENT PROBLEM
We have committed the largest number of troops to fight in the Middle East for 20 years, and we cannot yet see the light at the end of the tunnel.  During Vietnam, the typical tour of duty was 12-13 months. Few ever had to return for subsequent tours. And when our troops requested extensions to stay and fight, they were typically denied beyond a second year because war was becoming a way of life for them. They lost touch with reality, had family problems related to their absences, and mental problems resulting in anti-social behavior. TODAY, though the tours in Afghanistan are only 7 months long, troops only spend 7 months in the States before going back. Some are now on their 4^th and 5^th tours with no end in sight. The number of suicides, psychological problems and divorces are increasing. The number of our active forces is insufficient to allow for longer assignments back in the States. How much more are we going to ask of these brave heroic men and women who are giving their lives and limbs for us.

SOLUTION
If we are going to continue to commit our military forces in wars where other countries give but a few thousand or hundred troops, it is time to activate our selective service system. Others need to share the burden of keeping our nation free and safe. If we are not prepared to do this, then we need to change our foreign policies and stop fighting other countries wars.

Semper Fi,
Dick Hrebik

THE PROCESS
Every two years we Americans engage in the political game of electing individuals to run our local, state and federal government, or to represent us in those offices for anywhere from two to six years or life. Each time our expectations are high in anticipation of their doing their job according to what’s best for us, or what they promise to do.

THE SELECTION PROCESS
Each candidate often promises to campaign for our votes without resorting to negative comments about their opponents, and each time our expectations are high. In so doing, they use money given them by their party, individual supporters, and in some cases, their own money. What actually happens is one of the candidates soon starts making accusations of wrongdoing by their opponent, which are oftentimes found to be false by one of the election monitoring entities. But the seed has already been planted. So the alleged wrongdoer strikes back in tit-for-tat fashion. Such stories should be left to news reporters to provide an unbiased sense of who each candidate is.

FOLLOW THE MONEY
Unfortunately, from that point on the news media, primarily television, make billions of dollars, given them by the candidates, to report the game, and all we hear is what’s bad about my opponent, and nothing more about each candidate’s qualifications to serve in the office they’re running for. Imagine someone applying for a job and during the interview they speak poorly about others applying for the same job, and say nothing about why they should be hired. What’s the result?

RESULT
We place our vote and elect the individual who was least maligned, spent the most money running for office, and we know little about. I suggest we should not be surprised when the newly elected perform the same way their predecessors did, and it is business as usual. Our system is flawed and we appear to lack the wherewithal to fix it.

Semper Fi,

Dick

INCOME TAX
There are all forms of tax such as property tax, sales tax and usage tax, but most of our talk about taxes centers around income tax.    How much of what we earn do we get to keep, and how much do we need to give to the federal and state governments?  After all, it is our government’s main source of revenue used to run our country and pay our bills. Accountants and lawyers love to enter into the maelstrom making the laws and rules governing the system extremely complex and confusing, to the point where former IRS employees make a living helping us fight the system.  For too many years Congress has refused to solve the dilemma claiming it is too complicated; preferring, instead, to use it as a political football, even after a half dozen or so presidents have offered plans for Congress to consider.

WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT?
The greatest abuse of the system lies in the area of what is taxable income.  The list of allowable deductions seems endless, and includes retirement contributions, student loans, business expenses, capital losses, mortgage payments, equity loan deductions, state and local taxes, charitable contributions, certain medical expenses, and personal casualty and theft losses.  When the tax preparers are done many corporations pay no tax, and many of the wealthiest citizens often end up with a taxable income rate lower than those who make far less income.  The system is inherently unfair.  Worst of all, it reduces the amount of taxes our governments require to provide the services and programs we Americans need most.  Ever hear of social security and healthcare? 

WHAT DO OTHER COUNTRIES DO?
Of all the various forms of income tax employed by countries around the world, 24 nations have moved to a flat tax system and at least 4 more are seriously considering it.

SO WHAT IS A FLAT TAX?
Simply stated, a flat tax requires all individuals and businesses to pay the same percentage in taxes on all income over a specific minimum related to low income citizens.  There are no deductions for anything, although various proposals have suggested certain deductions should be allowed.  Allowing any such meddling changes it from being a fair and impartial system for all, to one where certain individuals and/or business can avoid paying their fair share.  Does that sound like special interest groups, lobbyists and accountants and tax attorneys at work trying to line their own pockets?  Yes.  Surely they can find enough work in other areas of their businesses, or create another area of practice, or engage in another business.  Millions of workers have done just that when their main profession disappeared or went to workers in another country.

WHAT’S THE BENEFIT OF A FLAT TAX?
It is simple math any Jeff Foxworthy fifth grader can do.  The flat tax immediately generates more revenue which helps our government to “pay the freight” and not have to borrow money from China or Japan or any other country as we are now doing.  It would lower the tax rate on individuals and businesses which would more than compensate for our lost deductions.  CONGRESS, are you listening?  The flat tax system is a win win situation for all Americans, including you.  We have been asking, pleading, and imploring you to fix our broken income tax system for far too long.  Stop posturing and give us something we want.

What do you readers think?  Let me hear from you.

Semper Fi,

Dick

ORIGIN
The National Guard can find its roots in  the formation of the various colonial militias into a national militia in 1636, by order of the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

RESPONSIBILITIES
All males from age 16 to 60 were armed and provided nightly guard duty protecting their communities from possible attacks by Pequot Indians.

DEVELOPMENT
During the 19^th century the militia was more commonly referred to as a national guard. But it wasn’t until the Militia Act of 1903 that the state militias were recognized as a National Guard. In 1916 the Guard force grew out of the Army, and In 1947 the Air National Guard was established. Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code states the National Guard is a first-line of defense consisting of state units whereby the state governors or territorial adjutant generals may call the Guard out to respond to civil disobedience or natural disasters. The Guard now has two bosses, the Federal Government and their State Government.

HERE’S THE PROBLEM
How can the Guard serve two bosses with two different agendas?  In recent years the Federal Government has activated tens of thousands of Guards to fight alongside active military units in foreign countries, taking them away from their primary role to protect our country and respond to national emergencies. In every battle or war since the 1700’s our Guard had answered the call to duty, and they have served admirably, just as our active and reserve military has done.

As capable as our National Guard is they cannot be in two places at the same time. When natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes have occurred, there were limited Guards available to assist. And when it comes to protecting our borders, we have had to use an insufficient number of Border Patrol officers, who have been overwhelmed and unable to control our land and sea borders.

SOLUTION
Use our National Guard according to the duties and responsibilities for which it was formed: a first-line of defense along our borders, control civil disobedience and help our people in times of natural disasters. 

DO NOT deploy our National Guard to foreign shores under any circumstances. That is the job of our active military forces. We should maintain an active force in sufficient numbers to do the job required of them, and not draw down from reserve units or our National Guard every time we decide to go to war. Congress has been making this mistake in every war since World War II. In World War II we used the selective service system which had an instant force of 16 million to draw from. Those Americans answered the call and ended the war in record time.

What do you think? Let me hear from you.

Semper Fi,

Dick

BORDER PATROL
My previous blog addressed the legal actions which need to be taken regarding the illegal immigration problem. Now let’s talk about our borders. Worldwide, nations employ border guards of one title or another, to protect their borders from illegal entry by individuals, smuggling, spies, weapons, explosives or anything else deemed to endanger our national security.

WHAT DO WE DO?
Our land borders are about 6,000 miles long with an additional 88,633 miles of coastline, protected with a Border Patrol of 20,000 agents/guards.

RUSSIA
By comparison, Russia has a border of approximately 12,488 miles and a much smaller coast line of 23,396 miles. I can personally attest to the fact Russia is very well controlled by 230,000 guards.

CHINA
Though China has a very large land mass and population, their borders number 13,744 miles with a very small coastline of 9009 miles. How many of their 1.5 million People’s Armed Police Force are employed to protect their borders is not known. But again, personal experience has shown they mount as many border guards as they need to get the job done.

WHERE DO WE FAIL?
Our great failure includes our border with Mexico of a mere 1969 miles, and the shoreline of South Florida where illegal immigrants enter weekly if not daily. History shows Mexican migrant workers started arriving in 1924. Since the law changed in 1964, millions of Mexicans have entered illegally and thousands of Cubans and other Caribbean and Central Americans have also come illegally.

WHAT’S TO STOP THEM?
No wonder we can’t stop them. Using the above figures we employ .2 guards per mile, while Russia has 6.4 per mile, and estimating China uses 250,000 border guards, they have over 10 per mile.
For over 40 years Congress has turned its back to protecting our citizens and country saying, in so many words, “It costs too much to secure our borders.” Hogwash. Since Congress won’t do the job, is it any wonder Arizona and other states are taking steps to protect our country and citizens?

A FEDERAL SOLUTION
Watch for my recommendation on how to solve the problem quickly in my next blog early September.

Semper Fi,
Dick

A Touchy Subject for Americans

 Immigration has been a hot potato topic for years.  We all talk about it but no one, particularly Congress, is willing to do anything about it.  They say it is too complicated.  I suggest it is not.  Complex, yes, but not complicated. 

Congress can’t see the forest for the trees.  We have millions of people living in our country illegally.  And, yes, if you look at the problem with all the ancillary tentacles of potential disruptions of families, strains placed on our medical system which is required to provide them free care costing the American taxpayers billions of dollars, employers who violate the law by hiring illegal immigrants, the additional law breakers who enter our country every day, the discriminatory Wet Foot Dry Foot law, etc., the issue appears unsolvable.

Losing the battle – winning the war
There is a corollary here – in war you fight one battle at a time, you don’t try to fight the entire enemy all at once.  In this case we should initially focus on the sole issue of people who are in our country without permission by our government. They have broken the law. 

We are a nation of laws and every time we find someone who has broken the law we prosecute them through our legal system.  We don’t debate it in Congress.  And it matters not how their family or loved ones are affected.  One need only look at all the families whose loved ones are locked away in prisons in this country and other countries.  When you violate the law you must be prepared to pay the consequences and accept the potential harm which may befall your loved ones.  As Baretta once said, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”

Here’s a solution . . .
I suggest we look to the past to better see the future.  The American Industrial Revolution of the late 1800s saw millions of people, mostly Europeans, flocking to the United States in search of a better life.  As a country we realized we could not accommodate all who wanted to come and still offer them a better life. 

The initial preferred requirements were you had to have a sponsor in the US who could identify a place where you could live and a place where you could work, and you had to learn to speak English and become a citizen. There were no green cards then.  You could only stay if you became an American citizen.  If you didn’t gain the stamp of approval after questioning by the inspectors from the Immigration and Naturalization Office, you were sent back to your country of origin.  

Setting a bad precedent
As the numbers grew, the Immigration Act of 1921 established an annual limit of immigrants who could enter from any country at 3% of their population already living in the US.  In 1924, a second Act reduced the number to 2%.  Again, the intent was to ensure there was housing and employment available for the new citizens so they wouldn’t become a financial burden on society.  Those who wanted to come often had to wait years for their name to come up in the quota system.  

And, they did wait their turn until 1975 – 1980 when we set aside the quota system allowing 823,000 Vietnamese and 125,000 Cuban refugees to flee their respective countries and come to the US.  When others observed our humanitarian approach to people in need of help, many decided they would disregard our laws and immigration quotas and found ways to enter our country illegally.

Bucking the System
There are those who say we should simply send illegal aliens back to the country where they came from, and that is what our Coast Guard does now when they catch those trying to come ashore illegally.  I’m in complete agreement with that action, regardless of which country they are from.  

But for those who have been here for years, that approach smacks of a vigilante-type action where you try and convict them on the spot, herd them up and move them out without giving them their day in court.   I suggest we MUST arrest those and process them through our legal system just like any other person who has broken one of our laws.  They should be tried, and if convicted, they should receive punishment in the form of a fine, imprisonment or other punishment deemed appropriate by the court, just as any other criminal. 

Mitigating circumstances would apply when determining punishment just as they do now in any conviction.  My point here is there is no need to create and try to pass an immigration reform act to supposedly handle the entire immigration issue.  That just muddies the water and creates dissension in Congress and among the American people.  Illegal immigrants have violated a single law by entering or remaining in the US without permission from our government and should be brought to justice.  That is the American way and rule of law.

What are your thoughts on the immigration issue?  If you disagree with my opinion, I’d like to know why and what you think could be a solution.

Semper Fi,
Dick Hrebik 

Watch for my future blogs on this site when I deal with related illegal immigrant issues and other topics of national concern to the American people.