Becoming a US Citizen.

Albert Pujols, the Cardinals first basemen became a naturalized US citizen on Wednesday. Good for him, man. I really hope that it encourages a lot of the other Dominican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Japanese, and Venezuelan talent (and any others, for that matter) to reconsider their citizenship and work to become American citizens when they're eligible.

I really like Albert Pujols. I think he's a great guy, and I think he's great for baseball. Is it bad that one of baseball's most notable faces is from the Dominican Republic? I don't think so. I mean, he moved here when he was 16, and has been living in the country for what, 10 years? I'm generally against most immigration, at least at this point, but I am happy to see people who come here do it legally, and actually go through with officially becoming a citizen. I really think that immigration is the only way to preserve this social safety net that the democrats have created for the country. Not that I support it, but as OJ said, if I were to do it, this is how I'd have done it.

I can't remember the exact statistics, but in the 1950s, there was something like seven people paying into social security for each person on social security, and now it's like three, and in 15 years, it'll be one, or less than one. Again, I'm not sure on the exact numbers. So, what does that mean? Well, we have to pay more into social security because there are fewer people paying in. Right. So, now we have an influx of immigrants who can pay in, but only if they become US citizens. Again, if I were to to it, this is how I'd do it. Let the immigrants pay for the safety net. Hell, I think they're the only ones eligible to draw benefits anyway, as normal Americans get nothing but more taxes.

Oh yeah, and on to the topic of taxes. New Jersey just passed a law granting 20% property tax relief to residents with a gross household income of less than $100,000/year. How did they fund this? By raising the sales tax to 7% back in July of last year. Anyone who knows anything about New Jersey knows that you can barely afford to live (if you own a house) on much less than $100K/year. New Jersey is the costliest state in the union to live in. So how many people are actually seeing any benefit from this property tax relief? Not as many as need it. In the towns around here, property taxes for a ~$250,000 range from a low of $4,000 to a high of $12,000/year. Can you imagine that? $1,000 per month, just for your taxes?

I can't wait to get out of this state.

How the hell did I go from Albert Pujols to property taxes? I need to check my meds again.