Costs of Delaying Immigrant I-130 Petitions for Immidiate Family Members

An immigration I-130 petition, is a petition filed by a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) requesting that a family member born and living outside of the U.S. be granted the appropriate legal status to immigrate to the U.S.

Currently, a petition filed by an LPR can be delayed up to five years due to the limit on the number of VISAs the U.S. State Department issues each year. In a Washington Post article it was estimated that immigrants send about $30 billion USD annually to their family members in Latin America. Further, it is estimated that roughly $4.2 billion USD annually goes to support the immediate families of LPRs awaiting the legal status to immigrate to the U.S. In addition to this, and what is not mentioned in any of the estimates, is how much money is spent traveling abroad to visit relatives. It would not be surprising if the actual amount being sent / spent abroad is closer to $5-6 billion USD annually.

With all the talk of the value of the family unit in the United States, it is surprising to note that Legal Permanent Residents are being separated for up to 5 years (11 years in some cases) from their children and/or spouses. This creates an undue burden on people who are actually following the law and trying to do things legally. Its not even possible for an LPR to go and live with their family members while the case is pending because they may loose their legal permanent status if they remain outside the U.S. for longer than 6 months.

The cost of these delays are an unstable individual due to family separation, money in the billions being sent abroad to support family members, and illegal immigration by individuals who don't have the patience to wait 5 or more years for legal status. From a purely economical standpoint, it also makes sense to try and regain into the U.S. economy some of the money being sent abroad. Money that could go to paying for food, housing, schooling, clothing and a variety of goods and services it takes to raise a family in the U.S.

The benefits of these delays, if any, go to the people who are against immigration, even legal immigration. Which is a sad story in the United States, a country founded entirely by immigrants seeking to have a better life. To quote an article by Ken McLaughlin of mercurynews.com "Families shouldn't be held hostage and used as pawns in the bigger game of immigration reform... Even in the Mafia they have rules against going after the women and children."

Read here to learn what you can do to help.

Blocked Boy at Northeastern University

Here is a video parody of what it was like being a student at Northeastern University and being blocked due financial reasons. With tuition rising each and every year, its a wonder I was able to graduate.

It's a shame that the government can bailout business when they run into trouble. Do you remember the airline bailout of 2002 - 2004, when the government guaranteed loans for some of the major airlines. And now what about the mortgage industry, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

I thought we were a government of the people, for the people. Not a government of the business for the business with the people's money! I wish my government had been there for me and offered government backed loans to cover all of my tuition expenses when I needed the help.

I guess that is too much to hope for unless I am a big business going under due to my own bad practices. In all fairness to the airline industry, I do understand they needed the help after what happened September 11th, 2001.

Enjoy the video, especially the performance at the end.

The Benefits of High Oil Prices

Over the last several months we have seen oil prices continue to soar. Not so long ago the infamous $100 a barrel psychological mark was reached. Today prices are hovering around the $135 mark give or take $10 (more on the give side).

Yet I must admit, I am ecstatic about oil prices being high, and remaining that way. Now, don't get me wrong, I myself have to make some hard sacrifices to stay economically sound. Yet, even with that said, I still want gas prices to remain high and go up to about $7-$9 for a gallon of gas.

For starters people need to realize that the answer to our oil problem is not more oil. For example, I believe If we allow drilling in ANWR, by the time we see that oil, demand would have risen enough to offset any real price reductions, and even if that is not the case, it will take years for oil from ANWR to reach the gas pumps.

Additionally, oil is a limited resource and whether it takes 20 years or 100 years we will eventually reach a point where consumption will be much greater than demand, also known as Peak Oil. Today's gas prices will be desirable compared to what they will be when demand outpaces supply.

Already we have seen people starting to use mass transit in their cities which undoubtedly reduces the number of cars on the roadways which means less pollution, and less deaths due to pollution. More people are walking and biking, which means a healthier lifestyle and as a nice little side effect this means lower health care costs and longer lives. Others, such as myself, are looking into moving within 5 - 10 miles of work, which will also mean less driving and the opportunity to bike or walk to work on nice days.

Lastly, high gas prices will spur the ingenuity and imagination of people to come up with alternative means of energy that are affordable and much cheaper than gas. I myself have pledged not to buy a new car until I can get at least 80 mpg, preferably an electric car, even if the range is only 100 miles before I have to recharge the battery.

I for one am hopeful that gas prices will continue to rise, because unfortunately it is the only way to encourage people to make the changes that are necessary for a healthier lifestyle and a cleaner environment, don't forget that global warming is also a problem that needs to be solved, and higher gas prices is the first step towards that end.