SivaGanesha

Let's say I am between jobs at the moment, but expecting to start a new job and have the health coverage for the new job kick in before the deadline for electing COBRA coverage for the old job expires. Is there any problem with just not electing COBRA coverage and only doing so, retroactively, if anything catastrophic happens in the meantime? It is supposed to be retroactive but are there any hidden issues? "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

I thought that some illegals made deals with former temporary, but legal, agricultural workers who have returned to Mexico permanently for whatever reason. The illegal gets to use the SSN of the former temp worker and essentially assumes their identity with their permission; their partner in crime, the former temp worker, gets to file the tax return and keep whatever refund is forthcoming. None of this is remotely legal, of course, but it means that not only does the gov't not get to keep the funds, but the funds flow out of the US economy entirely. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

But they only need reasonable suspicion to pull someone over: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_stop Once they've pulled someone over they can ask for a DL/registration, and if the person doesn't have it, that would probably be RS that the person might not be here legally. Now the question arises as to what constitutes RS to pull someone over solely for immigration reasons (ie where no other traffic infraction or crime is suspected). Since the courts haven't weighed in yet, no one knows for sure. But I just think--pending our hearing what the courts think--that it would be patently ridiculous for any reasonable person to suspect a person of being illegally in the country based solely on their race or preferred language. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

I was referring to illegal immigration in general. I see AZ's approach as a stopgap because of federal inaction. If the feds acted in either direction--either legalizing illegal immigrants in large numbers or enforcing to the point where it was no longer profitable for illegal immigrants to stay--the numbers of illegal immigrants would drop considerably, and there would be much less need for action at the state level. This is a divisive issue and I think that federal politicians are afraid to take a stand, preferring to punt to the states and now, it seems, to baseball. But ultimately it is the job they are being paid to do--even if it means accepting a compromise that neither side is fully happy with. Another issue: if baseball really did pull the All-Star game, it would face enormous pressure to also pull the Cactus League out of Arizona in Spring 2011--which would be logistically impossible. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

I think that police are already aware of the need to walk a fine line when it comes to immigration status. The police need the support of immigrant communities to solve crimes. That isn't going to change because of this law. If anything this law is going to make it harder to stop someone just because they are 'brown'. The reason is that the law specifically forbids stopping someone for that reason, so anyone suspecting they were stopped for that reason is going to have strong legal ammunition--that they might not have had before--when they go to court. I think it can also be assumed--because of the high level of scrutiny this law is getting--that this law will be fully tested in court and that both sides in this matter will fully get their day in court. I highly doubt that 'coming up with an excuse for RS after the fact' is going to cut it when it comes to this matter, although in other less high profile situations it might be SOP for the police to get away with it. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

This is where the courts need to weigh in...and there is therefore no proof either way yet as to who is right, you or I. But here in CA--and I assume it is the same in AZ--Spanish is very commonly spoken. And many/most people who speak Spanish are here perfectly legal. My belief is that any cop who tried to assert in court that RS was based on someone speaking Spanish would be laughed out of court--and lose his job in the process. I think we are long, long past the point where speaking Spanish might serve as evidence of illegal status in the USA for any reasonable person. That might have been true in some parts of the USA 30 years ago, but it would be ludicrous today. Yes there are going to be some lawsuits. But I see that as a good thing. While it is expensive to get the courts involved, when a lot is at stake, sometimes it is necessary. There is a great deal at stake for the people on both sides of this issue, so it is appropriate for the courts to get involved. Anyone--on either side side of this issue--who truly believes that they are morally right should welcome the opportunity that Arizona has provided to get the courts involved and establish some precedent-setting law. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Not true--I've known white males from both Europe and Canada who have been arrested and deported. And rightly so because they were breaking the rules, and even though they were friends, they needed to learn to accept responsibility for their actions. But it puts the lie to the claim that a crackdown on illegal immigration is solely about race. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

This is a worthy goal. But Arizona has promised that profiling won't happen, and deserves a chance to keep its word. As I read the law, the only time the police would be able to ask for immigration papers would be if there is already legitimate contact with the police for some other reason (giving a traffic ticket or executing a search or arrest warrant for non-immigration reasons) and reasonable suspicion arises as to the person's status. Immigration status isn't a very visible characteristic. The police can't just stop someone because they look like an illegal alien. If that happens then the federal courts might have to intervene, but there is no evidence to believe that it will. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

No it's not. Religious organizations have come down as among the biggest allies the illegal aliens have. At NumbersUSA, one of staunch lobbyists against illegal immigration, a lot of effort is put into encouraging their more religious members to put pressure on religious leaders to stop supporting illegal immigrants. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

So here's my challenge to you, given that you seem to be the icon representing the Christian contingent on here: When Joe Legal and Jose Illegal turn up in the pews of the same church, and Jose Illegal is in a position to give three times as much money because of what you just wrote--will you stand up to the pastor and tell him/her that that is wrong? "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Or to put it another way--most MLB players, and potential players, AFAIK wait until it is legal to do so before they set foot in the USA. That means years and years of staying in their home countries, working hard, until they are able to come to the USA. The visa itself might take only a few weeks to process once they have the skills, but getting those skills take years. And they follow the law until they get the skills. OTOH there IS a legal category for unskilled workers. Right now the backlog is about nine years. Yes, that's a long time, but IMHO not necessarily any longer than it would take for a MLB player to acquire the skills necessary to get a visa. But this group of people--unlike the MLB players--seem unwilling to abide by the law and wait outside the USA until their turn comes. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

My claim is more that it is difficult for the MLB player--not that it is easy for the yard workers. We tend to only see the MLB players in their time of glory, when visa issues (usually) are the least of their challenges. The public does not see the years or decades of hard work that it takes to hone one's skills to play at the MLB level. The MLB player who finally qualifies for one of those "easy" visas has walked a road that is just as hard and long as the guy in the Philippines with a sister in the USA who has to wait out a 20+ year waiting list. But the public only sees the final, easy, steps. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

I believe that existing laws should be followed. It's not a crime to buy from the dealer. It is crime, however, for the dealer to knowingly accept fake documents from an illegal worker and it is a crime for the illegal worker to present fake documents. The problem is that it has, in the past, been hard to prove that the employer knowingly accepted fake documents, and illegal workers seem to have a way of slipping through the fingers of the authorities even when a serious attempt is made to enforce the law. The solution is the E-Verify system which checks whether documents presented are valid. It was already mandatory in Arizona even before this new law was passed, and should be phased in to become mandatory over the next few years at a national level. Although I strongly oppose illegal immigration, and am currently against the idea of any "earned legalization" for current illegals, I might warm up to the idea of legalizing any illegals already here if I felt the law was going to be enforced going forward. But it would require a change in the cultural atmosphere for me to support this. It would need to be understood that--to give an example--just as it is no longer kosher to smoke in most indoor public locations, it is no longer kosher to violate the borders of a strong nation like the USA. When that understanding is accepted by the vast majority of people of all parties, races, etc., then--and only then--can or should we talk about what we can do to help the people already here become legal. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Many quotas, in fact, depending on the category you are applying for. Some categories--eg sponsoring a spouse (straight, not gay, only--I'll concede the rules are unfairly discriminatory for this group)--have no quota. The waiting lists tend to be shorter in the categories that involve more highly qualified people. And, although it is always slow, the risk of unexpected further delay is less if you can afford to hire a lawyer. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Exactly. It is supposed to be a competitive process. If you bring significant skills to the table (eg in this case baseball), the visa process is made a bit easier. Acquiring those skills, though, is hard work. Being admitted properly and legally to the USA is much like applying for admission to any other organization, be it a job, graduate school, or a spot on a MLB roster. It is competitive. It is intended to be competitive, and it is intended that those who work hard to acquire the needed skills will have an advantage over those who don't. Some people seem to see all this as a problem but I don't see it as a problem--I see it as a good thing. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

You think it's easy for a Latino from outside the USA--or for anyone, for that matter--to acquire the skills necessary to play baseball at the MLB level? "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

I have two reactions to this. As a human being I am disgusted beyond belief by what Polanski did and can't imagine how anyone worthy of the word 'human' could do as he did. But as a California taxpayer I am appalled that resources that we simply don't have are apparently going to go into incarcerating Polanski. We need to choose our battles very carefully right now when it comes to public resources in California, and I don't see this as the right battle to fight right now. Polanski's status as a fugitive would likely have ensured that he remained outside California for the rest of his life with no threat and no cost to California. We should have left it at that. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

There are many Latinos who also oppose illegal immigration. Recent legal immigrants tend to be the group most hurt by illegal immigration. The AZ law is, IMHO, about pushing the federal government to take action. Parts of the AZ law will probably be struck down by the courts but this is an issue on which the feds do seem to need a push. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Well intra alia the NFL doesn't have a federal antitrust exemption so I don't think they have as strong an obligation to stay out of federal politics as baseball does. There are other considerations too but on the strength of the antitrust exemption alone baseball needs to stay out of this. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Not only should baseball not pull the All Star Game, but if baseball does pull the All Star Game out of Arizona, then it should lose its antitrust exemption. Nor do I have any respect for a federal politician asking baseball to solve a problem that, thus far, the federal government has lacked the courage to solve. Even though I am strongly anti-illegal immigration, and therefore disagree with Sen Menendez, I would have some respect for him if he would say, look, immigration reform is necessary NOW and even as a Democrat, all co-operation with Obama is suspended until Obama addresses immigration. That's what Sen Menendez should be doing if he feels strongly about this issue. To ask baseball to do a job that Sen Menendez could be doing for himself right there in Washington is the coward's way out. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

BTW I'm sure some will disagree but I recall someone saying on here recently that one should never postpone an opportunity to skydive: if you have the money and weather to jump today, do it, and let tomorrow take care of itself. I think I was being 'called' on passing up an opportunity to jump recently (and maybe the OP is too). I was trying to save my pennies but maybe there is something to be said for never turning down an opportunity to jump. I'm sure some will agree and some will disagree. No doubt skypuppy would say I'm not passionate enough about the sport either. I'd agree with his definition of passionate but whether that is good or bad in terms of sticking with the sport long term--I haven't been around enough to know. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Interestingly I got a comment along these lines today for the first time (and then, unfortunately, wasn't able to jump today either due to high winds, not to mention the primary jump ship being unavailable due to servicing issues). I've been having a difficult time getting jumps in in 2010 due to both weather and money. It seems there is a certain phase in a skydiver's career--after they think they are serious about it but before they get a lot of jumps--when it is fairly important to jump with some regularity. I'm expecting to start a better paying job in early June and to be able to get in a lot more jumps at that point. I think people like you and I are ultimately going to have to find a way to jump more often for awhile to build up some skills--but I agree that if that is hard to do right now it is nice if the DZ can be somewhat patient. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

So the $2,500 question is--will the Red Wings violate curfew again at SJC? If they'd lost tonight they would have mercifully avoided another opportunity to live up to their name. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Some get into the Great Dropzone in the Sky...and some don't

I think that in the past the role of a king was similar to that played by cult leaders today. Today, of course, real kings/queens are mostly figureheads and in countries with a republican system of government like the USA there is no king/queen at all but rather an elected president. But I think that in the modern relationship between a cult leader and his/her followers, we can still see some vestiges today of what the king/subject relationship used to be like. The cult leader certainly claims to have been appointed directly by God. But if this isn't really the truth, how in practice do they maintain control over their flock? A larger cult will probably have some goons in its employ who can do the cult leader's dirty work, ideally somewhere out of view, if it comes to physical violence. Likewise the kings of old certainly had such goons working for them--bloodier in some reigns than others. But the cult leader today--or the king in the past--doesn't have the time or the energy to use physical force more than a small percentage of the time. How, then, do they retain control? It is mostly through persuading people that they were appointed directly by God that they maintain control. If a subject/cult member genuinely believes that the leader is appointed by God, they won't challenge the leader's authority, because who would ever want to get on God's bad side? A king/cult leader may not be appointed by God, but they are very good at persuading others that they were so appointed, and that is their primary means of maintaining control. Brute physical domination is very much a secondary method although most successful kings weren't afraid to be physically ruthless the small percentage of the time it was necessary. [I'm using the gender-specific term 'king' because in the era when monarchs had absolute power, that monarch was almost always a man. By the time queens regnant became relatively common there were signs that the era of absolute power was drawing to a close.] "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014