More H-2A visa workers will likely be needed when the recession ends. But for now, older so-called domestic farm workers and former construction workers will take the jobs — unless things get so bad that U.S. citizens are willing to move across the country for five months’ work in these lettuce fields at $350 a week.

Listen to the story: Farm Jobs Go To Residents, Not Guest Workers

It will be interesting to see who our farmers will be in the future and if immigrants really take “American jobs.”

Pero ninguno de nosotros podemos estar de acuerdo que el paquete de estimulo es la mejor idea.

Los otros días encontré una pagina de Internet buenísima, StimulusWatch.org. Hay pueden buscar cuales son los proyectos que se suponen que estimulen la economía.

Pronto se van a dar cuenta que muchos de los proyectos son una perdida de dinero. Por ejemplo, en Maryland quieren gastar $99,000 para comprar timbres de puertas. Y el proyecto mas costoso viene de Cidra, Puerto Rico, $17,500,000,000 para 100 acres de nuevas zonas industriales para la eficiencia energética.

Que diablos es eso? Nadie sabe, pero los políticos dicen que es bueno.

Pero desde cuando aca el pueblo cree todo lo que el gobierno recomienda?

Me e sorprendido porque muchos de los Latinos están apoyando este plan de estimulo. La gente Latina usualmente cree que el gobierno puede arreglar todos los problemas, pero este es un problema que no se puede arreglar con paquete de estimulo donde los proyectos para mejorar la economía son inventados.

En cambio lo que debemos hacer es tener “tax cuts” permanentes para negocios y contribuyentes. Dejar que las malas empresas se hundan por ser malas. Y dejar que el mercado libre haga su curso natural.

Aquí los dejo con un video de Dan Mitchell, donde explica que soluciones Keynesiana no ayudan, si no empeoran las cosas.

The problem with the bailout, TARP, Obama’s stimulus package and the rest of the Keynesian nonsense being proposed is that the government determines winners and losers. They want to define progress and success in the economy by their terms, artificially spending money that otherwise would not be spent by consumers. However, history tells us that doesn’t work. (If the link doesn’t work google Commanding Heights, a PBS video.)

Here is an analysis of where your money goes. If this chilling account doesn’t cause teachers or just union members everywhere to question their organizations and what they are doing with their money then I fear nothing in our workforce will change.

An Education Intelligence Agency analysis of NEA’s financial disclosure report for the 2007-08 fiscal year reveals the national union contributed $11.7 million to a wide variety of advocacy groups, charities, and advisors. The total is about the same as it was in the previous fiscal year, but does not include spending from the final two months of the 2008 election campaign.

The expenditures fall into broad categories of community outreach grants, charitable contributions, and payments for services rendered. In this list, EIA has deliberately omitted spending such as media buys, or payments to pollsters or consultants that have no obvious ideological component. Nor does it include any direct payments to NEA affiliates. The grants range from more than $1.2 million to fight a Florida property tax initiative down to smaller amounts to groups such as ACORN, FairTest, Planned Parenthood, and People for the American Way.

Here is an alphabetic list of the recipients of NEA’s largesse, with relevant web links:

ACORN <http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=1600>  – $178,000

AFL-CIO <http://www.afl-cio.org/>  – $190,588

AIDS Walk <http://www.aidswalkwashington.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=257099>  – $5,000

Alliance for a Better Minnesota <http://www.allianceminnesota.org/>  – $33,333

American Institutes for Research <http://www.air.org/>  – $26,466

American Library Association <http://www.ala.org/>  – $10,000

Asian American Justice Center <http://www.advancingequality.org/>  – $5,000

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund <https://www.aaldef.org/>  – $6,000

Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies <http://www.apaics.org/>  – $5,000

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance <http://www.apalanet.org/>  – $5,000

Baptist Center for Ethics <http://www.ethicsdaily.com/>  – $10,000

Campaign for America’s Future <http://home.ourfuture.org/>  – $45,000

Casa de Angeles Foundation <http://casa-de-angeles-foundation.idilogic.aidpage.com/casa-de-angeles-foundation/index.b124.u136.htm>  – $7,500

Center for Civic Action <http://clearlynewmexico.com/>  – $25,000

Center for Community Change <http://www.communitychange.org/>  – $25,000

Center for Economic Organizing <http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3265084/Randy-Barber-President-Center-for.html>  – $12,000

Center for Law and Education <http://www.cleweb.org/>  – $50,000

Center for Policy Alternatives <http://www.cfpa.org/>  – $5,000

Center for Teaching Quality <http://www.teachingquality.org/>  – $250,697

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association <http://www.theciaa.com/landing/index.html>  – $81,500

Children’s Defense Fund <http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer>  – $5,000

Coalition for Our Communities <http://votenoquestion1.com/>  – $750,000

Coalition of Black Trade Unionists <http://www.cbtu.org/>  – $5,000

Coalition on Human Needs <http://www.chn.org/>  – $6,000

Committee for Education Funding <http://www.cef.org/>  – $13,570

Committee on States <http://www.idealist.org/en/org/178392-129>  – $25,000

Communities for Quality Education <http://www.qualityednow.org/>  – $700,000

Community Teachers Institute <http://www.communityteachers.org/>  – $10,000

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. <http://www.cbcfinc.org/>  – $31,700

Council of Chief State School Officers <http://www.ccsso.org/>  – $171,248

Council of State Governments <http://www.csg.org/>  – $14,000

Democracy Alliance <http://www.democracyalliance.org/>  – $110,000

Democratic GAIN <http://www.democraticgain.org/>  – $10,000

Democratic Leadership Council <http://www.dlc.org/index.cfm>  – $45,000

Denver 2008 Convention Planning Committee <http://www.denverconvention2008.com/index.cfm?page=home>  – $1,000,000

Economic Policy Institute <http://www.epinet.org/>  – $325,000

Education Commission of the States <http://www.ecs.org/>  – $69,031

Education Development Center <http://main.edc.org/>  – $5,000

Education Law Center <http://www.edlawcenter.org/>  – $10,000

Everybody Wins DC <http://www.everybodywinsdc.org/>  – $7,100

Fair Elections Legal Network <http://www.fairelectionsnetwork.com/>  – $15,000

FairTest <http://www.fairtest.org/>  – $35,000

Ford’s Theatre <http://www.fordstheatre.org/>  – $10,000

Fuse Washington <http://www.fusewashington.org/>  – $15,000

Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network <http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/home/index.html>  – $157,500

GOP Convention Strategies <http://www.gopconventionstrategies.com/>  – $89,000

Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice <http://www.greatlakescenter.org/>  – $250,000

Harvard Labor and Worklife Program <http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/lwp>  – $5,000

Health Care for America Now! <http://healthcareforamericanow.org/>  – $500,000

Healthy Schools Network <http://www.healthyschools.org/>  – $5,000

Human Rights Campaign <http://www.hrc.org/>  – $15,000

Indianapolis Voting Rights Coalition – $5,000

Institute for Collaborative Leadership <http://www.collaborativeleaders.com/>  – $15,000

Iowa Politics.com <http://iowapolitics.com/>  – $7,500

Japanese American Citizens League <http://www.jacl.org/>  – $5,000

Jobs for America’s Graduates <http://www.jag.org/>  – $5,000

Jobs with Justice <http://www.jwj.org/>  – $20,500

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies <http://www.jointcenter.org/>  – $10,000

Leadership Conference on Civil Rights <http://www.civilrights.org/>  – $17,000

League of United Latin American Citizens <http://www.lulac.org/>  – $10,000

Learning First Alliance <http://www.learningfirst.org/>  – $55,875

Learning Project <http://www.thelearningproject.com/>  – $11,494

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund <http://www.maldef.org/>  – $10,000

National Action Network <http://www.nationalactionnetwork.net/>  – $15,000

NASA Pre-Service Teacher Program <http://research.nianet.org/pstp>  – $10,000

National Association for Asian and Pacific American Education <http://www.naapae.net/>  – $5,750

National Association for Bilingual Education <http://www.nabe.org/>  – $5,000

National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans <http://www.searac.org/nafea.html>  – $5,500

National Association of Hispanic Journalists <http://www.nahj.org/home/home.shtml>  – $5,000

National Association of Legislative and Political Specialists for Education <http://www.nalpse.org/Default.htm>  – $13,019

National Baptist Voice <http://www.nationalbaptistvoice.com/>  – $5,950

National Black Caucus of State Legislators Labor Roundtable <http://www.nbcsl.org/laborrt.html>  – $10,500

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards <http://www.nbpts.org/>  – $7,500

National Coalition of ESEA Title I Parents <http://www.nctic1p.org/>  – $5,000

National Coalition on Health Care <http://www.nchc.org/>  – $25,000

National Conference of Democratic Mayors <http://www.democraticmayors.org/>  – $7,500

National Conference of State Legislatures <http://www.ncsl.org/>  – $54,775

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education <http://www.ncate.org/>  – $279,230

National Council on Black Civic Participation <http://www.ncbcp.org/>  – $5,000

National Council of Nonprofits <http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/>  – $10,000

National Indian Education Association <http://www.niea.org/>  – $15,400

National Pan-Hellenic Council Foundation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pan-Hellenic_Council>  – $10,640

National Partnership for Women and Families <http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/PageServer>  – $5,000

National Parent Teachers Association <http://www.pta.org/>  – $22,247

National Staff Development Council <http://www.nsdc.org/>  – $25,000

National State Teachers of the Year <http://www.nstoy.org/>  – $5,000

National Urban League <http://www.nul.org/>  – $22,980

National Women’s Law Center <http://www.nwlc.org/>  – $10,000

Nebraskans United <http://www.nebraskansunited.org/>  – $25,000

New Democratic Network <http://www.ndn.org/>  – $25,000

New Teacher Center <http://www.newteachercenter.org/>  – $150,000

No on 10 <http://www.voteno.org/index.htm>  – $350,000

North Carolina New Schools Project <http://newschoolsproject.org/page.php>  – $100,000

One Wisconsin Now <http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/>  – $25,000

Organization of Chinese Americans <http://www.ocanational.org/>  – $10,000

Parent Teacher Home Visit Project <http://www.pthvp.org/>  – $25,000

Partnership for 21st Century Skills <http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/>  – $52,500

People for the American Way <http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general>  – $125,000

People for Our Public Schools <http://www.simplybetterschools.org/>  – $450,000

Planned Parenthood <http://www.plannedparenthood.org/>  – $5,000

Princeton Organizational Advisors <http://www.princetonoa.com/Site/Executive_Partners.html>  – $187,950

Progress Michigan <http://progressmichigan.org/>  – $25,000

Progress Ohio <http://www.progressohio.org/>  – $20,000

Progressive Future Action Center <http://www.progressivefuture.org/>  – $315,000

Project New West <http://www.trib.com/articles/2007/07/15/news/wyoming/189690b8f1d66d6c87257318007d632a.txt>  – $281,125

Protect Colorado’s Future <http://www.protectcoloradosfuture.org/>  – $177,000

Public Agenda Foundation <http://www.publicagenda.org/>  – $17,500

Public Education Defense Fund <http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2007/12/more-unions-tak.html>  – $1,224,000

Rainbow/PUSH Coalition <http://www.rainbowpush.org/>  – $10,000

Rebuild America’s Schools <http://www.modernschools.org/>  – $20,000

Republican Main Street Partnership <http://www.republicanmainstreet.org/>  – $50,000

Ripon Society <http://www.riponsociety.org/>  – $15,000

SEIU <http://www.seiu.org/>  – $5,000

Sons of the Revolution <http://sonsoftherevolution.org/>  – $5,000

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center <http://www.searac.org/>  – $5,000

State Legislative Leaders Foundation <http://www.sllf.org/>  – $5,000

State Net <http://www.statenet.com/>  – $46,675

Task Force Foundation <http://www.thetaskforce.org/>  – $10,000

Teachers Count <http://www.teacherscount.org/>  – $50,000

Teaching for Change <http://www.teachingforchange.org/>  – $14,922

The Foundation <http://www.thefoundationonline.org/>  – $10,000

This Is America with Dennis Wholey <http://www.thisisamerica.net/>  – $150,000

University of Iowa Center for Evaluation and Assessment <http://www.education.uiowa.edu/cea>  – $40,325

U.S. Action <http://www.usaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=eiJPJ5OVF&b=71216>  – $220,000

U.S. Fund for UNICEF <http://www.unicefusa.org/site/c.duLRI8O0H/b.25933/k.8DDD/US_Fund_for_UNICEF__US_Fund_for_UNICEF.htm>  – $7,500

U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute <http://www.ushli.org/>  – $25,000

Utahns for Public Schools <http://www.utahnsforpublicschools.org/>  – $231,944

Vote No: Protect Our Constitution <http://www.ctvoteno.org>  – $25,000

WAND Education Fund <http://www.wand.org/wand_edfund_home.htm>  – $12,500

Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation <http://www.mlkmemorial.org/>  – $142,927

Washington Internship Institute <http://www.ielnet.org/>  – $5,000

Will Steger Foundation <http://www.willstegerfoundation.org/>  – $9,370

Women’s Campaign Forum <http://www.wcfonline.org/>  – $20,000

Working America <http://www.workingamerica.org/>  – $800,000

Youth Development Research Fund <http://www.ydrf.com/>  – $5,000

Most of NEA’s income comes from members’ dues, with a small percentage derived from advertising and other miscellaneous revenues. However, in 2007-08 NEA was also the recipient of sponsorship funds from major corporations: $25,000 from Verizon, $67,000 from Target <http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/2008/07/02/2008-nea-convention-episode-1-the-empire-strikes-gold> , and $71,000 from Hyundai.

I’m hopeful some of the change brought Wednesday will be increased protection for civil liberties.

The inaugural price tag of $170 million has some people bitching, but it doesn’t bother me. This is a big event and millions are flocking to Capital City to take part. A sizeable chunk of the money is going to porta-potties.

But this is annoying:

The biggest group of donors were none other than the recently bailed-out Wall Street executives and employees…. [These] donors will get some of the best seats in the house for the inauguration, as well as admittance to some of the best balls and other events.

I mostly hope that the change we get is competent government and equality before the law. I hope that powerful special interests lose some political power. That would be awesome and remarkable change.

We shall see.

What intrigues me, though, is that he’s making Calvinism cool. And, philosophically, John Calvin stands out because his strand of Christianity is deterministic. That is, humans don’t have free will, but simply are pawns in a game whose moves were written out by God at the beginning of time.

Driscoll’s message, according to the NYT, is this:

[Y]ou are not captain of your soul or master of your fate but a depraved worm whose hard work and good deeds will get you nowhere, because God marked you for heaven or condemned you to hell before the beginning of time.

I find it surprising that people find religious determinism of this intensity to be attractive. In the Calvinist world, God has already decided your fate and whether or not you’re going to heaven or hell. Perhaps, conveniently, if you come to a Calvinist church, you’re the type of person that God willed to be saved?

This model does solve a key problem in traditional Christianity. If you have free will, then you can sin now and ask for forgiveness later. In fact, you can be an absolutely horrible human — a Jeffrey Dahmer, Adolph Hitler and Al Franken all rolled into one — and then ask for a deathbed conversion and still enter the Pearly Gates.

But in the Calvinist model, every “slip” in your life is not a product of your own volition, but a signal that you’re on the wrong track. You are encouraged throughout your entire life to avoid such signals.

Mr. Calvin thus created pretty strong incentives for proper behavior.

As my buddy put it, “It’s really a pretty sophisticated trick John Calvin pulled, but (as evidenced by the historical zealotry of Calvinists) it works quite well.”

Or as another says, “A brilliant piece of psychological control, but a little too convenient to be divinely inspired. But then again, we can’t possibly know His will, and it’s conceivable that God simply delights in creating bits of evidence designed to convince rational people that he does not exist.”

Holy Shit!

I don’t even know what $1.2 trillon looks like. Googling around I found a NY times article from 2007 that describes exactly what you can buy with $1.2 trillion. (Strange, its the same figure as the deficit; makes me wonder if the government fabricated today’s numbers.)

Afterward, curiosity made me search how much money Uncle Sam had spent as of today (or most recently), $32 billion dollars according to the USASpending.gov. Most of the money has been federal assistance funds awarded to states and contracts awarded to Hewlett Packer.

Now imagined if $32 billion dollars were evenly divided among all US taxpayers. We — you, me, our county — would be wealthier, ultimately stimulating the economy faster than Uncle Sam.

Why?

Because you and I know how to spend our hard earned money better than anyone else, especially Uncle Sam. If that’s the case, then we don’t really need a chief performance czar like Obama suggests.

Milton Friedman teaches below the four ways you can spend money. Think how much farther we could stretch $1.2 trillion amongst our economy, if Uncle Sam wouldn’t mismanage our money.

For more insightful comments on the deficit, read Chris Edwards post on the Cato blog.