"Three" Parents, Surrogacy, and Commercialization in Conception and Birth

I've been thinking about this subject for some time.

First, some admissions:

• Getting pregnant was NEVER a problem for me.  I had 3 kids in four years.  Coulda done more, but I was really getting tired of birthin'


• In my younger years, I did follow the crowd and use contraception.  Never had to consider an abortion, which I thank God for.  Some things, it was just a mercy I hadn't been in a position to have to decide upon - I don't know that I'd have decided in a good way.


• There have been days my kids drove me crazy.  Well, the same is true of my husband.  But, I never wished they hadn't been born.

I never had to wrestle with the conflicts between a strong desire to have children, and the ethical problems that lay within that decision.

In high school, we all read "Brave New World" and "1984" (funny, seldom do kids read either these days.  1984 is too uncomfortably close to the near-worship of our current leader.

And, Brave New World, with its manufactured baby products, seems WAY too close to modern elite parenting.

And, it IS an elite problem - they are the ones that delay pregnancy until conception is difficult, if not impossible.  They are the ones (Octo-Mom notwithstanding) who have the money to make their quest for a mini-me possible.  And, they are the ones that can see a potential egg donor or surrogate, and see - what?  A virtual non-person?  A "lesser" human being?  A bought-and-paid-for servant?

Egg donors take enormous risks.  The process of "harvesting" eggs requires the donor to be pumped full of drugs, some of which will imperil future pregnancies, cause premature menopause, or, even, serious illness or death.

The surrogates take risks, too.  They take on the normal risks of pregnancy, plus the added complication of implantation or medical intervention to join sperm to egg.  If the sperm donor is gay, she risks AIDS exposure, hepatitis, or other STD (Yes, I know that the sperm is screened.  Keep in mind that, in the pre-AIDS testing years, such an unknown pathogen couldn't have been guarded against.  Caveat emptor - or rather, let the SELLER beware.).

Here's a thoughtful look at the ethical challenges that commercial child-buying entails.

Here's a look at sperm buying, from a person whose father was "Donor".

Sex was not necessary for me to exist. I was not the natural fruit of a marriage. I was a very clear decision, an economic transaction and exchange of services rendered by buyers and sellers who did not know each other—not even as acquaintances. - See more at: http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2012/03/4628/#sthash.8H149Qag.dpuf

He differentiates between types of immortality:

There are two types of immortality: genetic and memetic. Genetic immortality includes the preservation as well as the reproduction of genes. Living forever like Duncan MacLeod in Highlander is one example of genetic immortality through preservation; freezing your body cryogenically is another. Genghis Khan and his now 16 million living descendants are an example of genetic immortality through reproduction. Memetic immortality, on the other hand, has little to do with the physical matter of our bodies. It is the theory that mental content and "cultural units"—ideas, beliefs, patterns of behavior, etc., can be reproduced from mind to mind—as individuals influence each other to adopt new ways of thinking, preferences, and so on. - See more at: http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2012/03/4628/#sthash.8H149Qag.dpuf

How does the never-present father benefit?

Fifty years ago a man had to devote his life through marriage to pass on his genes. Today he doesn’t even have to buy his mother’s child a drink. - See more at: http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2012/03/4628/#sthash.8H149Qag.dpuf

If the seed of the father contains at least SOME of the character traits - introvert/extrovert, easy-going/uptight, athletic/clumsy - then will our future civilization be shaped - perhaps NOT for the better - by the careless seeding of these absent men?

This woman was charged with crimes.  Read it, and tell me - just how different are her actions from the LEGAL actions of those purchasing surrogates?

A Blog You REALLY Have to Put on Your Daily List

I've long been a fan of Francis W. Porretto's writing, both his blogs and his fiction.  Please, consider adding his blog to your list of frequently checked sites.

How to work with Liberals/Leftists?  He has some good advice:

Compromise is potentially constructive only when it's strictly about means: i.e., when the two sides angling toward a compromise sincerely agree on the end to be sought, and are both willing to allow that they might be wrong about what means would best serve that end. Under those conditions, everyone involved will be watching the outcome and judging the means applied by that standard alone. When the ends are opposed to one another,compromise must disserve one or the other. It cannot be any other way.

If your end is political liberty -- the maximum possible freedom from coercion or constraint for peaceable persons -- there's absolutely no reason to "dialogue" with persons whose end is an expansion of State power. Compromising with statists means promoting their end, which is the exact opposite of your end. Yet many a freedom-minded person will feel a tug toward such a "dialogue," and the ideal of compromise, despite the clarity of the above. This is the Nice-Guy Trap in action.

We're indoctrinated practically from birth about the goodness of "sharing," and how Nice Guys should "try to see both sides" -- of everything. Nice Guys mustn't declare others to be The Enemy even when The Enemy has already done so in the plainest possible ways. That's because confrontation is bad, don't y'know. At any rate, it's unpleasant, which in modern "thought" amounts to the same thing.

Hidden beneath the Nice-Guy Trap is a pair of steel jaws that can snap any principle cleanly in half. This is so obvious as to be tautological: He who compromises on principle has surrendered it to some other end.

There's more, and I suggest you read it.

Benghazi Update

Here's a link to a THOROUGH summary of the events of 9/11/12.

I'll continue blogging on this issue in the future.

WHY is it important?  Here's a link to Neil Young singing about ANOTHER 4 dead.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They didn't have to die.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, well, is that SUCH a big deal?  As Madam Secretary Clinton <s>said</s> yelled, "What difference, at this point, does it make?"



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a BAD Idea!

Honestly, you'd think that one of the requirements for people working in government today is a COMPLETE IGNORANCE of the Constitution!

There seems to be no other way to explain this boneheaded decision:

FCC to "monitor" news broadcasts for bias

Even more EXCITING, the firm that the FCC is looking at to conduct the study of the media, specializes in "social welfare".

Here's a link to the actual proposal.  I'm not that concerned about them looking at what they call "Critical Information Needs" - that's examining the actual content, and comparing it to how well it matches what the public has a need to know (assuming, perhaps unrealistically, that our Leftist government minions can fairly judge that) - but, that the major focus of the study seems to be on "perceived" needs.

Whose perception is going to take precedence?  Leftists?  Minorities (including transgender, transexual, bi-, undecided, Arab-heritage - the RIGHT kind, the Muslims, not those "icky" Christian Arabs, those with quasi-psychiatric diagnoses that are PROUDLY used to excuse horrible behavior, et al)?

I'm confident that this will be used as a club to eliminate non-Leftist media.

BTW, isn't it funny that the ones that seem to be getting most enervated about this are NOT the Old Media, but the New Media?  Who says the MSM haven't outlived their purpose?

What Do You REALLY Know About History?

A recent review of books about Ulysses S Grant made me wonder.

Too often, history is written by supporters of the leading party.  In present day, history taught in schools is SOLIDLY controlled by Liberal/Leftist teachers, and written to reflect that slant.

Therefore, what children learn is:

• Washington, Jefferson, and almost all of the other WHITE Founding Fathers were racist, sexist, and, generally, Bad Guys.  The ONLY reason for the "3/5ths" clause in the Constitution is that they ALL Hated Black People.


• After those early days, the only presidents worth mentioning are Andrew Jackson (man of the people), Abraham Lincoln (we won't mention his party affiliation, but we LOVE him because he abused the Constitution to keep the Union together), Teddy Roosevelt (another unmentionable party, but not REALLY - he was a Progressive!  Which is a Wonderful Thing!), and Wilson (REALLY smart - an honest-to-God PhD - and we LOVE his League of Nations idea, which only failed because of those BAD Republicans, who like to see helpless creatures die grisly deaths, among other failings.  They love him MOST because he was a Progressive).


• Then, after a period of prosperity (for some STRANGE, unknown reason, it coincided with a series of Republican administrations ), we have The SAINTED FDR (who, just like Wilson, trashed the Constitution), followed by Cold Warriors (including Truman, who, although a Democrat, had the unfortunate habit of not always kowtowing to Communists), followed by Another SECULAR Saint, JFK (he had to be a Secular Saint, because he sure wasn't all that Catholic, according to his family), LBJ (Bad-Good - Bad on Vietnam, Good on the Great Society), The VERY BAD - in fact, E-V-I-L Nixon (Yeah, the Progressives went all Impeachment on yo' a$$!), Ford (Eh.), Carter (there are no words to describe how bad a president he was, except to say that he and Obama are neck-and-neck for the ABSOLUTELY WORST!), Reagan (Boo!  Hiss!  Yet, amazingly, the economy improved and the debt lessened under his administration - and, foreign relations were terrific).


• Then, Bush I (Eh.), Billy Boy Clinton (who managed to eclipse JFK for sleazy, tawdry actions - in his case, both in and out of the bedroom), and Bush II (neither as bad nor as good as his enemies and friends say).


• And, then, there's Obama.  Who:
  
  
  
  • Took office under the cloud of probable primary and election fraud.
  
  
  • Proceeded to mis-manage the economy so badly that we're still mired in unemployment, low GDP, and national debt.
  
  
  • Blithely ignored the Constitution (What, exactly, was he supposed to be an expert on?)
  
  
  • Handled corruption and other impeachable offenses by grandly declaring that he, and all his people, were completely innocent, even before the investigation began.  Then, proceeded to block those investigations.  Then, again declared that there was nothing to the charges.
  
  
  • Has a backside that is covered in layers of lipstick from the Mainstream Media.  Still enjoys telling them to shut up, and take his word for everything.  They still grovel at his feet.
  
  
  • Has stirred up more racially-based hatred than ANY president, including Woodrow Wilson, who segregated the Federal government.  His take on current events:  If you're Black, you could be my son.  If you're White, why are you even talking - you know you're a Hater!
  
  
  
  

One bright spot is the recent fictional books by Rush Limbaugh, which are intended for young people to learn more about the United States' history, not as they are often taught in school.

I'm convinced that it will be the efforts of SEVERAL generations to remove the Leftist detritus from our culture.

How Often Do Comparative Things Happen?

Check out XKCD to see the graphic - REALLY cool.

How Bill Clinton Stole a Generation's Innocence

This is a GREAT post on PJ Media.  The comments alone are worth reading.

WHY is SSM (Same-Sex Marriage) Suddenly Accelerating...

.... even though it's been DECISIVELY voted down when put to the people?

This article has an explanation that makes sense, given that the LACK of support for SSM is so large.

Here's how it works:

An AVAILABILITY CASCADE is a self-reinforcing process of collective belief formation by which an expressed perception triggers a chain reaction that give the perception increasing plausibility through its rising availability in public discourse. The driving mechanism involves a combination of informational and reputational motives: Individuals endorse the perception partly by learning from the apparent beliefs of others and partly by distorting their public responses in the interest of maintaining social acceptance. Availability entrepreneurs -- activists who manipulate the content of public discourse -- strive to trigger availability cascades likely to advance their agendas ("Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation," Timur Kuran and Cass Sunstein, Stanford Law Review, 1999).

Read more:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/02/manufacturing_consent_on_same_sex_marriage.html#ixzz2tgqNRMmI

Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

WHY is the push to agree with others such a big motivator?  People are social animals; we crave being part of the group (well, SOME of us - even MOST of us).  Those who are comfortable with NOT being in tune with the group are few - Think of Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory.

For that matter, even the relatively stand-apart loners still have SOME need to affiliate - the Nerds on the BBT sit together at lunch, hang around after work, go to the comic book shop and ComiCon together - they just have a higher tolerance for NOT being in tune with the group.

Even the TEA Partiers like to meet up occasionally.

True solitaries are rare - even Robinson Crusoe had his Friday - and Tom Hanks had his Wilson.

What is so objectionable about this pushing to conform?  For one thing, it's a cold-blooded political tactic, that, because so few are aware that it is being performed, appears to be natural and organic.

I'm adding a link to the book that explains about all this social tinkering Nudge:  Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (don'cha just start to feel like one of the Betas in Brave New World?).  Click on the link, or go to the Amazon Store on the right sidebar, click on the second page to get the link to the book.

WHY Did Auto Workers Vote AGAINST Joining a Union?

"at the Southern plant, a starting worker earns $19.50 an hour without a union, while his counterpart working in Michigan earns only $15.50 an hour. So wages do not compel a worker to support unionization. The foreign- owned plants, it seems, pay better than the American auto manufacturers."

And, they would, if unionized, have to pay dues to that union.  A good part of union dues go to pay for political activity that the union ELITE/Progressives favor - even though a sizable percentage of their membership opposes their positions.

Read the rest, at Commonsense & Wonder.

A Book That Would Make a GREAT Wedding Present!

I found this on National Review (see article at link).

If you're thinking of buying it, would you help me by using this link to do so?

If, like me, you use Amazon, you can start your search with the sidebar widget at the right.  By clicking on the title (where it says Click HERE), you can direct a small portion of money to help support this blog - it comes out of Amazon's portion, and doesn't increase your purchase price one bit.

 

Just About Caught Up on the Internet!

I, like so many in the South, have been largely snow-bound for days.  Without the many snowplows,, de-icing substances, and, even, snow shovels (I had to explain what they were to my students on Tuesday - they'd literally never seen one), it's taken quite a while to begin clearing up the mess that the recent snowstorm dumped on us.  Power is out in many places (not our area, thank God - although we DO have a gas-powered generator - AND plenty of gas).  Crews are working non-stop to restore it - if you see a crew in your area, bring them out hot coffee and cocoa, would you?

I've had plenty of time to catch up on current news, political issues, and various sundry pursuits.  I'm totally caught up on sleep.  I would have done more housework, but I burnt my hand rather badly, trying to make a white sauce.  There is schoolwork, grading and planning, but I just don't feel like it yet.

So, I'll be blogging today.  I have some ideas that I'd like to flesh out, some issues that I'd like to more fully explore, and some long-suppressed rants to write down.

I'll also be adding some links to Amazon - if you're thinking about ordering something, would you access the site through me?  It helps cover the cost of this website.  I'll put some of my favorite books, with links, on the side.

Check back during the day.

Welcome to the Re-Boot!

I'm off work, due to snow (it's a laughable amount to a Yankee transplant, but it causes serious problems for a part of the country that doesn't have the materials, equipment, or expertise to deal with it).

 

I've decided to get back in the saddle, and add my voice to those that are passionate about changing our country BACK to:

• Less government - not just BETTER government, but LESS


• Better schools - I'm strongly of the belief that Conservatives need to start writing alternative curriculum, with the state standards in mind (although they need to get embedded in the State Boards of Education, to be able to influence the standards, as well).


• TRUE civility in public life - which ALSO includes the freedom to get into the dirt, if attacked by a pig.  No holding to a higher standard Conservatives, while allowing Leftists to go for the gonads.


• Creation/Expansion of HONEST media.  There needs to be Conservative channels on TV/Cable, as well as Conservative Packages.  Families shouldn't be forced to allow Leftist propaganda into their homes, nor near-porn.  Blocking shouldn't be necessary.


• Fewer, and Lower, taxes.  Less regulation by bureaucrats.  An end to the Imperial Presidency, including trimming the budget.  That would also include a provision that ANY and ALL trips not taken for official business be billed to the President at Air Force 1 rates/military jet rates.  Those official visits may NOT be combined with private business. Exceptions ONLY for immediate family emergencies/funerals.


• For Heaven's sake, it would be cheaper, and possibly safer, to buy all of a small commercial aircraft's seating, and bump passengers!  The movie Air Force 1 was only a movie (although, quite entertaining).


• Change the tax structure.  Change to a flat tax rate, and eliminate the hidden/add-on taxes.  EVERYBODY pays - even those on welfare or unemployment, or on Social Security.  If they ALL suffer when a new tax is brought in, they'll stop voting for them.  Same with Social Security - EVERYBODY pays in, and NO MORE government pensions.  You want to build your retirement, do it at YOUR expense.


• Health Care - EVERYBODY pays a co-pay, even the Medicaid patients.  It doesn't have to be that much ($1-$10), but everybody has to have some skin in the game.  If you are from another country, your country WILL be billed, if you are indigent.  If they refuse to pay, bye-bye.  We don't need more free-loaders - we have enough of them, home-grown.

I'm also going to continue beefing up the part of the site dedicated to Conservative Self-Education, and include links to books (both free, and those that can be gotten on Amazon and elsewhere).

Why The Proposed Immigration Bill Is NOT a Good Idea

The Guiding Principles that have been proposed are:

• NO path to citizenship - instead, the illegally-present people will have their status changed to legal resident, or citizen-but-without-voting-rights.  This would be a LEGAL status, but NOT citizenship.
  
  
  
  • I can just see the follow-up headlines:  How can those cruel, heartless, Republicans keep these LEGAL people in 2nd-class citizenship status?  Allowing this "legal but non-citizen status" is only a ploy - it will not last until the ink is dry on the agreement.
  
  
  • Not to mention the issue of people who are NOT eligible voting in many cities already.  Now, why is that a CITY problem?  Because voter fraud is harder to get away with in the smaller towns, unless it's a town with a university in it.
  
  
  
  


• These now-legal residents would learn English, learn about American legal system, and gradually become part of our society - no longer "in the shadows".
  
  
  
  • Probably a silly question - if they are "living in the shadows", then who is it that I see on the news all the time?
  
  
  
  


• They would have to pass a background check.
  
  
  
  • Statistics on crime in the immigrant population is mixed.  Academic studies tend to find low crime rates; the FBI and other official statistics show much higher rates.  See this link for a discussion of the situation, and make the judgement for yourself.
  
  
  • Keep in mind that the crime rate falling may occur even though crimes committed by immigrants are rising.  2006 FBI stats showed:
  
  
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    95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.

    
    
  
  
  • 83% of warrants for murder in Phoenix are for illegal aliens.
  
  
  • 
    

    86% of warrants for murder in Albuquerque are for illegal aliens.

    
    
  
  
  • 75% of those on the most wanted list in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Albuquerque are illegal aliens.
  
  
  • 24.9% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally
  
  
  • 40.1% of all inmates in Arizona detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally
  
  
  • 48.2% of all inmates in New Mexico detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally
  
  
  • 29% (630,000) convicted illegal alien felons fill our state and federal prisons at a cost of $1.6 billion annually
  
  
  • 53% plus of all investigated burglaries reported in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Texas are perpetrated by illegal aliens.
  
  
  • 50% plus of all gang members in Los Angeles are illegal aliens from south of the border.
  
  
  • 71% plus of all apprehended cars stolen in 2005 in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California were stolen by Illegal aliens or “transport coyotes".
  
  
  • 47% of cited/stopped drivers in California have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 47%, 92% are illegal aliens.
  
  
  • 63% of cited/stopped drivers in Arizona have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 63%, 97% are illegal aliens
  
  
  • 66% of cited/stopped drivers in New Mexico have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 66% 98% are illegal aliens.
  
  
  
  


• They would have to pay "significant" fines and back taxes.
  
  
  
  • Because, we've NEVER seen favored groups excused from obligations that affect non-favored groups.
  
  
  • NEVER.
  
  
  • NEVER.
  
  
  
  


• They would have to support themselves, AND their families, without use of public benefits.
  
  
  
  • BUT, if their household includes American-born minor children, they already CAN get those benefits - which is a HUGE incentive to start making babies, FAST!
  
  
  • Contrary to public image of immigrant poverty, the non-natives live fairly well, compared to the natives.  See the table below for a comparison. (Click to enlarge)
  
  
  
  

"In some states, the difference with natives is even larger. In Arizona, Colorado, Texas, California, Nevada, North Carolina, Illinois, and Massachusetts the per-capita household income of natives is at least 50 percent higher than immigrants. The per-capita figures indicate that immigrant households are a good deal poorer than native household once household size is taken into account."  From the Center for Immigration Studies (quote and table)

 



 

Immigrants ALREADY use far more benefits than natives.  Who, besides a chuckleheaded Liberal/Leftist, expects that to change with legalization?

From the Center for Immigration Studies

 

 

• Eventual citizenship for those brought to the US by parents, before the age of 16.  This is a recognition that children have little choice in where they live.
  
  
  
  • The DREAM Act - this is the legislative proposal that allows non-natives who were brought to the US as children to qualify for college enrollment at citizen tuition rates - AND also includes eligibility for public subsidies for tuition, grants, and loans.  See this link for a fuller discussion of the expected impact on the taxpayers.
  
  
  
  


• Enforcement of security at the borders, as well as internally within the nation.
  
  
  
  • Current law does fingerprint international visitors, but NOT Canadians or Mexicans.  If they travel outside of certain zones, they SHOULD be required to, but, in real life, they aren't.
  
  
  • The Canadian/Mexican exception allows MANY foreign visitors to slip by at the borders.  The documents are easier to fake, don't include biometrics (fingerprints, eye scans, DNA).  So, basically, as long as you claim to be from our neighboring countries, you can ignore all of that "rigorous" security.
  
  
  
  


• Enforcement of existing laws.
  
  
  
  • What about E-Verify?  The federally-funded employment pre-screening that uses applicants work documents to keep illegals from working.
  
  
  
  

 

Here's a map of the coverage of E-Verify.  Click this link to see how YOUR state fits into the requirement for using E-Verify.

As you can see visually, MANY states do not require employees to use E-Verify.  So much for "rigorous" enforcement of employment law.

 

 

Here's the full text:

Here are the full GOP principles:

Standards for Immigration Reform

Our nation’s immigration system is broken and our laws are not being enforced. Washington’s failure to fix them is hurting our economy and jeopardizing our national security. The overriding purpose of our immigration system is to promote and further America’s national interests and that is not the case today. The serious problems in our immigration system must be solved, and we are committed to working in a bipartisan manner to solve them. But they cannot be solved with a single, massive piece of legislation that few have read and even fewer understand, and therefore, we will not go to a conference with the Senate’s immigration bill. The problems in our immigration system must be solved through a step-by-step, common-sense approach that starts with securing our country’s borders, enforcing our laws, and implementing robust enforcement measures. These are the principals guiding us in that effort.

Border Security and Interior Enforcement Must Come First

It is the fundamental duty of any government to secure its borders, and the United States is failing in this mission. We must secure our borders now and verify that they are secure. In addition, we must ensure now that when immigration reform is enacted, there will be a zero tolerance policy for those who cross the border illegally or overstay their visas in the future. Faced with a consistent pattern of administrations of both parties only selectively enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, we must enact reform that ensures that a President cannot unilaterally stop immigration enforcement.

Implement Entry-Exit Visa Tracking System

A fully functioning Entry-Exit system has been mandated by eight separate statutes over the last 17 years. At least three of these laws call for this system to be biometric, using technology to verify identity and prevent fraud. We must implement this system so we can identify and track down visitors who abuse our laws.

Employment Verification and Workplace Enforcement

In the 21st century it is unacceptable that the majority of employees have their work eligibility verified through a paper based system wrought with fraud. It is past time for this country to fully implement a workable electronic employment verification system.

Reforms to the Legal Immigration System

For far too long, the United States has emphasized extended family members and pure luck over employment-based immigration. This is inconsistent with nearly every other developed country. Every year thousands of foreign nationals pursue degrees at America’s colleges and universities, particularly in high skilled fields. Many of them want to use their expertise in U.S. industries that will spur economic growth and create jobs for Americans. When visas aren’t available, we end up exporting this labor and ingenuity to other countries. Visa and green card allocations need to reflect the needs of employers and the desire for these exceptional individuals to help grow our economy.

The goal of any temporary worker program should be to address the economic needs of the country and to strengthen our national security by allowing for realistic, enforceable, usable, legal paths for entry into the United States. Of particular concern are the needs of the agricultural industry, among others. It is imperative that these temporary workers are able to meet the economic needs of the country and do not displace or disadvantage American workers.

Youth

One of the great founding principles of our country was that children would not be punished for the mistakes of their parents. It is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own, those who know no other place as home. For those who meet certain eligibility standards, and serve honorably in our military or attain a college degree, we will do just that.

Individuals Living Outside the Rule of Law

Our national and economic security depend on requiring people who are living and working here illegally to come forward and get right with the law. There will be no special path to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws – that would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law. Rather, these persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics, and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits). Criminal aliens, gang members, and sex offenders and those who do not meet the above requirements will not be eligible for this program. Finally, none of this can happen before specific enforcement triggers have been implemented to fulfill our promise to the American people that from here on, our immigration laws will indeed be enforced.