The government knows where I live, where I work, how much my house is worth, and how much I make. They tax me based on these things, they use that tax money to pay for everyone that works for the government, military, schools, roads, etc. They also use some of that money to give food, housing, and healthcare to those who can't afford it. When somebody is undocumented they have no idea where they live or how much they make. There is no way to know exactly how many of them are here, it's all a guess, and even when they do know the exist such as enrolling their children in our schools for the most part they are not tracked. I pay for my own healthcare, but anybody can show up at the ER and get healthcare, or have their child which is then automatically considered a US citizen. Some of these people work for cash, some use false documents, if I tried using false documents the government would come down on me hard. Others somehow apply for government assistance, and somehow they are not tracked either. If everybody in the country decided they took could go undocumented the government wouldn't have money to do anything with (well they would probably just print more of this imaginary money they like so much). Not all of these people crossed the boarder illegally, many people came here legally on Visa's but when the time on that ran out they chose not to return back to their country. They give Visa's for schooling and work, it's supposed to be a temporary thing, they can apply for citizenship while they are here but that can be very expensive and time consuming.
There are many migrant workers picking out fruits and vegetables and working in our meat packing plants, this keeps prices down but there is always a hidden cost we don't realize. Many also work in the service industries in the kitchens of restaurants, cleaning hotels and offices, or in construction. They send money back to their country which messes with our economy, they make less money which makes it harder for legal employees to get what they are worth.
It's not about stopping people from getting in, it's about controlling the number and type of people getting in, and keeping track of them like the government does with the legal citizens. Making a level playing field so that everybody carries their own weight. I would be OK with some kind of trade arrangements where we send some of our unwanted people in exchange for some people who want to come here and work. It seems only fair that the give and take balances out.

Washington state? Not the safest choice either. They have volcano's, and are due for a big earth quake, or tsunami.
During hurricane Ian there were roads and bridges that were washed out from the storm surge. If those can't withstand a a hurricane I don't see how any house could, of course we are just talking about a long the coast line and that's where a lot of the damage took place. Roads and bridges are very expensive, also the boats that washed on shore were very expensive, and unless you move your boat before the storm (hard to do when they were so far off on predictions) all you can do is hope for the best.
What we call "mobile homes" or "manufactured homes" generally get put on a lot and never move again. The newer ones have thicker walls and will stand up better then the old ones. They also run straps into the ground now to keep them anchored, but they do sit about 2 feet off the ground so it's easier for air to get under them, and makes them much more dangerous to be in during a tornado.
In most areas they are burying the power lines that are in the neighborhoods because it looks nicer and they don't need to trim the trees. But there are risks of digging or damage in other ways. From the transformer to your house is only 240 volts, the power lines before that are about 17,000 volts, and the great big ones that transfer it long distance can be 100,000 volts. So it may make sense to bury some lines, it could be very dangerous to bury others. The big power lines in California were responsible for some of the huge fires that burned entire towns. Once again it is risk and reward. How much it cost to do it right, verses how much it cost to fix something. Back in the day on big projects they would plan on losing a life for every $100,000 of work done, sometimes they did better, sometimes worse. But there has to be give and take. We could bury our houses to protect them from the wind, but when the floods come they would fill up like swimming pools.

I can't remember a big storm hitting the ghetto besides hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans, and never in my life did I hear such cry babies, they were like help us, give me, give me, give me. They sheltered them in temporary camping trailers and they were sueing over the formaldehyde levels in them, they don't know the meaning of temporary. Any other community gathers together to clean up and rebuild, but 10 years after the hurricane they were still crying that everything was done for them.
Back in the day the government built houses on reservations for the Indians and the would peel the siding off and burn it for heat which would soon destroy the whole house.
If people are not working towards something, or paying for it themselves they have no pride for it, no respect for it. All the government housing gets trashed and then they call up complaining expecting somebody else to fix what they broke.

Often times that is why things are built the way they are, people figure if anything goes wrong insurance will pay for it, why make it your own problem when you can make it somebody else's problem?

Cost is a big factor, also age, and the odds of it getting hit. When the twin towers in NY got hit by the airplanes hijacked by terrorist they didn't think they would fall, but the hit from the airplane combined with the burning jet fuel caused the "fire proofing" protecting the metal to be knocked lose and combine all the other burning debris cause the metal structure to melt enough to cause the collapse.
Building codes have changed a lot thru the years but not enough to guaranty that a building will not be lost, and it is not required that older houses be retrofit. The improvements are in anchoring them to the ground and putting metal strapping and braces in them. A brick or concrete house does stand up much better but there are still no guaranty and it can cost 2x, 3x or more to build these compared to a stick built house. Hurricanes are winds 75mph to 150mph sustained depending how strong the storm, but wind gusts can go even higher. But there is also damage caused by the storm surge on the coast along with very large amounts of rain that can move inland and can cause flooding. Water is very heavy and powerful and can cause a lot of damage. Often damage is caused by the blowing debris, if there was no debris the structures would have a much better chance. The good thing about hurricanes is there is warning because it's a slow developing system.

Tornados on the other hand pop up fast, many are narrow and only do damage 100ft wide or so, but others can be a mile wide. Much of the US is farm land or other open land so often the tornados don't hit any populated areas, but with more people the more likely it becomes for them to hit a house. Once again it is often the debris that causes the most damage, and it's spinning so it is really good at picking things up. Often times the tornado will lift a roof off even a brick building and the roof is designed to keep the walls from falling in, if one thing is damaged it can lead to failure to other parts.

What you call "caravans" are mobile homes or trailer houses built in a factory, not just travel trailers that people camp in, but actual homes people live in. These go down the road at up to 70mph moving from the factory to the home site, so yes they can stand up to a lot. Think about driving your car at 70mph, it can go much faster without any damage. But if you hit something going that fast it gets destroyed, that's why the debris is such a factor. A mobile home can be bought for less than $100k, a stick built home can be built for $150k+ plus the lot to put it on, a brick or concrete house is probably going to start at about $300k plus the lot but can go up very quickly from there. So you really have to force people to think about how they build and what the odds are for getting damage.

So you want to know the story of "The 3 little pigs"? Well the 1st pig built his house out of straw, the 2nd pig built his house out of sticks, and the 3rd pig built his house out of brick. The wolf came along to the 1st house and said open the door or I will huff, n puff, n blow the house down. He blew the 1st house down and that pig ran into the stick house. Again the wolf said I will huff, n puff,n blow the house down which he did. Those 2 pigs ran to the 3rd house made of brick. The wolf said I will huff, n puff, n blow this house down. He blew, n blew, til he was blue in the face and couldn't blow it down. So all the pigs lived happily ever after, or at least til something else killed them.

They want "equal rights" along with some "special rights" to go along with them. Why are there special awards shows for black people?Why do they have the united negro college fund? What do they have affirmative action that says you have to hire a minority if they have the same or even less qualifications? Why do they have a minority clause in some contracts for public projects? Why do we have "gay bars" that cater to a select group?

The government discriminates based on age, they don't let people vote til they are 18 or over, they don't allow people to buy alcohol or tobacco or nicotine products til they are 21. And then there are 55+ communities that don't allow for younger people to live there. Isn't that discrimination? They used to have "ladies night" at bars, but most have stopped doing that because it was considered discrimination.

Should an airline be required to give somebody 2 seats for the price of 1 because the person weighs 450 lbs? Should a buffet be required to charge the same whether you are 100 lbs or 300lbs?

The problem is everyone wants a leg up, a little extra, equal doesn't always really mean equal.

What really gets me is when the president of the United States says he wants a woman of color for the vice president, then he says he will only nominate a black woman for the supreme court without even looking into other candidates. Isn't that the most discriminating thing to do is pick a specific sex and race without giving consideration to others?

I will use religion to explain once again. The Democrats and Republicans are like Muslims and Christians, yes there are plenty of other religions and beliefs, but those groups are so big it's hard for anybody else to gain control of the people. Independents, the green party, all the little parties out there don't have the power, the money, or the backers to gain ground. People are like sheep, they follow the flock, however I think people are starting to think more freely nowadays, and they get much more information. 100years ago people were happy to support the government, they were more patriotic, look at the support people gave during WW2. But now the government has screwed people over in so many ways that people no longer trust them, they have no respect for the people or the money the people supply them. It's natural for people to want to belong, as in belong to a group, like being Democrat or Republican, and the parties know this and try to pin us against each other in order to cause a conflict and make us choose a side. Things will get much worse before they ever get better. So to answer the question "Can't we all just get along?" the answer is "No" unless there are some major changes in the way things are done. Maybe the people should be voting directly for policy's
instead of voting for people that say they will do things and never come thru with their promises?

It has to do with changing the rules as we go. Clearly we can't follow every rule that was made 250 years ago as it was ment to be as there has been so many dramatic changes in everything from technology, to the way people live, and what we believe in. The problem arises from who wants to change the rules, and why they want to change the rules, usually so that they have an advantage in some form. Religion which is almost as old as humans is also politics, telling people how to live, making rules. With all the knowledge that people have today it's hard to believe that people still follow what people made up thousands of years ago, but many do. It's all a game, it's all about control, getting the most people on your side enhances their control. So they sell people on ideas, brain wash them, do whatever it takes to try and gain an edge.

If I am making Jesus fish stickers I am not going to switch things over just because you want a rainbow sticker.

Being gay is a choice, same as being heterosexual is a choice. You can choose who you are with, or you can choose not to be with anybody. It is not the same as being born black, or white, or Asian. Yes you may have feelings toward one way or another, or your hormones might be out of wack, but at the end of the day you still have a choice. You have people who are born gay ( I'm sure there is a way to test for this be it thru estrogen and testosterone, or thru DNA, or a brain scan to see parts of the brain that would relate to that) You also have people who are "gay" just because they want the attention, they want to stand out in a crowd, or want to make a point. I think this whole thing has been blown up just for people seeking attention both for their religious beliefs and sexual orientation beliefs. I can sell what I want, to who I want, for however much I want. It's known as free enterprise. Maybe I have just 1 client? Then if somebody else comes along I am not REQUIRED to sell to them, I can pick and choose whomever I want for whatever reason I want.

I hear they taste good covered in chocolate, and they have a lot of protein. Insects are a very good food source.

Karma says " be nice to your kids, they'll choose your nursing home"

When the weather gets cold and windy it's by the fireplace or hibernating, the older I get the more I dislike the cold.

Don't hear much from fellow Minnesotans in this section besides 8macman posting here so I thought I'd respond so he knows at least somebody reads his posts once in awhile!

I don't like it when people put "I'm only here for the forums" in their profiles.

The point I was trying to make is we have people who are able to work here that don't. And many of these people who come to this country are considered second class, and some are even treated like slaves. Also the long term ramifications for allowing these people into the country could be detrimental to them and the country if things are not carefully thought thru before we rush into things. Maybe it has become that people of the United States have gotten so greedy, and feel so entitled that they need others to do their work for them? I also say the best way to make money is have somebody else do it for you, so there must be a balance to make everybody feel they are doing their part. It just seems like the work force is getting closer to acting like a Socialist Country where people know they are only going to make what they are going to make so they don't care about quality or quality of what they do.

I have finally been able to put Marks idea into a plan. We go somewhere (maybe Africa?), grab a bunch of people and bring them back. We feed them, give them shelter, and white man sits on their butts and watches them while they work. This sounds like a revolutionary idea, what could possibly go wrong? Now all we need is a huge field filled with cotton, good work Mark.

And BTW everybody, happy Columbus day!

Hang on, hold your horses! So are you trying to tell me that Pluto isn't really a planet? Or are you talking about Mickey Mouses dog?

So Mark complains about "wage inflation"? Have you forgot about the Democrats wanting to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour? And anyone with common sense said just let it happen on its own because in the long run poor people will be even worse off then they are now, and it will bring down much of the middle class too.

Seems to be a concern about the interest rates and housing market too. Well that depends on where your money is, and what you want to do with it. Interest rates were way too low for much too long, that artificially inflated house prices, we are much over due for a housing correction. Interest rates are still half of what they were in 1982. The biggest problem is people were spoiled by low fuel prices during the pandemic, which lead to lower prices on goods because the cost of manufacturing, and shipping was cheaper. Then the government threw all kinds of "free" money all over the place. Now people are use to a certain standard and they are putting their groceries on credit cards to feed their families, and it won't take long for those interest rates to catch up to them.

I don't blame Democrats for all things that are happening, the Republicans also had a big hand in handing out free money and keeping interest rates way too low. But instead of trying to control things Biden decided to waste trillions of more dollars, shut down US energy production, and hand out more freebies.

So what is wrong with a boarder wall to control people coming into the country? I guess I need Mark to lay out how these people are going to come to this country? And how many people we are talking about? Because the system currently in place is not working.

Does anybody understand how Mexico got to the position it's in? Mexico was keeping pace with the US back in the 50's and 60's. But then a socialist government took over, forced some businesses to be nationalized, they ran those companies into the ground but continued to dump money into them until the Peso was worth nothing. Seems like the path the US will be heading down unless some major changes are made.

If we just let everyone, and anyone into the country things will quickly snowball out of control. The health care system is already broke, our schools are a mess, and if you think the rich are going to pay for all the handouts you are sadly wrong. The rich will always make money off the poor, and the more they give the poor the richer the rich become.

You answered your own question, if you would have read beyond the first sentence perhaps you would have figured a thing or two out? Of all these people you seem so willing to get into the country, how many do you think are hard workers? How many do you think are just freeloaders? And what happens when they retire but have paid little to no money to Social Security? They also need housing, food, infrastructure. So how many of these people can we add before the system is worse off instead of better off? We have already shipped much of our manufacturing over seas and even some other fields are being done over seas now. The problem is the United States has become filled with low paying service jobs because Americans have become lazy, greedy, and feel entitled. What happens when the economy starts to head in the other direction and people get laid off? Are we going to send these people back to where they came from? Are we going to give them government handouts? I know people like you think we can continue to just print money to make everybody happy, but that's why we are in the mess we are in the first place. Handouts for the Corona virus was one of the stupidest things they could have done. The amount of greed that created, the amount of entitlement, the amount of debt that is impossible to pay off. I have no problem with letting some people come into the country legally, many that do come have a drive and a dream to make their life better. They start their own businesses and work there butts off to keep it going. But on the other hand you have many coming to the land of the free for free food, free housing, free healthcare. The freeloaders. If we would go back to natural selection and let nature take it's coarse about 30% of the population would die because they would be too dumb or lazy to figure out they had to actually work to feed and shelter themselves. Be careful what you wish for,because it doesn't always work out the way you envision it. We may end up as a third world country sooner then many think and then we will be the ones seeking other countries to work in and feed us?

The only DOPE I'm smoking is you. Really shows your intelligence with all your come backs, can't wait til you come up with some more. I'm sure you will be a prime mate for some fat retarded woman you find, I can read profiles too.🤣

Instead of importing people to work how about we get some of the lazy people we have here to actually work. Yes, many people here have jobs, but how many actually WORK? People want to show up when they want, and do what they want, and they want top dollar just to show up. They feel like they are entitled, that people owe them just for existing. I have long had a saying "fire half the people and double production". The people whom actually work are so busy fixing the F'ups of the other morons that are just in the way. Pay people for what they accomplish, not for how many hours they stand around. Quit giving handouts to freeloaders, if you can't afford food you can get a loaf of bread and a bag of rice, if you don't like it go out and earn your own money. Tap into the prisons, there are many able bodied people who could be working there. For the most part College is a joke, any valuable information could be learned in a much shorter time, or on the job. Instead of having people waste 4+ years of their working life going to class 4 hours a day they could be doing much more productive things and learning while they do it. People basically freeload off society til they are 18, or 22 if the go to college. They then work til around 65 when they retire, so if they live to be 100 they only spend half their life working, and the rest of the time freeloading off others. It's not about getting more people, it's about working smarter, using technology, and using the resources we already have.

So first off does this time machine go back in history as well as into the future? Maybe you should take your time machine back in history and change some things?

Second off I'm pretty sure there have been plenty of things that were never seen in a "VISION" ahead of time in history.

Third off, but far from finally. When you say "GREAT MEN AND WOMEN" I believe that is for others to determine and not yourself, and there doesn't seem like there is any thing "GREAT" about yourself.