Solving Healthcare; The Non-Profit Way (full article coming soon)

No one wants to pay over to provide healthcare for undocumented immigrants. But according to Los Angeles Times, federal, state and local funds already reimburse hospitals, clinics and emergency care centers about $4 billion a year to cover the medically indigent. And "according to other sources, overall the United States pays over $30 billion dollar a year for people who do not pay for emergency services. The fact is that most undocumented immigrants go to emergency rooms for minor pains because they do not have access to doctors. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that not for profit clinics are cost efficient and only when it becomes nationally recognized for its tremendous efforts, can we really afford to achieve universal healthcare. "

新法又提供了一个新的文化上的耻辱， 用标志

长期以来，皇后区的法拉盛一直是各种文化的荟萃之地。

在法拉盛有超过100家的餐馆，更不用说一些公司提供的各式服务；像位于罗斯福大道上新世纪商场角落里的有着优惠价格的中国快递；缅街上价格适中的销售高档面料的印度商店；还有离卖喀布尔羊肉串的房子 (Kabul Kabob House)不远处有多于50种的买草药和香料的店铺也位于缅街上。About.com写到：“移民将世界上最好的烹饪带到我们市镇”。我一直坚信，文化的色彩显现了纽约法拉盛的特色。第一印象莫过于法拉盛特殊地铁七号站上醒目的不同形状、颜色、尺寸的各式语言牌子。

理事会成员Peter Koo是一个美籍华人，他在香港长大，推行了一个新政策：要求所有店面的招牌，至少有60%的英文。否则将面临定期的罚款。纽约时报报道：“对于庄先生而言，他的商店前雨搭上巨幅的中文比例大于小的罗马符号将部分用英文代替。这个要求将迫使他多花5000元在上面，而且95%的顾客还不明白"

翻译的迷失？

你有没有看过一个标牌，上面写道：“Mei Yu Ying Restaurant?” 如果我告诉你，这个中国餐馆的名字是“红苹果之家”时，你的反应会是什么？或者，一个餐厅写着Box 5 Buffet, 而中文的意思是“四菜一汤？”如果一个餐厅的名字是Mei Yu Ying, 会符合法律，但不会让任何人包括非中国人明白它的意思是什么。

I like to acknowledge google translator, my mom, and Ms. Lin for helping me with further editing of this article.

A new cultural stigma, of signs

Flushing, Queens has long been the home a variety of cultures.

There are over 100 restaurants in flushing, not to mention assortments of services that out ranks some of the best national companies in America; like the unmatched prices of a Chinese private delivery company available at the corner of New World Mall on Roosevelt Avenue; affordable high end fabrics from Indian stores on Main street; over 50 selections of herbs and spices not far from Kabul Kabob House also on Main street. About.com wrote "immigrants have brought the best of the world's cooking to our borough." It has always been my belief that the color of cultures has eloquently dabbed upon the portrait of Flushing NY. And what's the first visual acquaintance non other than the shapes, colors, sizes and of course the different languages of signs one see when awakening atop of Flushing's signature number 7 train station.



The council member, Peter Koo is a Chinese-American who grew up in Hong Kong proposes a new policy that would require all storefront signs to be at least 60% English. And business would face fined regularly if their signs are not changed. New York Times reports:
"Mr. Chuang, whose storefront awning features giant Chinese characters that dwarf the
Roman characters above it, agreed that all signs should have some English. But he said
a requirement of 60 percent would force him to spend up to $5,000 for a new sign that
95 percent of his customers might not understand."

Lost in translation?
Have you ever read a sign that said something like "Mei Yu Ying Restaurant?" What would be your reaction if i were to tell you the actual name of that restaurant in Chinese is "Red Apple House?" or that a restaurant sign that reads Box 5 Buffet, while the Chinese characters meant "4 dish and a choice of soup?" If a restaurant transliterated its name to Mei Yu Ying, it may comply with the law, but won't help ANYONE including non-Chinese speakers to understand what that means.



Interested in further reading? Check out: In Neighborhood That’s Diverse, a Push for Signs to Be Less So

The Contribution of Immigrants (Full Article)

For as long as I remember, America symbolizes freedom and tolerance. People of this country inherit—when compared with other countries—special services. Incentives include retirement benefits, Medicare, etc., and rights that are inconspicuous to natives. By “native” I’m referring to residences that have proper status or citizenship that saturate the tax payers, but what about non-immigrants? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the foreign born or immigrant population stood at 36 million ending 2005. Although some are not represented politically, all of them contribute and are a part the American society.

The United States is currently experiencing the largest wave of immigration in its history, with over 1.5 million legal and illegal immigrants settling in the country each year. Immigration has long been a topic devoted to controversies, politically and economically. Immigration has been the troubling hot issue, because sustaining them can be troubling at times. A local realtor might complain that immigrants are devaluing the houses or the neighborhood; a construction worker would say the immigrants are taking away jobs by working for less; just like them, the government having a budget deficit would say that the immigrants are not paying taxes. It all comes down to having too many immigrants in this country, having too much competition with the natives.

Is it true that even natives of this country have not been paying taxes? From the recent discovery of the former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle and his unfolding story about his failure to pay $140,000 in taxes and interest; to Corporations such as Wall Mart who owes $17.7 million in taxes for the years 1998 to 2000. On the contrary, the illegal immigrants of this country have been paying taxes on their own. According to a 2008 article on MSNBC, experts agree that illegal immigrants have been paying taxes to the government; “even though the federal government doesn’t fully tally the amount of these taxes, latest figures available indicates amounts to billions of dollars in federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes in 2008.” One rough estimate for the amount of Social Security taxes alone is around $9 billion per year. The illegal workers pay just as much as legal workers.

Tolerance has always been one of the biggest attributes when speaking about the U.S. But sometimes it can be seen as something awful. Immigrants have worked in some of the most underpaid jobs and it has become normal in our society. If a maid who cooks, cleans and watches over the children, often she will only get paid for only one of those activities.  It is accepted in this country, more or less, that an immigrant is always cheaper and an illegal immigrant works for next to nothing. It is this kind of tolerance that causes salary and employer abuses that lead into the sweatshop effect.

Illegal Immigrants Pay Taxes Too!

People of this country are subject to—when compared with other countries—gifts. Incentives include retirement benefits, Medicare, etc., and rights that are inconspicuous to natives. By natives I’m referring to residences that have proper status or citizenship that saturate the tax payers, but what about immigrants and non-immigrants? According to U.S. Census Bureau, the foreign born or immigrant population stood at 36 million ending 2005. All of them underrepresented, but are responsible for large amounts of taxes collected, maybe that’s why they’re considered essential to the American life.

According to a 2008 article on MSNBC, experts agree that illegal immigrants have been paying taxes to the government. Even though the federal government doesn’t fully tally the amount of these taxes, latest figures available indicates amounts to billions of dollars in federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes in 2008. One rough estimate puts the amount of Social Security taxes alone at around $9 billion per year. The illegal workers pay just as much as legal workers.

Citations:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24054024/ns/business-personal_finance/t/tax-time-illegal-immigrants-are-paying-too/

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