May 2011 - Irish American News

6 Irish American News “We’ve Always Been Green!” May 2011SnippetsObama’s VisitAs you read this offering, presidentObama is making final plansfor his well publicized trip to Irelandthis month. So, what can we expectfrom this trip? The trip is certainlymeant to maintain the good relationsbetween our two countries. It is alsonot lost on our political commentators,that Irish born or more accurately,people of Irish ancestry makeup approximately 40 million of theUS population. That is a significantnumber given that Irish-Americanshave always played an importantrole in political life in this country.Therefore, as Obama pursues his pathto seek a second term as President, itis seen by many pundits as an effortto seek the lion’s share of the Irish-American vote.From Ireland’s perspective, thevisit of President Obama is anotheropportunity to, in the words of EndaKenny: “Send a clear message tothe world, that Ireland is open forMARY ELLEN CONSIDINEREALTOR GOLD MEDALLION ASSOCIATEOffice 773/769-2500Voice Mail 773/564-4250Fax 773/769-2841KELLER WILLIAMSLincoln SquareR E A L T Y2156 W. Montrose, Chicago, IL 60618Each Office Is Independently Owned And OperatedHeather A. BegleyProudly servingthe Irish communitybusiness.” That business is aboveall a huge effort by the coalitiongovernment, to create employment.With the insistence of the Kennyadministration on keeping the rateof corporate tax at 12.5%, it is hopedthat Ireland will continue to be an attractiveplace for US business to setup shop. Ireland is an ideal “gateway”to the EU and has much to offer interms of infrastructure to companieswishing to invest particularly in theareas of research and development.Ireland also has a very well educatedworkforce, especially in the fields ofscience and technology.E-3 Visa AgreementReading the Irish papers in recentmonths, one can’t fail to notice thecontinuing impact of the new waveof emigration. This is particularlytrue in towns and villages west of theShannon. Communities struggle asthe best and brightest leave in numbersnot seen since the 1980’s.From a US-Ireland relationshipMULTIMILLIONDOLLARCLUBThe Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Krollrepresents individuals and families in personal injuryand wrongful death matters including, motorvehicle collisions, construction negligence,work related injuries and medicalmalpractice.10 S. LaSalle St., Suite 3702, Chicago, Illinois 60603phone: (312)676-7222 fax: (312)849-2030heather@kroll-lawfirm.comWebsite: www.kroll-lawfirm.com Blog: www.chicagoaccidentinjurylawyer.compoint of view, efforts are beingdiscussed to find a new program todeal with this reality. Even when theeconomy in Ireland was doing well,there remained the demand for workvisas to the US. That demand is nowmore urgent once again. Young Irishcitizens continue to come in searchof employment. In the pre-9/11 world,it was easy for the Irish to blendin and build a future here, even asundocumented workers. That is nolonger the case, and in order that wecan have an orderly and legal meansof dealing with the current reality, itis necessary to find a framework forthis to happen. I would hope thatthe Irish government would use theObama trip as the perfect opportunityto sign such an agreement while thePresident is in Ireland.The timing is right, the need isurgent and we urge the Irish governmentto do everything in its power tomake this happen.Hearingson Capitol HillThe House Judiciary Committeeheld a hearing last month on the H1BVisa program. The hearing was not ofgreat value in that it amounted to a“talking shop” style exercise. As oneof my friends would put it, “there wasmuch hot air, but no real substance.”These hearings are useful in thatthey can highlight the inadequaciesin the present system. My difficultywith hearings on immigration topicsis this, why waste taxpayer’s time onhighlighting the obvious? Anywaywho has taken the time to study theissue knows what’s wrong with oursystem. The time for talking is longpast. What we need is to have ourelected officials grasp the nettle andoffer real solutions.In the past couple of months weagain see states trying to fix the problemsof our broken system on a localbasis. I applaud the legislators fortheir efforts, but again this is a wasteof taxpayer dollars. Immigration is afederal issue and the only way to fixit is on a national basis.The approval rates for politiciansare at an historic low and this includesthe ratings for Congress as awhole. It is easy to understand whypeople are frustrated at the inabilityof our elected leaders to actuallywork for the common good. As Iprepare to submit this offering, theleadership of the House and Senateare locked in discussions to avert agovernment closedown. And the sadthing is this; both parties are lookingat and putting an enormous effort intohow to explain their failure to reachan agreement on the budget to thegeneral public. The next part is soobvious that it is pathetic; each sideis going to put all their efforts intohow they can place the blame on theother. One man’s suggestion to merecently was comical, but maybe it iscrazy enough to work. He proposedlocking the doors on Congress, feedthe elected officials bread and water,give them ten days to solve their differencesand come out with a workablecompromise.GolfI’m happy to announce that ourAnnual Golf Outing will be hosted atSt. Andrew’s Golf & Country Club inWest Chicago. The cost is the sameas last year $100 per person. Thisincludes, Green Fees, Golf Cart withGPS and dinner. The prizes will beup to our usual high standard. Shouldyou wish to sponsor the event, take anad in our book or play, please contactthe C.I.I.S. office at 773-282-8445,or Paul Treacy at 312-907-4440, ormyself in whatever way you please.On the topic of sponsorship, weare most grateful to all those whocame out in such big numbers for ourAnnual Dinner Dance on April 2nd.All had a great night as we honoredthe great Pat Noonan.Words ofGreat WisdomThe Native American Code ofEthics1. Rise with the sun to pray. Prayalone. Pray often. The Great Spiritwill listen, if you only speak.2. Be tolerant of those who arelost on their path. Ignorance, conceit,anger, jealousy and greed stem froma lost soul. Pray that they will findguidance.3. Search for yourself, by yourself.Do not allow others to make yourpath for you. It is your road, andyours alone. Others may walk it withyou, but no one can walk it for you.4. Treat the guests in your homewith much consideration. Servethem the best food, give them thebest bed and treat them with respectand honor.5. Do not take what is not yourswhether from a person, a community,the wilderness or from a culture. Ifit was not earned or given, it is notyours.6. Respect all things that areplaced upon this earth—whether itbe people or plant.7. Honor other people’s thoughts,wishes and words. Never interruptanother or mock or rudely mimicthem. Allow each person the right topersonal expression.8. Never speak of others in a badway. The negative energy that you putout into the universe will multiplywhen it returns to you.9. All persons make mistakes. Andall mistakes can be forgiven.10. Bad thoughts cause illness ofthe mind, body and spirit. Practiceoptimism.11. Nature is not FOR us, it is aPART of us. They are part of yourworldly family.12. Children are the seeds of ourfuture. Plant love in their hearts andwater them with wisdom and life’slessons. When they are grown, givethem space to grow.13. Avoid hurting the hearts ofothers. The poison of your pain willreturn to you.14. Be truthful at all times. Honestyis the test of ones will withinthis universe.15. Keep yourself balanced. YourMental self, Spiritual self, Emotionalself, and Physical self—all need tobe strong, pure and healthy. Workout the body to strengthen the mind.Grow rich in spirit to cure emotionalails.16. Make conscious decisions asto who you will be and how you willreact. Be responsible for your ownactions.17. Respect the privacy and personalspace of others. Do not touchthe personal property of others—especiallysacred and religious objects.This is forbidden.18. Be true to yourself first. Youcannot nurture and help others ifyou cannot nurture and help yourselffirst.19. Respect others religious beliefs.Do not force your belief onothers.20. Share your good fortune withothers. Participate in charity.Should you have any comments,suggestions or questions please feefree to contact me at 773 282 8445or sliabhanoir@yahoo.com.