Friday, April 20, 2007 Got a question? Get an answer. Send an e-mail to Dear Mr. Mullings Dear Mr. Mullings: There are those who would say that there are 12 million illegal immigrants in this country. Who came up with that number? And how do they know? Jim Cypress, TX To a great degree, if someone (or some organization) with enough stature uses a number, then others pick up that number and it gets on the Internet and then people like me Google "How many illegal aliens ...?" and it keeps getting recirculated. The Census Bureau (which does this sort of thing for a living) estimated as the result of the 2000 count that there were approximately 9 million illegal aliens in the US. However, the Congressional Budget office concluded: �Deriving estimates of the number of unauthorized, or illegal, immigrants is difficult because the government lacks administrative records of their arrival and departure, and because they tend to be undercounted in the census and other surveys of the population. Unauthorized immigrants generally fall into one of two categories: those who entered the United States illegally and without inspection and those who were admitted legally as visitors or temporary residents but overstayed their visa.� The investment firm of Bear Stearns (from which nearly all of this answer comes) used actual economic data to come up with an estimate. The report had to do with the effects of the growing underground economy. The report suggests that "the number of illegal immigrants in the United States may be as high as 20 million people" The Bear Stearns report also says "Undocumented immigrants are gaining a larger share of the job market, and hold approximately 12 to 15 million jobs in the United States (8% of the employed)" which is a very large number, indeed. Dear Mr. Mullings: I haven't been to DC in 40 years and am planning to go this summer. If you only had 2 days to spend in DC, what would you do? My son loves science so I'm definitely thinking the Smithsonian - anything else you could recommend? Denis Here's the rule about visiting Washington, DC: Write down all the things you want to do ... in the order you want to do them. Then cut the list in half. Then cut the list in half again. Then don't be surprised if you don't make much of a dent in that list. The buildings are large, the hallways are long, and the floors are very hard. As an example, your decision to go to the Smithsonian fails to take into account, (this, from the Smithsonian Institution planning page: Welcome to the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum and research complex with 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoo and many research centers. We have more than 136 million objects ... And that doesn't include the National Gallery of Art which is on the National Mall (which is not a shopping center) but is not part of the Smithonian group of museums. A bit of calculator magic tells us that if you spent just two seconds looking at each of the 136 million objects it would take about 8.6 years to see them all - and that assumes they didn't put anything new in behind you. All of the museums on the Mall are free; but some of the exhibits have long lines. There are also lines to go up into the Washington Monument. For an excellent look at the various monuments and memorials within walking distance of the Mall (and each other) go to the National Park Service's National Mall web page. Finally, whether the Congress will be in session during your visit or not, contact your Member of Congress for free passes to the Visitors' Galleries in the House and the Senate (House and Senate offices have free tickets for both). Many offices have visitors' packets already made up, so a quick phone call (202-255-3121 is the main number for the US Capitol. Someone will answer "Capitol" or "Capitol Operator." Just ask for the office of your Representative or Senator) might get you some terrific information based upon the comments of many previous visitors. If you can possibly get there, you should make a special trip to see the new WW II Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and (if you get there about dusk) the haunting Korean War Memorial which is just across the Reflecting Pool from the Wall. The Lincoln Memorial is in the same area so, that would be a freebee. Here's a link to a PDF file from the National Parks Service showing what's where on the National Mall. [In your PDF reader click on the VIEW label in the toolbar; scroll down to "Rotate View" then click on "Clockwise" to stop from having to lay down on the couch to read the map.] Dear Mr. Mullings: I too am a proud member of the NRA. I joined several years ago after reading a speech that Charlton Heston had made at Harvard. I thought then that I have to support this man and his ideas, and joined the NRA. I don't own a weapon, but I am a former Marine, more than 50 years ago - Korean War era, and I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Don't the critics realize that the first ten Amendments are about individual rights, and not about militias? William Apple Valley, CA No. They don't. I am fond of saying (and this is another reason I am not invited back to places that "If the press spent as much time and attention on the 10th Amendment as they do protecting the First and trying to get rid of the Second, this would be a far different country." See? Would YOU invite someone to your house who sprewed stuff like that? Here are the texts of those three Amendments: First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The Second Amendment: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. And the 10th Amendment which, if I were to retire, I would spend a great deal of time getting the Congress to observe: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. Last one Dear Mr. Mullings: Could you provide your loyal readers with a quick synopsis of the difference betwenn a caucus and a primary? David Oklahoma City, OK According to the Enchantedlearning.com website, a caucus is defined as an informal meeting at which potential voters and candidates (or their representatives) talk about the issues and their preferred candidate, and then decide which candidate they support and which delegates to send to their political party's convention. A primary is defined as "a [formal] election that chooses a political party's candidate for office. The winning candidates from each party will later go up against each other in the general election." More interesting are the various theories on where the word caucus derives on the Answers.com web site. See you next week. Rich Got a question? Get an answer. Send an e-mail to Dear Mr. Mullings                                     Click here to return to the Secret Decoder Ring page Copyright © 2007 Barrington Worldwide, LLC