My Heart Is Still Pounding

[Brian O]

I got home today and found a message on our answering machine. It was from a debt collector. So I returned the call to see what this was about. They tell me I owe them $800 from a Balleys account from 99. I had gotten behind in that account when I was taking care of my mother when she was sick. When she passed away and I got a job that was the first thing I paid. I was a gymn rat back then. So I remember holding on to the receipt for that up until about a month ago. I thought to myself why am I still keeping this lol. So I told them it was paid in full and that they need to contact Balleys. They also said AT&T had a bill for $209 against me. I have never had a phone through them. So I asked what it was for. They told me it was from a number in 2003 in an area that I never lived in. That the bill was for Angel Hernandez. So I asked them who are they trying to contact. They said Brian Ortegel. Can you believe that still didn't click for them. I had to explain that I'm obviously not Angel Hernandez and that he must have given false information to get a phone. So I start arguing with them that I'm not paying any of this and they hung up on me. Luckily Balleys is sending me a letter to clear me and I had to have the police come by and interogate me so I can get a fraud report to send to these jerks. I called back to let them know that I was handling it and the guy kept saying alleged fraud like I'm probably making this all up. What a giant pain in my arse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now for the RANT!!! Know that I have a partial hispanic heritage and that my wife is Mexican/Native American. I don't own a rebel flag or anything like that.

I really dislike illegal immagrants!!! The fact that they break the laws openly just by being here is bad enough. Then you add on all the other joys. They work for lower wages so it drives all wages down. They send their children to our schools and don't even teach them english for school. So your children are kept behind so they can catch up. They get free health care which comes out of our taxes. We also pay with inflated prices when we visit. My friends son was sued by an illegal in a car accident. It was her fault and she had no license or insurance.(More wasted tax dollars) Then think about the money it costs for law enforcement and jailing. How about thefts like this. You know the consumer will pay this in the end.

I don't care if your a from somewhere else. I don't care if you can't speak the launguage. I'm just tired of being taken advatage of! My family made alot of sacrifices to get started here. So it pains me to see people taking advantage of a situation. Life is hard enough on it's own without people adding to it.

 

[ByRandom]

Life is hard enough on it's own without people adding to it.

I couldn't agree with you more.

Keep your chin up, man. As they say -- Bad Things happen to Good people.

 

[scottmckillips]

I feel for you Brian!! Going through the same kind of crap!

I also agree with the whole illegals B.S.


Scott

 

[marula]

Bad Things happen to Good people

i completly agree
and i agree regarding illegals for the big part of them!! i have some bad experience with them too!
but...
some of them are here because some americans use them for pay less worker...and after a month of hard work they call the immigration office so they will ship back ilegals to their country and they don't need to pay them...

so...

Bad Things happen to Good people

this is the rules...

i'm so sorry...i has got an experience like this in my country ..so i know what you feel!

 

[The NY Gecko]

Man, this forum is just rampant with fraud victims. lol. I mean, not that thats funny or anything, but it just seems like everyone here has had some issue of some sort. Man its good to be 16, no credit cards, no bills, no worries. Then again, just saying that will probably curse me for an eternity. Sorry to hear Brian.



On the topic of illegals. If there was one thing I would love to do is to stick them all on a boat and send them sailing home. You know, give them a personal send off. Waving the American "friendship" gesture. Laughing at them. That would be something special. Too bad it can't happen. But how bout we deport all that we can!

 

[Zbiz]

um... waving the american "friendship" gesture... if this is what i think your implying thats a little uncalled for. Looks like you have a personal gripe.

I guess in my situation, I understand the desperation of illegal immigrants. Have any of you been to Mexico? And no im not talking about Cancun. The country is in ruin and if it was me, I would be tryin my hardest to leave aswell. I just believe thinking one way without understanding both sides makes one's beliefs unjustified or biased. We have it good in America and it seems we start to forget everyone else do not have it so easy.

I hope I dont cause conflict by puttin in my 2 cents. Thats not my intention.

Peace and love!!!

 

[BalloonzForU]

um... waving the american "friendship" gesture... if this is what i think your implying thats a little uncalled for. Looks like you have a personal gripe.

I guess in my situation, I understand the desperation of illegal immigrants. Have any of you been to Mexico? And no im not talking about Cancun. The country is in ruin and if it was me, I would be tryin my hardest to leave aswell. I just believe thinking one way without understanding both sides makes one's beliefs unjustified or biased. We have it good in America and it seems we start to forget everyone else do not have it so easy.

I hope I dont cause conflict by puttin in my 2 cents. Thats not my intention.

Peace and love!!!

Zach, Yes we do have it much easier then most countries, but at the same time we can't even take care of our own that are in need. How can we care for others that refuse to come here legally? I have no problem with people coming to the US to better themselves or make a better life for their families, that is where most of us came from to begin with. I have a problem with people coming from other countries and have their hands out not willing to work hard like the rest of us. Unfortunately it's those who give immigrants a bad name whether legal or not. The problem we have now, is not just the hands out expecting help, but others that wish the US harm, and that has caused much of the animosity towards illegals, deserved or not. I wish that all countries could have the freedom that we have, to have a better life like we have. I have no hate for any other countries' people, some of their governments well that is a different story. There was a time that the US was open to all who sought a better life, too bad we will never see that again, and rightfully so.

 

[Ian S.]

I'll be at the bridge waving.

Have any of you been to Mexico? And no im not talking about Cancun. The country is in ruin and if it was me, I would be tryin my hardest to leave aswell. I just believe thinking one way without understanding both sides makes one's beliefs unjustified or biased. We have it good in America and it seems we start to forget everyone else do not have it so easy.

Illegal immigration needs to be dealt with in comparison to winning the lottery. If you hit the jack pot on a 360 million dollar ticket, are you gonna take annuity payments because you don't want to be taxed. Hell NO!! I'll bet 90% of you would jack the one lump sum,as I would myself. Undoubtedly these people are fleeing their countries due to the relentless hardships they have to face. Instead of tossing a few bucks here and a few bucks there to controll the issue. Shell out the extra dough in means of savings for the future. It sounds a bit vague in context but I'm no head of armed forces.
Just my 2 pennies.

EDIT: ok... I take back the "head armed forces" (thats a bit shallow) foreign policies is what I was looking for.

 

[gaparicio]

On the topic of illegals. If there was one thing I would love to do is to stick them all on a boat and send them sailing home. You know, give them a personal send off. Waving the American "friendship" gesture. Laughing at them. That would be something special. Too bad it can't happen. But how bout we deport all that we can!

This is the kind of stuff that would get me very upset:angry: . First off, I am Mexican American. My parents, grandparents and uncles all came to this country LEGALLY a long time ago. None of my family members back in Mexico have never crossed the border illegaly. These comments and how people feel about not only illegal immigrants but minorities in general are exactly what's wrong with the U.S. today.

On the topic of illegal immigrants, this will always be debated whether to close the borders or not. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I disagree. At the same time, I just don't see why people feel as if they're better than anybody else to judge them as a whole. I've heard many illegal immigrants crossing over and making a great life for themselves and their families generation after generation. I've also heard of many illegal immigrants crossing over and become criminals. These are the people that give the rest a bad name. Nothing wrong with a person who has had it rough in their homeland and trying to make a better living somewhere else. True, they should do it legally, but not all of us have the proper finances.

About Mexico being in ruins, I seriously disagree. Maybe in terms of politics and the economy being what it is, everything else is normal. I try to visit many parts of Mexico every other year that aren't tourist attractions and I don't see much difference than what I see here in Chicago.

We all know the US is one big melting pot. Whether we believe in this or not, we are all immigrants in some way. Some of our past relatives came here from Germany, Poland, Ireland, England, Italy, Spain, Africa, etc. Granted it was many generations ago but they all fled their homeland right? Funny thing though, come tax time, everyone fills in WHITE on their ethnicity form.

The way I see it, this debate will always be a hot one in the years to come. As long as it's a debate, it can be discussed but once it starts to get a little hostile in terms of choice of words, it easily turns ugly.

 

[Brian O]

Yes I've been to Mexico. I lived in San Antonio for three years. I know what a horrible condition they have turned their country into. Which is why they need to make some sacrifices like our forfathers and fix it. Not come here and rip us off!!!! I know we have good conditions here. It wasn't always like this. People had to make alot of sacrifices just to get it to where it was. It's still a battle in that republicans are breaking the labor unions. Which will ultimately lead to lower wages and benefits for everyone. So when they come here and work for cheap wages they are hurting not only themselves, they are turning their backs on their country, and hurting our country.

Gregg I do feel I am better than them because I am not breaking the law, stealing, and hurting others in the process. It's great to hear that people have been able to better themselves, just not at the cost of others. We have our own legal citizens that need our help. We have wounded war vets that are getting county hospital type care. So, yes there is something majorly wrong with someone illegally bettering themselves. I tell you what...... I have a list of surgeries I need. How about you pay for them because I don't have the finances.

 

[The NY Gecko]

um... waving the american "friendship" gesture... if this is what i think your implying thats a little uncalled for. Looks like you have a personal gripe.

I guess in my situation, I understand the desperation of illegal immigrants. Have any of you been to Mexico? And no im not talking about Cancun. The country is in ruin and if it was me, I would be tryin my hardest to leave aswell. I just believe thinking one way without understanding both sides makes one's beliefs unjustified or biased. We have it good in America and it seems we start to forget everyone else do not have it so easy.

I hope I dont cause conflict by puttin in my 2 cents. Thats not my intention.

Peace and love!!!

There are legal ways to go about things, I don't care how hard they have it, as long as they try to do it the legal way I won't complain.

 

[The NY Gecko]

This is the kind of stuff that would get me very upset:angry: . First off, I am Mexican American. My parents, grandparents and uncles all came to this country LEGALLY a long time ago. None of my family members back in Mexico have never crossed the border illegaly. These comments and how people feel about not only illegal immigrants but minorities in general are exactly what's wrong with the U.S. today.

Before you get angry, maybe you should take note about what I said first off in that little phrase. On the topic of ILLEGALS. I don't mind people who do things the right way by the books. That doesn't bother me. Its the illegals who come over here with an itching palm. Pay close attention and don't just read what you want to, it saves valuable time and energy. I never said anything about minorities in general.

 

[brandy101010]

Sorry you are having such a hard time Brian.
I agree there is a big problem with Illegal Immigrants. I and my husband both have health problems that need desperate attention and we can not afford to do anything about it. We have no insurance through his job and we can not afford to get it for ourselves or we would not be able to hold a roof over our heads. You gotta pick one or the other I guess. I have tried many times to get assistance only to be told my husband makes too much money for them to help us. Illegal immigrants who are not even supposed to be here get free or cheap health care that our tax dollars are paying for. It's our own country's fault though. They do it because "we" let them get away with it. who wouldn't want free health care, live a better life. I don't place all the blame on the immigrants, They would not do it if there were penalties for doing so.

 

[GeckoStud]

I'm not going to get into the formalities of illegal immigration but I will say this, what they are doing is illegal, and so they should pay for their crimes just like any other criminal. What type of punishment is not up to me, nor do I really care so long as its not out of hand. That goes for any illegal alien not just our friends to the south.

Now aside from that I think all this racism and and garbage is getting out of hand. People are people we are all homo sapiens, external appearances are just what make us human. People will always say things about other "races" outside their own, and thats fine, they are just words... People get angry over the littlest things... We all bleed red and all have souls... Can't we all just get along? Seriously it's just pathetic that people still dwell on these things... but thats humanity for you...

 

[Lyndsey]

Sorry that you are going through that





Woooooooo, dont even get me started on the illegal immigrant issue! I am in NO way racist...but they need to be shipped back NOW

I live in San Diego...we are FLOODED with illegals since we are so close to the border.


They need to spend some of those billions of dollars on improving the border security. My friends and I were talking about this a few months ago and this is what we came up with:

Two electrified 15 foot chain link fences topped with razor barbed wire. The fences about 50 feet apart with a walkway in between. Have border patrol agents with trained attack dogs, pepper spray, tasers, and guns that shoot rubber bullets (a different guard for each 8 hour shift). Each guard would have a certain length to patrol between the two fences 24/7

We talked about a few other things, but I cant remember right now lol

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I just watched Babel

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I live in San Diego...we are FLOODED with illegals since we are so close to the border.


They need to spend some of those billions of dollars on improving the border security. My friends and I were talking about this a few months ago and this is what we came up with:

Two electrified 15 foot chain link fences topped with razor barbed wire. The fences about 50 feet apart with a walkway in between. Have border patrol agents with trained attack dogs, pepper spray, tasers, and guns that shoot rubber bullets (a different guard for each 8 hour shift). Each guard would have a certain length to patrol between the two fences 24/7

We talked about a few other things, but I cant remember right now lol

LOL we were talking about stuff like that in one of my classes last year. My teacher was FUMING about how our government takes our money to fund other countries. This money then indirectly leads to illegals coming here and causing all the problems mentioned in this thread. He ended the the lecture sweating bullets screaming soooo loudly about how pissed he was... then he offered a mexican guy in our class his next paycheck because "he was gonna get it anyway". Let's just say he doesn't teach anymore...

 

[BalloonzForU]

then he offered a mexican guy in our class his next paycheck because "he was gonna get it anyway". Let's just say he doesn't teach anymore...

Wow!! Now that was uncalled for.

My comments were to all illegals, not just Mexicans. I don't think singling out immigrants from one country is fair, even though they are the largest group coming in illegally. What about the ones from other countries too that come in legally then over stay their welcome? We don't even keep track of them and tell them, "Hey it's time to leave now."! :main_thumbsdown:

 

[Val]

I had a feeling that this thread would go in the wrong direction. The comments being made are not ok, and I can't imagine someone not being offended by some of them. If you want to comment on Brian's unfortunate incident, please feel free to do so. But really, at this point I think it's best to keep all comments regarding illegal or legal immigration to yourselves. Thanks guys.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I had a feeling that this thread would go in the wrong direction. The comments being made are not ok, and I can't imagine someone not being offended by some of them. If you want to comment on Brian's unfortunate incident, please feel free to do so. But really, at this point I think it's best to keep all comments regarding illegal or legal immigration to yourselves. Thanks guys.

Val, I am not attacking you or anything so please don't get the wrong idea. This is honestly a serious question in response to your post. Don't Americans, and even legal immigrants have a right to speak out about this? We are in this country for reasons that illegal immigrants are taking away from us as tax paying, job searching, Americans. No one is saying "we don't want immigrants coming here", or anything of that nature. They are breaking the law. I would agree with you if there were low blows taken at specific groups of people (such as my example of my old professor), but I haven't seen that happen. I am just curious of your reasoning, thats all.