Rakkasan

For me I think it was easy, almost everyone who knows me knows that I have an intense dislike for American women. I did run into the usual Mail Order Bride comments and those who think I only wanted a submissive woman. Of course most of these came from women I work with, I was quick to point out that they are crude and vulgar and are exactly the type of women I am trying to avoid. It has been over a year now and I no longer hear anything negative at work, other than those who say they want to meet her when she arrives so they can Americanize her and make sure she knows that half of what I own is hers. Another reason I don't like American women, they are eaten up with money and how they can make it theirs without earning it.

We have been having this discussion for some time. It took forever for her to give the measurement as the circumference of 55 mm. I don't have to tell anyone here what it is like trying to get a woman from China to do something that we consider as simple. Right now I am trying get her to buy a airline ticket to meet me in Beijing. She keeps saying the price will be less if she waits. I have told her I am paying for the ticket and I don't care about the price, that I want her at the airport on a certain day at a certain time. I have given her the flight number and departure times for both flights. Now she is waiting for New Years to be over. The flight I have selected would put her in Beijing 30 minutes after my flight arrives from the US. Next Sunday I will have to tell her if she does not get a ticket for the flight I have indicated because she waited to long I will visit the Great Wall without her. There are times when it is good to try to save money and other times when it get exasperating. Maybe I will use her statements of "you are the husband and know best" and tell her to just do it because I am the husband, period. That probably won't work either, but it may be worth a try.

My little finger over the first knuckle was what I used to size my wife's ring (she had given me a string which she had tied around her finger - then I sized it on my own fingers). This came out 1 size too large - the correct size I think was 5 1/2 - I just measured it at 1.6 cm., which matches your table exactly by diameter. I will take the ring in the size she has indicated and a roll of white first aid tape to adjust the size. We can have it resized when we get back to Nanning.

Here is another couple of links. ring size And a conversion chart I am having the same problem with Zhen. She says her finger measures 55 mm in circumference and 1.5 cm in diameter. This equals about a size 7.25 in US sizes. That is about the size of my little finger which I guess is possible but I guess I won't know for sure until March when I arrive in Beijing. Good luck

The book is a difficult read to say the least, but the movie wasn't able to cover the internal struggles that were going on with the gods at the same time as the battle of Troy. I understand that it would be alot to cover in a movie, but Hollywood could have done a better job. David, you forgot "State of Fear" by Michael Crichton or "An American Soldier" by General Tommy Franks maybe they are 101 and 102...

Yet our income inequality is among the worst in developed countries, our deficit spending patterns drive up costs, and our inability to save may bankrupt us at the personal level... A saying I once hear: Most spend money they don't have on things they don't need... In the end, they won't have either one. I don't want to spend more money.. I don't want more things.. I want fewer things and to keep my money.. I will put it in my pocket, thank you. B) Money is easier to store, it takes up less space no matter how much you save.

If you think I rant and rave on here, you should see the letters I write to Congressmen. If you don't like what is happening throw a fit, complain and write letters letting your congressman know how you feel. Then attend one of their town hall meetings and rip them publicly if they vote for something you oppose. If nothing else it can be very entertaining regardless of which party you support.

Greed is good!!! Of course they could be thinking that by coming to the US they could make enough money to support those back home. The streets may not be paved with gold, but it ain't dirt either.

Years ago I read a SiFi book in which any lawyer who brought a case before the court and lost was executed along with his client...not a bad thought.

Here it is. On my last trip to China I took mini-maglite flashlights as gifts for the men. This time I was thinking of taking Leatherman multi-tools or something similar. I have heard that in China you do not give knives as gifts. Does this cross that line of NOT giving knives as gifts? Would I be creating bad feeling or playing into some superstition? David you insight would be helpful. Thanks in advance

Having lived in Florida for several years (and current residents can back this up if they choose), the Canadian Snow birds travel to Florida for surgery in US hospitals, because with Canada's Universal Healthcare they would be put on a list and would get surgery based on their age and whether they have enough useful life to justify the cost. Open heart surgery for someone in their 70's in Canada is not likely. But it's cheap!!!! It all about priorities. I have always had health insurance, paid for by me or my employer, but I never leave home without it. The high cost of health insurance is primarily due to hospitals having to shove the cost of caring for those who choose to purchase a PS3 and a new car over health insurance onto those who have insurance.

I agree. When I was in Nanning, the complex where Zhen lives would be considered "the projects" by US standards, yet everyone I met was happy. They did not have much in the way of material wealth, but appreciated what they did have and were close as family and friends.

is this worldwide statistics or just for the US? How are other countries doing where single parenting occurs... is it the same issue or are there local factors that cause what we see in the US? These numbers are US numbers. How other countries fair would depend on how and what they track or their ability to track this information. That is the Apples and Oranges part of the equation. That is what Mr. Horn was saying "I think when you try to compare nations in a report like this, you tend to ignore so many other factors specific to those nations that the comparison becomes somewhat meaningless,"

I did not post blind statistics. The sources were shown. Here are some others. Additionally, the point being "KIDS NEED DADS". At the risk of repeating myself... "But at the statistical level there is evidence to associate growing up in single-parent families with greater risk to well-being -- including a greater risk of dropping out of school, of leaving home early, poorer health, low skills, and of low pay," the report said. My opinion for what it's worth...The ladies aren't going to be happy with that tidbit. You mean "Kids need Dads" in order to grow up healthy and happy. DUH!!! In a study of 700 adolescents, researchers found that "compared to families with two natural parents living in the home, adolescents from single-parent families have been found to engage in greater and earlier sexual activity." Source: Carol W. Metzler, et al. "The Social Context for Risky Sexual Behavior Among Adolescents", Journal of Behavioral Medicine 17 (1994). "Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, suicide, poor educational performance, teen pregnancy, and criminality." Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, Survey on Child Health, Washington, DC, 1993. "Teenagers living in single-parent households are more likely to abuse alcohol and at an earlier age compared to children reared in two-parent households." Source: Terry E. Duncan, Susan C. Duncan and Hyman Hops, "The Effects of Family Cohesiveness and Peer Encouragement on the Development of Adolescent Alcohol Use: A Cohort-Sequential Approach to the Analysis of Longitudinal Data", Journal of Studies on Alcohol 55 (1994). "...the absence of the father in the home affects significantly the behavior of adolescents and results in the greater use of alcohol and marijuana." Source: Deane Scott Berman "Risk Factors Leading to Adolescent Substance Abuse", Adolescence 30 (1995) A study of 156 victims of child sexual abuse found that the majority of the children came from disrupted or single-parent homes; only 31 percent of the children lived with both biological parents. Although stepfamilies make up only about 10 percent of all families, 27 percent of the abused children lived with either a stepfather or the mother's boyfriend. Source: Beverly Gomes-Schwartz, Jonathan Horowitz, and Albert P. Cardarelli, "Child Sexual Abuse Victims and Their Treatment", U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justce and Delinquency Prevention. Researchers in Michigan determined that "49 percent of all child abuse cases are committed by single mothers." Source: Joan Ditson and Sharon Shay, "A Study of Child Abuse in Lansing, Michigan", Child Abuse and Neglect, 8 (1984). "A family structure index -- a composite index based on the annual rate of children involved in divorce and the percentage of families with children present that are female-headed -- is a strong predictor of suicide among young adult and adolescent white males." Source: Patricia L. McCall and Kenneth C. Land, "Trends in White Male Adolescent, Young-Adult and Elderly Suicide: Are There Common Underlying Structural Factors?" Social Science Research 23, 1994. " Fatherless children are at dramatically greater risk of suicide." Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, Survey on Child Health, Washington, DC, 1993. In a study of 146 adolescent friends of 26 adolescent suicide victims, teens living in single-parent families are not only more likely to commit suicide but also more likely to suffer from psychological disorders, when compared to teens living in intact families. Source: David A. Brent, et al. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Peers of Adolescent Suicide Victims: Predisposing Factors and Phenomenology.", Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 34, 1995. "Boys who grow up in father-absent homes are more likely that those in father-present homes to have trouble establishing appropriate sex roles and gender identity." Source: P.L. Adams, J.R. Milner, and N.A. Schrepf, "Fatherless Children", New York, Wiley Press, 1984. "In 1988, a study of preschool children admitted to New Orleans hospitals as psychiatric patients over a 34-month period found that nearly 80 percent came from fatherless homes." Source: Jack Block, et al. "Parental Functioning and the Home Environment in Families of Divorce", Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27 (1988) "Children living with a never-married mother are more likely to have been treated for emotional problems." Source: L. Remez, "Children Who Don't Live with Both Parents Face Behavioral Problems," Family Planning Perspectives (January/February 1992). Children reared by a divorced or never-married mother are less cooperative and score lower on tests of intelligence than children reared in intact families. Statistical analysis of the behavior and intelligence of these children revealed "significant detrimental effects " of living in a female-headed household. Growing up in a female-headed household remained a statistical predictor of behavior problems even after adjusting for differences in family income. Source: Greg L. Duncan, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Pamela Kato Klebanov, "Economic Deprivation and Early Childhood Development", Child Development 65 (1994). "Compared to peers in two-parent homes, black children in single-parent households are more likely to engage in troublesome behavior, and perform poorly in school." Source: Tom Luster and Hariette Pipes McAdoo, "Factors Related to the Achievement and Adjustment of Young African-American Children.", Child Development 65 (1994): 1080-1094 "Even controlling for variations across groups in parent education, race and other child and family factors, 18- to 22-year-olds from disrupted families were twice as likely to have poor relationships with their mothers and fathers, to show high levels of emotional distress or problem behavior, [and] to have received psychological help." Source: Nicholas Zill, Donna Morrison, and Mary Jo Coiro, "Long Term Effects of Parental Divorce on Parent-Child Relationships, Adjustment and Achievement in Young Adulthood", Journal of Family Psychology 7 (1993). "Children with fathers at home tend to do better in school, are less prone to depression and are more successful in relationships. Children from one-parent families achieve less and get into trouble more than children from two parent families." Source: One Parent Families and Their Children: The School's Most Significant Minority, conducted by The Consortium for the Study of School Needs of Children from One Parent Families, co sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the Institute for Development of Educational Activities, a division of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Arlington, VA., 1980 "Children whose parents separate are significantly more likely to engage in early sexual activity, abuse drugs, and experience conduct and mood disorders. This effect is especially strong for children whose parents separated when they were five years old or younger." Source: David M. Fergusson, John Horwood and Michael T. Lynsky, "Parental Separation, Adolescent Psychopathology, and Problem Behaviors", Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 33 (1944) "Compared to peers living with both biological parents, sons and daughters of divorced or separated parents exhibited significantly more conduct problems. Daughters of divorced or separated mothers evidenced significantly higher rates of internalizing problems, such as anxiety or depression." Source: Denise B. Kandel, Emily Rosenbaum and Kevin Chen, "Impact of Maternal Drug Use and Life Experiences on Preadolescent Children Born to Teenage Mothers", Journal of Marriage and the Family56 (1994). "Father hunger " often afflicts boys age one and two whose fathers are suddenly and permanently absent. Sleep disturbances, such as trouble falling asleep, nightmares, and night terrors frequently begin within one to three months after the father leaves home. Source: Alfred A. Messer, "Boys Father Hunger: The Missing Father Syndrome", Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality, January 1989. "Children of never-married mothers are more than twice as likely to have been treated for an emotional or behavioral problem." Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interiew Survey, Hyattsille, MD, 1988 A 1988 Department of Health and Human Services study found that at every income level except the very highest (over $50,000 a year), children living with never-married mothers were more likely than their counterparts in two-parent families to have been expelled or suspended from school, to display emotional problems, and to engage in antisocial behavior. Source: James Q. Wilson, "In Loco Parentis: Helping Children When Families Fail Them", The Brookings Review, Fall 1993. In a longitudinal study of 1,197 fourth-grade students, researchers observed "greater levels of aggression in boys from mother-only households than from boys in mother-father households." Source: N. Vaden-Kierman, N. Ialongo, J. Pearson, and S. Kellam, "Household Family Structure and Children's Aggressive Behavior: A Longitudinal Study of Urban Elementary School Children", Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 23, no. 5 (1995). "Children from mother-only families have less of an ability to delay gratification and poorer impulse control (that is, control over anger and sexual gratification.) These children also have a weaker sense of conscience or sense of right and wrong." Source: E.M. Hetherington and B. Martin, "Family Interaction " in H.C. Quay and J.S. Werry (eds.), Psychopathological Disorders of Childhood. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1979) "Eighty percent of adolescents in psychiatric hospitals come from broken homes." Source: J.B. Elshtain, "Family Matters... ", Christian Century, Jully 1993.

They don't invest as much in children as continental European countries do," he said, citing the lack of day-care services in both countries, and poorer health coverage and preventative care for American children. My opinion for what it's worth...The US has plenty of day care available, the difference is that it is not paid for by the government as it is in these other countries. Perhaps Britain and US expect people to pay their own way, as in you brought the kids into this world and the tax payers should not be responsible for caring for them. The report's authors cautioned that the focus on single-parent families "may seem unfair and insensitive" and noted that many children do well with one parent. My opinion for what it's worth...The above is merely a disclaimer to appease the women can do no wrong crowd. On average, 80 percent of the children in the countries surveyed lived with both parents. Variations were wide, however, from more than 90 percent in Greece and Italy to less than 70 percent in Britain and 60 percent in the United States, where 16 percent of adolescents lived with stepfamilies. My opinion for what it's worth...So we are bad because we don't have enough child welfare, but we are bad because child welfare took custody of 16% of adolescents. Pick one for gods sake, you can't have it both ways, unless of course you work for the UN and are not to be held accountable. The United States finished last in the health and safety category, based on infant mortality, vaccinations for childhood diseases, deaths from injuries and accidents before age 19, and whether children reported fighting in the past year or being bullied in the previous two months. My opinion for what it's worth...Give me a break. kids fight, kids can be bullys, schools require vaccinations before you can attend except for those with religous objections. Let me guess....Hungary, Poland et al, have better reporting and tracking than the US or Britain, I don't think so. As I said this is a UN report which means it isn't worth the paper it is printed on. "I think when you try to compare nations in a report like this, you tend to ignore so many other factors specific to those nations that the comparison becomes somewhat meaningless," Horn said. Thank you Mr. Horn. Apples and Oranges. "But at the statistical level there is evidence to associate growing up in single-parent families with greater risk to well-being -- including a greater risk of dropping out of school, of leaving home early, poorer health, low skills, and of low pay," the report said. My opinion for what it's worth...The ladies aren't going to be happy with that tidbit. You mean "Kids need Dads" in order to grow up healthy and happy. DUH!!! Divorce and Fatherhood Statistics 50% of mothers see no value in the father's continued contact with his children. --See "Surviving the Breakup" by Joan Berlin Kelly 40% of mothers reported that they had interfered with the father's visitation to punish their ex-spouse. --See "Frequency of Visitation...." by Stanford Braver, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes --U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes --Center for Disease Control 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes --Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 14, p. 403-26 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes --National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools 70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes --U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report Sept., 1988 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home --Fulton County Georgia jail populations & Texas Dept. of Corrections, 1992 Translated, this means that children from a fatherless home are: 5 times more likely to commit suicide 32 times more likely to run away 20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders 14 times more likely to commit rape 9 times more likely to drop out of school 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances 9 times more likely to end up in a state operated institution 20 times more likely to end up in prison OK, OK, enough of my cynicism,on with the show...

Children are homeless by choice?? Are you 100% sure of this? Perhaps not, but there are plenty of organizations out there to take care of them and they could use a donation. No need for the government to get involved and screw things up.

First of all the report is from the UN which means it is suspect from the start. Secondly, whose standard is being used to determine if there actually is a problem? US children are spoiled rotten, even poor children are spoiled when compared to children in other parts of the world. I am not a psychologist, but I play one on TV. Part of the problem is the divorce rate in the US and that parents, mostly fathers because of being reduced to visitor status in the childrens lives, indulge their children to make up for not being able to part of thier lives full time (Disney Dads). The other factor is also because of divorce, and again this applies more to fathers, since women tend to be more bitter after divorce, fathers are reluctant to punish their childrens misbehavior either because they don't want the 4 days per month to have any negatives or because they fear retaliation from the ex-wife and accusations of abuse if they discipline their children. The only cure and not one we will see any time soon is for family courts to recognize a fathers importance and to start awarding equal time and joint custody. One week with mom, one week with dad, this has been done and children do quite well. It gives both parents plenty of time with the children and eliminates the need for child support since neither parent is burdened with excessive expenses. The other issue the courts need to address is the womens bitterness. To often women use their children as a means of striking back at the ex-husband. Parental Alienation Syndrome is real and documented. Mothers intentionally turn their children against their father either to punish him or to have the children all to themselves. I recently was reunited with a guy I grew up with, we did all the usual things together including Boy Scouts and Explorers. His dad was very involved with all his kids. This guy now after his parents divorce won't even speak to his father and hasn't for more than 20 years because his dad was "an asshole". I tried to remind him of all the things we did as kids because of his dad involvement but he won't hear it. He truly believes his dad was evil growing up. Both his mom and dad were hard core liberals, real touchy feely tree huggers. I spent many a night at his house, even when his parents didn't know I was in the house until the next morning when we sobered up, there was never any yelling or anything abusive from either parent. They lived their touchy feely beliefs. After the divorce mom turned all 4 kids against their father. I have an aunt who did the same thing with all but one of her kids. The courts need to recognize this and punish any parent who screws with their kids. I do agree that parents in the US tend to ignore their children in pursuit of thier own interests. Sometimes I think children are seen as a requirement to appease the grandparents, unless of course the kids are accidents in which case they interrupted an otherwise perfect life. I have posted before about the use of video games and television as a mean of avoiding your kids. Now you can have a DVD player installed in your SUV so you don't have to interact with them while driving to after school activities. I have studied martial arts for years, I am always amazed at the number of moms who drop their 5 to 10 year olds off at the studio and go shopping for a couple of hours. They never get to see their own childs face the first time they break a board with their fist or win their first sparring match. I get to see it and take pleasure in thier sense of accomplishment every time. Now back to my life as a TV psychologist.

Next, did it ever occur to you that the homeless are homeless by choice. And why should I as a tax payer pay to house those who choose to ruin their lives with drugs and alcohol. There are plenty of private charitable organizations out there that would be happy to take your money if you are hell bent on saving the world. I routinely make donations to organizations that I believe in and do not expect the goverment to contribute to my causes. If anything extra money should be directed towards securing our southern border. Maybe we could line up all the homeless along the border and create a human wall to stop the illegals from entering the US. It is also not the job of the government to care for children, that is the job of parents. Granted some parents are better at raising children than others, but that does not make it the governments job to be the great equalizer for children. Some of this nations greatest leaders came from impoverished backgrounds. Some would say it builds character, drive and determination. Why is it people think because some kids have a good life that all kids are entitled to the same. I have 2 brothers, in the summer we shared one baseball glove because that was all my parents could afford. They did not think it was the governments job to provide extra baseball gloves. We ate enough ground beef and pasta to last a lifetime because it was cheap and it was not provided by the government. I suspect that there is a charitable organization in your area that provides for children, make a donation to them today. If you really want to help out, call your congressman and demand an across the board tax cut, so you can have more money to spend on things you want and create a demand that will create more jobs, that will provide money for familys to take care of themselves. By the way, the US has the richest poor people in the world. Since I suspect you have been to an Asian nation at least once, you surely have seen real poverty and should realize that what we have in this country is pseudo poverty. Having a car, cable TV, microwave, washer/dryer, closets full of clothing and multiple bedrooms is not poverty.

I did do the math on the fees that affect those involved in the I-130 and I-129f process and the biggest increase was with the proposed increase on AOS which I believe was 279% increase. The increase for other visas such as those wanting to come to the US to open businesses was much larger going from $475 to $2850, but since I am not looking bring a fiance here as an entrepreneur I could care less about this increase. My working overtime to raise extra money does not mean I am in the same boat as you. First of all I am not complaining about the hardship like you are, I will just suck it up and do what it takes because my fiance is worth it. Secondly, the purpose of working overtime or skipping dinner out is to raise the money without having an impact on my budget, not because I can't afford the cost. I actually have a savings account, 401K and retirement plan and can pull the money out of savings at any time to cover this cost as necessary. My comment was merely to point out that if you want something bad enough you will do what is necessary to obtain it, in this case raising the money needed for your AOS by October. I am not missing the point about the increase in fees, it seems I understand the increase better than you. When you write USCIS be sure to point out that they should spread the increase over time, but Congress has given them a mandate and I suspect that it does not stipulate that they make the increase easily affordable. Congress want USCIS to be financially independent ASAP, and we are expected to work out the details to cover the costs involved. It is that simple. We may not like it, but as I stated before the public hearings and written responses are merely a formality, the fees are going to go up no matter what the public says. Tighten your wallet, work overtime, do whatever it takes because this is going to happen and there is nothing you or I can do to stop it or change it.

While I don't think lack of money should eliminate anyone from marraige or marriage to somoene from another country, I do wonder how those who are so stressed out over these increases managed to make one or more trips to China plus pay the costs of the medical, travel to the US Consulate and airfare for the wife/fiance to the US? Yes, these increases are steep. I am hoping to have Zhen here prior to their going into effect so I can possibly sidestep some of them, however it is now February and the proposed increases are not expected to go into effect until October, that gives me 9 months to save an extra $900 to cover these costs. It may not be easy, but I expect I will be able to work it out with a little more OT and few less meals out. As much as it pains me, I totally agree with Lances' post. These fees are mandated by congress, USCIS has no choice but to comply. Federal Register - February 1, 2007 Curt: Please stop throwing up your hands and walking away frustrated when responses don't go your way. Take a deep breath, type a cogent response and then simply respond again. Threatening to walk away shaking your head won't get your point across. NOWORLD: I looked at the proposed increases again and I am not seeing a 400% increase in any one of the fees related to our process that is going to increase that much. Where did you get this number from? OBX: That whole system is screwy. My service center is Nebraska, which is where I sent my application. Nebraska then forwarded it to California because Nebraska doesn't process Fiance Visas. HUH? Why not? Aren't they both USCIS service centers charged with the same responsibilities? Who knows. I probably will submit a response of some sort as it relates to the increases, but having been involved with US EPA years ago and their public hearings, I know that the decisions are made prior to the public meetings and they are only a formality, these increases are a done deal.

Gee you sure have issues and a bad attitude. It is possible on this site to block timelines so not everyone sees what you have down. Your complaining appeared geared toward to entire process so I made the assumption that you were waiting on a fiance, my mistake, so sorry. If the problem has been fixed with INS and your employer why are you still complaining about it? Also, if you have a friend who owns several homes in Mexico it would seem that the American dream is not dead as you have stated, it is only dead to those who spend their money differently. Perhaps you could ask your friend for consuling on how you can live the American dream like he has. I will not use this thread to assess the causes of immigration problems lest it be deleted, but this problem was here before this administration, nor will it be resolved any time soon, not even by the next administration. It will require a long term solution and a long term commitment by the Federal agencies and involvement of the average American to weed out those who should not be in this country.

Curt - Although I agree that the increase in fees may have the effect of freezing out many, I seriously doubt that someone sat down and tried to come up with a way to intentionally set fees so that ONLY the wealthy and privileged could take advantage. However, it is possible that there was a bueaucratic intent to make sure that those who file immigration applications had the means with which to support their benficiaries and those at the lower end of the spectrum whose ability is riskier would be eliminated without having to change the minimum 125% of poverty level. Of course, being a conservative and capitalist I also believe that since I am sitting at home alone already while I wait for USCIS, I would take a part time second job to raise funds needed to cover these additional fees. Additionally, being one who believes in goodness in everyone, I tend to think that the reason for raising fees is probably as stated, to cover increased costs of processing, add additional staff to speed up processing times and make USCIS self supporting. After all not everything is a government conspiracy, some things happen for reasons stated without a ulterior motive. Again while I agree that what Kennedy has stated may be true, once again Teddy has failed to offer a viable alternative. Perhaps since he is one of the wealthy and privileged he will cover this increase with money from his trust fund. As I have stated before, these are one time fees and my fiance is worth the extra cost, I will somehow figure out a way to cover this additional cost and after the fees are paid and she is here with me, I seriously doubt that I will view her as not worth all the trouble. When I started this process I didn't think I would be making a second trip to China within one year, nor did I think I would take my mom with me for a photo shoot with Zhen and her family to help make the interview easier with the extra costs for visas hotels, tours etc, plus I hadn't planned on the cost of sending Zhen to Guangzhou for a week for medical and interview, but these are all associated costs involved in the process. Suck it up guys. Just as there are increased costs and delays throughout this process, view this as just one more cost to be covered. Ask any of the guys on here who have their wives with them now if it was worth the cost and I bet they will say yes. Ask Wanolin if LIN is worth all the trouble she is going through right now and she will also say yes. We may not like the increase in fees, but I bet each and everyone of will pay them because in the end we know it will all be worth it.

Who are you going to blame when Bush is no longer President? Or will you continue to blame him for everything you don't like or understand for decades to come. The illegal immigration problem existed long before Bush was elected and will comtinue to be a problem as long as USC's continue to turn a blind eye to the issue. You talk about illegals working at the factory where you work. YOU are allowing them to stay. Every day you fail to call INS you are the problem, not Bush. You have first hand knowledge of the location of illegal workers and have failed to do anything about it. I guess you think it is someone elses responsibility and not yours, well that is exactly why we have a problem with illegal immigration. Step up and report the problem. If you are going to complain about the cheap labor your employer seems to be prone to hiring you have the power to change that. I look forward to seeing your post about how you stepped up and called INS to report your employer.

First of all, does your fiance know how negative you are? Secondly, I am not sure how you are able to access the SSN of a co-worker, but if you are correct and you know he is using the SSN of a former employee, there is nothing keeping you from calling INS yourself to report this illegal worker. Third, yes the former employee was able to retire and live like a king in Mexico after only 5 years, but his idea of a kingdom and yours are probably radically different. If you are truly envious, perhaps your could live frugally for the next 5 years and them move to Mexico yourself and live like a king, however I seriously doubt that you would be happy with the lifestyle of a Mexican king. I understand the stress of waiting through the immigration process, however I think you are letting this process get to you in ways that can't be healthy. Fuel prices flucuate, as do other expenses, the fees for processing applications and AOS's are going to increase by the end of the year. The best thing to do is accept it, deal with it and not let it get the best of you. I understand that this price increase is a shock to you, however it will all be worth it once your fiance arrives. Step back and think about how happy you will be when she is here and then perhaps you will see that these one time fees, though high, are not the end of the world. Also, I would seriously consider letting INS know about the employee using someone else SNN.

If we went to a flat tax and eliminated 90% of the employees at the IRS we would have more money for immigration issues too. However, these are all separate issues. The reason it takes so long to process applications at USCIS and NVC is the same reason every other branch of government is slow. There are no consequences for failure to perform. Government employees are protected and therefore productivity is not a major concern as it is in the private sector. Increased fees will not change this, because I seriously doubt if USCIS or NVC is going to tell their employees that they must process all applications within a specific time frame or risk losing their jobs, as in the recent past they will blame slow service on the need to be more careful since 9/11. And the war in Iraq has nothing to do with it.