T.U.P. Realty and real estate in Tupelo, MS

McCain vs Obama

T.U.P. Realty — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:08:04 -0500

I wanted to take a few minutes to voice my opinion on the presidential race. Please bear with me while I share my view.

Obama was the only Illinois congressman to vote against a measure that would have made it Illegal for Doctors to allow live born children to die after a botched abortion. This is not an issue of choice. We are talking about a fully born child that is living and breathing and Senator Obama believes it is ok to allow those children to die due to lack of attention given by the Doctor?

While John McCain was sitting in a POW camp in Vietnam Obama tells us in his book "Dreams from my father" that he was experimenting with marijuana and cocaine.

Did you realize that John McCain's own son is a soldier serving in Iraq? Wonder if he has the soldiers best interest at heart?

Barack Hussein Obama is not his birth given name. It is Barry. He changed his name to Barak Hussein Obama. Wonder what his motives were for that.

Obama kicked off his campaign at this mans home.

Thats Bill Ayers. Obama's personal friend who is a former member of the radical Weather Underground Organization that claimed responsibility for a dozen bombings between 1970 and 1974.

According to the Wasington Post "

Both Obama and Ayers were members of the board of an anti-poverty group, the Woods Fund of Chicago, between 1999 and 2002. In addition, Ayers contributed $200 to Obama's re-election fund to the Illinois State Senate in April 2001, as reported here. They lived within a few blocks of each other in the trendy Hyde Park section of Chicago, and moved in the same liberal-progressive circles."

I have heard some say that we should vote for Barack because his is Black and its time we had a Black president. I agree it is time for a change in America and is Colon Powell and Condelleza Rice were on the ticket I would be out campaigning for them but not Barack.

Obama said that drilling for our own oil is not a way to rid ourselves of foreign dependency on oil. His plan "everyone should inflate their tires.

I beg of you to think of one goverrnment program that works better than private industry? Can't think of one? Obama wants to nationalize healthcare and the oil industry. Do you realize that the oil industry made 11B in profits on 100B in revenue last quarter? Thats sounds like alot of profit. On that same amount of revenue the government made 36B in tax revenue. Who's getting rich here?

When will we realize that government is the problem and not the answer?

So before you get caught up in the Obama whirlwind do your own research. This man is not right for America. Not now not ever.

Tupelo's Foreclosure Market

T.U.P. Realty — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:40:44 -0500

Wow. If you are in a buying position right now there are tons of deals to be had. Never before has there been so many foreclosures on the market here in the Notheast Mississippi area. While I still believe our part of the country isn't as hard hit as other parts of the country we are feeling the mortgage squeeze. Right now Investors in real estate should be jumping all over the many homes they have to chose from.

Remeber the past and make strides in the future. Some of the wealthiest people in our world today always buy when the markets are tanking. Those people who were buying stock during the great depresson were quickly made into very rich people when the markets picked back up. Just like the great depression this real estate market will pick up and hum again.

The problem were are experiencing right now has its root in the exact same situation that has caused many recessions over the years. In 2007 we had a negative savings rate. People are getting into debt and are not able to climb out of the whole they have dug themselves into. Now I am not blaming bankers or lenders for this problem. Although they had a hand in it. We all know that banks were throwing money at anyone with a pulse just 2 years ago but no one held a gun to the consumers head and made them buy more home than they could afford. I am also not asking the governement to get involved in helping people who bought too much and now cant afford to make there payments. Hard lessons learned are not quickly forgottten

So my advice is Investors jump in full force and start buying up those foreclosures.

What is up with the Top Neighbor Program

T.U.P. Realty — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:27:43 -0500

I have been gone from active reain for awhile and I guess I missed the memo on localism. I clicked there and saw my competitors face jump out at me. I will be blogging again now. So tell me guys what is the best way to be the top neighbor? I hope to hear from alot of you. I hope I havent been absent for too long. :)

www.tuprealty.com

Its Been Awhile

T.U.P. Realty — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:39:41 -0600

Well I am back from a long hiatus from Activerain. The weird thing is is that I am still getting contacts through this great network. Just yesterday I had a gentleman from Canada call me inquiring about my choice of cell phones. I enjoyed speaking with him about the phone I had chosen.

The moral of this story is that this blog really works.

Consider me back in full force.

Franchise vs Independent

T.U.P. Realty — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:41:27 -0600

I had a request to do an entry on the differences between owning a franchise and being an independent. First of all I think if I was going to own a franchise I would go with the one I was with. Century 21 is a well recognized name and They offer an array of great services.

I think the biggest part of my decision to be an independent is control. I want to be able to control the direction my company goes. Now Franchises do give you leeway to run your business the way you want to an extent. However, I see a drastic change in the real estate business over the next few years. I believe the days of the huge franchise offices are coming to a close. I see the industry moving toward technology more than big fancy offices. I think that unless you are running a lean office you will not make it. As a independent I am free to adjust my commissions to compete with anyone. I am free to build my website anyway I want and offer any service I chose from that website. I believe the web is going to be the market place very soon.

Just look at the numbers. 70% of home buyers are beginning their search on line. The actual riding clients around and showing them homes is shrinking. We can look at homes on-line now and only go see the ones the client likes.

Another reason is I don't have to pay those franchise fees keeping my over head to a minimum. If I can keep that over head down I can negotiate my fees. If I don't want to charge 6% or 7% on a home I don't have to.

I think most people like to work with local companies. Being pretty much the only independent real estate company in town I believe I can attract people who wish to do business with a small local business.

I have found that people from out of town really don't care about franchises. If they find my website first they will use it to look for their home. If they are finding my site I capture them. If I ever get to talk with that client I do not lose them. Most of my business has been from the web and I have done a good bit of that business.

I hope I didn't ramble too much here.

T.U.P. Realty

T.U.P. Realty — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:42:30 -0600

T.U.P. Realty is back and better than ever. We merged with Century 21 for a short time to explore the option of being a national franchise. After diligent study we decided we could better serve our clients as an independent brokerage. We can continue to bring great savings to our clients as well as providing the exact same service as a big name franchise. We thank Sue Gardner and Century 21 for allowing us the opportunity and regret that the merger did not work but we had to do what was best for our clients.

The I Phone the good and bad.

T.U.P. Realty — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:52:34 -0500

Well I finally did it. I broke down and bought the i-phone. I was skeptical but I jumped in both feet first and took the plunge into the world of apple.

There are some things I love some I like and some I wish were better.

The email function is perfect. It automatically checks email and I can easily type and send email from the phone.

The sms text is great works just as it should.

I love the calander. It seemlessly syncs with Outlook calander and both update each other.

The camera is great and takes very good pics for a cell phone.

You tube is good. I like you tube as well as the next guy. The weather option is a nice plus as is the maps with google earth. The clock works great and the calculater is awsome just like a regular calculater.

The phone works as good as any other phone I have had.

The Inter net is awesome. It is the full internet no blacked out unfunctioning pages. The ipod is good. With ear phones it rocks but the speakers in the phone leave something to be desired.

THE BAD

No games.

Nope none nada. I can't sit in a closing attorneys lobby playing solitaire. You also can't use your music as a ring tone.

Great Idea from Stephanie Musa

T.U.P. Realty — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:41:30 -0500

I was reading one of my regular blogs this week. It was by Stephanie from the woodlands TX. She was telling about an idea she had to place the virtual tour shows at a web address specific for that home. I did that. www.829indianoak.com. i think this was a fantastic idea. I am going to continue to do this on my listings. It is a great idea that further seperated my from my competition. Steph is a great agent dealing in real estate in The Woodlands, TX.

Thanks Stephanie.

Trip to vegas

T.U.P. Realty — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:23:29 -0500

I recently took a trip to Las Vegas to a Cartus relocation group workshop and we went exploring the day before. I ran across this sign in the Arizona Desert. God bless you Angie how in the world do you sell real estate out here. This was a good 10 miles from the closest home and about 3 mile from the closest paved road.
The great story behind us find this sign will have you rolling. We rented a car in Las Vegas and decided to go to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon to see the new sky walk. Well we were smart and brought along our TomTom to help with the directions. My co pilot had set the TomTom on shortest route rather than quickest so we get off the paved road and here we go.
Did I mention we were in an Impala.

Any way being from Mississippi I really didn't think much about having to take a dirt road. We knew there were going to be some dirtroads anyway. OH BROtHER was that a mistake. If it were not for growing up driving in dirt we would have still been out there in the desert.

Here is the road we were on at one of the better locations were I could actual slow down.

All the while we were going through here we got slightly off the track the TomTom said to take so the British lady in the TomTom was saying at your first available opportunity turn around.

Needless to say on the way out we did not turn on TomTom or JoeJoe or anything else but went by the good oldfashion map.

All in all it was worth it though. we did get to see this

Thats an eagle flying over the grand canyon.

Patience with SEO is a vertue

T.U.P. Realty — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:30:24 -0500

When you make changes to your website for the better give them time to work. The biggest mistake I see when people talk about making changes to their site is that they do not give Google time to catch up. Google is very slow when seeing changes. You might even make a change and drop completely out of the search engines. If this is the case don't panic. If you are confident that the change you made was for the better relax and let google have time to catch up. You can watch MSN to see if your changes made a difference. MSN is much faster at realizing changes. If you are doing good in MSN and Yahoo just relax. Google will catch up with them and then you will be fine in google.

Just use patience when trying to tackle seo.

Website Out-of-Box vs Custom

T.U.P. Realty — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:43:55 -0500

Is your website a custom built site or is it an out of the box website bought from an on-line source that has predesigned sites available?

If it is an out of the box site there are some things you need to be aware of. These sites normal do not score as high in the www.websitegrader.com tool and normally do not rank as high for your particular search phrases.

One reason for this that can be easily checked as that the out of box sites tend to place information about themselves in your H1 or H2 tags. This gives them the benifits in the search engines rather than you. You can check this at the web site grader page. If this is the case for you ask your website builder to change this. It might just be the one thing holding you back in the search rankings.

There are some other benifits of having a site custom built. The biggest thing is the very nature of custom. You can customize things easier on a custom built site. 1 thing you can easily do is create a customize search format from you MLS. Rather than the standard search page you can have the searches look like a page inside your website. Our site at www.tuprealty.com will have this feature up and running in a short while. We will also have information there that brings people back to the site even when they are not looking for a house.

Chiropractic Care

T.U.P. Realty — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:31:30 -0500

After siting at my desk working on my website for 2 weeks I evidently hurt my neck. Well let me tell you this went on for over a month. I went to the MD and she gave me an anti-inflamatory (did nothing). Went back she gave me a muscle relaxer (did nothing except make me sleep). She was going to send me to physical therapy but I decded to go see a chiropractor friend and see if he could help. I saw him 2 times and I am now pain free. 2 times pain free. I am going to continue to see him because I am convinced they do help some situations. Now if your chiropractor says he can cure cancer run away. Most are pretty straight foward about what they can and can't do. If you have never been to one and are experiencing back or neck pain go give it a shot. It just might work for you.

Exciting Times in Tupelo

T.U.P. Realty — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:28:54 -0500

Just this week we have had news of another supplier for the future Toyota Plant here in tupelo. The particular supplier will be Toyota Auto Body. It will locate its 200 million dollar plant in Baldwyn just 10 miles north of Tupleo. This plant will employ another 400 people and bring a much needed boost to North Lee County. These suppliers are boosting wages and employment. This is just one in a long line of suppliers that will be locating in our area due to the highlander plant that will be located in Blue Springs just 15 miles northwest of Tupelo. The Toyota plant will bring 2000 jobs by itself but will indirectly bring in about 6000 jobs. That means many home sales and lots of growth for our area.

Thanks Toyota.

www.tuprealty.com

What is a realtor?

T.U.P. Realty — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:18:55 -0500

Did you know that all real estate agents are not Realtors? Realtor is a trade mark name for members of the National Association of Realtors. All Relators are real estate agents, licensed in thier respective states. However, all real estate agents are not Realtors.

So why choose a Realtor? We as realtors have dedicated our selves to the betterment of our profession. We are guided by a strict code of ethics. One that is much farther reaching then most state laws. We are dedicated to providing honest, fair dealings to our clients and working hard to protect their interests in a transaction and not just our own bottomline.

Now I am not saying we are all perfect. You must be careful when dealing with any realestate firm. Ask around about your agents reputation. I know Realors who are absolutly unscrupulous. All they are concerned about is making a dollar with no regaurd for anyone but their own pocket books.

So before working with anyone ask around and find out who you are dealing with. Check out the agents and thier broker. Remember that when you are working with an agent you are ultimately working with thier broker.

Above all work with a Relator not just a real estate agent.

Are you facing foreclosure?

T.U.P. Realty — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 21:42:58 -0500

Are you facing foreclosure. Is your lender breathing down your neck and you think it is inevitable that your home will be taken from you. Many others are in the same situation. They have Adjustable Rate Mortgages just like you and like you their payments have gone up so drastically that they can no longer afford the payments.

First thing you must do is not be embarrassed. Thousands of Americans are just like you. Do not be hassatant to ask for help.

Second you might wonder who you should talk with. Have you thought about talking with a realtor? Thats right a real estate professional. Some of us are very informed on things like short sales. A realtor will be more likely to give you good solid advice on what to do than some one trying to lend you money. They ca help you decide if you should seek a short sale, put your home on the market and sell it for what you owe, refinance and in some cases the best thing to do may be just walk away.

If you are facing foreclosure give a call to a realtor you know and trust. If you are in the Northeast Mississippi area call me and I will be glad to help you any way I can.

Technology and the clients it attracts

T.U.P. Realty — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:50:49 -0500

Do you guys see a trend with the people you attract through your website. I do. I am not complaining and I have come to really love the first time home buyer. I see a definite trend that I attract the younger people through the website. A majority of my clients are first time home buyers. I think this is probably the case for most of us.

Dealing with the first time home buyer is most assuredly different than dealing with seasoned buyers. I have come to really enjoy working with the younger folks. Once the learn that your job is to get them in the house they want and you don't use high pressure tactics on them you have a client for life with all the referals you can handle.

If you are a first time home buyer and are looking for a home for sale in Tupelo, MS call me today. I will make the process smooth and worry free for you.

Mortgage Problem or just some common sense.

T.U.P. Realty — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:58:30 -0500

I hear all these folks talking about how bad the mortgage situation is and how hard it is for martgage guys to make a living.

Now don't get me wrong the crunch has affected my business. People I could have sold a home to 6 months ago now can't qualify to buy a dog house. But, is all this a bad thing? I think we have just gone back to approving sensible applications. The tightening of requirements for loans has only made lendrs start loaning money to people with the credit ratings that deserve a home loan. Rather than throwing money at anyone with a pulse who could sign the papers with something that resembled a signature lenders are actually looking at peoples credit ratings.

The whole idea behind a credit score is to weed out those who should not be recieving credit. I think these standards should hold then if people wanted to own a home they would pay there bills.

I must say that the foreclosure market is a good thing for our company. We list a large number of foreclosures and are very successful at dealing with foreclosures. So I guess it is true that there are opportunities in every situation.

Not hard facts here just opinions from ME.

Help with Links

T.U.P. Realty — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:13:21 -0500

I need everyone,s help Please. I am working fusiously on my website. I have a good grade on www.websitegrader.com. (If you haven't tried website grader yet do so it is great.) My website www.tuprealty.com is a great site built by a great web guy. We will some have some really great search tools up and going. The web guy is screaming about links. I need in links to help with my SEO. If any one wants to trade links please email me. I will start a special page on my site for out links to other real estate people in other areas of the country. I am not a link farm I am a legitimate real estate company. You can check me out. I will trade links with any one but I want only one person from any one city that way I will also have a contact there that I can send leads to if I have some one moving to that area.

Please let me know if anyone is interested.

Thanks

Talk about a small world.

T.U.P. Realty — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:10:48 -0500

Yesterday I was in our office here and the duty agent got a call to come out for a listing presentation. This agent is brand new so I volunteered to go with her on the appointment. This person was up from Florida to handle her sisters estate who had just recently passed. I get there with the agent and introduced myself to the lady. She looked puzzled and asked me to repeat my last name. I said Fulgham and she said I am a Fulgham too. I asked where she was from and she told me West Point which is where all my family is from. We turned out to be 4th cousins and didn't even know each other. Anyway it is always amazing to find people this way. Makes you realize how small this world we live in really is.

New Website

T.U.P. Realty — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 18:55:10 -0500

I have had my IT guy working on a new website. www.tuprealty.com will be back up tonight and I am extatic. The site is fresh and clean and really loks great.

The biggest reason for the overhaul is because of the things www.websitegrader.com recomended doing. These were things we were aware of before a found the web site grader but it reinforced the need to move forward with the overhaul.

I purchased one of the premade websites of the internet and it served its purpose while I was getting my business up and running. But the website company that built the site built it to help them gain search engine ranking rather than me.

So I recomend checking out the website grader and then asking your IT folks about how to fix things that the grader recomends. If you only google back link is from the company that built your site you might have a problem.

If you need to talk with my IT guy just email me and I will be glad to give you his contact info.

The buying process Step #1

T.U.P. Realty — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:56:46 -0500

Once you have decided to purchase a new home You should follow a few simple steps to help locate your dream home.

Step #1

Start by compiling a list of features that you want in your next home. When you write down a feature explain in writig why you want that particular feature. Put these in the order of priority. As you go through the buying process you may have to make some compremising so prioritizing is key. Also talk with your Realtor about location. This is the biggest decision you will make. Have your Realtor share local information about each area of interest.

Jeff Fulgham

Helping buyers and sellers of real estate in Tupelo, MS.

A great win for all Americans

T.U.P. Realty — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:44:11 -0500

As some of you know I posted a blog entry on the Immigration Bill that was before our Senate this week. I can say I stood up and let my Senators know what I thought about the bill. Thank God it was defeated

Now I understand this can be a touchy subject and let me explain. I am not against legal immigration. I am also realist in the face of having 20 million illegals here. I do not expect those illegally here to be picked up and deported. I am for simplifying the process of becoming a citizen.

I was however against this bill. The main concern I have is for the security of our nation and our sovereignty. While good hard working people are coming over our borders illegally terrorist are coming with them. If we can not secure our borders we will be faced with having to fight terrorism here in America. If you think I am crazy just "click here" and read this report prepared by Congressman McCaul form Texas. It is an in-depth report about what is happening at our border.

My request from our leaders is for them to stand up and force local, state, and federal officials to enforce the laws we have on the books now. If you were not familiar with this bill there was not a single new law in it to secure our border. The only think that was guaranteed in the bill was that all illegals would be granted instant legal status after a 24 hour back ground check. Now if you are a traveler they have suspended the requirement fo Americans to have passports to travel to the Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico. Why? because they were taking 6 months to process one passport. Are we supposed to believe they are going to be able to do back ground checks on 20 million illegal aliens? ( have you been to the DMV lately?)

I know some think it is not good for business to be politically active but I disagree. I think people like those who stand up for what they think is right. I don't know about you but I am fed up with our government not accomplishing anything. I am fed up with all the investigations they waste our money on while arguing amongst each other and trash talking about each other on national TV. I am a Republican but I am sick of the Republicans as well as the Democrats.

Another disturbing thing is why do they all decide to agree on this bill? They never agree on anything but all of a sudden they get back bones and stand up for something. They all decide to stand against a majority of the American people. Are we not the people that sent them thier? Are they not suppose to stand up for what the majority want?

I hope everyone of you who read this will start standing up for something. Even if you disagree with me get involved. Go out there and let your voice be heard. Not just at the polls. A simple vote is not enough anymore. You need to be aware of what is going on in your government and write your senators and let them know what you think.

First time home buying in Tupelo, MS

T.U.P. Realty — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:18:06 -0500

I am rapidly becoming a seasoned expert in dealing with first time home buyers. I have been blessed to work with some great folks over the last few months. It seems since I am working so hard on my web presence I am attracting the younger crowd which is fine with me. Not to say I don't enjoy working with seasoned home buyers but the first time home buyers is challenging and rewarding. I would like to offer some general advice to the first time home buyer.

* If you are looking for real estate in Tupelo, MScall me. :) Just kidding. while I would love to work with you the most important thing you can do is find a Realtor who you can trust. Find one that fits your personality, that you feel comfortable with and that calls you back when you call.

* Take your time but when you find the right home move quickly. Homes can sale over night so when you find the right one for you make an offer immediately.

* While this is a buyers market don't think you are going to low ball the offer and get the home. In a market that is slow you can bet that the house is usually priced right.

* Listen to your Realtor. We are trained professionals with experience in the negotiation process. If we tell you that the offer is too low then usually it is too low.

*Listen to your Realtor but make sure your Realtor is listening to you. If you tell them that your top dollar is 140,000 and the insist on showing you 200,000 dollar houses it might be time to find a new agent.

*Get approved for your loan before you go out looking. When you find the home of your dreams you want to be able to move on it right away. If you are not approved you might not be able to move on it especially if it is on the weekend.

*Don't think any question is silly. Ask any question you want and if your Realtor doesn't take the question seriously it might be time to find a new Realtor.

*This one wil probably get me in trouble but I would suggest not calling the Realtor on the sign. I would explain it this way. If I were suing you, you would not hire my attorney to represent you.

If you are a first time home buyer and want information about the buying process feel free to email me any time.

Jeff Fulgham

T.U.P. Realty

2202 West Main

Tupelo, MS 38801

662-322-5674

http://www.tuprealty.com/

fulghamj@comcast.net

Tell me what you think

T.U.P. Realty — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:25:36 -0500

I wanted to get all of your opinions on what you think we should do down here in Tupelo, MS. We have an excellent city council who I honestly believe is trying to do the right things in office. I do not however, agree with them on this one.

A few months back our city council adopted some new ordinances to help clean up some of the bad rental property around town. I own rental property but I don't mind them inspecting my properties. But, I sold a house to a young lady last month who was purchasing the home to live in. This house had been a rental property but she was buying it for herself. After purchasing the home we find out that it must be inspected before they will turn her power on because it used to be a rental property. "First I had heard of this". Thank goodness she did not have to do a lot of work on the property before they turned her power on, just a couple smoke detectors. But what if she had to do lots of work. Who would have been responsible. The house had already closed.

Me that's who.

Now I just feel that the government is being much to intrusive in our lives when I have to allow inspectors into MY personal home to make sure I am following their rules inside my own home.

What say you?

immigration a liitle off topic here but I had to sound off.

T.U.P. Realty — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:42:52 -0500

The folowing is a letter I will hand deliver to Senator Trent Lott's office Thursday. We are planning a large gathering there to let him know how Mississippians feel about the Immigration Bill. Let me know what you think.

Thanks

Dear Senator Lott,

I am writing to you today to express my sincere regret over your support of this amnesty bill in congress. I also am concerned about your comment of "dealing with the problem" of talk radio. In my opinion you have commit political suicide. I am a staunch Republican. I voted for you. I voted for Bush. I support Bush on many issues and yes even Iraq. However I will never vote for you or another Bush again if you continue to support this bill. I will campaign against you here in Mississippi. As far as talk radio goes it is the only way regular folks can keep up with what you big shots are doing in congress. You certainly are not telling us the truth. Things are changing in America and people are become smarter and more aware of their government and it isn't as easy to sugar coat things and get us to go along with it anymore.

I was a professional income tax preparer for about 9 years and I know the ramifications of legalizing 12 million lower income people. Please understand this about me. I understand why people want to come here. I also am not opposed to making it easier for Hispanics with clean records to come here legally. They do provide a great service and most work very hard. My problem is this. The Democrats in Congress just raised the minimum wage to 7.00 per hour. Now we are talking about keeping them here for their cheap labor. Do we not understand that these people are working for 4.00 per hour now? So we are going to almost double their pay right off the bat. I believe there are plenty of Americans willing to work for 7.00 an hour. Now this is not my biggest complaint.

A large majority of these migrant workers will be in a lower income bracket. If the husband works and the wife stays at home with the 2 children they will qualify for earned income credit. If that family makes 18,000 per year not only will they not pay income taxes they will receive a check from the tax payers for about $4530.00. Now if only 3 Million of the 12 to 20 million people qualify that would come to 13.6 billion dollars per year of additional handouts. Who is going to foot the bill for that? My struggling family and I are going to pay for it.

My next question is who is going to pay for their healthcare? Are we going to socialize that too and give it to them for free? Remember they pay no income tax so am I going to have to foot the bill for that? Or how about the public education system? They pay no income tax and at minimum wage they won't be property owners so who is going to foot that bill? You and I that's who. Or what happens when they retire? Or Social security system is in shambles now. If Social Security was privatized they could probably put in enough money and earn enough interest to live on but the way it is now they will take much more out than they put in. So how is a system that is already broke going to handle 12 to 20 million low income workers?

Is cheap lettuce and sweet potatoes really worth all that? Besides when they start making minimum wage at 7.00 an hour that lettuce won't be cheap anymore anyway. If you want the labor to remain cheap you might as well leave things the way they are now. Then after working for minimum wage for awhile they will start their own union and demand 20.00 per hour, health insurance, shorter work days and profit sharing.

We must up hold the laws we have in place now before we make new laws to not uphold. We must secure our boarder. It is not the innocent Hispanic people coming here that bother me the most it is the criminals and terrorist coming with them. If you have not been to the Mexican Border before it is a trip worth making. Just west of McAllen Texas you will find the last rope ferry in existence. Men still pull cars across by hand there. I have been there. I have seen people who swim across the Rio Grande daily. It would have been very easy to cross and come back in without being spotted. I personally could have gone across picked up a small nuclear weapon in a suit case and have came right back. At this point the river is probably no more than 20 feet across and in the dry season you can just about wade across. The border guards at this point go home at 5:00. I was there at 7:00pm and there was not a soul to be found.

We must secure the boarder. Once that is accomplished then we can discuss what to do with the innocent people here who are trying to make a better life for their family. As for as those people who are here illegally and have criminal records walk them back to the boarder and tell them not to let the door hit them in the rear on their way out.

Sir you are elected to fight for the people of Mississippi and the betterment of the country. You are supposed to stand up and protect our culture, our language, our way of life, our values and our freedom. It is my opinion that you are failing at this job on this issue.

Sincerely

Jeff Fulgham

Tupelo, MS