The Modern Drone Program and Its Impact

The development of drones has been a vital advancement for U.S. military purposes. It allows an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to attack a specific terrorist location quietly, effectively, and is minimally violent to surrounding areas.

Drone strikes have come under criticism, however, due to the documented loss of civilian lives as a result of errant attacks or collateral damage. In our view, UAVs are the most effective weapon to date at killing specific threats to the U.S. without causing overreaching harm that other methods would inevitably lead to.

The argument that drone strikes can kill innocent people and thus should be eliminated as a military tactic entirely simply doesn’t hold water when analyzed reasonably.

Times of conflict lead to military engagement between two or more sides. When this happens, violence and death are inevitable. With any form of military involvement, there is a significant threat of the loss of civilian lives in the fray of battle. Opponents of drone strikes have cried that the loss of innocent lives, famously that of a pregnant woman and three children in a bus strike in September of 2012, is proof enough that UAVs are not safe enough for use.

Immigration and the U.S.

The United States was founded by a group of foreign citizens who entered a new land to establish a great nation, free of government entanglement and open to respecting rights granted to the people.

In the decades that followed, millions of immigrants, from England, Ireland, Italy, Germany and many other countries entered U.S. borders to establish a better life for themselves. The country coined the phrase, “the American dream” and we became a multi-cultured nation thriving on our old customs and a new collaborated identity. Over 98 percent of our current population is immigrant based, according the 2010 Census.

Today, immigration reform is a heated topic of debate, with 11 million undocumented immigrants living illegally within our borders. However, it is clear that the U.S. needs to reform its immigration policy to help these people gain legal standing and eventual citizenship. Doing so is not only a basic tenet of our cultural fabric, but it will provide significant improvements to our nation’s economy.

One significant boost benefits Social Security. As 75 million baby boomers prepare to retire, the 75-year shortfall of benefits beyond the taxes expected to be collected is $8.6 trillion. The influx of legal immigrants greatly narrows the funding gap that looms over the program. Over 75 years, immigrants will add $4 trillion to the Social Security trust fund, the biggest potential benefactor to solving the program’s financial crisis.