Having addressed some controversial issues like eBay and the real estate market through a series of posts, one of BloggingStocks most avid (and astute) readers asked me to tackle another tough issue -- Immigration reform.

He directed me to the following September 15 2006 article, "Immigration Raid Makes a Ghost Town." The story points out :

"Last month, the federal government reported that Georgia had the fastest-growing illegal immigrant population in the country. The number more than doubled from an estimated 220,000 in 2000 to 470,000 last year. This year, state lawmakers passed some of the nation's toughest measures targeting illegal immigrants, and Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue last week vowed a statewide crackdown on document fraud."

The article is clearly slanted toward the plight of the people that were hauled away, creating the "ghost town," and is slanted against the government. In this case I may have been swayed by similar feelings, as was our reader. However, I am not one to appreciate the political polarization we create among ourselves and I do not feel this article is balanced in its reporting.

Even in the paragraph I have quoted I would not mention the political affiliation of the Governor. Some might say it is normal to do so, but I say it adds nothing to the story and only fuels the wrong fire. This story will take volumes and I do not know how much energy I have to cover it, but if you do not have your own soap box, I am more than happy to share mine. Perhaps we can thrash out what this all means.

One of the first things that I noted in the article was the use of the term illegal "immigrants" as opposed to illegal "aliens," which by itself is an indication of where one's sympathies may lie.

Yes, Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is still one of the most fascinating companies in the world, commanding a high price and superstar investor status.

Google remains in the news with multiple stories broadcast on the web each day, and everywhere else: bonding with Apple (AAPL) and Time Warner (TWX), challenging Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo (YHOO), and eBay (EBAY), scaring newspapers and publishers, adding features to their line of products and services, getting tangled up in litigation here (Click Fraud) and abroad (Google relents and posts Belgian court ruling on its website), analysts speculation about GOOG's future share value and all this is just a partial accounting.

90 days ago I posted 10 Reasons I think Google is going down: and the following was reason number 10. This recap and update tracks current values holding myself accountable for my comments.

10. Does not pass the equivalence test.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is now a bloated company. Naturally, not all of it is bad. But, at the company's current scale, there are issues to contend with that might be more easily resolved in leaner and meaner pieces. This is the first in a two-part story.

We all would love to be bloated by Microsoft's cash hoard, patents, growth history, depth of management, research & development strength, and certainly the company's potential to bring product to market.

Nevertheless it is time to consider Micro'soft' vs Micro'hard'. The development of the XBox, and now the Zune -- and with the possibility of Microsoft stores in the air -- make this a timely consideration. I am not promoting breaking up the company without very deep and measured analysis of the merits (Peter Cohan had some analysis of this very topic, in June), but given Microsoft's size and slower growth prospects it is worth considering.

The break-up of many of our largest corporations has been a topic of discussion as investors seek to maximize company potential.

Contrarian (noun), pronounced con.trar.i.an. : A person who takes a contrary position or attitude; specifically : an investor who buys shares of stock when most others are selling and sells when others are buying.

Turning things inside out, and upside down is basic to contrarian and value investing. In this article I will share my WOW Principal of investing.

WOW Principal origin: Observing how my wife manages our family I have been in awe. It's true: "a mother's work is never done." To express my amazement, I have exclaimed WOW often. MOM upside down spells WOW! There are many times that Mom's world is upside down, juggling three kids and an ever increasing number of commitments with spectacular efficiency. She is also an architect and my partner in our architecture practice. In my bio, I referred to my relationship with my wife as my best investment, and since we met many years ago, I have been collecting dividends.

So, it is with my wife in mind that the WOW Principal of investing came to be. It is a perfect fit with my investing style. Simply stated: If, after thorough analysis of an investment, you are not in awe of your findings (company data, news, trends and surprises) and you do cannot exclaim WOW! (double WOW is even better!), then it is not a worthy investment.

If however, the investment does reach WOW status, you are in business. I do not invest unless I think there is an amazing opportunity and any risk is understandable and acceptable. Good is not good enough, it must be a great opportunity, and the case must be very convincing.

When things are upside down or people's perspective is jaded, there may be a deep value opportunity and my interest is peaked. At the point of discovery is a moment that begins when I say "hmm," and stroke my beard. Then I spend time with my investigation and analysis. But I do not fork over any cash until I find the WOW factor(s). If you find yourself scratching your head and saying huh? instead of "Wow," move on!