Posted by
Silvio Canto, Jr. on Thursday, August 24, 2006 5:42:21 PM
Pat Buchanan loves controversy. He has opinions and is not afraid to make his case. I am not a Buchanan fan. Yet, I do recognize that he cares a lot for his country. Also, I give Buchanan credit for taking on issues that most other public figures will not touch.
His new book is an example of Buchanan forcing the country to talk about illegal immigration. This is why it is # 1 in Amazon and going up in the other book lists. Check out this video from the Hannity & Colmes show on FOX!Banishing factoids by Linda Chavez correctly challenges some of Buchanan's excesses:
"The statistics on immigrants and crime are shocking -- but not for the reasons Buchanan et al. would have you believe."
Chavez is right. Buchanan is throwing a lot of statistics against the wall.
Like Chavez, I am not afraid of immigrants. In fact, I favor a bilateral program that matches US companies with foreign workers.After all, the US has a 4.6% unemployment rate. We are operating at a full employment level despite the number of illegal immigrants working here.
We do not have a "jobs" problem. Most of our companies are looking for people. Have you seen any "jobs section" in a newspaper?
Unlike Buchanan, I do not think that most Mexicans want to "reconquer" the Southwest. At the same time, Buchanan has a point that some Mexicans are not assimilating. Immigrants need to learn English. They need to take the time to learn US history.Nevertheless, Buchanan's book is riding high because the US public is fed up with illegal immigration.
The public is also fed with self-appointed Hispanic leaders. Why are these self appointed leaders making the stupid mistake of calling everyone a "racist", or even worse, "anti-immigrant".
How do you win public support by calling people racist? This is as stupid as marching with Mexican flags and demanding "rights"!
The issue is money rather than racism. Nobody hates Mexicans. What the public hates is paying for illegal immigrants.
Today, The Dallas Morning News has this story Migrant care costing millions :
"Illegal immigrants got more than $22.4 million worth of non emergency medical care at Parkland Memorial Hospital this year, officials said Tuesday. The cost estimate was the first time Parkland has quantified how much Dallas County taxpayers are paying for such care for illegal immigrants. "It's a significant amount of money," said John Gates, the hospital's chief financial officer."
Who is paying this "significant amount of money"? The answer is you and me!
Last month, I wrote that states and communities are addressing illegal immigration directly. Check it out!
This week, Farmers Branch, a nice town between Carrollton and Dallas, had a city council meeting to do something about the chaos:
"Several dozen residents crowded into the council chambers to discuss whether the city should restrict illegal immigrants through such measures as making it illegal for landlords to lease property to them; fining businesses that employ them; making English the city's official language; and halting funding for children of illegal immigrants to participate in Summer Funshine and other youth programs."
It's happening everywhere. Check this from Wisconsin, which is a long way from the border: Mayor takes stand on illegal migrants:
"In a letter in the local newspaper this month, John Kimmel, who runs the Detox Bar and Grill, said he would create an "illegal alien task force" to forward complaints to federal authorities, hold property owners accountable for renting to or allowing someone to live in the city illegally, make English the official language of Arcadia and regulate the flying of foreign flags."
In conclusion, this is about economics and the rule of law!
Self-appointed Hispanic leaders should not insult our intelligence by claiming "racism" and "anti-immigrant" attitudes.
This is a debate about illegal immigrants.
P.S. Check out Economic Angle Enters Illegal Immigration Battle by Bobby Eberle:
"While the debate over illegal immigration continues, business owners and others who are frustrated by the lack of enforcement of current immigration laws are turning to a new strategy: economics. Through lawsuits, some employers are fighting back by accusing competitors of hiring illegal aliens to gain an unfair business advantage. Whether this type of lawsuit will work remains to be seen, but something needs to be done to fix the illegal immigration problem, and enforcement of laws is the key."