Stop Insulting our Intelligence
Jul 11th 2006RavenBorder Security & Politics & Raven
A pep talk from Thomas Sowell regarding Illegal Immigration and WE THE PEOPLE–
No issue discussed in this column has brought in so much virtually unanimous mail, so full of outrage, as the issue of amnesty for illegal aliens living in this country.
Much of this mail also expressed a sense of futility. “What can I do?” these letters and e-mails often asked. “I am just an ordinary citizen.”
Sometimes these letters and e-mails said, “I have written my senator” (or representative) — and either received no reply or got back an obvious form letter, not really responding to the concerns expressed. Some said that they wrote to their local newspaper but these letters were not printed.
“I am just one person,” some said. “What difference do my views make?”
What difference? Public outrage made the Senate and the President of the United States back down from their amnesty bill.
Just one person can make a difference…when you group up with others who feel the same way. Who hold the same passions. I am still not at all satisfied with the Senate’s version of this legislation and frankly I don’t trust the President on his stance. But we know they have heard some of our outrage.
Never think that you don’t count. You are what count most of all. Politicians understand votes if they don’t understand anything else. They are virtually obsessed with public opinion polls.
Democracy means that each individual voter cannot expect to prevail on every issue because there are other voters with other views. But that does not mean that the public is powerless when a clear majority knows what it wants and doesn’t want.
We are the clear majority on this issue. I have seen polls that try to tell it differently, but when you look at the actual numbers and what is being said- the vast VAST majority of Americans want the borders secured FIRST. They do not want any form of AMNESTY. They do not believe this garbage about jobs no one wants to hold down either; some people are very offended that this is even being said.
The media, the politicians, and the intelligentsia may all be overwhelmingly on the opposite side but the people will prevail. That is how bilingual education was defeated at the polls in California and why the amnesty bill is now dead in the United States Senate.
Make no mistake about it. The elites always think they know better, that the public’s views are just mindless stereotypes or ugly prejudices.
They think we can always be fooled with a little rhetoric and clever political spin. Sometimes these elites succeed in confusing the issues and pulling a fast one on the public. But, as Abraham Lincoln said long ago, “You can’t fool all the people all the time.”
I consider the Senate’s version of these “town hall” type meetings a fast one; the House is doing this and they are much more sincere in their efforts. No…we cannot be fooled. These elites are the ones who look like fools.
The biggest insult was the endlessly repeated claim that illegal aliens “take jobs that Americans won’t take.” Even in agriculture, where illegal aliens have their biggest impact, three quarters of the workers are not — repeat, not — illegal aliens.
In some particular localities, some particular work may be done primarily by illegal aliens. But that does not mean that this work would go undone without them. More pay attracts more people.
New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg is still pushing the line that there would be economic collapse without illegal immigrants. But, despite the scary picture of 12 million illegals being suddenly deported, the cold fact is that 12 million young Americans in the prime of life were removed from our economy to go into the military during World War II and the economy did not collapse.
These 12 million young men went into the military a lot faster than 12 million illegals can be rounded up and deported.
It takes some clear thinking and reason to see this for what it is…and to look back in history to see how we managed. We did fine- our parents and grandparents’ generations. We will do fine as well.
The other big insult to our intelligence was the claim that amnesty is not amnesty when you call it something else. But, when the people didn’t buy it, the politicians had to stop selling it.
Exactly. Mr. Spence should read this and weep…since he claims his solution isn’t amnesty when in fact it is. Kennedy and McCain should shut up already- but at least they half way admit their version is an amnesty. As for the other polecats in DC, they should remember- my vote counts. As does yours. And everyone else’s.
