I don't get it. There is so much wrong with what President Obama did last Friday unilaterally abrogating a portion of our immigration laws, and so little strong negative reaction.
First, I would note that his policy change is probably open to legal challenge. The executive has prosecutorial discretion but it cannot just issue a blanket statement saying it will not enforce a law at all for a certain group of people. That is just wrong, both legally and morally.
Second, the numbers are all over the place. I have seen some estimates that his policy affects about 800,000 persons, persons brought to the US while minors, now between the ages of 18 and 30, no criminal record, been in school, or the military. How do we know that? Where does that number come from? It is just made up, that's all.
Let's accept the 800,000 number for now, however, and assume that all of those people were actually subject to being deported. Well, my friends, our President Obama just threw another 800,000 people into the "legal" workforce at a time when real unemployment is probably in the 16% to 18% range. Happy 4th of July American workers! What does the AFL-CIO have to say about that?
Third, I love the blather about patriotism and military service. The suddenly weepy-eyed patriotic Obama ignores one simple fact: the US military does NOT accept illegal aliens. I repeat, the US military does not accept illegal aliens. Look it up. A military recruit must prove he or she is a citizen or a legal resident of the United States. Any illegal alien in the military has committed some sort of document fraud, e.g., a forged "Green Card," birth certificate, US passport, or a naturalization certificate. In other words, he or she has produced the sort of documents we are told poor minorities are incapable of producing to get a valid photo id for voting . . . hmmmm.
Fourth, why the preference for those who have been in high school or college? What about some poor kid who just worked? Does work have no value in our society? Why the favoring of better off illegal aliens, the ones who attended taxpayer supported schools?
Fifth, let's not even get started on the blatant pandering in an election year. This President has had some three and half years to propose a reform of our creaky immigration system. He has done nothing. Suddenly some four-plus months from a close election, there is the "urgency of now" to this absurd little patch on the sinking immigration ship.
Sixth, why the assumption that this is an issue "Hispanics" care about more than any else? How about jobs, national security, deficit spending, etc.?
Yet another reason to vote against Obama next November. How many do we need?
Dip:
ReplyDeleteA good list of reasons this is not a well-thought-out policy. We're seeing more of them all the time: quick reactions that appear to have been born early in the morning and announced in the Rose Garden before noon with no staff analysis. This bears all the signs of a deer-in-the-headlights effort to rope in a bunch of Hispanic votes. But what's in it for Hispanics?
Really, do people cross our southern border illegally in the hope we will change into a slightly richer variety of the lawless society they are fleeing? It makes zero sense to stop enforcing the law at this late date. Oh I know, some people benefiting from this effective amnesty will likely vote for Obama, but really, how many? How many additional votes will this garner for him? 1,000 in AZ? Will that be enough to swing those electoral votes into his column? Seems to me like sentiment in AZ is running pretty strong against him, and as many AZ voters will vote against this policy change as will favor it.
This looks to me like a desperation move, a hail mary pass that won't bring in enough votes to make it worthwhile. Meanwhile it cheapens our laws and rewards scofflaws. There is no doubt we need to rationalize our immigration policy, especially as regards Hispanics, but this does nothing to accomplish that. It merely kicks the can down the road.
Let's assume these minors have two parents here. That triples the number of illegals allowed to remain. Add the all their costs for welfare, education, incarceration, health care, tax fraud and so forth and this fiat ruling will cost us billions of dollars per year.
ReplyDeleteIllegals have so skewed the economy here in New Jersey that Americans are competing with them for low-end jobs yet have to pay onerous taxes to support those illegals. One has to wonder how legal immigrants think of this. Now it appears illegals will get the right to vote. Thanks, O.
Anonymous: As currently proposed, this move does not make more people eligible for welfare or education, it merely makes them non-deportable. Of course that could change, and certainly will when Obama gets another 3 am brain fart.
DeleteOur beloved Won has no idea what the repercussions might be if his Friday brain-fart were to be fully implemented. And that's not important to him, anyway. He needed to be seen as "doing something" for Hispanics so now ergo, he is.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Hispanic voting blocks go, I see two. The first is the professional Hispanic block. These are those who stand to gain if Hispanics need to be processed in any way. The second block are the real Hispanics. They don't like the professionals very much, and most times will vote against them but will not tell survey takers what they plan to do. I think glorious leader has seduced the pooch with this move but because he only sees truths he, himself proclaims, will end up in deeper doo doo.
This move is a cynical shore-up, or attempt at, the hispanic vote in the South, particularly after stoking the black racial frenzy over the "if I had a son he would look like" Trayvon Martin shooting.
ReplyDeleteThe deal is intended to mollify the Latino bloc for mutely sacrificing "white" hispanic (half Peruvian/one eighth black) George Zimmerman to the local justice system, the DOJ, the FBI who is tasked with investigating Jorge's "racism", to the New Black Panthers, and to other possible vigilantes.
Win-win, the many over the one, and for the greater good!
I've served next to foreign nationals in the service. With Philippine nationals in the Navy and other nationals including Mexican nationals in the Marine Corps. Foreign nationals have always found a path to citizenship through the military. I disagree with the Dream Act because of the other avenues that it mandates.
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