In my previous piece, I spoke of the court ruling against the town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, in which the decision basically stated that this town’s laws could not trump federal laws when it comes to illegal immigration.
In watching yesterday’s ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight’ program on CNN, this is what they reported concerning Senator Barack Obama’s opinion of the case ruling, “Well presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama voiced support for yesterday's court ruling that struck down Hazleton's illegal immigration law. Senator Obama called the federal court ruling a victory for all Americans. The senator said comprehensive reform is needed so local communities do not continue to take matters into their own hands. Senator Obama was a supporter of the Senate's failed immigration bill, which would have given amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.”
I would first like to ask the fine senator just how this ruling is a victory for all Americans when millions of Americans expressed their outrage when it came to this ‘Grand Compromise’ piece of legislation. When it first died many Americans felt it a victory only for President Bush to come back from the G-8 Summit and resurrect it. It was then we had to start the process all over again to make sure that this bill died before it even reached his desk.
Let me also remind the fine senator that no reform is needed only adherence to the rule of law which means it is illegal for any employer to hire illegal aliens and for illegal aliens to over stay their visas if they have them. It means punishing those that broke our laws or as the senator forgotten the rule of law in this country? My guess is that he has turned a blind-eye to it as he panders to groups such as La Raza.
The reason why local communities have had to take matters into their own hands is because the federal government refuses to enforce our laws already in place. In fact, local residents go to the polls electing these leaders to enforce local laws and that is accountability not only to the citizens of Hazelton, but communities across America. I would like to remind this fine senator that state law makers in Albany, NY are playing politics when it comes to withholding $320 million in sales tax revenue because Suffolk County Executive, Steve Levy refuses to use county resources to build a hiring hall for these illegal aliens. As a Suffolk County resident and tax payer, I can think of a number of worth while projects such as building up mass transportation instead of building a hiring hall.
I would like for this fine senator to look tax paying American citizens in the face and who go without health care due to a lack of insurance why illegal aliens should get health services presently denied these citizens. Instead of pandering to groups such as La Raza in order to formulate a new base of voters that will more than likely vote for Democratic candidates; how about representing the needs of the American people first? Let us reward immigrants that came to this country and are going through the legal process in order to become citizens instead of rewarding law breakers.
In his appearance before La Raza in Miami, Florida, he stated that those who sought to defeat this bill did so because of racism and hate. Sorry, senator, it had nothing to do with racism or hate, but fairness to the American tax payer. This is the same group of people who have been left out of the political debate for far too long.
Not to leave Senator Hillary Clinton out of this mess, this is what she had to say of the defeat of this bill, “I am very disappointed, and I was really quite offended by the tone of the debate and some of what was said by outside parties who were trying to influence the debate” May I ask the fine senator what outside parties she speaks of since as I stated before millions of Americans were outraged that this bill even came up for debate and worked at a grass roots level making sure it was defeated. Is she saying that Americans like me are outside parties? If that is the case, she has forgotten who went to the polls voting her into the office she presently holds.
In actuality as my senator, I was offended by Senator Clinton’s vote in favor of this piece of legislation. Having sent faxes to her office and calling her office encouraging her not to vote in favor of this bill, I felt like my input had little value. I am sure that others in NY State felt the same way who opposed this bill.
Senator Clinton also had this to add concerning this piece of legislation in which she was trying, “to understand where all of the venom and the incredible anxiety came from” in the immigration debate. Just maybe the venom is coming from American citizens whose wages have been depressed and feel this anxiety in trying to feed their families. Slap someone down long enough and they will slap back. I do think that the American worker has felt slapped down for a long time and when they saw this ‘Grand Compromise’ come to the senate floor in which some senators were looking to help those who were not citizens, I feel that is when the anger began to rise.
If we are to believe that these illegal aliens are coming to our country for a better way of life, maybe we should be opening a dialogue with the countries they are coming from demanding they do better for their citizens as we should demand our elected officials do for ‘we the people’. For example, if the Mexican government is failing its people that they flee to our borders to jump it to make a better life here, it should not be the responsibility of the American tax payer to make their lives better. The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the Mexican government and not ours.
When the Hazelton Mayor, Lou Barleta stated in the past concerning this issue, “We will never back down.” I do suspect that many Americans want that kind of leadership especially when it comes to this particular issue. He even cited the economic impact in his community, but I do suspect the same negative impact is being felt throughout this nation. Case in point, this past year hundreds of millions of dollars were cut from area hospitals here on Long Island by the federal government in which it will have an impact on patient care. Now add to that the stress factors of providing health care to illegal aliens. Patient care suffers for all Americans when hospitals are in danger of operating in the red. If they operate in the red too long they face being closed down.
Not to play the fear card, but what happens should a ‘doomsday scenario’ occur where there are mass casualties: If some hospitals are forced to close, how will these causalities be treated? Should this occur and I pray not, it will have a devastating affect for all Long Islanders.
Barleta “described his experiences dealing with illegal aliens and the rampant crime problem that now threatens the town’s safety, quality of life and financial viability.” So when he sees no help coming from Washington, D.C. to deal effectively with this crisis, it is paramount for him to take matters into his own hands. That is what the people of Hazelton elected him to do. What is he supposed to do? Just shrug his shoulders? Perhaps if Senator Obama and even Senator Clinton could spend sometime in Hazelton, Pennsylvania to see first hand what this town is going through maybe they would be on the side of these citizens and this mayor.
To both of these senators, perhaps instead of pandering to groups such as La Raza, your time can be best spent with middle class American tax paying citizens who feel that this ruling was not a victory for all Americans.
In closing, Senator Obama had this to add this statement as he appeared before La Raza, that the immigration debate “was both ugly and racist in a way we haven’t see since the struggle for civil rights.” That struggle for civil rights pertained to American citizens where this debate deals with those that are not. If this bill had passed, I would have liked to ask the fine senator; what about the civil rights of tax paying American citizens? Don’t we matter? Obviously not.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
