The Question of Immigration

This is the first piece I submitted to ST for publication. It is hard to believe over ten years have gone by. This piece was prompted by the horrible Gang of Eight to which those scoundrels John McCain and Lindsey Graham belonged. I will follow this piece up with other articles regarding immigration which appeared shortly after this one did.  I decided the present situation on our southern border warrants attention and action. 

The Republican Hispanic Immigration Mirage

Thu, 08 Aug 2013 by Kung Fu Zu

The House Republican leadership has let it be known that it will take up the question of immigration reform later this year. House Republicans know the 1000+ page Senate bill 744 is very unpopular, so they are planning to bring several smaller bills to a vote. Each bill will deal with separate issues pertaining to immigration reform. Word is that once the various smaller bills have been passed, the House Republican leadership will then bring these bills to a Senate/House conference committee in order to “find common ground.” Eric Cantor has made it clear that the House Republican leadership is especially interested in passing some type of “Dream Act,” i.e. amnesty for illegal aliens who were brought to the country as children. That the House Republican leadership would even consider such actions shows how out of touch they are with their base and the country.

Establishment Republicans have put forward several reasons to support amnesty. Some are pushing the theme that “if Republicans don’t champion amnesty they will have no chance to win future presidential elections.” Others claim Hispanics are a “natural Republican constituency” due to their social conservatism as witnessed by their Church attendance and strong family values.

These claims can be easily disproved by data which is readily accessible to not only establishment Republican pundits, but to anyone interested in learning the truth about Hispanic political leanings and voting records.

Let’s take a look at some facts about Hispanic voting and political beliefs.

1. Hispanics have voted overwhelmingly Democrat in every presidential election over the last thirty years.

2. When Bush won almost 40% (still less than half) of the Hispanic vote it was at the peak of the housing boom, i.e. the peak of Hispanic prosperity.

3. After Reagan granted amnesty in 1986, Bush Sr. only received 30% of the Hispanic vote in 1988.

4. A 2011 Pew Survey asked Hispanics “Would you rather pay higher taxes to support a larger government or pay lower taxes and have a smaller government?” By a margin of 79% to 19%, Hispanics chose higher taxes and bigger government.

5. In the 2008 Exit Polls, voters were asked, “Which comes closer to your view? “Government should do more to solve problems” or “Government is doing too many things better left to business.” Hispanics were in favor of bigger government 71% to 29%. The “bigger government” answer to this question gives a strong indication a person would vote, i.e. Democrat.

6. In 2011, about 53% of Hispanic births were out of wedlock.
7. In one survey, Hispanics favored homosexual marriage 53% to 34%.

8. In Reuters’ analysis of the 2012 Exit Polls, Hispanic voters supported the Democratic position vs. the Republican position by 57% to 36%.

9. Even though they are mostly Catholic, Hispanics supported Obama’s position that “Health insurance organizations should be required to cover contraceptives” by a 68-11% margin. This is a question of religious freedom which is being encroached upon, yet Hispanics seem to discount this.

10. Data from Reuters indicated Hispanics support raising taxes on wealthy Americans by a 73-7% margin.

11. Hispanics support Obamacare by a margin of 69-31%.

There is plenty more information confirming Hispanics favor Democratic policies.

Given the above information, we need to ask why “Why do Hispanics vote Democrat?” I believe the main reason is straightforward. On average, they earn much less than non-Hispanic Whites.

A. According to the latest Census estimate “42% of Hispanics are poor or near-poor”

B. According to the U.S. Census, “Educational attainment of foreign born Hispanics was lower than that of all other race, Hispanic origin, and nativity groups. The percentage of foreign born Hispanics who completed at least high school was 48%”.

C. The share of U.S. born Hispanics who hold a college degree is less than half that of Whites. Twice as many U.S. born Hispanics lack a high school degree, as compared to Whites.

D. The average family income of Hispanics relative to Whites, as calculated by the Census bureau, has gone from 70% to 60% from 1972 to 2011.

E. Hispanics earn on average 40% less than Whites.

Based on these facts, Republicans need to ask “How would amnesty affect the demographics of American voters?”

1. Amnesty would initially lead to about 11 million new citizens who would have the right to bring their relatives to the U.S.

2. According to a Princeton researcher, each immigrant would bring 2.1 family members to the U.S.A.

3. On basis of the above point, this would mean an increase of about 34 million new citizens, most of them low-skilled and poorly educated.

4. If half of these citizens vote, that would add about 17 million new voters who would owe their loyalty to the Democrats. You can be sure the Democrats know this.

If amnesty happens now, the Republican Party will start to vanish. Of the seven states with the highest number of immigrants, only Texas and Florida have not yet turned firmly Blue.

This is not to say that the Republican Party doesn’t need to do a better job of wooing the Hispanic vote. But a cheap political stunt like support for a modified Dream Act is not going to buy a great number of Hispanic votes. Furthermore, it will cause many who presently vote Republican to go elsewhere. These people do not like the idea of rewarding those who have broken our laws.

If Republicans are serious about increasing their share of the Hispanic vote, they will have to go to the precincts where Hispanics live and show them they are truly interested in them. They will have to explain why the Republican message is best for all Americans. And they must continue to go back to these precincts, build networks, elect precinct Chairmen and Chairwomen who are on the ground. It will be difficult, costly and time consuming, but preparing the soil is necessary if one wants a good harvest.

The establishment of the Republican Party is like a man walking in the desert. He is thirsty, but knows the road to the oasis ahead is long and arduous. Hoping for an easier path, he searches the horizon and thinks he sees a grove of palm trees just a little way off his present track. He knows he will reach water if he stays on his present path, but the palm grove in the near distance is seductive. Unfortunately, the palm grove is nothing more than a mirage. Setting off for it would prove fatal. Which road do you think the Republican Party should take?

Yes, it is hard to blame those who shear the sheep. 

My second piece at Stubborn Things. 

Some Truth About Amnesty

Mon, 12 Aug 2013 by Kung Fu Zu

In my previous piece, I laid out why amnesty would be suicide for the Republican Party. With this and future pieces, I will rebut the claims that “immigration reform,” aka “amnesty,” would be good for the country as well as the lie that Americans demand to have the problem solved now.

For years, various groups have told Americans that the immediate legalization of the millions of unlawful aliens in our country would be not only good, but vital for the future of the nation. These proponents of “immigration reform,” aka “amnesty,” have tried to justify their radical proposals by mouthing pious platitudes such as “we need to take illegal immigrants out of the shadows” or “we cannot have second class citizens” or “America is also responsible as we haven’t enforced the immigration laws properly” etc, etc. ad nauseam.

If you disagree with the amnesty crowd you are subjected to a number of slurs including that of being a racist. This tactic is commonly used by those who do not wish an honest and open discussion of the policies they support. Such ploys do not bother me and I intend to inject some facts into the discussion.

Consider the above-mentioned excuses/accusations leveled by the pro-amnesty crowd:

“In the shadows”— Have the people who mouthed that never driven by a home improvement center, equipment rental yard, or many other work places at seven or eight in the morning? On any given day, there are plenty of illegal aliens who are openly looking for work. Not only do they not hide, they have become pickier about the work they will and won’t do, thus extending their time in the light. Their children go to public schools paid for by citizens and legal residents. They don’t seem to be hiding very well.

“Second class citizens”— They are not U.S. citizens in any sense, legal or otherwise.

“The American people are to blame because successive governments have refused to enforce the law of the land”— Try that argument the next time you are stopped by a cop for speeding. “Officer, you didn’t stop the others who were speeding, therefore you are to blame that I am speeding”. See how far that gets you.

We are told we need amnesty to stimulate the economy. But is there really a shortage of Americans for the jobs out there? According to the Economic Policy Institute, “the number of unemployed far outstrips the available job openings in the USA for averages of the months from December 2011 to November 2012.”

This only confirms what Americans already know. The country is going through a tough spell and millions of American citizens are looking for work. What about employing more Americans? Might that stimulate the economy while helping to cut the budget deficit, while at the same time giving millions of unemployed Americans the satisfaction of supporting themselves and their families?

Given the present situation, what do Americans think about the effects of illegal immigration on jobs?

66% vs. 22% believe that more immigrant workers would make it harder for unemployed Americans to find a job. (National Survey conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, June 17, 2013)

56% vs. 25% believe less educated workers compete with less educated Americans for construction, hospitality and other service jobs. (National Survey conducted by Pulse Opinion Research June 17, 2013)

73% vs. 14% believe there are plenty of unemployed less-educated Americans to fill jobs here. (National Survey conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, June 17 2013)

83% vs. 11% agree that businesses should try harder to recruit Black and Hispanic Americans, younger Americans and Americans with disabilities before seeking new foreign workers. (National Survey conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, June 17, 2013.)

When the question of policy arises, what do Americans want to be done first?

84% of voters favor stricter border security to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country and fewer than 13% oppose stricter border security. (Fox News Poll March 4, 2013)

92% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats favor stricter border security. (Fox News Poll March 4, 2013)

69% vs. 25% voters favor requiring completion of new border security measures before making other changes to immigration policy. 81% of Republican, 62% of Democrats, 60% of Independents. (Fox News Poll March 4, 2013)

58% vs. 32% of respondents favor full enforcement of border and workplace controls before considering issuing work permits to 11 million illegal aliens. (National Survey conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, June 17, 2013)

Americans’ priority seems to be pretty clear. Secure the border!! Perhaps that is something our representatives should do.

My third piece at Stubborn Things. Things have gotten much worse during the intervening ten years. The Biden Administration is now actively trying to destroy the United States through a rapid bankruptcy and replacement of the middle class. 

What Are The Monetary Costs Of Amnesty?

Tue, 13 Aug 2013 by Kung Fu Zu

In my previous posts, I have gone over the risks amnesty presents to the Republican Party as well as Americans’ beliefs on amnesty in general. In this piece, I would like to look briefly into what the economic costs/benefits would be for the country as a whole.

Proponents of amnesty say granting amnesty to illegal immigrants will be a boon for the economy and they will make great economic contributions to the country. Can this claim be substantiated? One of the most commonly used ways to measure the potential earning power of people is their education level. Therefore, it would seem reasonable to determine the education profile of illegal immigrants.

On basis of the 2010 Census, the Heritage Foundation estimates that “50.7% of illegal immigrant households are headed by people without a high school education. That compares to 9.6% for households of native citizens.”

The same study estimated that “a typical illegal immigrant has only a 10th grade education, half of such households were headed by someone with no high school degree and only 25% have a high school degree.”

“In 2010, an average unlawful immigrant household received about US$14,387 more in benefits than it paid in taxes” according to the Heritage Foundation study. And this is without having access to the over 80 means-tested welfare programs that would be available to them once they were given amnesty.

If Senate bill S. 744 were passed as written, the Heritage Foundation calculates that “benefits received by the newly amnestied immigrants would exceed taxes paid by the same immigrants by US$6.3 trillion dollars over the lifetime of those immigrants.” Let me repeat, US$6.3 trillion.

It is well known that long-term estimates can be far off the mark. But even if one cuts the Heritage Foundation estimate in half, the numbers are frightening. Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on theoretical future numbers to understand how much amnesty could cost us. We have concrete information already.

According to the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, “illegals received 23.6% of welfare spending in Los Angeles, in 2009.” This is the type of contribution I fear illegal aliens will make once given amnesty. Does that sound like they are contributing a lot to the country? Would that be our future with amnesty?

This brings up a point which needs to be stressed. We know why the Democrat Party is pushing for amnesty. They want a permanent underclass which will give the Democrats a lock on political power. Why, though, are powerful business interests pushing so hard for amnesty and open borders?

The answer is in the above numbers. They want the rest of society, i.e. the middle class, to pay for the social costs of those millions of poorly-educated, low-skilled laborers who will be toiling for wages other Americans will not accept. This is simply another case of transferring the wealth of one group to another, except in this case it will be from the middle class to the rich.

Can America afford this?

This prick has a lot of gall. No, Abbott should not stop sending illegals to Chicago. Send them to the governor's mansion and his family's hotels (Hyatt) without paying for the rooms. Let the rich feel the costs as opposed to socializing them across the whole population, which is struggling to make ends meet.

Please stop, pretty please

I think the problem is in defining the problem. I haven't heard many (or any) Republicans note that the reason the Democrat Party promotes illegal immigration is:

1) Create more Democrat voters
2) Dilute the white race.

Until we define the problem, there is little hope in solving it.

Our last Civil War could also be examined as a confrontation between states and federal government. The federals had only one issue, slavery. The South, for reasons passing understanding, allowed that issue to dominate the very real policy and governance issues that brought South Carolina to secession. In effect, the South fought the right war for the wrong reasons, giving the North the right war for the wrong reasons. We are currently in the middle of a new cold civil war. How hot it may get is anyone's guess, but immigration will be called one of the contributing factors by 22nd century historians, as will abortion and gender issues.