Mexican President Felipe Calderon denounced as "racial discrimination" an Arizona law giving state and local police the authority to arrest suspected illegal immigrants and vowed to use all means at his disposal to defend Mexican nationals against a law he called a "violation of human rights."
But the legislation, signed April 23 by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, is similar to Reglamento de la Ley General de Poblacion — the General Law on Population enacted in Mexico in April 2000, which mandates that federal, local and municipal police cooperate with federal immigration authorities in that country in the arrests of illegal immigrants.
Arizona has passed a law empowering local police to investigate the immigration status of anyone they stop/detain for usual reasons (traffic stop, et cetera). Essentially, Arizona has empowered local police to take positive steps to enforce a 1952 Federal law--8 USC §1304(e):
Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties
Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.
Certainly no one should be targeted for police harassment because they are Hispanic, or because they are not a native-born US citizen. Perhaps even the case may be made that immigration laws in this country are unjust and counterproductive. What is not subject to debate is that restrictions on immigration to the United States are the law of the land, and equally certain is that lax and uneven enforcement of those laws by the Federal government is straining the resources of state governments of those states bordering Mexico.
Argue the Arizona law is a bad law. Argue that it fails to achieve the desired goals. But do not accuse Arizona of violating the civil rights of illegal aliens when those peoples' country of origin--Mexico--metes out even harsher justice to illegal immigrants, and when the Federals government has demanded legal immigrants to carry proof of status with them at all times for over half a century. Such an accusation is just rank hypocrisy on all sides.
]]>Blog: Hypocrisy on Immigration
Mexico's illegals laws tougher than Arizona's
Mexican President Felipe Calderon denounced as "racial discrimination" ... (more)
Mexican President Felipe Calderon denounced as "racial discrimination" an Arizona law giving state and local police the authority to arrest suspected illegal immigrants and vowed to use all means at his disposal to defend Mexican nationals against a law he called a "violation of human rights."
But the legislation, signed April 23 by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, is similar to Reglamento de la Ley General de Poblacion — the General Law on Population enacted in Mexico in April 2000, which mandates that federal, local and municipal police cooperate with federal immigration authorities in that country in the arrests of illegal immigrants.
Arizona has passed a law empowering local police to investigate the immigration status of anyone they stop/detain for usual reasons (traffic stop, et cetera). Essentially, Arizona has empowered local police to take positive steps to enforce a 1952 Federal law--8 USC §1304(e):
Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties
Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.
Certainly no one should be targeted for police harassment because they are Hispanic, or because they are not a native-born US citizen. Perhaps even the case may be made that immigration laws in this country are unjust and counterproductive. What is not subject to debate is that restrictions on immigration to the United States are the law of the land, and equally certain is that lax and uneven enforcement of those laws by the Federal government is straining the resources of state governments of those states bordering Mexico.
Argue the Arizona law is a bad law. Argue that it fails to achieve the desired goals. But do not accuse Arizona of violating the civil rights of illegal aliens when those peoples' country of origin--Mexico--metes out even harsher justice to illegal immigrants, and when the Federals government has demanded legal immigrants to carry proof of status with them at all times for over half a century. Such an accusation is just rank hypocrisy on all sides.
]]>Blog: Hypocrisy on Immigration
Mexico's illegals laws tougher than Arizona's
Mexican President Felipe Calderon denounced as "racial discrimination" ... (more)
When it comes to Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! in America, we are a nation of frogs being slowly boiled to death. The American worker is losing out in the global competition for meaningful employment. Your feature on “The Economy and Finance” in your Monday’s special section on “How to Rebuild Global Prosperity” presents some of the factors causing this result but fundamentally obscures the real problem. Your Fortune 500 CEO’s in your CEO Council do not want to admit to it.
First, a key piece of data: according to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, from 1980 to 2007, the bottom 90% of all workers went from earning 68% of total U.S. Adjusted Gross Income in 1980 to just 51.9% in 2007. The workers taking the biggest hit were those in the “middle class” (those in the top 50% to 90% -- $33,000 to $113,000 in 2007). Their share of the total national income pie declined from 50.3% in 1980 to 39.6% in 2007. An examination of the data will show that these declines were spread pretty consistently over the thirty year period, they are not the result of any annual anomalies.
My concern is not that the rich got richer. Also, I am aware that the absolute amount of income grew substantially over those years. What is very troublesome, however, is that our middle class has not shared anywhere near equally in the growing wealth of our country during that thirty year period. Capitalism in America is in danger when trends like this persist.
The CEO’s in your Council run global companies and therefore want global solutions. They believe in global free trade agreements. They sincerely believe, I expect, that global free trade will be good for America—and good for the American middle class. Why do they believe this? Well, because it has always been good for us – look to the record of the 20th century. Unfortunately, we aren’t still in the 20th Century when America was so dominant. The 21st Century presents very different challenges. All eyes look to the East – to China. Especially the eyes of your Fortune 500 CEO’s – their business models demand it. And I don’t blame them; that is their responsibility to their global shareholders. But I don’t look to them to solve America’s problems either—that isn’t their problem. They run global companies whose headquarters just happen to be in the United States.
In China, the government’s highest economic (and social) priority is Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! for the Chinese people. Try selling aircraft or power turbines or technology in China. Very quickly the Chinese government will instruct you to start building manufacturing plants and facilities there. Ask Boeing, ask GE, ask Intel. And you better bring the newest technology. Does this sound like global free trade?
If American workers are going to prosper, they need the kind of support from their government that the Chinese workers get from theirs. We need to re-examine our global trade policies and taxation incentives to deal with the 21st Century global competitive realities. And here’s a hint: don’t look to the CEO’s of global companies for advice – they will have a different perspective.
Bill Diffenderffer
Chairman of the GoAmericaProject.org
]]>
Blog: Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
This is a Letter to the Editor at The Wall Street Journal. Unfortunately the Editor th ... (more)
When it comes to Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! in America, we are a nation of frogs being slowly boiled to death. The American worker is losing out in the global competition for meaningful employment. Your feature on “The Economy and Finance” in your Monday’s special section on “How to Rebuild Global Prosperity” presents some of the factors causing this result but fundamentally obscures the real problem. Your Fortune 500 CEO’s in your CEO Council do not want to admit to it.
First, a key piece of data: according to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, from 1980 to 2007, the bottom 90% of all workers went from earning 68% of total U.S. Adjusted Gross Income in 1980 to just 51.9% in 2007. The workers taking the biggest hit were those in the “middle class” (those in the top 50% to 90% -- $33,000 to $113,000 in 2007). Their share of the total national income pie declined from 50.3% in 1980 to 39.6% in 2007. An examination of the data will show that these declines were spread pretty consistently over the thirty year period, they are not the result of any annual anomalies.
My concern is not that the rich got richer. Also, I am aware that the absolute amount of income grew substantially over those years. What is very troublesome, however, is that our middle class has not shared anywhere near equally in the growing wealth of our country during that thirty year period. Capitalism in America is in danger when trends like this persist.
The CEO’s in your Council run global companies and therefore want global solutions. They believe in global free trade agreements. They sincerely believe, I expect, that global free trade will be good for America—and good for the American middle class. Why do they believe this? Well, because it has always been good for us – look to the record of the 20th century. Unfortunately, we aren’t still in the 20th Century when America was so dominant. The 21st Century presents very different challenges. All eyes look to the East – to China. Especially the eyes of your Fortune 500 CEO’s – their business models demand it. And I don’t blame them; that is their responsibility to their global shareholders. But I don’t look to them to solve America’s problems either—that isn’t their problem. They run global companies whose headquarters just happen to be in the United States.
In China, the government’s highest economic (and social) priority is Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! for the Chinese people. Try selling aircraft or power turbines or technology in China. Very quickly the Chinese government will instruct you to start building manufacturing plants and facilities there. Ask Boeing, ask GE, ask Intel. And you better bring the newest technology. Does this sound like global free trade?
If American workers are going to prosper, they need the kind of support from their government that the Chinese workers get from theirs. We need to re-examine our global trade policies and taxation incentives to deal with the 21st Century global competitive realities. And here’s a hint: don’t look to the CEO’s of global companies for advice – they will have a different perspective.
Bill Diffenderffer
Chairman of the GoAmericaProject.org
]]>
Blog: Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
This is a Letter to the Editor at The Wall Street Journal. Unfortunately the Editor th ... (more)
Owner: Tom Ganley
Coalition Members: 197
Coalition type: Local Campaign
Description:
Volunteers for Tom Ganley Unite and Discuss Issues Regarding the Ohio District 13 Congressional Race
Brief description: Team 100 is dedicated to supporting Tom Ganley's campaign for Ohio 13th Congressional district.
Interests: National Security, National Debt, Education, Federal Taxes, Jobs, Healthcare
Website: http://tomganley.com
Owner: Tom Ganley
Coalition Members: 197
Coalition type: Local Campaign
Description:
Volunteers for Tom Ganley Unite and Discuss Issues Regarding the Ohio District 13 Congressional Race
Brief description: Team 100 is dedicated to supporting Tom Ganley's campaign for Ohio 13th Congressional district.
Interests: National Security, National Debt, Education, Federal Taxes, Jobs, Healthcare
Website: http://tomganley.com
Owner: Michael Jenkins
Coalition Members: 1
Coalition type: Public Interest Group
Description:
This is for all Tennesseans who are conservative and who believe in conservative principles.
Brief description:
Interests: Conservative Principles
Website:
Owner: Michael Jenkins
Coalition Members: 1
Coalition type: Public Interest Group
Description:
This is for all Tennesseans who are conservative and who believe in conservative principles.
Brief description:
Interests: Conservative Principles
Website:
Disclaimer: We do not believe at all that Civil Government should be used to compel religious belief or practice, but we do believe that the ideas contained in the Christian Religion are relevant and foundational to the form of Civil Governemnt and to the Internal Government of Individuals that is necessary for a people to remain free.
John Adams: “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” - http://www.errantskeptics.org/Quotes_by_Presidents.htm#John%20Adams
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Owner: ThirstyJon
Coalition Members: 6
Coalition type: Public Interest Group
Description:
Join this coalition if you believe:
Disclaimer: We do not believe at all that Civil Government should be used to compel religious belief or practice, but we do believe that the ideas contained in the Christian Religion are relevant and foundational to the form of Civil Governemnt and to the Internal Government of Individuals that is necessary for a people to remain free.
John Adams: “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” - http:/
Brief description:
Interests:
Website: http://freedomthirst.com
Disclaimer: We do not believe at all that Civil Government should be used to compel religious belief or practice, but we do believe that the ideas contained in the Christian Religion are relevant and foundational to the form of Civil Governemnt and to the Internal Government of Individuals that is necessary for a people to remain free.
John Adams: “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” - http://www.errantskeptics.org/Quotes_by_Presidents.htm#John%20Adams
]]>
Owner: ThirstyJon
Coalition Members: 6
Coalition type: Public Interest Group
Description:
Join this coalition if you believe:
Disclaimer: We do not believe at all that Civil Government should be used to compel religious belief or practice, but we do believe that the ideas contained in the Christian Religion are relevant and foundational to the form of Civil Governemnt and to the Internal Government of Individuals that is necessary for a people to remain free.
John Adams: “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” - http:/
Brief description:
Interests:
Website: http://freedomthirst.com
Owner: Butch Porter
Coalition Members: 18
Coalition type: Political Action Group
Description:
In early 2008, a number of people who are conservatives, old fashioned liberals and traditionalists from all walks of life, across generations and from far flung areas of the country came together via the Internet for the common purpose of forming a new party. This was out of a common distaste for what the existing two major parties represent. We come from many existing political labels, and yet none of them, because we feel that no party adequately represents the principles important to our nation's founding, nor the principle that made it as successful as it has been.
Brief description: Fighting the two party system, one county at a time
Interests: Federalism, Constitution, elections, Education, property rights, "War on Poverty", 10th Amendment
Owner: Butch Porter
Coalition Members: 18
Coalition type: Political Action Group
Description:
In early 2008, a number of people who are conservatives, old fashioned liberals and traditionalists from all walks of life, across generations and from far flung areas of the country came together via the Internet for the common purpose of forming a new party. This was out of a common distaste for what the existing two major parties represent. We come from many existing political labels, and yet none of them, because we feel that no party adequately represents the principles important to our nation's founding, nor the principle that made it as successful as it has been.
Brief description: Fighting the two party system, one county at a time
Interests: Federalism, Constitution, elections, Education, property rights, "War on Poverty", 10th Amendment