GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT
by Bob Chambers (pictured above)
Steve
King’s most recent venomous rant (Des Moines Register, April 27)
concerning a May 1 work walkout by immigrants, legal and illegal,
across the nation, will go down in history as a last sickening gasp of
a dying breed in Washington: the self-serving fear-monger. This
two-term incumbent Congressman from Iowa’s fifth district is free-falling toward reality, and he’s going to land very hard in November.
The
incumbent’s feeble attempts at historical perspective betrayed his
utter ignorance of what a strong tool the boycott has been for
oppressed people in modern times. The bus boycotts of the 60’s,
organized by Dr. Martin Luther King which led the civil rights movement
forward, and the grape and lettuce boycotts of the 70’s, organized by
Cesar Chavez, which helped empower migrant farm workers to organize, come to mind as two great examples from current history.
Worse,
the “facts and statistics” cited by the incumbent in his diatribe are
lies, used to create fear and anger among us, and whose darker purpose
is division and control.
I
propose another approach in which we focus on the truth, not lies; on
hope, not fear; on respect, not bigotry; and on the prosperity of
community, not the poverty of division.
The
truth is that there are no comprehensive statistics kept by law
enforcement regarding crimes committed by people who are in our country
illegally. However, the most comprehensive survey to date of national
crime data concludes, “In the small number of studies providing
empirical evidence, immigrants are generally less involved in crime
than similarly situated groups, despite the wealth of prominent
criminological theories that provide good reasons why this should not
be the case.”
Total crime and property crime in California
are half what they were in 1980; violent crime has fallen more than a
third. The state's Hispanic population during that time has increased
120 percent. Similarly, while Arizona's population grew 41.8 percent between 1993 and 2003, for instance, the rates for every major category of crime fell.
This doesn't mean immigrants from Mexico and Central America are saints — it just means that they may not be the marauding horde Steve King wants you to believe they are.
Princeton University
sociologist Douglas S. Massey reports that 62 percent of illegal
immigrants pay income taxes (via withholding) and 66 percent contribute
to Social Security. Forbes magazine notes that Mexican illegals aren't
clogging up the social-services system: only 5 percent receive food
stamps or unemployment assistance; 10 percent send kids to public
schools.
On the work
front, Hispanic unemployment has tumbled to 5.5 percent, only slightly
above the national average of 4.7 percent and considerably lower than
the black unemployment rate of 9.3 percent. According to 2002 Census
Bureau data, Hispanics are opening businesses at a rate three times
faster than the national average. In addition, there were almost 1.6
million Hispanic-owned businesses generating $222 billion in revenue in
2002.
Rather than
panicking, we all need to take a deep breath and attempt a little
common sense. Virtually everyone agrees that we need to secure our
borders, deport criminals and slackers among the illegal-immigrant
population, and revitalize the notion of citizenship by insisting that
prospective citizens master the English language and the fundaments of
American history and culture.
The Statue of Liberty symbolizes America's
affection for the world's tired and poor, the “huddled masses yearning
to breathe free.” Before our fear-mongering Congressman starts knocking
down Lady Liberty and set about erecting a wall in her place to
“protect” America from the world, shouldn't he at least spend a little time trying to get the facts straight?
Bob Chambers lives near Essex, Iowa. He is a candidate for Congress from Iowa’s 5th district.
Blog For Iowa 
“Nothing Gringo Day”??
It's your first amendment right to disagree, Rep. King. But, why the racism?
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How about if we ship say . . 10 – 15% of the illegal aliens residing in Texas to your hometown.
This morning my prayers go out to the family of slain HPD officer Rodney Johnson when on Sept. 22nd, while in the line of duty was shot 4 times in the back of the head by Juan Leonardo Quintero, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant.
Juan Leonardo Quintero was stopped for speeding while driving a “company” work truck.
HPD Capt. Dale Brown told reporters that Quintero had a criminal history from 1995 to 1999, convicted for DWI, failure to stop and give information and indecency with a child. His driver’s license was suspended and he had been deported to Mexico by immigration officials in 1999.
These officers represent the thin blue line that separates order from chaos. When one falls we all suffer.
It is imperative that we do not waver in decision and must remain vigilant in our efforts to secure the US borders.
Do the math. . . if only 4 million illegals are employed for say 26 weeks @ 200.00/wk. that = 20,800,000,000.00 in unreported earnings subject to backup withholding. Bear in mind its estimated that over 18 million illegals are currently residing in this country. Who foots their tax burden?
Let's get real! We need to deport them all. There is a “legal” way to enter the USA. Many are granted entry everyday.
Furthermore I don't know what facts you see but you cannot compare the history of the African American struggle with that of the illegal alien who casually slips through our borders.
Their “sufferings” pale by comparison. Even then the “illegals” of that day were not subjected to the oppression we were forced to endure and with all things considered, still we did not pack our bags and run for the border.
Tell the family of HPD Officer Rodney Johnson that “we all need to take a deep breath . . .”
Furthermore the reason that unemployment rates for Hispanics declined is due to the fact that most blue-collar positions once occupied primarily by “blacks” now gives preference to those who are “biligual”. . . I wonder why.
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