I just want to clairfy I’m not trying to advocate for anarchy here. I’m just problematizing the the previous claim that one should see elected legislators as instruments of God. I believe each person, including the members of the board of supervisors, is flawed and finite and should discern the will of God for themselves rather than assume that persons in power will automatically work out a divine plan— Rev. Nancy McLadd, Bull Run Unitarian Universalists
So, the mayor of my charming little adopted hometown of about 8000 decided that the city needn’t bother to speak the native language of about 1/5 of its residents… you know, the ones who do most of our agricultural work (in a county whose economy is largely based on citrus and other fruits & vegetables which need to be harvested by hand), a big chunk of our construction, and a whole laundry list of other back-breaking, no-respect, low-paying jobs.
The “Illegal Immigration Relief Act” was copied almost verbatim from a similar ordinance passed in Hazelton, PA, and would have, amongst other things, declared English the “Official Language” and the only language the city does business in. In a recent TV interview, the mayor seemed unconcerned that this could pose a problem for pesky little things like reverse 911 notices (in a town with an air force bombing range recently approved to use live ammunition)
It also would penalize property owners & landlords for knowingly allowing an “illegal alien” (Interestingly enough the US immigration website uses this term, but does not have a definition in its glossary – yes, i know, it’s a commonly understood term, but it’s a vague term to be used in a piece of legislation without providing a definition) to rent, lease or “use” their property. (just in case the landlord decides to let somebody stay without paying rent?)
The city attorney spoke to a local newspaper, saying the law was poorly written and probably unconstitutional. He’s now looking for another job. No “official” reason was given why he was fired, but a council member was quoted as saying it was due to a recent “embarrasing incident”
When I started this post, this measure was up for a vote: After a five-hour city council meeting, the vote came down at 11:00 monday night, failing 3-2 the same margin by which it was originally expected to pass. One councilwoman changed her vote to no, commenting that she had prayed for guidance.
I’m not foolish enough to think that illegal immigration isn’t a problem, but I don’t think the solution lies in passing wrongheaded ordinances that appeal only to prejudice and snobbery.
Last weekend, some 500,000 people took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest a tough immigration bill passed by the House in December and to put pressure on the Senate, which is debating the issue now. In the crowd were very few African-American faces, noted Ronald W. Walters, a professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland. Their economic prospects are directly threatened by the huge influx of illegal immigrants, he said. African-Americans are competing for jobs in construction, hotels and restaurants, meat packing and textiles, he said, and they lose out to immigrants willing to accept lower pay and fewer benefits.
“The African-American leadership has a lot of angst about this,” he said, adding: “It’s not just a black problem, but we are the most acutely affected. The fact is, it’s hurting us.”
I am working on a much longer post about the current immigration “reforms” being bandied about, but until I go did up a paper I wrote 2 years ago tearing Bushy’s temporary worker program to bits I thought I would spout a little from the top of my head.
First, I am tickled pink by the good people in LA and DC who have protested this atrocious bit of legislation. The LA Times has an article about how a local DJ brought the people to the streets
Second, the temporary workers program basically creates a slave class of foreign workers with no legal rights. The bit that makes it a felony to not follow every single one of the complicated immigration rules retroactively means that most of the legal immigrants, even ones who have become citizens would be felons.
Finally, we rely on illegal immigrants more than anyone wants to admit to. Without them our food would be much more expensive and they contribute more to society than they actually take from it. I am working on the numbers and will explain more when I’m not just spouting.
Till then Vivan Los Immigrantes!