According to some new polling information from Gallup it would seem that an overwhelming majority of Americans simply don’t view immigration reform as being the same top priority for 2014 that most of our members of Congress seem to see it. As a matter of fact, immigration reform is pretty near the back of the pack, coming in well behind such issues as healthcare, jobs, the economy, dissatisfaction with Washington politicians, the debt and deficit, lack of money, ethics and moral issues, poverty, the gap between the rich and the poor, education, foreign aid, the cost of living and others. In fact, it’s only three percent of Americans who think that the immigration issue is a priority that even warrants being dealt with this year.
"Americans start the new year with a variety of national concerns on their minds," Gallup’s Lydia Saad wrote on Wednesday. In fact, immigration is so low among Americans’ priorities that Ms. Saad didn’t even bother to mention it in her report on Gallup’s findings. It is, however, listed near the bottom of a chart of Americans’ priorities where it appears slightly above welfare and "lack of respect for each other" as being the issues Americans think need to be dealt with. Despite the fact that most Americans clearly don’t think that Congress or Barry "Almighty" should consider immigration reform a priority in 2014, Speaker John Boehner and the rest of House GOP leadership apparently do consider it as being a priority.
Boehner, along with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, and Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan, among others, are currently drafting what’s being called a set of immigration "principles" that will all but recommend the granting of amnesty to large swaths of illegal aliens in America while massively increasing the levels of legal immigration to the country. But the only way immigration issues would fit into the priorities of voters is if they are viewed through the lens of how economically devastating amnesty and a subsequent massive increase in legal immigration would be to jobs and the economy, two issues that are top priorities for most Americans.
It was a little over a week ago, now, that we saw16 House Republicans step forward to write a letter to Barry about how American workers would be displaced if these immigration reform proposals were to succeed. "Rapidly expanding unskilled immigration – at a time when factory work and blue collar jobs are disappearing – would represent the final economic blow for millions of workers who have been struggling to gain an economic foothold," the members wrote. "Yet, despite this jobs crisis for American workers, the White House continues to advocate that CEOs and business executives seek lower cost labor." So essentially it would be the American people, who would once again be made to end up sucking hind tit.
Anyway this letter went on to say, "The White House has entertained a parade of high-powered business executives to discuss immigration policy, all while shutting out the concerns of everyday wage-earners who overwhelmingly oppose these measures. You even released an economic report saying that the ‘hospitality and leisure industry’ needs ‘legislation that would legalize workers in the U.S. and facilitate the lawful employment of future foreign-born workers.’" I guess what I find most disappointing, even depressing, is that fact that out of 233 Republicans in the House, we have only 16 who actually thought it important enough to voice their concerns to our president/dictator/king, Barry "Almighty."
What follows a list of a few of those amnesty advocacy groups that have essentially lined up against the American people. Keep in mind that this is far from being a complete list of those who favor amnesty:
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Anti-Defamation League
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
People for the American Way
Chamber of Commerce (U.S.)
Change to Win
Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA)
American Jewish Committee
Assemblies of God
Brethren In Christ Church
Christian Reformed Church in N. America
Christianity Today (magazine)
Church of God (Cleveland, TN)
Church of the Nazarene
Church World Service, Immigration and Refugee Program
Elim Fellowship
Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
Foursquare Church
Grace Communion International
International Pentecostal Holiness Church
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)
Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office
Missionary Church
National Association of Evangelicals (NAE)
National Council of Churches
National Council of Jewish Women
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rabbinical Assembly
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Sojourners/Call to Renewal/ Christians for Comprehensive Immigration
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Council of Bishops
Vineyard USA
Wesleyan Church
World Relief
So our GOP leaders have been busy finalizing plans for an open debate on immigration to be held by legislators at their late January ‘closed-door’ strategy session in Cambridge, Md. The debate will include a panel of legislators, an outside expert, and an open mic, allowing members to comment on the previously mentioned set of immigration "principles" that are likely to be released at the event, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The format will put Speaker Boehner along with fellow RINO, and immigration advocate, Paul Ryan in the driver’s seat. But a new poll that shows increased voter hostility to amnesty is highlighting the difficulty that they face in trying to satisfy both their November voters and their business donors.
The new Quinnipiac University poll shows that both independent and GOP voters have swung sharply against the idea of amnesty since last May. The poll, released Jan. 8, asked 1,487 registered voters if they would be more or less likely to support legislators who backed an amnesty, which was euphemistically called "a path to citizenship." Fifty-two percent of Republicans and 42 percent of independents said they would be less likely to vote for the legislator. This opposition has grown by 50 percent since a May 2013 poll by Quinnipiac, which showed that 36 percent of Republicans and 25 percent of independents said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports a "pathway to citizenship."
The new poll also showed that actual support for legislators who back an amnesty dipped slightly, from 26 percent to 25 percent among independents, and from 15 percent to 13 percent among Republicans. The shifts comes despite vocal support from Barry, extensive cheerleading in the media and expensive advertising by business groups and billionaires, including Facebook’s Mark Zukerberg, media mogul Michael Bloomberg and investor Steve Case. GOP leaders have also tried to mute voters’ opposition by downplaying their efforts to pass a bill. So once again we the people are simply ignored by those whom we elect to serve us. Just another knife in back by those whom we can no longer afford to trust.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day I think it’s become safe to assume that we the people have now become the equivalent of being completely invisible to those whom we elect. Our priorities are no longer their priorities. And apparently, as far as Boehner is concerned, it simply doesn’t matter what we want, he figures he can tell us what we want to hear, and then simply do whatever he wants. He’s done that very thing on more occasions than I care to count. It’s all about what he, his fellow RINOs, and, of course, the Democrats see as being the top priority. As long we continue to roll over, refusing to hold them accountable, not much, if anything, is ever going to change. Next November may provide our last opportunity to remind them whose boss. But will we?
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