Thomas Sowell: Voters know 'reform' is another word for 'amnesty'

Dallas Morning News ^ | 16 July 2006 | Thomas Sowell

[Spiff]

Thomas Sowell: Voters know 'reform' is another word for 'amnesty'

No issue I've written about has brought in so much virtually unanimous mail, so full of outrage, as the issue of amnesty for illegal aliens living in this country. Much of this mail also expressed a sense of futility. "What can I do?" these letters and e-mails often asked. "I am just an ordinary citizen."

"I am just one person," some said. "What difference do my views make?" What difference? Public outrage made the Senate and the president of the United States back down from their amnesty bill. That's the bottom line that counts – not whether you get a personal reply to your letter to a member of Congress or whether your letter to your local newspaper gets printed. Never think that you don't count. You are what counts most of all.

[Snip...]

Make no mistake about it. The elites always think that they know better, that the public's views are just mindless stereotypes or ugly prejudices. They think we can always be fooled with a little rhetoric and clever political spin.

[Snip...]

Incidentally, the real issue is not how feasible it is to round up and deport 12 million illegals. The real issue is how you prevent 12 million from becoming tens of millions more by allowing amnesty. There were only about 3 million illegal aliens when an amnesty bill was passed 20 years ago, leading that number to quadruple. Do we want today's 12 million illegals to quadruple?

The other big insult to our intelligence was the claim that amnesty is not amnesty when you call it something else. But, when the people didn't buy it, the politicians had to stop selling it.

[capt. norm]

And we can only get the attention of 1/3 of our senators every two years when they're up for re-election and nothing from the "safe-seats" like Ted Kennedy.

[Souled_Out]

"The other big insult to our intelligence was the claim that amnesty is not amnesty when you call it something else. But, when the people didn't buy it, the politicians had to stop selling it. "

---

So they have decided to slow walk the process in hopes of getting past the 06 elections without enforcing the laws already on the books.

[Lurker]

It seems the good Dr. Sowell is among our ranks.

This is a good thing.

Of course the Open Borders Pro Amnesty brigage will be along to call him a racist very soon.

Bank on it.

L

[GOPJ]

Sowell's a national treasure.

[GodGunsGuts]

bookmark

[nmh]

"Thomas Sowell: Voters know 'reform' is another word for 'amnesty' "

The articulate, Thomas Sowell assumes too much on this one. He needs to qualify the voters. To be specific,


INTELLIGENT voters know "reform" is another word

for "amnesty".

[GATOR NAVY]

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is still pushing the line that there would be economic collapse without illegal immigrants. But, despite the scary picture of 12 million illegals being suddenly deported, the cold fact is that 12 million young Americans in the prime of life were removed from our economy to go into the military during World War II and the economy did not collapse.

These 12 million young men went into the military a lot faster than 12 million illegals can be rounded up and deported.

Yet the American economy boomed, producing an incredible amount of output, half of it going into the military to equip and support our troops and to supply the British and the Russians with vast amounts of war materiel.

Thomas Sowell is my hero. This is the best reply to the "our economy will collaspe without illegals" crowd I have seen.

[Hugin]

Public outrage made the Senate and the president of the United States back down from their amnesty bill.

Only until after the elections, when they don't need our votes for a while, I'm afraid. In the meantime, no fence, and no more than token enforcement against employers.

[LibertarianInExile]

"Of course the Open Borders Pro Amnesty brigage will be along to call him a racist very soon."

Ah, c'mon. They'll probably at least hold off and wait until the thread's long enough that people forget who actually wrote the article and are more focused on the subject. Plus, you know how they believe any 'person of color' can't be racist. Look at their spirited defense of the LaRaza lovers!

[Herakles]

So, I wonder if the Republicans will realize they screwed the pooch?

Hope the big bucks they got from the Mexican lobby was worth it. For the rest of my life, I will vote only for a third party.

[stillonaroll]

For the rest of my life, I will vote only for a third party.

Hmmmmm, hard for me to see how that will accomplish anything, other than helping to elect deviant socialists. I remember hearing something about "winners never quit, and quitters never win."

Are you telling us that you would vote third party (Libertarian? AIP?) against a conservative (pro-life, pro-2A, pro-borders/language/culture, pro-WOT)? Not a Specter/McLame RINO, but a conservative.

There are still Republicans who are conservatives: George Allen, Tom Tancredo, Steve King (of IA), Tom Coburn. Would you vote third party against one of them? If so, I submit that you are something other than a conservative.

[Jameison]

"These 12 million young men went into the military a lot faster than 12 million illegals can be rounded up and deported.

Yet the American economy boomed, producing an incredible amount of output, half of it going into the military to equip and support our troops and to supply the British and the Russians with vast amounts of war materiel."

Pretty much puts the kibosh on Bloomberg's nonsense.
In addition to all that, those 12 million that were taken from an American population of 132 million, far less than today's 300 million.
12 million from 300 million will have a far less effect than 12 million from 132 million.
And, those 12 million in 1940 were some of the most skilled, strongest, most productive members of our society, something the 12 million illegals are not.

[conservativecorner]

Thomas Sowell is right BUMP!

[davidosborne]

[b9]

Excellent.

[Herakles]

"For the rest of my life, I will vote only for a third party."

Let's just say these RHINO's in the Republican party that we have put in office the past 6 years have really pissed me off! You send them to Washington, or in the case of my state, Pennsylvania, and they go liberal and start giving themselves pay raises and telling us how we should listen to their BS because they know better because their lobbyist have just bought them lock, stock, and barrel.

You tell me how you can expect any of them to keep their word - they are bought and paid for after they leave home, and we are just an annoyance they have to content with every several years.

You should hear the adds Santorum is running; if I were to believe his crap, I would be thinking he is single handedly leading the charge against illegal immigration! Sorry Rick, some how I just don't buy it!

I will aways give good conservative like the ones you mention the benefit of the doubt (for example, Swan in Pennsylvania); but these clowns who are in the party now have done incalculable damage when it comes to creditability.

I shouldn't have to be expected to try to determine the difference between Republicans and the Democrats; if I have too, there's a problem; and right now there is a big problem in the party.

They have taken my vote for granted - now it's time to let some of them hang out to dry. Rick will soon learn why dissing his base was not a good thing to do; maybe his buddies will wake up and smell the coffee! Just think of it as a necessary sacrifice, Rick!

[AppleButter]

For the rest of my life, I will vote only for a third party.

You and me, both!

[nmh]

"So they have decided to slow walk the process in hopes of getting past the 06 elections without enforcing the laws already on the books."

Exactly right!

Bush is killing the GOP with this amnesty.