Colorado mayor's sympathy for immigrants costs him his job

Los Angeles Times ^ | 11/27/07 | Nicholas Riccardi

[Haddit]

GREELEY, COLO. -- Tom Selders is still baffled at how quickly the city he served for years turned on him. The two-term mayor of this conservative farm town had been a political fixture for nearly two decades. A businessman who prided himself on bringing efficiency to city government, Selders infuriated his constituents after jumping into the national debate over illegal immigration. In May he spoke at an open forum in Washington about the effects of last year's immigration raid on a meatpacking plant here, which led to the detention of 262 undocumented workers.

[Joe Boucher]

throw out all politicians who support illegals.
Vote for the U.S.A., not illegals.

[metesky]

The problem isn't that they don't "hear the people." The problem is that they don't care.

I just thought that I'd repeat that for the tone deaf out there.
:O)

[Guenevere]

bttt

[bcsco]

This is a ping list promoting Immigration Enforcement and Congressional Reform.
If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.

Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Driving Drunk, Causing Fatal Boone Crash[NC]

Help the writers! Ignore Pedro!

Illegal immigrants not U.S. health care burden: study

An Impotent California Republican Party (and a HaPPY New Year to the remnants of the CaGOP!)

NEW BUCHANAN BOOK DECLARES 'END OF AMERICA'

Villaraigosa faces steep climb to California's top job

Report: Islamic Terrorists Wanted to Attack U.S. Base in Arizona

A Tale of Two Terrorists

Last resort and the letter of the law (INS screwed up priorities )

Activists represent opposite sides of Irving immigration fight

Dallas resident Jean Towell says illegal influx threatens 'American culture'

Border search of Muslims was lawful, court says

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

The GOP does not yet understand how strong the immigration issue is with the rank and file members.

NOBODY in Washington has a clue how furious Americans are about illegal immigration.

[Doctor Raoul]

Good. About time.

[SMARTY]

He is suffering from a cranial rectal inversion. Wonder if he understands the issue any better now?

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

From the article:

As an agricultural hub, Greeley has long had Latino residents. But the Latino population soared in recent decades as the meatpacking industry shifted to an immigrant-heavy workforce. Latinos now make up about one-third of the city's 90,000 residents.

I wonder how many blue collar guys supported families 30 years ago by working at that plant? These days, these businesses can get away with hiring illegals for pennies for jobs that ordinary Americans used to hold to support their families.

Now signs in City Hall are bilingual. One in 5 Greeley elementary school students needs help speaking or reading English. Critics blame illegal immigrants for part of the $36 million a year in uncollected bills at the local hospital, and a 73% rise in violent crime since 2000.

This kind of thing is happening everywhere in America, from smaller towns to medium sized cities. When I was growing up, I never even saw a Mexican in my little town in southern Virginia. Now they, their language and their culture are everywhere.

That is precisely why Americans are so damned furious about this issue. We really have been invaded and our elected leaders simply don't care.

[Lurking in Kansas]

Tom Selders is still baffled ....

Idiot.

[Thermalseeker]

The problem is that they don't care.

DING, DING, DING, DING! The Free Republic understatement of the day......

[LibLieSlayer]

I watch Fox only in snippets... with their rootie shilling and Fred bashing... screw Fox! They lost me as a loyal original viewer.

LLS

[Recon Dad]

To others, it shows what can happen to elitist politicians who dismiss voters’ frustrations over unchecked illegal immigration.

And the leader of the pack is living in the White House.

[Mister Da]

Imagine a rep from Swift coming to your town & announcing that a new plant will be built in your town. The plant will employ 1300 - mainly illegal aliens, as the wages & benefits will be too low to attract local workers. Given this, local hospitals, schools, & gov’t will have to “subsidize” these workers with handouts & free services. Crime will go up, as ILLEGAL aliens are likely to continue to break the law.

Right thinking people would tell Swift to go away & don’t come back. That is what Greeley should do. Swift is running a criminal enterprise & should be run out of town. Tell them to open their plant in Mexico if they want Mexican workers at slave wages.

[Carbonado]

Two things here:

1) This is just another case of the MSM attempting to frame this issue along the guidelines they prefer, and from the perspective that THEY are the enlightened compassionate among us and we illiterate boobs in flyover country need to come to heel, and
2) ANYONE who refers to lawbreaking illegals as “undocumented workers” or any other falsely crafted euphemism brands themselves as my enemy right then and there, period.

Lets face it, the general public knows damn well who their friends are and who is selling them out (for whatever reasons). The cozy corrupt relationship between the various anti-citizen pro illegal groups is plain for all to see, even when those groups are suposedly mortal enemies.

Attempts to Lionize a politician who tries their best to please the corrupt media or corrupt business interests against the best interests and wishes of their constituency is a daily occurrence. I believe the public is getting ever more aware of the endemic corruption in both the media and government, and therefore are ever more resistant to the ham fisted attempts by those arrogant elitists to corral the public into some sort of accommodation to the elites wishes.

When the economy has a serious downturn you will see the citizens of this country treat their enemies, whoever they are, as enemies. God help the politician who believes they are in office to represent the media, Leftists or corrupt selfish business interests.

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

To others, it shows what can happen to elitist politicians who dismiss voters’ frustrations over unchecked illegal immigration.

And the leader of the pack is living in the White House.

Excellent summary; it can't be repeated enough.

[Flintlock]

Note the dirtiest of the dirty secrets:
His ALLIES on the side of the Illegals wouldn’t support him because “he’s WHITE”. They HATE us, boys and girls—and never forget it. Those Illegals are NOT here for warm and fuzzy reasons. They want to take, and rip us off.

[Travis McGee]

Poor little Quisling got fired. Boo frikkin’ hoo.

[Types_with_Fist]

The Free Republic understatement of the day......

Perhaps. But it's still not obvious to many. I keep hearing, "they don't realize," "they are ignoring the issue" or "they need to listen." The fact is that many in the GOP are not neutral on the issue but have taken a stand against the laws of the US for money. Along those lines, btw, no distinction should be made between Republican traitors or Democrat traitors.

[Calvin Locke]

I cut back my FNC viewing specifically because of the two neo-cons on Brit Hume's show when Bush really started his amnesty push a few years ago.

Kondracke and Barnes got so far under my skin that Spring.

And they constantly inflict Geraldo on the viewers.

[moonman]

"People didn't believe [in Selders] because he is white, because he is a Republican, because he is a businessman,"

.... and they stayed home and left a 'immigrants are the cause of all these bad' candidate win. Now that is justice! roflol