Upsetting the Elite (Thomas Sowell)

Townhall.com ^ | July 3, 2007 | Thomas Sowell

[jazusamo]

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

With the White House, the leaders of both political parties, and the media all solidly behind the "comprehensive" immigration "reform" bill, how could it be stopped in the Senate, as it was last week?

The people stopped it. That is what democracy is all about.

When members of Congress began to be deluged with angry letters, phone calls, and e-mails from their constituents, they knew the game was over -- and that their careers could be over if they didn't pay attention to what the voters were saying.

This bill was an insult to people's intelligence from start to finish, and the elites are continuing to insult people's intelligence after being defeated.

Fraudulent arguments were followed by fraudulent procedures to rush this bill through the Senate without committee hearings, with restrictions on debate, and with the specifics of this huge bill being sprung on the Senate at the 11th hour, so that senators would be voting on something they barely had time to read.

Among the fraudulent arguments was that illegal immigrants were taking "jobs that Americans won't do." What that really meant was that they were taking low wages that Americans wouldn't take.

Another fraudulent argument was that "We can't find and deport 12 million people."

A much bigger problem than these 12 million people are the tens of millions of additional immigrants who are virtually certain to come in, legally or illegally, if amnesty is extended.

After all, there were only 3 million illegal immigrants the last time an amnesty bill was passed, back in 1986. That's how we got to 12 million.

Research at the Heritage Foundation indicates that tens of millions more people can be expected to come over the border from Mexico in the years ahead unless something is done to stop them. The "comprehensive" immigration "reform" bill offered nothing that was likely to stop them.

Former Attorney General Edwin Meese III exposed how little this bill added to border security laws already on the books, in a June 7th column in the Wall Street Journal.

Now that the elitists who wanted to rush the immigration bill through Congress before anyone could examine what was in it have been defeated, they tell us, with great condescension, how foolish we were to leave the problem unsolved.

There is now a continuation of "silent amnesty" they say.

Clever, but no cigar.

There is no inadequacy in our existing laws on border security that the new bill would have remedied. But no law is adequate if it is not enforced.

Non-enforcement of existing laws by the federal government and active sabotage of these laws by state and local officials who forbid the police from reporting illegal aliens to the authorities suggest that existing laws could be effective -- if enforced.

When the new immigration bill gave the government just 24 hours to "investigate" each illegal immigrant before rubber-stamping him into legality, it is clear that there was no serious intention of investigating or enforcing the new law.

You can't get a credit card application approved in 24 hours. But Congress was prepared to fling open the borders to millions of people on the basis of 24-hour investigations.

Talk about investigating illegal immigrants was just window-dressing to fool the gullible public. When the public turned out not to be as gullible as the politicians and other elites thought, the answer has been to insult their intelligence some more.

Now the elites tell us that the protests were generated by conservative talk radio programs, and there are implications that this was due to xenophobia, if not racism.

Anyone who actually listens to conservative talk radio or reads those who opposed this immigration bill will know what a crock that is. Elitists should at least come up with some new smears, instead of repeating the same old tired insults.

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute and author of Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy.

[upchuck]

That thought crossed my mind also.

[jazusamo]

This fiasco proved the naysayers wrong who have been insisting the people no longer have a voice in government, thank heaven. But as you say we have to remain vigilant.

[RKV]

Its 25 years since I took surveying. We did it without computers and did fine. You can’t be THAT far off without an effort.

[RKV]

It was the exception to the rule.

[jazusamo]

I’ll admit there’s something to what you say but if the issue is controversial enough it can and I believe will happen again.

[Still Thinking]

Well, if you’re trying to build it right on the line, even 6 inches puts it in old Mejico. Was there supposed to be a setback, like 5 yards or so?

[alaskamomma]

I’m with you...

Sowell is the best...

[sionnsar]

With the White House, the leaders of both political parties, and the media all solidly behind the "comprehensive" immigration "reform" bill, how could it be stopped in the Senate, as it was last week?
The people stopped it. That is what democracy is all about.

With all due respect to Dr. Sowell, whom I hold in extremely high regard, this one sentence is not quite correct. It's not "That is what democracy is all about," it's "That is what a democratic republic is all about."

Granted, we're so careless with terminology these days, I'll give him a pass. But would like to set the record straight in passing.

[jazusamo]

You’re correct and I noticed it also but like you say it shows that even Thomas Sowell can get careless. At the same time I believe everyone knows his intent because if anyone knows we’re a democratic republic, he does.

[Chances Are]

Good for you. I’m with you all the way.

CA....

[Still Thinking]

The public has probably become so dumbed down that if he wrote it correctly, the readers would say “Huh?”.

[sionnsar]

The public has probably become so dumbed down that if he wrote it correctly, the readers would say “Huh?”

The sad thing is: I think you are correct.

[onedoug]

Great Sowell, as usual.

Here's an article the libs could really impeach Bush on...if they weren't more guilty of it's neglect.

[goldstategop]

We are laughed at, we are mocked and we are scorned. Yet the lies and the evasions of those in power who look down on ordinary Americans, have lost the ability to persuade them. Their contumacious contempt and arrogance has cost them the confidence of a free people. No matter how much the elites want something, in the end, they have to bow down to a superior will. The sovereignty of the American people, much discounted these days, has thanks to the New Media, taken on a new import. Elitists are not any wiser or more confirmed in judgment than ordinary Americans who have the one quality they lack: a bent for common sense. We need more of that in both Washington and the country.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[driftless2]

All the conservative proponents I've heard (and I've heard a few) defending the bill never once discussed what passing the bill would do. Instead they focused on the "sad" plight of those people "living in the shadows". They never mentioned what pardoning these people would do and the message it would send to other illegals which is: get to America, and at some point you too will be pardoned. They talk about the impossibility of finding and deporting twelve or twenty million illegals.

Another argument they make is that if we don't pass this bill, the Dems when they get power will pass an even worse bill. In short what they're admitting is that this is a bad bill, but pass it anyway because what is coming up next is worse. That's like saying vote for me because although I'm a crook, my opponent is a worse crook.

Well we have laws against many types of crimes including murder, but we don't expect to stop people from killing each other. But we don't stop trying to catch and convict murderers. The bill defenders simply avoid the big questions. All their pity is extended to the illegals instead of considering what they want to enact will do to the country at large.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Demand a border fence! Build it NOW!! Beef up the border patrol and close our borders!

U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121

U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121

White House comments: (202) 456-1111

Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep

Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Toll free to the US Senate:

1-800-882-2005. (Spanish number)
1-800-417-7666. (English number)

Courtesy of a pro-amnesty group, no less!!

Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE Washington, D.C. 20003
phone: 202.863.8500 | fax: 202.863.8820 | e-mail: info@gop.com

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

I’ve been watching them build a new shopping center. Seems like I see a surveying team almost every day.

I guess getting it right, re-measuring. Is pretty important to them...

[Hardastarboard]

they are NOT in the shadows

Every time I see some clearly poor Hispanic people, especially in groups, I want to pull out my wallet and shout "La Migra! Stand where you are" just to see how many of them scatter. And I see them ALL the time. I just don't want to get shot for my little joke.

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

You're right,
"That is what a democratic republic is all about."
...is best and should be repeated enough so everyone expects that exact wording. Perhaps only the addition of the word "our", would be more palettable if they think we're all too stupid, as in;
"That is what our democracy is all about."