Immigrant children, Ellis Island, New York (1908). [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]
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(7-30-12)
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The words of Édgar Alexánder Márquez, from Puerto Rico, will be in blue.
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Happy birthday Dave Armstrong! From Puerto Rico. Look, like I said before, I’m a Republican. But I tend to side with Democrats in some of the economic issues. I like the republicanism of my governor Luis Fortuño Burset, who lowered the taxes on everybody. But guess, he gave preference to lower the taxes of the middle class. Not the super rich. He also was pragmatical in his approach towards lowering our deficit: he raised taxes on foreign companies (albeit temporarily). That’s how you govern: by being pragmatical. Use all the above strategy. I hate that Republicans in the Mainland keep insisting in their top-down approach to fix this economy. But I understand that the moral issues are above anything else in terms of priorities. If I would be able to choose my Commander in Chief and President, I’d vote Republican, but with my fingers pinching my nose.
Also: I detest national Republican policy on immigration. In the future, Republicans will need the Hispanic community to win elections, but they keep alienating us with their anti-immigrant sentiment. You can’t win election by relying on white men only (sorry if folks take offense in this).
Thanks for your greeting, Alexánder. There are several Puerto Ricans in my own neighborhood. I’m sure they are suffering from underwater mortgages, just as I am. These Democratic policies hurt all, but the “little guy” the most. It’s the exact opposite of what we always hear. They care no more for “the little guy” than for a hole in the ground. How have they helped the African-American community, which is in a horrifying, disastrous state? Not at all. Or, say Native Americans (whose poverty is way, way below anyone else). I’ve seen the Native American communities out west. It’s heartbreaking. The Democrats haven’t helped them one whit.
Why is it supposedly “anti-Hispanic” to be against illegal immigration? The two have no relation. I love Hispanics and Hispanic culture, because I love all peoples. I grew up a mile away from the Mexicantown section of Detroit. I took a year of Spanish in college. We are against illegal activities. So are most Hispanic-Americans, who are just as law-abiding as anyone else. I think it’s an insult to Hispanics to casually assume that they would be in favor of illegal immigration. And that is what Republicans oppose. We’re all for legal immigration. It’s what made this country great. I love cultural and ethnic diversity; always have.
I want Romney to pick Marco Rubio (Cuban-American, for those who don’t follow this stuff) for VP! But he probably won’t. It’s too good to be true. I’m all for getting all the old white men out of Washington that we can. Bring in women and Hispanics and conservative African-Americans like Allan West and Justice Clarence Thomas. They can only do better than all the white guys (and ultra-liberal black guys) have done! We tried to have a woman Vice-President last time. You see what the liberal media did to her.
I agree with you. That’s why I identify myself as Republican. I don’t think the Democrats have done any better in helping the poor. All I’m saying is that as a Republican, I don’t like ideological purism of any sort (except when it comes to our Catholic-Christian orthodoxy). All I’m saying is that they should consider other options and act pragmatically in their economic policy like my Republican governor.
I agree with what your governor did. I disagree that this contradicts fundamental GOP economic positions. Bush lowered taxes on everybody. That helped me (the little guy). Obama wanted to raise them on everyone, but caved into pressure to extend those tax cuts. Reagan lowed the corporate tax rate from 70% or some ungodly figure, to 28%. Consequently, many millions of jobs were created, and an economic boom occurred that lasted many years. It does help all to boost the economy. It’s the rich people who create wealth and jobs. If we punish them, we also punish the little guy because they are the first to be laid off or fired when companies have trouble.
The liberals have promulgated these lies about “top-down” and class envy for so long that people accept the outrageous lies and ignore the facts of what has created good economic growth. We see now what liberal economic policy does. $5 trillion in new debt, and we have the worst economy since the Great Depression. That’s liberal Democrat economics.
I am against illegal immigration. I, like a reasoned person, don’t think the solution is try to deport everyone who came here illegally. We can have differences on opinion on that. I like Marco Rubio, but in my opinion, he needs more experience. Let’s wait four more years. Also, I don’t assume Hispanics are for illegal immigration. I think you and I can agree that we gotta think this in terms of an humanitarian solution and/or whether or not you are being contributing to the community once you arrive here. Let me tell something so that you can understand me: my mother came here from Nicaragua in 1985, and she lied to the State Department by saying she was one of her uncle’s daughters. I was born an American citizen because of that. She gave me a great education. She worked all her life. And I enlisted in the Army to serve my (and your) country. You get my point? When it comes to immigration policy, it’s not black and white.
Again, we mostly agree. I agreed with Newt Gingrich’s position of taking into account if someone is a productive citizen or not, and allowing them to stay if so. And we should take into account bad circumstances and people wishing to escape them. These are good Catholic principles, and I’ve written about it in the past. But Gingrich took heat for that and many other things (and was massively lied about), and Romney got the nomination. I voted for Rick Santorum in the primary because Gingrich wasn’t a player in Michigan.
I would differentiate between controlling and securing the border and how we treat people here already: making sensible distinctions, as you say.
By the way, It’s an honor to be having this dialogue with you Dave. I’ve been following and reading your work since 2006. You are a big influence bro. Thanks.
The pleasure is mine. You’re very kind. Glad we can come to significant agreement. Wouldn’t it be nice if an intelligent discussion like this could take place between political parties? I admire and appreciate your voluntary military service. Thank you for that.
You’re welcome, thanks! Also, you can talk with your Puerto Rican neighbors and ask them about our social welfare system here in Puerto Rico. Supported by federal funding, 60% of the population here don’t/can’t/ or doesn’t want to work. So they subsist on welfare. Nobody is throwing a threat on them to make them find a job. This is, my friend, the consequence of our colonial system (the Congress has our full sovereignty). And it’s broken beyond any recognition. So believe me, apart from my mother’s experience in socialist Nicaragua, I can tell you that this big government, social engineering policy, does not work. It makes people dependent, makes people want to trick the system in order for them get into the government programs. I want to end the colony and ask for statehood. Hope you welcome us into the union in the near future. PS: the idea that we would become a Democratic State is a myth. Most mayors here are Republican, and the Legislature and the Governor.
I’d love to see you guys become a state. I hope it happens.
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