By: Ted Nugent
I’ll admit it: If I lived in Mexico, I would want to get to America as fast as I could, as America is the land of opportunity. Mexico, not so much.
According to a report by Transparency International, Mexico and Argentina shared the dubious title in 2013 as the two most corrupt countries in Latin America. Toss crime, drugs and a crushing 50 percent poverty rate on top of rampant corruption, and it’s no wonder why upwards of 15 million illegal aliens have escaped hell to come to America looking to improve their lives.
NAFTA, which was supposed to create a prosperous Mexico, has been a rusty shiv through the heart of the Mexican economy, which is why millions of Mexicans continue to take their lives into their own hands to come to the last best place.
Borrowing from his brother who stated on the campaign trail in Iowa in 1999 that “family values do not end at the Rio Grande,” Jeb Bush recently declared that those who illegally come to America have not committed a felony, but rather an “act of love.”
Mr. Bush, who is considering jumping into the presidential race, is both right and wrong.
He’s absolutely right that many hardworking Mexicans come to America to build a better life for themselves and their families because things in Mexico are so bad. Again, if I were living in corrupt Mexico, I would be planning my escape to America.
Mr. Bush is wrong, however, in arguing that illegally entering America is analogous to jaywalking. It’s not, and poll after poll clearly indicates that most Americans support tougher controls to stop illegal immigration. Poll after poll also finds the majority of Americans do not support amnesty.
I constantly hear the reference to our “nation of laws,” but witness total defiance of this by our president, attorney general and so many others in powerful government positions. This level of lip service is how people’s lives are ruined.
America has immigration laws for the same reason every other civilized country has immigration laws: to monitor and control entry. We can’t nor should we turn a blind eye to illegal immigration and instead create an amnesty path, as Mr. Bush is insinuating. If we do, to what other crimes does Mr. Bush suggest we turn a blind eye?
In pandering to Hispanics with his “act of love” quote, Mr. Bush realizes the Republican Party needs all the help it can get as it pertains to attracting Hispanic voters who are solidly in the camp of the Democrats – at least for now.
There are new forces at play these days, however, and they don’t bode well for the Democrats. First and foremost is the economy.
Our anemic economy is limping along pathetically due to the jobs-killing agenda of Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama’s sluggish economy has exacted the most pain on those on the bottom rung of the economic ladder, many of whom are Hispanics.
Regardless how the Democratic spin machine tries to scam us, things haven’t improved for Hispanics under Mr. Obama. In fact, things have gotten economically worse for my Hispanic friends, and polls indicate that the No. 1 issue for them is jobs.
Hispanic unemployment has consistently been higher than white unemployment rates since Obama was first elected in 2008. Things are so bad that illegal aliens are returning to Mexico in record numbers. Some research indicates more Mexicans are returning to Mexico than are coming to America.
It’s no secret why the Democrat Party is pushing hard for immigration reform: They want to bestow citizenship upon these people as soon as possible so they can begin giving them free stuff in return for their votes. What that will do, as it always does, is destroy their families, wreck their communities, shatter their traditionally hardworking culture and condemn individuals to a life of dependency and poverty. The GOP should consistently hammer this home and remind everyone that earning your own way through hard work and sacrifice is indeed the American Dream.
Mr. Bush and the GOP would be wise to consistently inform Hispanic voters that the Democratic Party is and always will be a ticket to the poor house.
Those illegal aliens who want to become a legal U.S. citizen should have to pay a price for breaking the law before earning this ultimate privilege. I believe this should be a 10-year penalty that includes no voting rights for 10 years, no welfare, having to learn English and pass a proficiency exam, pass a Constitution test, pay all taxes, be prohibited from having dual citizenship, register with the government, sign the Pledge of Allegiance and lose all citizenship claims if arrested for a felony during these 10 years. How bad do you want it?
The GOP would also be wise to know that endorsing an easier path to citizenship for illegal immigrants than for legal immigrants will ultimately spell the death of the GOP. That’s not an act of love unless you are a RINO or a Democrat.