The Republican Party 3

Relatively smart people, the people who run our nation, from both parties, understand that this nation needs large numbers of immigrants if our economy is to survive. We need the population growth that immigration brings for it increases the scarcity and therefore value of all American investments. Homes, stocks, gold, bonds, assets of every kind and class.

This is why despite years upon years of politicians screaming about the need to close our boarders, to stop illegal immigration; no effective step to do so has ever taken place.

Do we, as voters truly believe that if our federal government wanted to stop the flow of illegal immigrants it doesn’t have the resources or the knowledge to do so? The very thought is absurd. Illegal immigration continues because our leaders, from both parties, understand that if it is stopped our economic engine will fail.

We need immigrants. It would be better if all were here legally, but increasing the quotas for legal immigration is political suicide, so instead our politicians simply refuse to effectively enforce our laws against undocumented immigration. A very odd, but effective solution.

The trouble with all of this is that a large, and vocal segment of the Republican Party has worked to perfect the art of the vicious attack upon immigrants. They are lied about, their effect upon the economy is lied about, they are made scapegoats for perceived cultural decline, and blamed for bloated local government budgets. To an extent, blocs within both parties do this, but the bloc within the Republican Party is I think larger, and I know much more vocal.

Needless to say, immigrants do not much enjoy this. It’s just no fun having your teeth verbally kicked in each and every day. Such unfair and unreasonable verbal abuse leads to anger, lots and lots of anger.

I firmly believe that the vast majority of our immigrants from Mexico and other Central American countries are conservative. They work hard bettering themselves. They raise families. They attend church. Many of them, perhaps even most of them are natural fits for the Republican Party.

Our Hispanic population could be a large and vibrant part of the Republican Party, could bring millions of voters to our ranks, for our candidates. We should, as a party, be courting this population, recognizing the benefits it brings to our nation, and welcoming it with open arms.

Instead we bitch about immigration, we assign blame for the problems we have caused to immigrants. It’s no wonder that they vote against us by very large percentages.

Are we as a party willing to give up our easy scapegoat in order to start winning elections again? I certainly hope so.