Energy independence took a backseat this week as the immigration debate stole the spotlight – I’d like to know why…
Our short-term memories seem to be plaguing us once again. I may just be very out of touch with the rest of the country, but I must ask, why all of the immigration talk now!?! 9/11 was almost 5 years ago, if this was such an important issue to the American people, why haven’t Lou Dobbs’ ratings gone through the roof?
Granted, immigration is a very real issue, although it’s certainly not clear whether the result has actually been negative. Here are some fairly undeniable facts:
Positive Results:
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– Low prices
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– Diversity
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– Tax Revenues
Negative Results:
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– Drug Trafficing
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– Security
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– Job Loss
While the main stream media and poll-hawking politicians focus in on the immigration debate, American’s are being affected by some very real issues – namely our national energy policy. Energy dependence affects vastly more people than immigration possibly does. It stretches far beyond our own borders and weighs heavily on our economy. Fortunately for us, there are still some voices of reason out there. Here are two recent articles by Senator Barack Obama and Newsweek Editor Fareed Zakaria:
I’m honestly confounded; why this apparent lack of touch with reality? Is it simply politicians trying to rally their own base? It actually feels like the government is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. With hope, I do believe that some ‘renegades’ will emerge from this political non-sense and truly rally the spirit of the American people around a real issue. I just don’t know how much longer I can wait…
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Indeed, the focus on this immigration issue puzzles me in context of obviously more pressing issues. Living 25 miles from the border, the immigration debate becomes even more heated. Any San Diego resident will offer a strong opinion on immigration, but will likely be ignorant, ambivalent, or indifferent on other issues that actually affect them.