Where Jeff Jacoby Has It All Wrong Regarding Conservatives And Illegals
Sorry, Jeff, but, you have gone off the deep end of the Rio Grande on this one: Where conservatives have it all wrong
YOU’RE A sensible, principled conservative. You want America to be a land of boundless opportunity and freedom, where people are treated as individuals and judged on their merits. You reject the divisive identity politics of the left – what matters most about any of us, you would insist, is not race or class or ethnic origins: it is personal character and achievement. There are few things about contemporary politics you deplore more than the demonizing or scapegoating of entire groups (“white males,’’ “the rich,’’ “the Christian right,’’ “gun owners’’), as though every member of the group is interchangeable and indistinguishable, wholly defined by a single disparaging label.
But let someone mention “illegal immigrants,’’ and your principles fly out the window.
So when Governor Deval Patrick recommends allowing young illegal immigrants – residents of Massachusetts who have graduated from high school – to attend a public college and pay in-state tuition, you flip out. This is outrageous, you protest. It rewards people who broke the rules. It’s unfair to the taxpayers who subsidize public higher education. Why should an illegal immigrant get a valuable tuition break that Massachusetts wouldn’t give to a kid from Maine or New Hampshire?
You vigorously agree with Charlie Baker, a Republican candidate for governor. “If you’re illegally here, you’re illegally here,’’ Baker said last week. “The notion that we should treat illegal immigrants with the same benefits and opportunities that legal immigrants and legal citizens have doesn’t make any sense to me.’’
Jeff goes on in that vein for awhile, complaining about treatment of illegals who are just looking for a better life. Since it is bad form to excerpt an entire post/column/article, I would suggest clicking the link to read the whole thing before continuing.
Done? What Jeff is missing is that the people looking for a better life entered the country illegally. Why should we excuse that behavior? We shouldn’t embrace that behavior just so they can build the American dream. If they want to live the American dream, they should come to our country legally and apply for citizenship, just like so many others, not start their American Dream off by scoffing at and breaking our laws. It is a simple proposition. Not to mention that so many illegals end up not attempting to assimilate, but, instead, demand everyone accommodate them.
Email This
Posted by William Teach on November 22, 2009 7:14 pm
» Filed Under Border Control/Homeland Security, Conservatism, Crime, Illegal Aliens/Immigration, News, Republicans
Trackback URL:
- The Snooper Report: Brain Dead On Illegal Immigration...
- Educating Illegal Immigrants pinged this post.
Comments
12 Responses to “Where Jeff Jacoby Has It All Wrong Regarding Conservatives And Illegals”
-
-
-
Affiliations
The Giants
Advertise
-
-
Our Store
- Click the design to visit our store and help Stop the ACLU!
-
- More blogs about the ACLU
Syndicate Me
Jeff, pay attention. ILLEGAL! It’s not the Mexican part, the latino part, the immigration part or anything else. It’s the ILLEGAL part. Capiche?
Jacoby is a long time, open border FANATIC. He is one of those people who thinks the USA is purely, 100% about IMMIGRATION. This is a false reading of history.
While practically no one is against all immigration (even Tancredo and Buchanan are not), what many want is reduced legal immigration and firm enforcement against the illegal variety. Especially given our bad economy and rising unemployment, now estimated to top 11% next year.
Furthermore, Mexico is a special case since they have been given a wink and a nod, Carte Blanche treatment to move tens of millions of their peasants to our country. Mexico leads in legal and illegal immigration into the USA, it’s time we drastically cut back Mexican immigration of all kinds in the interest of fairness to all.
I saw that column today and shook my head at his stupidity.
Excusing lawbreaking only encourages more, and more and more….just like the previous amnesty did…get the picture you MORON!
If I rob a bank in Massachusetts will I be able to use the “I was only trying to better my life” defence?
If Jeff Jacoby believes the law is wrong, then he should campaign to change the law, not to break the current laws. If it is OK to violate the immigration laws, then why not every other law on the books (like the MA health insurance mandate for example)?
Rick in Texas. You can only use that defense if you have a 2 month old daughter and claim that you are only trying to better her future. How could you be so selfish?
Is Jeff Jacoby a public school graduate? You have to be willfully ignorant to have lived through the last three years of the anti-amnesty uprising without at least understanding our arguments. If he is going to persuade us, he should at least demonstrate that he UNDERSTANDS what we are saying.
This guy is just another Northeast establishment liberal ignoramus parading around as a conservative.
I read his rant and I have to admit I freaked, he is nuts! Just plain hatred for this country is the only thing I can think of to explain why he, in this economic climate would go on about giving away more more more.
Jeff just pull a gun or burn something down will ya. Try to destroy what you hate the old fashioned way and pay the price like a man.
Hey Jeff : Enjoy your column most days , but what part of the word “ILLEGAL” don’t you quite understand ? …. Why stop with simply the Mexican or Hispanic population ; why not bring the other 4.5 billion people who are “looking-for-a-better-life” in , as well ? … At what point does ideology intersect with reality ? … What exactly , is the right number of people we need to bring on-board ?…. Frank K . (N.Va.)he “right number” of
Frank K.
We could never allow 4.5 billion people to enter the USA, as simply that would mean that conservative value candidates would then be voted into office. We can only allow people who can be quickly converted into a liberal protected class.
We are tired of the never-ending, mass immigration, especially from south of the border.
Lower immigration now. Enforce the law against illegal immigration. Deport illegal immigrants, period. Restore integrity to the system by enforcing the law. Is that so hard to understand?
The DC whores understand it, they only ignore it because they are paid off by the now powerful “Latino lobby” and immigration lawyers’ lobby.
I’m not a liberal (I’m an an-cap), but I don’t understand the conservative stance on immigration, either. Conservatives supposedly believe in private property. If I own my home, I should be able to invite whatever guest into that home I wish (and, for that matter, bar whatever guest I wish). But for a certain class of people (immigrants), I need your permission first (via your proxy the government). This means that you are making some kind of claim on my home, which is in theory against conservative principles. That’s what Jacoby is referencing in his second paragraph.
If there’s already a conservative argument out there about how immigration control can trump private property without compromising principle, I’d like to read it.
And Pasadena Phil, it’s just not realistic to expect them to come here legally under current laws. It’s nearly impossible to do so. When you’re saying “Come here legally,” you’re really saying “Don’t come,” whether you realize it or not. And commenter rssg contradicts your claim, anyway: “…what many want is reduced legal immigration…it’s time we drastically cut back Mexican immigration of all kinds…” This is what I’ve suspected all along.