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Karen Bass

Karen Bass

Posted: April 26, 2010 05:45 PM

We All Have a Responsibility to Speak Out on Arizona

What's Your Reaction:

One of the principles of being a good neighbor is to adopt a live and let live attitude toward the people next door. But looking at what California's next door neighbor Arizona has done with its draconian new anti-immigrant law, silence in this instance wouldn't do anyone any good.

The outrageous law just signed by Governor Jan Brewer hearkens back to the days of apartheid South Africa and the pass cards Blacks had to carry in that country. And it hearkens back to every recession and period of economic upheaval we've faced in this country, when people of color and people who are somehow considered "other" become irrational targets of anger and retribution. Only in this case, the approval for such targeting isn't coming with the traditional wink and a nod and a look the other way from public officials, this time it's being sanctified with a Governor's signature and done under the color of law.

I do take heart in the fact that I am far from alone across the nation in opposing this backward immigrant bashing disguised as public policy. It's important that all of us opposed to this law continue to stand up and share our perspectives.

As someone who spent years working in emergency rooms as a Physician Assistant, I can't help but oppose a law that make people less likely to seek the life-or-death care they or their children need.

As a community organizer all too familiar with the abuses that we saw from the issue of "Driving While Black" I can't help but oppose a law that allows people to be stopped by the police simply for "Living While Brown."

As a legislator who has supported efforts to increase public safety, I can't help but oppose a law that aids criminals in getting away with their crimes by pushing victims and witnesses deeper into the shadows. And, yes, rape, murder and domestic violence are worse crimes than crossing the border without the right papers.

Do we need comprehensive immigration reform? Absolutely. Businesses and families alike need an immediate, fair and workable system. True, fair and just immigration reform is necessary to help secure our borders and enforce our laws. But that kind of sensible progress isn't what we are seeing in Arizona. One bank-shot benefit from the ill-considered Arizona law is that the debate and decisions regarding comprehensive immigration reform may at last be significantly accelerated.

What Arizona politicians have done is unconscionable -- and unconstitutional -- and it may not be neighborly to point that out, but it certainly is the American way.

 
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
dtairtime
It is what it is
01:08 AM on 04/27/2010
To the open borders folks there is no enforcement that could possibly not be racist. And they might be right in a weird way.

Since the overwhelming majority of our illegal immigrants are hispanic it goes to reason that the majority of effort in enforcement will effect hispanic more then any other group. Is this racist? No absolutely not. The majority are hispanic because of geography, ease of illegal entry, differences in living standards and current immigration policy.

The only fair way to treat this issue is to have comprehensive reform that removes all of the illegal entry incentives, stops family reunification laws and gives no amnesty or other confusing messages to foreigners.

Or we could just give amnesty, never actually do any of the "promised" enforcement measures, allow more legal immigration and keep allowing family reunification over immigrants who have doctorates/engineering/science or other degrees.

then in a few decades when we have 600+ million "citizens", another 40+ million illegals, no jobs, no water, no energy, no social programs (all of the wealthy will have long moved away or hid their money like the Kennedys do - so there will be nobody to pay for all of it....plus all of these high breeding, low income immigrants all need lots of $) no farmland and this country is the same as all the other 3rd world holes.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
dwal1
07:08 PM on 04/26/2010
It`s a national problem that has been neglected by the Feds and needs to be addressed as such and not by state legislature. There are obvious victims on both sides of the issue and can be a flash point for the usual suspects of both left and right extremists and it has been festering for too long for the federal government to ignore .
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
alex61
06:58 PM on 04/26/2010
Karen, the people have spoken, the people of Arizona, and they are the ones that count. They support the law overwhelmingly. They have to live with the disaster of open borders every day. Calif. Is in even worse shape. I am a native and I've lived here all my life. I've seen it go from being the Golden State to the sorry state. Under brilliant leadership, like we have nowadays.
Karen-legal immigration goos, illegal immigration bad.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:55 PM on 04/26/2010
Speaking out

Karen Bass is running for the U.S. House Of Representatives

U.S. Representative, 33rd Congressional District
Nick Juan Mostert , Democratic Party
Karen Bass , Democratic Party
Felton Newell , Democratic Party
Morris F. Griffin , Democratic Party

U.S. Representative, 33rd Congressional District
James L. Andion , Republican Party
David C. Crowley, II , Republican Party
Phil Jennerjahn , Republican Party

I'll create a blog against her

Blacks know that illegals have taken their jobs and they are very resentful.

It's on my to-do list http://bit.ly/c3y96J
06:46 PM on 04/26/2010
Karen, I absolutely agree with you. Let's let our wallets speak louder than their bigotry by boycotting Arizona. I created a Boycott Arizona Facebook group for people who want to publicly pledge to do this http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112275858810177&ref=mf
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
alex61
06:59 PM on 04/26/2010
I say we start a BOYCOTT AMERICA movement among the illegals. They can deprive us of all they have to offer. That'll teach us. Let's get this going, people!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:38 PM on 04/26/2010
If the politicians in CA had any balls, we would adopt Arizona's SB1070

AZ has 460,000 illegals; CA has over 6 million. and they are bankrupting us.
06:21 PM on 04/26/2010
I read the text of the AZ immigration law & nowhere do I discern it is racist or racial-profiling. I believe that the ugly scene where there was a mini-riot in Phoenix, AZ must be condemned by the left-wing media in light of the safety of law enforcement. This type of race-baiting & misconceived statements by inciting violence by calling AZ as racist is WRONG. It is wrong to at the same time to commit violence against law enforcement, too. People who incite violence and mob-mentality such as Karen Bass, Al Sharpton, & Obama is WRONG. Period.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
alex61
06:24 PM on 04/26/2010
Yes, and good for you. The race-baiters, open border nuts, and all those who would sell out this country are the bad guys, not the people who want illegal immigration to stop.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
06:27 PM on 04/26/2010
What does an Illegal Immigrant look like?
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
alex61
07:01 PM on 04/26/2010
It's not a question of looks. It's a lack of legal status. The police can determine that if they have reasonable suspicion. If the proper IDs can't be produced, then the person, and the person is determined to be here illegally, off to the feds and deportation. Sounds good to me.
Your solution???
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:17 PM on 04/26/2010
Anchor Babies

At $25,000 per birth, the initial cost to us, just for the 400,000 ANCHOR BABIES being born per year, is $10 billion dollars.

Education costs per child $10,000 per year, $120,000 per child for 12 years of education, another 48 BILLION DOLLARS FOR EDUCATION

EVERY YEAR, WITH THE BIRTH OF 400,000 ANCHOR BABIES, AMERICANS INCUR AN ADDITIONAL DEBT OF $58 BILLION DOLLARS; EVERY YEAR, AD INFINITUM

AND THAT'S JUST THE COST OF BIRTH AND EDUCATION. IT DOESN'T INCLUDE WELFARE, FOOD STAMPS, SECTION-8 HOUSING, ETC, OR THE RELATIVES THAT WILL NOW BE ALLOWED INTO OUR UNITED STATES. THE COSTS ARE BANKRUPTING US.

IT'S TIME TO END BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FOR ILLEGALS

http://bit.ly/7vCkH6
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:16 PM on 04/26/2010
8.3 Million

8,300,000 - the number of illegals, using invalid SS numbers, illegally working at known places of employment.

In the meantime, there are 15,000,000 unemployed American workers. http://bit.ly/U8Awd

8,000,000 illegals earning $10 an hour, equals $20,800 a year, that's 8,000,000 X $20,800 equals $166,400,000,000; that's $166.4 billion that American workers aren't taking home for their wives, and children.

Remember all of those jobs that used to be available for teenagers.

But wait there's more; let's suppose 1/2 of those unemployed American workers, are drawing unemployment, at a very modest $300 a week, $15,600 a year times 7 million American workers; that's another $109.2 billion dollars out of taxpayer pockets. (Most of the state unemployment funds are broke).

So those 8 million illegally employed illegals are costing us $275.6 billion;...but wait there's more, they send $65 billion dollars home every year, so that money isn't even spent in our United States to support businesses.

That's $340.6 billion dollars that 8,000,000 illegals are costing us and remember, that doesn't include the cost of their Welfare, Food Stamps, Section-8, Healthcare, Education, or EITC.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
alex61
06:25 PM on 04/26/2010
I hope Karen Bass is reading. She has a state that is imploding.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:15 PM on 04/26/2010
Why are we continuing to contend with this invasion??

MAKE ILLEGAL ENTRY A FELONY

MANDATE E-VERIFY FOR ALL EMPLOYERS, AMD ALL EMPLOYEES

END BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FOR ILLEGALS

BUILD MORE FENCE
IT'S WORKING!!

The Pedestrian Fence (P.F.) and Vehicle Barrier (V.B.) miles, shown below, are current as of 11/01/2009 (Source DHS/CBP)
Apprehensions----2005----2009--BORDER -P.F.--V.B.-REDUCTION
Yuma-------------------138,492------6,951------118-----62.8---43.6------95%
El Paso----------------- 122,624----14,999------210-----63.7--101.2------88%
Del Rio -------------------68,547----17,082------268------3.4-----0.0------75%
Rio Grande Valley ----134,136-----60,989------316-----45.3-----0.0------55%
Laredo -------------------75,268-----40,569------171------1.2-----0.2------46%
Tucson -----------------439,053----241,673------262-----71.3--138.9-----45%
El Centro-----------------55,725-----33,521--- ----71-----44.0----14.2-----40%
Marfa ---------------------10,532------6,360------510-------4.6-----0.0-----40%
San Diego---------------126,879---118,721-------66------46.2-----0.4------6%
Apprehensions-------1,171,386---540,865----1992---342.4--298.5-----54%
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:14 PM on 04/26/2010
Our Southwest Border

STOP THE INVASION

In the last 23 years, since the 1986, Reagan, one-time amnesty, over 27 million illegals have been apprehended, as they crossed the border into our United States.

UNITED STATES BORDER APPREHENSIONS (Source DHS/CBP)[/b]
1987--1,190,488------1995--1,394,554------2003----931,557
1988--1,008,145------1996--1,649,986------2004--1,160,395
1989----954,243------1997--1,412,953------2005--1,189,075
1990--1,169,939------1998--1,555,776------2006--1,089,902
1991--1,197,875------1999--1,579,010------2007----876,704
1992--1,258,482------2000--1,676,438------2008----723,825
1993--1,327,259------2001--1,266,213------2009----556,041
1994--1,094,717------2002----955,310------2010----beg. 10/01/09

UNFORTUNATELY, far less than half of illegals are apprehended at the border.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
alex61
06:27 PM on 04/26/2010
Yeah, and the gov. has been giving us the same total number of illegals in the country for 10 years.
The actual number must be at least 15 million, and possibly 20 plus million.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:35 PM on 04/26/2010
I'm betting on 30 million

According to the U.S. Immigration Service another 6 million illegals in our country are visa overstays.

Anchor babies are now being born at a rate of 400,000 per year http://bit.ly/7vCkH6
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:13 PM on 04/26/2010
This legislation was overdue.

Arizona is being invaded.

STOP THE INVASION

Tucson Border Patrol Sector Monthly Apprehensions Of Illegals---Length 262 miles
----------OCT---NOV---DEC---JAN----FEB---MAR---APR---MAY---JUN----JUL---AUG---SEP
FY2010-23211-16999-10922-16096-21223-31203
FY2009-18814-12845--9862-18649-20943-31433-28072-24084-20822-20144-20805-15178
FY2008-21725-18232-11722-26348-34297-45222-45436-32851-24290-21074-18404-18044
FY2007-25135-21323-16136-29459-34148-52692-49044-41789-34103-30373-24388-19649
FY2006-27316-24270-16447-33229-43153-63583-51588-40190-25049-21187-23256-22806

Over 40% of the drugs come across in the Tucson Sector

UNITED STATES BORDER DRUG INTERCEPTS (Source DHS/CBP)
FYEAR---MARIJUANA (lbs)---COCAINE(lbs)---HEROIN(oz)---METH(lbs)
1999-------1,170,941------------29,672-------------771-------------xxx
2000-------1,316,849------------23,203-----------1,209-------------18
2001-------1,166,764------------18,535-----------1,491------------144
2002-------1,234,329------------14,334-----------2,516------------229
2003-------1,350,809------------14,892-----------3,852------------356
2004-------1,347,356------------14,819-----------2,316------------977
2005-------1,208,663------------11,903-----------3,206------------728
2006-------1,369,602------------12,885-----------2,758------------594
2007-------1,859,299------------14,242-----------1,866------------342
2008-------1,642,420-------------9,272--------------735----------- 483
2009-------2,591,215------------10,907-----------3,056------------951
2010*------1,358,654-------------5,624-----------2,089------------557

*FY2010 stats as of 4/1/10 (6 months)
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
alex61
06:31 PM on 04/26/2010
Very helpful stats-thanks. Think Karen Bass will read them-or care about them?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Buzzm1
06:47 PM on 04/26/2010
Karen Bass is running for the House

U.S. Representative, 33rd Congressional District
Nick Juan Mostert , Democratic Party
Karen Bass , Democratic Party
Felton Newell , Democratic Party
Morris F. Griffin , Democratic Party

U.S. Representative, 33rd Congressional District
James L. Andion , Republican Party
David C. Crowley, II , Republican Party
Phil Jennerjahn , Republican Party

I'll create a blog against her