Today when I look at Madam Hillary,
She acts like a greedy Miss Piggy.
The Clintons also resemble Bonnie & Clyde
With serious crimes they’re trying to hide.
So what do we want for America our beloved Country
The land of the brave and home of the free?
We want our borders protected, our police respected
We want Obamacare completely rejected.
We want Prayer and true American history in our schools
Not Common Core Math with its bogus rules.
We want Supreme Court Justices like Anthony Scolia
Not Judges installed who allow creeping Sharia.
We want rules of engagement that protect our military
Our Veterans cared for and our Internet free.
We want all Americans to be first in line
Before giving others one more tax payer dime.
We want criminals in jail instead of set free
We want an end to each & every sanctuary city.
We want trade agreements and laws that make sense
We want legislation of ten pages or less.
We want elections with Photo ID
In all precincts of our diverse and beautiful country.
We want jobs and energy within American shores
We don’t want our 20 trillion debt to increase any more.
We want the 2nd Amendment and the ability
To defend our property and our precious families.
We don’t want the UN to tell us what to do
We have the Constitution & Bill of Rights to refer to.
So before we all really suffer under Mr. Bill and Madam Hillary
Tell your friends to go to the polls and vote early.
Go tell the Democrats Enough is Enough!
2016 Copyright – Julie Bischoff

Gwat Bhattacharjie - Immigration     

       Around this time  each year I come back from Washington D.C. after having attended the Annual National Advisory Board meeting of FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) and the Social Contract Workshop.  It’s a national  gathering (and reunion) of citizen activists, writers, academicians,, environmentalists, etc. to hear leaders of the immigration reform organizations  present their reports and hear great speakers talk about immigration issues and their impact on our nation.    

    This year there is a tremendous sense of  urgency because of the choices facing us voters in the Presidential Election.  The deliberate actions of the Obama administration to circumvent enforcement of immigration laws, the continuing porosity of the Southern border, his executive amnesty regarding DACA and DAPA and his continuous misrepresentation and lies about deportation numbers etc., have contributed to great anxiety about what’s happening to this nation.

Remember the surge of thousands of Unaccompanied Alien Minors (UACs) from Central America that flooded our borders in 2015 and this year?  They were settled in every part of the nation and very few were deported.  This year  the Obama administration plans to send  planes to pick up the immigrants from three Central American countries to save them the dangerous journey over - unbelievable!

Recently also we found out that more than 800 illegals from countries of concern were mistakenly granted U.S. citizenship because the Department of Homeland Security didn’t have their fingerprints on file!  Furthermore 315,000 illegals with final deportation orders or who are fugitive criminals have their fingerprints missing from federal databases.

National security and public safety went out the window when 180,000 criminals were released back to the community to do more crime, including murder.  Talking about murder, one activist, Maria Espinoza, has created a National Remembrance Project in honor of the thousands of murdered victims of illegal alien criminals.  It is estimated that about 25 Americans are killed daily – 13 by drunken driving, and 12 by stabbings or gunfire, a total of  9125 victims annually (In California remember Kate Steinle and Marilyn Phaeris).

Here are just two statistics that negatively impact our economy..  Financially the cost of illegal immigration in 2013 was $296 billion or $3000 per taxpayer. On the economic side during the Obama administration blacks are holding 2 million jobs with no increase, but 4 million foreign workers have been added to the job market.  We are adding to the wage decline by importing especially low skilled workers that we have to support.


SO WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR US?

HILARY CLINTON:

Says the U.S.-Mexican border is the most “secure border we have ever had” and people have a right to emigrate here.  She supports comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship.  She is focused on detaining and deporting illegal aliens who pose a violent threat to public safety.  She has pledged to welcome Syrian refugees and asylum seekers and give them a fair chance to tell their stories. She proposes to accept 65,000 Syrian refugees. She defends President Obama’s DACA and DAPA executive actions.  Clinton calls for supervised release for families who do not pose a public safety threat, and will ask for more detention centers.

She proposes a National Office of Immigrant Affairs to work on integration and naturalization services, makes it easier for immigrants to become U.S. citizens and SHE SUPPORTS SANCTUARY CITIES.

DONALD TRUMP:

Donald Trump is adamant on building a wall and making Mexico pay for it. He initially proposed mass deportations but has softened his position. He calls for “extreme vetting” of refugees seeking asylum and “total and complete shutdown” of Muslim immigration to the U.S. He plans to end “catch and release” practices, and detain and deport immigrants caught illegally crossing the border. He proposes tripling the number of ICE officers to 15,000, and to have them cooperate with local enforcement on gang raids, specifically targeting illegals with gang connections.

Trump wants to end “birthright citizenship” which is a big magnet for illegal aliens because it gives automatic citizenship to their children born in the U.S.  He proposes defunding “sanctuary cities”, that shelter illegal aliens and where local police departments refuse to contact immigration officials when they apprehend illegal aliens.  He believes illegal aliens compete directly against vulnerable American workers and promises to ensure that open jobs are offered to American workers first.  Actually the use of E-Verify mandated nationwide would solve this. He wants to regulate H-1B visas to require companies to hire domestic workers before recruiting foreign workers.

Other countries have an orderly immigration policy, and America should also have an “America First” immigration policy based on our national interest.  With Trump’s agenda we stand a chance to clean up the immigration mess that we’re in, and have a chance to start stabilizing our population, protecting our national security and our environment.  LET’S EXERCISE OUR RIGHT TO VOTE AND DO THE RIGHT THING!!    

Andy Caldwell 
I always get asked to publish a voting guide. I typically don't but this year has proven to be an exceptional year.

So here goes my Personal 2016 Election Guide!

Candidate, Propositions and Local Measures Listed and Followed by Explanation.

The Candidates

President Donald J. Trump

US Senate Loretta Sanchez

Congress Justin Fareed

State Senate 19th District Colin Patrick Walch

State Assembly 35th District Jordan Cunningham

State Assembly 37th District Ed Fuller

SB County Board of Supervisors 3rd District Bruce Porter

SLO County Supervisor 3rd District Dan Carpenter

SLO County Supervisor 1st District John Peschong

Goleta City Council Tony Vallello

Hancock College Trustee Tim Bennet

Election 2016: Critical Choices for Crucial Change

Explanation:

I am voting for Donald Trump knowing full well that he has offended many by way of insults, rhetoric and bombast, albeit, he has also been willing to talk about important things noone else wants to discuss! I believe the Donald’s verve will do our country well in a time when we desperately need strong leadership and fiscal acumen. Trump will do well for America by surrounding himself with America’s best and brightest in order to address our nation’s chronic problems having to do with illegal immigration, terrorism, debt, our failing military readiness, and generational poverty among the working poor and the welfare class.

Of course, one of the most important considerations in this election is the Supreme Court. Right now, between the admins of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, they have appointed over half of all the federal bench. If Hillary gets elected, you can kiss our Constitution good by because they will control the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, for the next 40 years!

With respect to the scandal of Donald Trump’s open mic moment, once again, the Republican Party has proven itself the stupid party and the democrats the evil party. In perfect tandem, the dems launched the strategic October surprise of Trump’s open microphone moments. Meanwhile, scores of republican leaders call for his resignation from the republican ticket, just as ballots arrive in the mail, leaving voters in a complete lurch with respect to any republican remedy. Yet, the fact remains, in the dark light of the scurrilous comments by Trump, the democrats have no claim to the moral high ground in this election considering the fact that Trump is running against Hillary (and Bill) Clinton.

I firmly believe that Donald Trump is still a better choice for President because of what he will do for America, while, with fear and loathing, I would warn America of what Hillary Clinton will do to America, including Hillary’s desire for open borders! Our next four years should not be dependent upon America’s revulsion with Donald Trump’s chauvinistic potty mouth as much as it has to do with Hillary Clinton’s past 40 years of corruption, deceit and incompetence.

After all is said and done, the current distraction from threats to our world, our country and our economy involve things that Trump has said while ignoring everything Hillary and Bill Clinton have done. It is pathetically dangerous that the American people have such a short memory. Do they not recall that during the impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton having to do with his seduction of a White House intern that the democratic establishment claimed that Clinton’s shortcomings were private and personal and shouldn’t be a determining factor in judging his ability to govern? Furthermore, what does it tell you that after being caught in lie after lie, the democratic establishment never called for the resignation of either Bill or Hillary Clinton? Again, the dems have no path to the moral high ground and that has been the case for the past 50 years!

You can thank Proposition 14 for a virtual Hobson’s choice for US Senate. The resultant open primary was supposed to bring us moderate choices. Instead, the only choice, besides writing in “None of The Above” is Loretta Sanchez, a left-leaning progressive who will support all sorts of abhorrent policies. Nonetheless, her opponent, Kamala Harris, epitomizes the worst of the Bay Area tradition of activist legislators who represent a threat to our very lives and what is left of our rights. Harris, while serving as the San Francisco District Attorney, helped foment the sanctuary policies that resulted in people being gunned down by illegal aliens! She also is one of the State Attorney Generals who wants to prosecute think tanks because they don’t agree with her on climate change while giving Planned Parenthood a pass on selling aborted fetus parts on the black market! I believe Kamala Harris is an evil woman and accordingly I am voting against her by voting for Sanchez.

I am voting for Justin Fareed for Congress. I recognize Justin as a bright hope for the future, a marked departure from the politics and policies of his opponent Salud Carbajal who happens to be an Obama appointee. Mr. Carbajal has repeatedly failed us despite having ample opportunity to fight for a sustainable water supply, better jobs for the working poor, and limiting the size and cost of government services. Fareed, on the other hand, offers a fresh start and a much needed break from career politicians.

With respect to the State Assembly races, I am supporting Ed Fuller in the 37th Assembly District and Jordan Cunningham in the 35th. Both Fuller, an independent, and Cunningham, a republican, are common sense candidates that will serve to return the legislature’s focus to solving problems instead of the absurd activist agenda that has become business as usual in Sacramento! We need representatives that will roll up their sleeves and address the very real problems associated with our $1 trillion debt, our failing infrastructure, our dwindling and squandered water supplies, and the tax and regulatory burdens that are stifling opportunities for the working poor and killing our farmers.

Perhaps even more important than all of this has to do with the threat of a democratic super-majority in the Legislature. If the dems succeed in getting a 2/3rds majority (they are VERY close) then they can do three things that will destroy this State. First, they can raise taxes without a vote of the people. Second, they can put any initiative to change the state constitution (including Prop. 13 and Prop. 218) without having to get signatures to put the initiative on the ballot. Third, they can override a governor’s veto meaning they alone will run state government! This alone explains why the dems have sunk over $500,000 into the effort to beat Jordan Cunningham with Dawn Legg.

I hope Third District voters will elect Bruce Porter to serve as their next supervisor. We desperately need Bruce’s expertise in managing our failing infrastructure and our acute water supply shortage. He also knows a thing or two about preventing the catastrophic threat of fire and how to handle big budgets. He is highly educated, having earned multiple degrees from West Point and Stanford. He is a very good man who truly wants to serve our community. We need his sense of balance and fairness that comes from decades of experience as a public servant in the Army Corps of Engineers. If you want to end the acrimony and drama on the Board of Supervisors, then please elect Bruce Porter!

Finally, I urge voters in Goleta to vote for Tony Vallello for City Council. In Santa Maria, I am encouraging voters to reelect Alice Patino for Mayor, Michael Moats and Mike Cordero to the City Council, and Tim Bennet for Hancock College Trustee.

The Ballot Propositions:

Proposition 51: $9 Billion School Bond Funding- Vote No

Proposition 52: Medi-cal Hospital Fee- Vote Yes

Proposition 53: Revenue Bonds Over $2 Million Requires Voter Authorization- Vote Yes

Proposition 54: Requires Legislature to Publish Legislation and Broadcast Proceedings- Vote Yes

Proposition 55: Twelve Year Tax Extension of Prop 30 “Temporary Tax Increase”- Vote No

Proposition 56: Cigarette and Vaping Tax Increase- Vote No

Proposition 57: Early Release of 25,000 Felons from Prison- Vote No

Proposition 58: Reinstate Bilingual Education- Vote No

Proposition 59: Advisory Vote to Repeal Citizen’s United Case involving campaign contributions- Vote No

Proposition 60: Require Adult Film Starts to Wear Condoms- No Recommendation

Proposition 61: Ties State Drug Purchases to the Price paid by Veterans Administration- Vote No

Proposition 62: Repeals Death Penalty- Vote No

Proposition 63: Prohibits the possession of large capacity ammunition Magazines and requires background check and fee to purchase ammunition. Vote No

Proposition 64: Legalizes Marijuana- Vote No

Proposition 65: Redirects money collected from carryout bags at stores to Wildlife Conservation Board- Vote Yes

Proposition 66: Streamlines Death Penalty Statute- Vote Yes

Proposition 67: Bans Plastic Grocery bags- Vote No

Analysis:

Proposition 51 would raise $9 billion in general obligation bonds for schools. This is problematic on a number of fronts. First off, these bonds encumber the State General Fund and when you add the interest, this measure is going to cost upwards of $18 billion by the time the bonds are paid off. It is most unfortunate that voters think bonds are free money. They aren’t. They have to be paid off meaning we can’t afford other things, like repairing our roads and freeways, or maintaining adequate capacity in our state prisons. Moreover, our state has already borrowed hundreds of billions of dollars in the last 15 years by way of State and local bond measures in order to build schools with no end in sight.

The reason the schools keep borrowing all this money in spite of receiving nearly half of all property tax revenues is because they can’t afford to pay for their pension obligations. In essence, this is a shell game of fooling the voters into ostensibly paying extra for buildings when in reality they are subsidizing pensions. I am voting no on Prop. 51.

Proposition 52 is a bit difficult to understand. However, in a nutshell, this proposition keeps in place a hospital fee that secures $3 billion per year in matching money from the feds to help pay for care for poor people. The reason this ballot measure is on the ballot has to do with the fact that the State Legislature was stealing some of the federal monies for other purposes! Prop. 51 keeps the program in place while keeping the legislature’s hand out of the cookie jar. I am voting yes.

Proposition 53 prohibits the legislature from issuing or selling bonds without voter approval if the bond amount exceeds $2 billion. This proposition does not affect local projects, the University of CA, freeway construction or measures to address natural disasters. What it does do is keep unaccountable politicians and bureaucrats from spending money voters never authorized on boondoggle projects. Vote yes!

Proposition 54 is the best proposition on the ballot and is long overdue! Quite simply, it prohibits the legislature from passing any bill unless and until it has been printed and published giving the public 72 hours notice before being voted on! It also requires the legislature to make audiovisual recordings of their proceedings and post them on the internet. Vote yes!

Proposition 55 is the result of yet another broken promise by California special interests groups as it extends a so-called temporary tax another twelve years! This tax has a severe impact on small business owners who get taxed on the gross income of their business albeit the measure is crassly presented as a class-warfare tax on rich people! The fiscal impact of this measure will result in a $100 billion hit to our economy! It extends Prop. 30 which was supposed to be a temporary tax hike to see us out of the 2008 recession. Extending it another 12 years is insult to injury considering the fact that our government initiated no meaningful reforms to curb pension debt and address infrastructure deficits in the meantime. In other words, the more money you send to Sacramento, the more ways they manage to squander the same since they are not being forced to tighten their belt or pay down their obligations! Please cut them off of this gravy train by voting no on Prop. 55!

Proposition 56 increases cigarette taxes by $2.00 per pack with equivalent increases on other smoking products including electronic cigarettes and vaping products. This measure is actually counterproductive to public health because vaping is considered 95% safer than smoking cigarettes. Accordingly, the relative affordability of vaping products has encouraged many Americans to quit smoking! This measure is indicative of an addiction, an addiction to taxes by any number of special interest groups that no longer have the health and well-being of the public in mind. Vote no.

Proposition 57 invites you to release another 25,000 felons from State prison before their sentence is up. Whereas, the proponents claim this only applies to non-violent felons, the District Attorneys of our State say otherwise. This all has to do with a previous ballot measure that downgraded serious violent felonies to misdemeanor status. Only in California would we classify rapists, human traffickers, and child molesters as non-violent felons! Vote no!

Proposition 58 effectively repeals Prop. 227 which positively rid our schools of bilingual education. Numerous studies and test results that compare the results of English immersion vs bilingual education points to the conclusion that our current policies of immersion work best for everyone involved! The proponents of this measure contend English immersion is racist! Nothing could be further from the truth. Vote no on Prop. 58.

Proposition 59 is a feel-good advisory vote that serves to encourage a constitutional amendment to overturn a Supreme Court decision affecting campaign contributions. There is no doubt big money is used to influence the outcome of elections, however, both republican and democratic interests are equally guilty. I say play on! Vote no on Proposition 59.

Proposition 60 says a lot about California politics, priorities and values as it asks voters to require porn stars to wear condoms! This measure is an embarrassment to the initiative process. I personally don’t care how people vote on this measure as the people engaged in this industry need more help than a condom will provide.

Proposition 61 is seriously flawed. It attempts to tie the cost of prescription drugs purchased with state dollars to the price that the Veteran’s administration pays for the same meds. It is opposed by Veteran’s groups, the California Medical Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers association because the measure is virtually guaranteed to either backfire on vets, patients and taxpayers, if not all three groups! Vote no.

Proposition 62 and Prop 66 are tied together. Prop. 62 repeals the death penalty, whereas, Proposition 66 mends it! Knowing that more people die on California’s death row from old age than by execution, we should be changing our laws to facilitate executions instead of eliminating the penalty altogether. Vote no on 62 and yes on 66.

Proposition 63 is a superfluous gun control measure that has already been addressed by draconian legislation already signed into law earlier this year. It accomplishes nothing constructive in stemming gun violence by gang bangers and terrorists who care not that killing people is already against the law. Vote no.

Proposition 64 legalizes marijuana use while raising taxes on both cultivation and retail sales. This measure is dangerous to our society on a number of levels. Whereas, I don’t oppose the use of marijuana for authentic medical purposes including treating cancer patients, it is another thing altogether to facilitate people getting high. How so? First, driving under the influence fatalities have skyrocketed in the states which have approved similar measures. Second, there are serious long term consequences to mental health from smoking marijuana including the onset of schizophrenia in some. Third, when something becomes legal for adults it sends a message to children that the activity must be okay. This means more kids, who are particularly vulnerable to deleterious consequences due to their stage of brain development, will be encouraged to experiment. Vote No!

Proposition 65 redirects the state-mandated fees on grocery carry-out bags from the pockets of grocers and other retailers to the Wildlife Conservation Board. The $400 million per year generated by the bag fees can then be used to address drought conditions in our forests, increase clean drinking water supplies, beach cleanup, and other worthwhile endeavors. If voters don’t see fit to repeal bag fees altogether (see Prop 67) at least this measure potentially makes better use of the money, so I am voting yes.

Proposition 67 would have us affirm rather than repeal a proposed state-wide plastic bag ban on all retail outlets- not just large grocery stores. Plastic bags happen to be recyclable and reusable- what’s not to love? The main argument we have heard over the years is that plastic bags threaten sea creatures but that is a myth based upon a study having to do with plastic fishing gear not plastic bags! Morever, the fees charged by retailers for paper bags is nothing less than a punitive tax on consumers which is costing them billions of dollars. Finally, there are legitimate health concerns associated with reusable bags that can’t and shouldn’t be ignored. Vote No!

The School Bonds and other Local Measures

B2016 County Transient Occupancy Tax raised to 12%- Vote No

C2016 Direct elect Goleta Mayor and Empower to Make all appointments- Vote No

E2016 Formation of Isla Vista Community Services District- Vote No

F2016 Funding for Isla Vista CSD- Vote No

G2016- Orcutt School Bond Measure $60 million- Vote No

H2016- Santa Maria School Bond Measure $114 million- Vote No

I2016- Santa Barbara School Bond Measure $58 million- Vote No

J2016- Santa Barbara School Bond Measure $135 million- Vote No

K2016- Santa Ynez School Bond Measure $14.7 million- Vote No

L2016- Lompoc Unified School Bond Measure $65 million- Vote No

M2016- Guadalupe Union School Bond Measure $5.8 million- Vote No

Local Schools Ask for One Billion Dollars!

The American education establishment is failing our kids and our communities. The buildings are falling apart, the shortfall in pension obligations is threatening to bankrupt the system, and our children are falling farther behind the children of other states and nations. It is high time we end the government monopoly on education, give taxpayers a break, and provide our children an opportunity for success by way of school choice.

Of course, the apologists for business as usual portend throwing money at the problem will solve everything. Yet, consider the fact that the worst K-12 schools in our nation are on Indian Reservations where an average of $16,000 per student is spent with abysmal results. Many well- performing private schools don’t charge that much for tuition!

Consider the fact that California’s schools have borrowed $146 billion in just the last 14 years for maintenance and new construction to address just the tip of the iceberg of failed priorities and obligations. These figures do not include the cost of interest payments as all this money is borrowed! It is safe to say that California taxpayers are currently on the hook for $300 billion when you count the interest charges, not counting the more than $50 billion ($100 billion with interest!) worth of measures on this year’s ballot! Moreover, the pension shortfall for our State teachers’ retirement obligations (read that taxpayer obligation) is $74 billion. The fund loses $15 million per day!

Locally, we have seven school bond measures in Santa Barbara County on this year’s ballot. Santa Barbara is asking voters for $193 million. Santa Ynez wants $14.7 million. Orcutt wants $60 million. Lompoc proposes to borrow $65 million. Guadalupe needs $5.8 million. Santa Maria wants $114 million. Collectively, that totals $452 million, plus another $450 million or so in interest. That represents a tax burden of over a billion dollars considering how much we still owe on past obligations! Elsewhere the story is the same. The Los Angeles School district claims it needs $40 billion in facility improvements. Then there is Ballot Proposition 51 which is a $9 billion dollar statewide measure.

Why is it that school districts don’t pay for capital projects as part of their annual budget? Why are capital needs never considered in contract negotiations with teachers and administrators in consideration of the health and well being of the children? If you read the ballot arguments in favor of these bond measures you will hear the same refrain about how old these schools are. Yet, virtually nothing has been done about these facilities for decades because maintenance and new construction are not a priority of the education establishment as a matter of routine annual spending priorities. Virtually all the money we send by way of 40% of our local property tax dollars, lottery money, outrageous fees paid by home builders and buyers, and state general fund money, is going to salaries and pensions and this alone explains the predicament we find ourselves in.

We need to do three things to stop this gross mismanagement of our tax dollars and our children’s future. We need school choice in order to break the monopoly. We must require every school district to build into their annual budget capital and infrastructure needs. Finally, we need to insist that the state and the teachers themselves pay an equal share towards pension obligations in order to catch up with the tens of billions of debt ultimately diverted from capital projects and building maintenance.

Go out and vote like your country depends on it because it does!

Andy Caldwell

Gwat Bhattacharjie - Immigration

 Finally the long awaited Supreme Court decision on the lawsuit from 26 states against President Obama’s executive amnesty of four million illegal aliens (United States vs Texas) came in a 4 – 4 split that upheld Judge Haney’s injunction against implementing it.  It will buy us time to see who the next appointee to the Supreme Court will be, putting the onus on a necessary Republican Presidential win in November. 

The Two Party Immigration Platforms:

Democratic Party:  At their Convention in Philadelphia the Democrats showed their utter disdain for lawful enforcement of existing immigration policy by the inclusion of illegal aliens to give major appeals outlining Democratic policies supporting family unity, against deportation and separation of families.  What was not pointed out here is that Birthright citizenship accorded to children born in the U.S.to illegal alien parents is the cause of separating illegal parents from their children because of their illegal status.  So we witnessed the the irony of a mother voicing her fear of deportation and “living in the shadows” in the presence of millions of viewers on  national TV!  So much for living “in the shadows”!

The Democratic Party platform on immigration includes:

1.  Comprehensive immigration reform consisting of giving amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants and providing a path to citizenship.  

2.  Giving taxpayer benefits to the new citizens.

3.  An end to enforcement raids and most deportations. Under Obama 180,000 criminals were released back to the community to do more crime, including murder.

4.  An expanded refugee admissions program.  Already 10,000 Syrian refugees are approved for admission and maybe as many as 63,000 may come.  Incidentally, the number of Central American refugees continues surging, including  the number of unaccompanied minors.

5.  Open borders – there is no talk of enforcing the borders, or giving priority to American workers in the job market and protecting them from unfair cheap competition.

6.  There is no talk of national security as more OTM’s (Other Than Mexicans) flood our southern border.

Hillary Clinton has promised to continue, even expand Obama’s immigration policy. There is no mention of our increasing national debt, overcrowding, stress on the environment and local resources and the proven fact that amnesties beget more immigrants flooding the country.

 

Republican Party:

 
Donald Trump, time and again, repeated that he is the “law and order” candidate and included Sheriff Joe Arpaio from Arizona (toughest sheriff in America) and the father of Jamiel Shaw who was killed by an illegal gang member, as speakers at the Convention.

The Republican Immigration Platform:

Real Immigration Reform must put the needs of the working people and the welfare of the nation FIRST.

Donald Trump’s three core principles of real immigration reform are:

1. A nation without borders is not a nation, so he talked incessantly about building a wall.

2.  A nation without laws is not a nation.  Laws passed in accordance with the Constitutional system of government must be enforced.

3.  A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation.  Any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans.

In essence, the plan talks about tripling the number of ICE officers; use Verify nationwide; mandatory return of all criminal aliens to their home countries; defund sanctuary cities; detention and deportation of illegal aliens crossing the border (no more catch and release); enhanced penalties for overstaying visas; cooperate with local gang task forces; end birthright citizenship; put American workers first and end welfare abuse; launch job programs for inner city youth. 

 

Comprehensive immigration reform is not about providing amnesty.  Trump threatened repeatedly to deport illegal aliens.  The immigration platform contains many tenets of immigration enforcement espoused by many conservatives that are already in the nation’s laws, but had increasingly been left unenforced.  It’s not xenophobic to want to protect our nation from being overwhelmed by massive influxes of immigrants that we cannot properly assimilate.

 

The nation’s future is at a crucial crossroads now.  We can have a third term of Obama’s policies and the composition of the Supreme Court drastically changed for decades, or we can try to slow or amend  the progressive  trends that the Federal government increasingly has adopted that govern  so much of our lives.

 

Unfortunately our standard bearer is a businessman inexperienced in government with an inflated ego and  a penchant for communicating his opinions without a clear understanding of geo-political reality and  a profound unwillingness to take advice, unable to tone down his rhetoric or apologize after repeated insults.   Unless he is a fast and willing learner and be humble enough to admit his inadequacies, and concentrate on espousing core Republican philosophy on issues, he will lose this election and the Republican party may be set back for years to come.           

Gwat Bhattacharjie - Immigration             

       A few days ago the Supreme Court decided to take up the case of President Obama’s executive amnesty of four million illegal aliens under his DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) that was challenged by 26 states. If you remember a lower court in Texas under Judge Haney issued an injunction that was upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Arguments have begun and a decision may be reached by June or July.

      Needless to say, this will be a momentous decision that will affect the immigration issue for a long time to come.  Republican Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are standing strong against illegal immigration and enforcing the border, while Democrat Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has vowed to carry out Obama’s policies and even threatened to go further, and Bernie Sanders is no better.

     Upon Justice Scalia’s death, the Court is being divided evenly between four liberals and four conservatives.  With an even split the injunction will be upheld and the case returned to Judge Haney to be litigated on its merits. I think that would be the best under the circumstances. Justice Kennedy already noted that ”It’s as if the President is setting the policy and the Congress is executing it. That’s just upside down.”  If one of the conservatives would side with the liberal judges, it would have drastic consequences to the nation’s immigration setting policy and for this nation to go forward to more balanced and  sane immigration.  It would endorse the Administration’s limitless executive power and leave Congress and the American people defenseless against an unprincipled president.  We shall watch with bated breath.

Immigration  and U.S. Population Growth:

       We’re rightfully concerned with immigration because it’s the most important factor affecting any nation in a multitude of ways. Currently the Syrian refugee influx is causing tremendous problems threatening the European Union.  And this Administration has intentions of accepting thousands of refugees even if the FBI had said they could not be properly vetted.

        The Pew Research stated that U.S. population grew by 131 million (68 percent) during the past 50 years mostly through immigration.  With continued immigration we shall grow from 324 million to 441 million in the next 50 years (36 percent), whereas with no immigration after 2015, the population would only increase to 338 million in 2065 (4 percent).      

Illegal Immigration Costs:     

        The cost of illegal immigration is estimated to be over $100 billion.  Supposing DAPA and DACA pass, these illegal immigrants will be issued work authorizations and social security.  They will be eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) and can even amend their tax returns from the past three years to claim credits.  Heritage Foundation calculated that they would receive $7.8 billion per year plus $23.5 billion in retroactive claims. Additionally they would be eligible to the full extent of taxpayer benefits such as Obamacare,  unemployment benefits, Social Security and Medicare.  The lifetime costs of Social Security and Medicare to DAPA recipients would be $1.3 trillion and Obamacare benefits would be $15.5 billion per year.

In California:

       To reprise, although illegal immigrants pay an estimated $3.5 billion in taxes in California, the total costs in state and local expenses that they incur is a whopping $25.3 billion.

Now California wants to be the first state to allow their  illegal immigrants to participate in Obamacare.

Senate Bill (SB 10) from Senator Ricardo Lara (D.33) requires California to do just that – it will seek a waiver from the Federal Government to allow illegal immigrants to participate.  If this passes, taxpayers will be forced to subsidize the costs of providing healthcare to 3 million  people.

Action alert:

Please call the following Republican State Senators and ask them to vote against SB 10:

 

State Senator Patricia Bates,  Laguna Hills, (916) 651-4036

State Senator Bob Huff, Brea, (916) 651-4029

State Senator Mike Morrell, Rancho Cucamonga, (916) 651-4023

State Senator Janet Nguyen, Garden Grove, (916) 651-4034

State Senator Sharon Runner, Lancaster, (916) 651-4021