"New Yearâ??s Resolutions to Make & Keep"

Hi Gang:

Today I am providing you with my latest commentary for CAPS (Californians for Population Stabilization).  This time I decided to write about the campaigns, the responsibilities that go with citizenship and how we must take these issues into account when drawing up our resolutions for this new year.

The elections are looming large on the horizon.  November is hurtling at us and the campaign for the Presidency is ramping up!  

Other campaigns for other elected offices are certain to get underway shortly as those who hold elected office or want to hold elected office will vie for the campaign contributions, support and, ultimately votes.

In a manner of speaking, this increasingly bizarre process is Democracy’s version of a job interview.  It is disturbing to see the mud and accusation fly from every direction!

I have been a guest on Neil Cavuto’s programs on Fox News and Fox Business Network several times in the last few weeks.  One of the interesting thing about being a guest on a major national news program is that you can never predict who you may get to meet in the “Green Room” where you can grab a cup of coffee and a nosh and watch the program you are about to appear on.

Last week I was pleasantly surprised when I was greeted by one of Neil Cavuto’s assistants who met me in the lobby of the Fox News Building in Midtown Manhattan to escort me to the studios.  She told me that Herman Cain was already in the Green Room waiting to go on the air.

Whether or not you were considering voting for him in the election, had he survived this wacky game of “Political Survivor,” I can tell you that you would be hard-pressed to meet a more affable and pleasant guy.  We had the opportunity to speak for about 20 minutes and I came away saddened by the way that he was attacked and demeaned.  I told him that I thought that you could make a case for the concept that you could prove a person has serious mental illness if he (she) runs for high public office!

He and those with him, all laughed when I said this and then turning serious, he told me that while he expected the process to be rough- he was surprised by how nasty things got!

The point is that I am not defending Mr. Cain against the charges that were made against him- frankly, I do not know what really happened.  My concern is what the process has become!

If you wonder why we always seem to have candidates that are problematic, you have to realize two things- first of all, there is no such thing as a perfect candidate.  Second, the process that has become so nasty, belligerent, and humiliating has to cause quite a few potential candidates to decide to “sit the dance out” to protect themselves and especially their wives and children from the lunacy that is certain to transpire!

Today America stands at crossroads.  Our nation faces many challenges and threats coming from different directions simultaneously.  While it is rarely acknowledged, our nation’s failures to secure its borders and enforce its immigration laws in a manner consistent with the best needs of most American citizens, have a huge impact on just about every challenge we face today!

Most politicians attempt to curry the votes by as many people as possible by shading the truth and making broad statements that, all too often, defy comprehension.  Nailing a politician’s position down on most issues is more difficult that nailing Jello to the wall!  Immigration is probably the hardest issue to get a politician to honestly discuss.  They have become convinced that this is the true “Third Rail of politics,” a title that used to go to Social Security.

Political pollsters who are hired by various news organizations and political campaigns tend to carve America up into all sorts of little pieces.  They look at geography, income, race, religion, ethnicity and a number of other such factors and then make all sorts of proclamations about a host of issues that are purportedly important to certain blocks of voters.

A good example of this is when they talk about how a candidate must favor a “Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens” if he wants the Latino vote.

This does work for some Latino voters, but in point of fact, members of America’s minorities are more likely to lose a job to an illegal alien worker and more likely to to lose their lives to members of transnational gangs.

Abraham Lincoln was one of America’s most revered presidents.  He was an astute politician.  He is famous for many quotes including, “A house divided against itself cannot stand!”

By carving our nation up into these segments does, indeed, divide America in many ways and this, in my view, contributes greatly to the problems our nation faces.  Americans must come to the realization that we are in these battles and struggles together!  We must present our political leaders with clear messages about our concerns.  Our nation’s first line of defense is its borders.  The laws that address this issue are all comprehended under the Immigration and Nationality Act.  We must make our leaders come to the understanding that all Americans of every race, religion and ethnicity stand to benefit from our nation having secure borders and immigration laws that protect our nation and our citizens from aliens whose presence would be harmful to us.
The immigration laws that so many politicians and members of the administration are unwilling to enforce are at the bedrock of national security and the other issues and challenges that confront our nation today.


Show me a politician who refuses to enforce the immigration laws or attempts to trivialize these laws, and I will show you a politician who needs to find out what it is like to stand on the unemployment line!

Benjamin Franklin, in discussing our then fledgeling nation. said that they had given us a republic if we could keep it!

What he was making clear was that this democratic republic required that its citizens take their citizenship seriously and keep the political leaders accountable.

It is time for the citizens of our nation to make certain that our nation’s leaders, on all levels, to come to terms with the fundamental fact that the purpose of our immigration laws is to protect our nation and our citizens from aliens whose presence has the potential to have a serious adverse impact.  Ignoring those laws exposes our nation and our citizens to a variety of serious threats and challenges ranging from national security and criminal justice and public safety to the economy, the environment, healthcare and education!

A country without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls!

I

our country is to survive and if our children and their children are to get their share of the “American Dream” the citizens of this nation must take their citizenship seriously!



We the People must be the best citizens we can be, citizens who are worthy of the gallantry demonstrated by our valiant men and women in the military, law enforcement and firefighters, who routinely go in harm’s way in defense of this nation and our citizens.  



My goal in writing this and other commentaries is to point out our nations many failings before more victims pay the ultimate price for the incompetence and ineptitude of our government.



The first step in problem-solving is to first identify the problems and vulnerabilities and then devise strategies to overcome them.



If you find yourself to be in agreement with this commentary, I ask that you forward it to as many of your friends and family members as possible and encourage them to do the same.  We need to create a “Bucket Brigade of Truth!”



The practice of good citizenship does not end in the voting booth, it only begins there.


For far too long our citizens demonstrated apathy which emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. 


It is therefore understandable that the politicians of both parties, are greatly concerned about the demonstrations currently sweeping our nation just as did the creation of the Tea Party.  Clearly  more and more of our fellow Americans are demonstrating that they are not as dumb as the politicians from both parties had expected us to be!


I am encouraged that more and more of us, We the People, are not willing to simply sit on the sidelines anymore!



I believe our nation’s is greatly benefited by the rich diversity of our people which is why I could never imagine living anywhere except New York City, arguably the most diverse city in our nation if not, in fact, the world.  However, my idea of diversity most certainly does not include members of MS-13, the Mexican drug cartels or members of other transnational gangs or members of al-Qaeda!



I also believe that the original purpose of our nation’s immigration laws need to be be brought “front and center” to make certain that our nation does not permit the entry of aliens into our country whose presence in our country is problematic for the citizens of our nation and that if such aliens do succeed in entering our country that our nation have the resources, integrity and dedication to do everything possible to make it impossible for such aliens to function within our country so that even if they are not apprehended, they will find it pointless to remain in the United States.

As I have noted on a number of occasions, “No one would break into the amusement park if they could not get to go on the rides and no one remains in the amusement park at the end of the day when they turn shut down the rides and turn off the lights!” 

If our government’s failures to secure our nation’s borders and effectively enforce our immigration laws concerns you or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional “Representative. This is not only your right- it is your obligation! 


All I ask is that you make it clear to our politicians that we are not as dumb as they hope we are!


We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era. The survival of our nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance.


This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue- simply stated, this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue!


You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem!


Democracy is not a spectator sport!


Lead, follow or get out of the way!



-michael cutler- 



Please check out my website:
https://www.michaelcutler.net/
       


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http://www.caps-blog.org/articles/2012/01/11/new-years-resolutions-to-make-keep/

New Year’s Resolutions to Make & Keep

There
is an enduring custom of making New Year’s resolutions.  There is
nearly an equally enduring custom of quickly breaking those very same
resolutions!

This year I will urge you to not only make a couple of New Year’s resolutions, but keeping them!

If you are familiar with my website, you know that I always include
the statement, “Democracy is not a spectator sport!”  I ask that you
resolve to follow this statement and educate yourself as best you can to
have as deep an understanding of the critically important issues as you
can and then use the knowledge and information that you accumulate to
decide on what course of action our government officials, on all levels
of government (local, state and federal) need to follow to provide
solutions for the most significant challenges and threats our citizens
and our nation faces today.

Immigration is a critically important issue on levels of government
and has a huge impact on nearly every challenge and threat that our
nation confronts today.  Everything from national security, criminal
justice and community safety to the economy (including unemployment and
the deficit) the environment, healthcare and education are among the
most prominent of these challenges.

The fact that you are reading my commentary likely means that you are
already attempting to gather information about immigration and related
areas of concern.  The next course of action has to be to develop a
relationship with the politicians who are elected to represent you and
their other constituents.  The problem is that all too often, the
constituents are not being represented but those who have the
wherewithal to make the significant campaign contributions are being
represented.  This is why I often note that we currently have the best
government money can buy!

Of course there are a number of political representatives who
actually do represent the majority of their constituents and these rare
leaders most definitely are entitled to your support!  Indeed, you must
support these candidates in any way that you can.  If you can spare the
money, send them campaign contributions.  If you don’t have the money,
volunteer to help them win their next election.

If, as most of us have come to understand, you are not being
represented by a particular politician, then you need to contact his
(her) staff and make it clear that they must change their actions and
that if they don’t that not only won’t you vote for that politician in
the next election but that you will work tirelessly to seek to have
anyone who opposes them in the next election win that election!

When I was growing up I was told by my parents that religion and
politics were subjects that should be avoided at all costs because it
was not polite to conduct such discussions in a social setting.  If you
are familiar with my writings, you know I often quote my parents because
they often provided me with essential sage advice- advice that still
guides me to this very day.  However, this is one of those rare times
when I believe that they erred.  I certainly do believe that religion is
a matter that need not be discussed publicly, but where politics is
concerned, I ask that you consider the precise wording of the First
Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a
redress of grievances.

Please read those words carefully.  When asked about the First
Amendment, most folks will rattle off that it includes freedom of
speech, freedom of press and freedom of religion.  What is often left
out is the second half of that amendment:

“…the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

At the time of the founding of this nation the only way that people
could have a discussion, a debate or engage in a dialogue was to stand
face to face and have that conversation.  There were no telegraphs,
telephones, radio or television programs or the internet.  Clearly the
Founding Fathers understood that people needed to hold meetings in which
such discussions, debates or, perhaps, arguments, could be conducted. 
All that they asked was that these encounters were peaceful.  They also
understood that the citizens of our nation had the right to petition the
government for a redress of grievances- and boy do we have grievances
today!

James Madison has been quoted as saying:

“Education is the true foundation of civil liberty.”

Therefore I implore you to resolve to educate yourself as best you
can about the issues of the day, to engage in discussions with friends
and neighbors either in person or on the internet and to not only vote
but to develop a relationship with those who are paid to represent you
in all levels of government.

You must make these politicians as accountable as you would if you
were the owner of a business and they were your employees, because, in
point of fact, they are your employees!

No politician should be permitted to remain in public office if they
make a mockery of our laws, including our immigration laws!  Those
immigration laws, I would remind you, were promulgated to protect our
nation and our citizens.  The immigration laws are not a formality but
go to the foundation of sovereignty and national security.  Any
politician who places the needs and wellbeing of illegal aliens ahead of
citizens who live within his (her) jurisdiction is not representing you
or the other citizens!

To cite an example, if a politicians believes that an illegal alien
should be provided with instate tuition, that politian is making it
clear that he believes that state borders are more important than our
national borders and needs to be voted out of office!

If a politician favors expanding the H-1b Visa Program for “High
Tech” workers, at a time when American engineers, scientists and
technicians are losing their jobs, then that politician should lose his
(her) job!

In March of 1962 the Twilight Zone aired one of its most famous episodes.  That episode was entitled, “To Serve Man.”
Man.”  In this program, nine foot tall extraterrestrials landed and
provided the facade of being here to help us.  They were found to be
carrying large books written in their native language.  It did not take
long for the translators to decipher the title of the book but the rest
of the book took some time.  The title of the book was found to be “To Serve Man.”
They convinced many humans to board their spacecraft to travel to their
home planet.  It was only after this that the contents of the books
that these visitors carried were translated- it turned out to be a
cookbook!  The human species may have been served, but their best
interests most certainly were not!

It is important that we really pay attention to the purpose of the
various proposed immigration measures and ask few fundamental
questions:  Would the proposed measures help or hurt the average
beleaguered citizen of the United States?  Would the proposed measure
enhance or harm national security or community safety?

Please resolve that this year you will take your citizenship and the
obligations that go with it seriously- and make these the resolutions
that you keep for the entire year!


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