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The Ask a Politician Thread

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Street Pattern, May 24, 2014.

Page 3 of 3
  1. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
    I don't mean that they are comparable directly to "The Donald", but didn't the keepers of conventional wisdom heap similar disdain on the likes of Mussolini and Hitler?

    And regardless of what others think of him, Donald Trump always takes himself seriously.

    The illegal immigration issue is a particular hot button to a lot of folks that aren't government workers, editors, screenwriters, IT geeks, teachers, and other professional denizens of the TFP.

    If you ask some of the lower echelon workers, like small manufacturing workers, farm workers, construction workers, landscapers, they are furious that no one seems to care about stemming the flow of illegals that now fill so many of those lower level jobs.

    Doesn't the First Lord of the Admiralty come from the House of Lords?;)
     
    Lindy, Aug 19, 2015
    #41
  2. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    I think that the bureaucracy of trying to get things done would drive The Toupee crazy because he's too used to issuing orders and having them followed without question. What concerns me, if he should manage to get elected POTUS, is what damage he could do during the honeymoon period. Would Congress & HOR stand up to him, or be scared to go against a Pres popular with the public?

    Even if he didn't manage to bring about any major changes in policy, he could still change the make-up of the Supreme Court. That is what concerns me anytime we have a radical Pres, the Supreme Court appointments last long after the Pres has left office.
     
    Chris Noyb, Aug 19, 2015
    #42
    • Like Like x 1
  3. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I think it's unnecessarily "hot button" at the moment. It's surprising that it's such a high priority among the topics up for debate. (Though the abortion topic's priority is the most ridiculous.)

    The reasons?

    First, the illegal immigrant population has more or less remained unchanged for ten years. In other words, it hasn't really changed significantly since the end of George W. Bush's first term.

    Second, undocumented workers make up only 5% of the U.S. workforce. All workers in manufacturing alone make up over 8% of the workforce. Below are the totals for sectors where there is a higher proportion of undocumented workers:

    Total workers as a percent of the workforce​
    • Mining: 0.6%
    • Construction: 3.9%
    • Manufacturing: 8.2%
    • Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 1.5%
    • Leisure and hospitality: 9.5%
    • Wholesale trade: 3.9%
    • Retail trade: 10.2%
    • Transportation/Warehousing: 3.0%
    These sectors combined total just over 40% of the U.S. workforce, and they contain the lion's share of undocumented workers. So over 60% of the U.S. workforce is relatively unaffected by undocumented workers. Even among the jobs in sectors I listed above, you can be sure that undocumented workers take up the worst, least desirable jobs first, and you can be sure that very few of them have senior, high-ranking positions.

    Third, Mexicans make up just over half of unauthorized immigrants. What I don't read anything about are the some 1.2 million (over 10%) undocumented workers from Asia who hold professional and technical jobs with their higher education. In other words, a good chunk of the problem doesn't have an impact on the working class.

    Fourth, 60% of illegal immigrants reside in six states (California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey). Among the bottom forty states, the average illegal immigrant population is about 0.5%.

    In other words, this really isn't the "immigration crisis" that many (*cough*Trump*cough*) try to sell it as. Furthermore, extreme policy measures could have a negative impact on the economy.

    I know many Americans won't think along these lines. They succumb to the lowest common denominator, which in many cases is simply xenophobia.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2015
    Baraka_Guru, Aug 19, 2015
    #43
    • Like Like x 2
  4. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Yeah, where's the outcry about H1B visas?

    Thanks for your time with this thread, SP.
     
    snowy, Aug 19, 2015
    #44
  5. redux

    redux Very Tilted

    Location:
    Foggy Bottom
    The immigration issue is a hot button issue for xenophobic conservative working class whites and Trump is playing them like a fiddle.

    The bi-partisan immigration reform bill that passed the Senate in 2013 would have addressed most of the concerns including border security, status of the 11+ million undocumented workers, e-verification, temporary (agriculture) workers, the H1B visa issue and its abuse to enable pay foreign workers less , etc. but Boehner caved to the Tea Party and refused to allow it to be brought up for a vote in the House (where it likely would have passed).

    The most divisive issue is how to address the 11+ million here and the conservatives have no proposal but prefer to misrepresent a process that would take up to 10 years and payment of back taxes and fines as unacceptable "amnesty" for lawbreakers.

    Trump (with several other Republican candidate now jumping on board) are only feeding the frenzy among the base with the talk of mass deportation and ending "birthright" citizenship (ignoring that it would require a Constitutional amendment).

    It is almost as if they want to push as hard as they can to drive Hispanic voters away from the Republican Party.
    --- merged: Aug 21, 2015 at 3:12 PM ---
    As an aside, Marco Rubio was one of the "gang of eight" in the Senate that wrote the bill but then voted against his own bill when he was pushed by the Tea Party.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 28, 2015
    redux, Aug 21, 2015
    #45
    • Like Like x 2
  6. POPEYE

    POPEYE Very Tilted

    Location:
    Tulsa
    I'm not learned in politics, just a guy working in a small manufacturing facility in small town USA. So my thoughts and comments are simply common sense to me. When will we stop using a woman's rights to her body as a political tool? Or immigration? Have we forgot Ellis Island? Just issue SS cards and IDs and take their taxes with a smile. Most I know of immigrants from all over the world....is that they're here to work. I KNOW more lazy Americans, that feel entitled.
     
    POPEYE, Aug 21, 2015
    #46
    • Like Like x 2
  7. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX

    That's pretty much my experience.
     
    Chris Noyb, Aug 22, 2015
    #47
  8. Street Pattern

    Street Pattern Very Tilted

    Location:
    The American Midwest
    I'm told that, in the U.S. Spanish-speaking community, there is a widespread belief that white Anglos are lazy.
     
    Street Pattern, Aug 22, 2015
    #48
    • Like Like x 1
  9. POPEYE

    POPEYE Very Tilted

    Location:
    Tulsa
    Mr. Trump seems to be gaining ground and respect. The folks we have talked with all like the fact that he doesn't seem to care what comes out of his mouth. Politicians do. He has failed and succeeded in business, the American way and dream. Same as Walt Disney. Sandy and I are tired of politicians politicing the peoples pockets and minds. In order to be successful every one knows you surround yourself with a great team. D. Trump doesn't need to be a politician to do a great job. He just needs the few loyal great people. He sounds a lot like Theodore Roosevelt. Sandy and I voted twice for Mr.Obama, and he has done a great job IMO.
    With the world at war, and it is, I would like to see Mr. C. Powell run. Or some one not afraid to stomp the American foot stamp on that middle east problem, or any problem. Any thoughts?
     
    POPEYE, Sep 15, 2015
    #49
    • Like Like x 1
  10. POPEYE

    POPEYE Very Tilted

    Location:
    Tulsa
    So glad to see that J. Boehner is retiring. IMO that man is prejudice and evil. And evil, you get the idea
     
    POPEYE, Sep 28, 2015
    #50
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