We are all familiar with the beautiful sonnet, The New Colossus, written by Emma Lazarus, which is inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and in part reads:
Give me your tired, your poor
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless,
Tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
That sounds great. It sounds inviting. It even sounds American. At one point, I am sure the concept looked good on paper. Unfortunately, that time has come and gone. What we see on paper and in our streets is destroying the very fabric that this great nation of ours is built upon. And frankly, we just can't afford this slogan anymore. Our country is broke.
I am not suggesting that we don't want your tired or your poor, or your huddled masses, yearning to be free. I am simply suggesting that we take a break. Let's take time to get our own house in order. Heck, let's get some of these other leading nations, such as China, to take over for a bit. Oh yeah, their "huddled masses" are sailing to our shores in storage containers.
Now, my radio co-host, Mike Russell, always maintains that we should put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on Lady Liberty. Perhaps, Lady Liberty listened. The federal government has announced that it will be closing the Statue of Liberty to visitors on Oct. 28, just one day following the 125th anniversary of her dedication.
The reason - security. According to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the Statue of Liberty will be the recipient of a $27.25 million renovation project that could take up to one year to complete. Shortly after 9/11, the Statue of Liberty was closed because "allowing people inside would be unsafe." The National Park Service feared that rescuers might not be able to get tourists out in the event there's an emergency. The federal government is now completing the job it began after 9/11.
You could construe this as a great representation on how many Americans feel today. We don't feel safe in regards to the future of this country.
For those of you who think that I am being evil, racist and uncaring, and though it pains me greatly to do so, I suggest that Arizona learns a lesson from the federal government. The federal government has deemed that it is in the best interest to the greatest symbol of freedom the world has ever known, to shut it down and increase its security. To make those who visit the inside of Lady Liberty safer.
I suggest that Arizona takes similar steps to protect its people. Let's make those of us who live in this great state safer. For starters, we need to hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign up. We need something, such as a wall, to hang it from. This might allow us time and breathing room to fix the economical problems that plague our state.
Let's take aggressive action against those who cross our border illegally. Oh wait... we tried that and the federal government sued us.
Now, Gov. Jan Brewer has been forced to appeal to the Supreme Court to revive Arizona's immigration law that would allow us to aggressively enforce action against illegal immigrants. If security is good enough for the Statue of Liberty, then it should be good enough for Arizona.
• Michael Weinstein is co-host of the "The Mike & Winey Show" heard at KFYI (550 AM) and on the web at mikeandwiney.com. Weinstein can be reached at winey@mikeandwiney.com
mlimberg posted at 4:55 am on Fri, Aug 26, 2011.
Hang it from the end of a 50 cal sniper rifle..... Time to secure the border. 53 were burned to death alive in Monterey this week..... We must stop this "crapp" from entering the USA! Oh how easy it would be for the Cartels to do the same thing in America.... I won't sound so harsh at some point.... I appears Americans have become more "thick" mentally as they age...... Wake Up America!
Dale Whiting posted at 7:25 am on Fri, Aug 26, 2011.
Winey,
Eric Cantor just cut funds for that border wall. So try hanging that sign on the doors of Iowa farmers who, using government subsidies are making it cheaper to buy Iowa corn in Mexico City that corn gwown locally in Mexico, sending Mexican corn farmers here to hoe lettuce and pick strawberries. "Hipocrites" all are we, yourself included!
greyhawk posted at 10:13 am on Fri, Aug 26, 2011.
Let's take stock.
Almost 7 billion people on this planet.
Of which 3 billion are close to starving.
Using plain logic, most of those 3 billion
would love to come to the United States.
The United States has over 350 million
residents.
Our infrastructure is shot, our water is limited,
our environment is being destroyed, our schools
and prisons overcrowded.
How many of those 3 billion worldwide do we want
to take up residence in the United States??
chatmandu002 posted at 12:15 pm on Fri, Aug 26, 2011.
Build the wall, build it now.
Enforce all the laws all the time.
Cerulean posted at 2:25 pm on Fri, Aug 26, 2011.
OH Mike but if it were true, that an international border be as simple and as inexpensive to close as the Statue of Liberty.
I agree, lets do everything we can to halt the unfettered flow of immigration. And, in fact, the Obama administration is!
But what about the money? Part of our deficit woes are due to a Billion dollar fence that never was. ( If you have forgotten here is a refresher article: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/01/homeland-security-junks-its-sensor-laden-border-fence/ )
Part of our deficit woes are due to a more recent attempt to modernize Ports of Entry. These more recent attempts by the Obama administration have had better success and with a smaller price tag. (see: https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=37353 )
How can we continue to afford billions (22 last check) of dollars on corn subsides (great point Dale Whiting!) and useless fences!
Accuracy posted at 4:01 pm on Fri, Aug 26, 2011.
Michael Weinstein advocates "We need to put up a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on Arizona border".
But President Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's border "Welcome" signs now read; With the new deportation plans for illegal immigrants, “Backdoor Amnesty” is for any who cross the border Illegally.
Rich posted at 7:57 pm on Fri, Aug 26, 2011.
On most of our borders, that would be cool. "Welcome to Arizona, now go home." The problem here is that you want to hang the sign on the only border we've got that probably doesn't need it, people who come up from the South already know. It's people who come from the other directions who don't
A_Rose_By_Any_Other_Name posted at 1:33 pm on Sun, Aug 28, 2011.
Cerulean, we all know you are an open border tool. This tool says. "I agree, lets do everything we can to halt the unfettered flow of immigration. And, in fact, the Obama administration is!" He and Obozo can't wait to turn America into a third world pig sty. They want the American people wallowing in the pig sty of their creation. Wonder why that is? Isn't even a trillion dollar fence is a cheap alternative to Cerulean's dream of America becoming a third world pig sty? This Obamanation certainly doesn't think so.
bobunf posted at 5:18 pm on Sun, Aug 28, 2011.
The economic incentives that drive immigration conflict with the laws designed to regulate it. Fighting economic forces in a market economy like the United States is an impossible task. If the market is creating demand there is an economic benefit when that demand is fulfilled: we are all better off. One must not believe in the free-enterprise/market-economy system to think otherwise.
The overriding impact of immigrants, legal and illegal, has been, and is, to strengthen and enrich American culture, increase the total output of the economy, and raise the standard of living of American citizens.
When the Statute of Liberty was installed there was hardly a difference between legal and illegal - Italians were know as those With Out Papers. The acronym persists to this day.
Immigrants are advantageous to the United States for many reasons:
(1) Since they are willing to take a chance in a new land, they are self-selected on the basis of motivation, risk taking, work ethic, and other attributes beneficial to a nation.
(2) They tend to come to the United States during their prime working and healthiest years (the average age is 28), and they contribute to the workforce and make huge net contributions to old-age entitlement programs, primarily Social Security.
(3) Immigrants tend to fill niches in the labor market where demand is highest relative to supply, complementing rather than directly competing with American workers.
(4) Many immigrants arrive with extremely high skill levels, and virtually all, regardless of skill level, bring a strong desire to work.
(5) Their children tend to reach high levels of achievement in American schools and in society at large.
These rabid, anti immigrant conversations are juvenile, emotionally devoid of any maturity, and largely intellectually dishonest.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 6:23 pm on Sun, Aug 28, 2011.
Ya bob, unlimited immigration will help America. America is unemployed but the Mexicans are working and this is really good for America. Your retarded pro illegal immigrant rant is devoid of any sense and is dishonest to the point of being criminal. Everything you stated is an outright lie. People like you that want to give America to the illegal aliens make me sick.
davidflucier posted at 3:33 pm on Mon, Aug 29, 2011.
Thanks, "bobunf". It's refreshing to hear someone speak to the realities vs. the mythical "immigrants of mass destruction" theories espoused by the ill educated, irrational, and the emotionally disabled. 50 caliber sniper rifles? "Everything you stated is an outright lie!" "Illegal aliens make me sick." "...open border tool." "Build the Wall" WOW! And to think that so many freedom loving people from around the world have sacrificed so much...for the likes of the people who use juvenile rants you see posted above. Appears to be the natural outcome of being potty trained at gunpoint.
TeaPartyPatriot posted at 10:34 pm on Tue, Aug 30, 2011.
Thanks. "NothingButTheTruth". It's refreshing to hear someone speak the realities vs. the mythical "immigrants are just here to do the jobs Americans wont do" theories espoused by the ill educated, irrational. and emotional disturbed. So do you really think a 50 cal is big enough? I don't know. Maybe we should have Abrams tanks every 100 yards behind very solid fences. That might do it. Works for me.
David, you are an open border tool and your kind of stupidity makes me sick. Why the heck don't you just go to Mexico or some place in South America if you like third world countries so much? Why are you so interested in bringing it here to America? Potty trained at gun point? You sound like your mommy wasn't ever successful in potty training you. It just falls out of your mouth.
Jesus Christo de Nogales posted at 12:11 pm on Sat, Nov 24, 2012.
Owebama is a true racist. Why does the US President hate the advancement of the standard of living for Mexico’s poor? Barrack Hussein Obama; how dare you deprive Mexico these young educated and motivated illegal Mexican Occupiers? Aren’t Mexican citizens the greatest assets Mexico has? Why rob Mexico of these assets? These US educated and motivated illegal alien occupiers (brought to the US as babies) now in the US are the only hope for Mexico and you want to keep them here in the US. They could start businesses, create jobs, and improve the standard of living for the poor people of Mexico. Yet you want to be selfish and deprive Mexico of these talented youth who could make life better for all the people of Mexico. SHAME ON YOU! Have you no compassion for the poor now living in Mexico? Gustavo Arellano, Steve Gallardo, Nicky Diaz Santillan, and La Raza need to insist that all these young educated and talented Mexicans be sent back to Mexico to help improve the standard of living for the poor Mexicans. Are you with us for the good of Mexico and its people?