The Economy and the Dreamers

Art of Conservatism—DACA and the Economy

December 31, 2017

                DACA (which, if you don’t already know, stands for Deferred Action for Child Arrivals) is that pain-in-the-craw policy, foisted on We the People by President Obama himself as one of his odious ‘Executive Orders’, to keep the so-called “Dreamers”, that is, those children of illegal immigrants who were born in this country, living here with the aim of later making them citizens who would like vote Left. It has been a major bone of contention between the Left and the Right for several years. It is something that President Trump campaigned against in 2016, and one of the issues which, I believe, helped to get him elected.

Now, to be sure, many of these ‘Dreamers’, have a point to their argument for citizenship.  Many have neither seen the country of their parents’ origin, nor are the even fully aware of the culture or even the language of said COO. Many of them have joined the military and distinguished themselves proudly. Many of them are in, or have graduated from college, and are starting careers. What point is it, the Left argues, to send them back to a place in which they never have culturally fit, from a place where they’ve grown up and known all their lives? The hope of the Left is, of course, that all these DACA kids are going to vote ‘their way’, thus perpetuating Democrat/Socialist power forever.

Well now, let’s just hold the phone a minute. There’s an Elephant in the Room here, and the Left is ignoring it. It’s the Economy, Stupid!!! This is the most uproaringly robust economy in who knows when? Unemployment is the lowest among blacks, Latinos, and teenagers in recent memory. So, and at the risk of insulting some intelligences here, let me translate that----WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF WORKERS! Now, folks, what does that mean? Let me spell it out for you---INFLATION!  High demand for workers coupled with a low supply of workers equals what it equals for every other commodity: higher wages.  Since wages are a necessary cost of doing business, that drives the prices of whatever—anything—up. Way up. As a for instance, in the State of Wisconsin, the government there is saying, right now, that there are 40,000 more jobs in the state, right now, as we turn the corner into 2018, then there are  people to fill them. Can you imagine the competition for people that that means? Can you say, highest bidder?

That being the case, then what’s the point of getting rid of any able bodied workers, sending them ‘back home’, when they are going to be needed here? Now, add this into the mix: President Trump made a bold decision (in the eyes of many) in September of 2017, to put the responsibility for the fate of The Dreamers into the lap of Congress, which is where it belongs. He gave them six months to do something about the situation, as they should. If I were a Congressman, Conservative though I am, I would come up with a way, some way to determine, on a case by case basis, which of those Dreamers either have the job skills, or can be trained in them, to fill the positions which are needed by employers in today’s economy. Competency in the English language would be required. (Sorry, Leftist, but that must be part of the deal.) Then, for each one of them, I would set them, and only them, on that pathway to Citizenship. Those Dreamers who have served in the Military would be first in line, period. Then I would set those who have, or are working on, College Degrees in something meaningful, such as Engineering, Science, Math, the Medical Professions, even as Psychologists. Then, I’d see to it that the word got out that those, born in this Country, of Illegals, who have thus earned their way into this society, would be put into line for Citizenship. Those who didn’t pass muster, well, they would be put on their way to Deportation. But you know what? I’ll bet that the vast majority of those ‘Dreamers’ will be able to ‘make the grade’, since they’re already half assimilated into the culture.  This also puts on notice those who don’t wish to assimilate, that the door also swings the other way as well.

And, I’m going to make a little prediction to you. Once there really is full employment, and those who are willing to work are doing it, I’m betting that the bray of the Left, in their promise of “something for nothing”, in return for their power over our lives---well, that’s going to recede. I’m not promising Utopia here, but once folks get the idea that the good life comes from working for it, the unkept promises of Left will fall on more and more deaf ears, and those that made them will be lose the power they’ve so sought, will slip away from them.

But in closing, I’m also going to say that, unless we give serious consideration to the inclusion of the Dreamers into this Country’s economic melting pot, then the inflation which will surely follow will be more fuel for the Left to inflame passions which don’t need inflaming. Just sayin’……

For Art of Conservatism, I’m Art Reis.

Art of Conservatism---December 11, 2017

Who's to blame for 'California  Burning'?

We The People have all heard about the California wildfires which have been occuring more and later through the year. It seems that fire season in the Golden (sic) State has been getting to be longer and longer with each passing year. The loss in lives and property has been staggering, especially lately. This year, 2017, and Governor “Moonbeam” Brown is now stating that this is the new norm—a year-round fire season in the state. Well, waddaya know..... another reason for residents to flee, or to not move there---if they know what's good for them.

There has been an interesting omission in this scenario. As far as I can tell, and this is all anecdotal, I have heard next to nothing from the Environmentalist Wacko Movement about any of this. And I suspect that there is a reason for it. I'm here to tell you why. It's because the EWM is, at least in part, responsible for the collective conflagration.

Why? Because the EWM has for decades been opposed to clearing out wilderness areas of dead brush and trees (Let's leave the natural habitat natural, they brey.) Which means that all that dead brush and branches eventually become, sooner rather than later, an abundant fuel for a fire to consume. It is, frankly, the torch waiting to be burned, and thus to also transmit the fire to the existing live foliage, especially the pine trees which are so abundant out there.

It's not more complicated than that. Get rid of the existing dry stuff, and diminish or eliminate the danger of fire burning homes, businesses, livestock, wild animals, and people.

But, bring up that idea, or even the subject, of removing the fuel a wildfire needs, and then listen for the mingled screams of rage and pain from the EWM and much of the rest of the left. It's like a part of them is being amputated. But, as a conservative, I believe that conserving both private and public money takes precedence. It's far cheaper to send in the National Guard, or better yet, trustee inmates from the state's prisons to do the job (and the pay the inmates would get can all go toward restitution to the victims of their crimes), than it is to pay for the herculanean task of putting out a fast-moving fire, not to mention the costs to insurance companies for the loss of private property and such.

It's time to overrule the demands of the EWM, and cut out the cause of the greatest threat, other than earthquakes, that California faces. And, it's time for victims of these disasters to seriously consider suing the various “environmental groups” which for far too long have been ruling the state's wilderness areas and demanding 'no dry foliage removal', to the detriment of all else in the Golden State.

For Art of Conservatism, I'm Art Reis.

Art of Conservatism---December 10, 2017

Lessons from the Roy Moore Saga

Nothing has brought into sharper focus the political divide in this country as has the race for the Senate seat inAlabama between Roy Moore and Doug Jones. I have a few insights on this.

First, the election of December 12 is only in part a referendum on Donald Trump. Yes, Trump lent his support to Moore, but the support came late, and it should not have. Still, the support is there, and I hope it helps, because if draining the swamp which is Politics and Usual in Washington, DC, Moore needs to win because his is like Trump---a maverick---and that's just the kind of person needed to help Trump battle drain that swamp.

Let's look at the charges for a moment. Roy Moore is accused of having sex with a minor some 40 years ago. Why did .this story wait until now to bring that up? As controversial as were Roy's actions as an Alabama Supreme Court Judge, and as a jurist elsewhere, any reasonable person would think that these accusations would have come out back then. But then again, Opposition Research has only become the norm in the last few years, or at least it has become well-known to We The People. Still, it's that timing thing. If brings up two things in my mind, one a question and one a quote. The quote is from President John F. Kennedy, who once opined, “Where there is smoke, there's a smoke-making machine.” Indeed, there has been a lot of smoke brought into the Alabama Senate Election fray here---eight women (and still counting) who've come forth to 'tell their stories'. All of them tell of Moore doing whatever with them.

But remember something: All these incidents occurred more than 35 years ago. Apparently, nothing since. Whether it is, that Moore finally married, or whatever, his act, if there was indeed an 'act' at all, it has since been cleaned up. He has since walked the straight and narrow. Why should anyone judge any person's behavior from decades ago when he or she has been a model citizen since? Fast answer: Greed for Power.

Being that all these allegations have gone unreported until now, there must be some incentive being given to those who are now accusing Roy Moore of all these various and, frankly, unprovable-by -physical-evidence charges. Remember, physical evidence always beats word of mouth. The latter is often an aid to validating the former, but in cases where there is only word of mouth, things get a lot more dicey. So, I'll ask the question again, “Who is paying all of these women to come forth now?” In my book, anyone who is paid to come forth with accusations decades after the alleged deed(s) is an unreliable witness. Think also, dirty tricks.

Furthermore, and this is a telling argument, the Left is more than happy to apply behaviour standards which of today (again, think politically correct) against the accepted mores of decades ago. Think of the Paula Deen scandal, which cost her millions in her business dealings. What she was accused of and condemned for a couple of years ago, were for instances of behavior which were fairly normal and non-condemned at that time, decades ago, even though Deen has not exhibited that sort of behavior in recent memory. The shunning heaped upon Paula Deen should be scorned and condemned by all of us who believe in real justice.

(As an aside, when Paula's Restaurants were closed at the local gambling casino a few years back, my wife and I made it a point to go there for dinner, as a sign of support for her as well as a punch at political correctness. My review? I've never paid so much for a meal which was so bad for my diet, which tasted so very good!)

The same situation is just as true of Roy Moore. I heard this perspective from a lady calling in to one of the national talk shows recently: Roy is a man who served his country as soldier in Viet Nam, who came home at around age 30, only to find that all the eligible good ladies had been snapped up, married off, to guys who, for the most part, had not been in military service. So this veteran, Mr. Moore, was moved by circumstances to cast his net further afield. Add that the mores of that time and place were more lenient to a lowerage of consent to younger teenage girls. Add further, that girls younger than 16 were not above lying about their ages and, depending on how rebellious they might be, for 'hooking up' with an older man just to spite their parents. Could all of this have come into play with the ladies that Moore dated back then? I'd be surprised if they didn't. Would you?

I know of a couple, decades-long business associates of mine, sadly both now deceased, who were married when she was 14. She told her then-boyfriend that she was 18—lied about her age! Understand that her parents did consent to the marriage, and the husband didn't find out the truth about her age until she was 21, by which time she had made him a father of three wonderful daughters! And wouldn't you know, the two of them stayed married for about 40 years, until death indeed did them part. Sadly, she died first. The point is, these things happen, and they're not all bad. Moore, of course, eventually married, and the two of them are a solid couple. That's all which should count here.

The bottom line here is that, if you are a person of principle, especially if you are a Constitutional Conservative, who has aquired wisdom through experience borne of folly, be prepared if you wish to serve your country through elective office. Be prepared to be smeared, lied about, and if you did sow some wild oats, to have all of those experiences dredged up and thrown at you and at We the People. Never forget that the goal of these monsters is to shame you, marginalize you, destroy you and those you love, and, if possible, to send you to prison.

But the more important lesson is for you who vote. If the smearing of any candidate is for things allegedly done back in a candidates youth, and if nothing can be found to besmirch that candidate across the last, maybe, twenty yeards, and you can judge this, then consider that that candidate's opposition is the one to vote against, consider the source, and vote for the candidate being smeared. Most likely, that candidate is the conservative one.And it should say more about the smearer, than of the smearee.