"We The People" #302
By Hank Silverberg
Commentary
Early voting started in some places across the country this week. My wife and I decided to wait a week before heading out to vote, though here in Virginia the first few days of early voting actually produced lines at the polls in some places.
People are tired of all the nonsense, and I have yet to talk to anyone who has not made up their mind on who they are gong to vote for.
They are out there, and most likely those who are undecided now will determine the election, either by picking a candidate or by staying home.
What irks me the most about some of those on the right is their misunderstanding of some basic principals of our country, and use that to justify their often misinformed choice.
A brief discussion I had with some folks online this week is a good example.
I began with a meme of Vice President Harris talking about her proposal to give $25,000 to people looking to buy their first home. There are, of course, some legitimate questions on how that would be paid for. The right screams that it will be financed by a tax increase on the middle class, though Harris has made it pretty clear an increase in taxes on the rich and corporations will be used to finance programs like this.
What got me annoyed was how this conversation morphed into a discussion of the U.S. Constitution. It seems these conservatives thought such a program, and others like it, are out of the realm of what the Constitution says the government is supposed to do.
I pointed out that right in the pre-amble our Founding Fathers enumerated that it was designed to "....insure domestic Tranquility, provide for common defense, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Libety to ourselves and out Posterity..."
And the document goes on to give the power to do that to the U.S. Congress.
So, "promote the general Welfare" means if Congress approves, yes, we can provide funds for our citizens to do lots of things, including purchasing a home.
Everone can debate the cost of such proposals and where the money will come from, but don't hide behind the U.S. Constitution with nonsense about it not being government's role.
I might add that these same people who don't think the government can provide funds to its citizens for "domestic tranquility" DO think that the government can tell a woman what she can do with her body.
Our Founding Fathers, who were not the paragons of virtue they are often made out to be, were aware that sometimes government needs to butt out, and sometimes it needs to step in. In their wisdom they made that possible through elections and through an elected legislature--Congress, and an elected Executive--the president.
The Constitution of the United States is a remarkable document designed to form a more perfect union. We are not there yet. The Constitution is a living, breathing document. But the words have meaning, all of them, including the pre-amble.
How poorly are people misinformed about the Consitution? When I mentioned "promote the general Welfare," one poster thought I meant "welfare checks".
News You May Have Missed
You have probably heard about Donald Trump's plans to deport all illegal aliens in the country, if he is elected again as president in November.
In 2022 there were 11 million people who fit that category. It may be a bit higher now.
Here are some facts to consider when evaluating his concept.
The highest number of deportations in one year
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| (Is she crying?) |
Deportations under the Trump Administration never topped 350,000.
So how would Trump go about deporting 11 million?
People in his campaign , including radical right- winger Steven Miller. says Trump would likely envoke the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law that allows the president to deport any non-citizen from a country that the U.S. is at war with. Since Texas Governor Greg Abbot and others have called illegal immigration an invasion, it might be used to justify the action.
That would require use of the U.S. military, which tranditionally avoids getting involved in domestic poltical issues. and might resist such a request. Trump then could use the National Guard from states with friendly governors --even sending them into neighboring states where the governors were not cooperative. Can you imagine what the governor of Maryland might say if the Virginia National Guard started arresting people in Maryland?
So how do you round up 11 million people and what do you do with them until they can be physically transported out of the country?
Local law enforcement has been reluctant to help with such roundups unless the illegal alien is wanted for some other crime, or drug cartels are involved. Many local governments have passed ordinances prohibiting their law enforcemnt officers from helping such roundups. And the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcment has only 41,500 beds this year for detentions.
Trump's plan would also include asylum seekers. many of whom have legal status right now triggering lawsuits all over the country.
Miller told interviewer Charlie Kirk this week that "large-scale staging grounds near the border, most likely in Texas" would be used. Read that as detention centers like those used for Japanese Americans during World War Two, one of America's biggest mistakes.
Experts say the questionable use of the military, the shear volume of people involved, and the logistics makes Trump's promise impossible. But that doesn't mean he won't try. The chaos this would bring in communities across the country is ominous.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-mass-deportations-immigration-844f3050ba99552b900ed9f3a1dec22d
Words Matter!
The Jewish comunity in the United States is in a quandry right now, and Donald Trump has, as usual, made things worse.
Trump, who's daughter converted to Judiasm and produced three Jewish grandchildren, has been praised by many Israelis and American Jews for his support of Israel when he was president. And he continues to express his support for Israel this time around.
Kamala Harris has a voting record that backs Israel most of the time, and she has made it very clear she supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas. Though she also expressed a desire for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which have been fighting a brutal war for almost a year.
Traditionally American Jews vote Democratic. But many conservative Jews have been backing Trump because of his past support for the Netanyahu government.
That could now change because of some things Trump said this week, ironically in a address about antisemitism before a Jewish group in Washington, D.C..
Trump claimed that if he is not re-elected, Israel would be "eradicated."
"If I don't win this election, and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens...that means 60% of the people are voting for the enemy. "
And he went on to say, "with all I've done for Israel, I received only 24% of the Jewish vote," in reference to past elections.
There are about eight million Jews in the United States, and Jewish adults represent just 2.4% of the electorate. A 2024 Pew Research poll found 69% of Jewish voters defined themselves as Democrats.
Trump's statement was immediately assailed as antisemitic for evoking an old trope that American Jews have dual loyalty to the U.S. and Israel. The comment evoked a veiled threat of intimidation.
Congressman Jamie Raskin (D), of Maryland, who is Jewish and has been a sharp critic of Trump, called the comments "extremely dangerous rhetoric".
Raskin was specifically talking to Republicans who have honed in on antisemitism on the left. which has supported pro-Palestinian protests across the country, but have ignored antisemiticism
within their own party.
"You can obviously find antisemietism all over the political spectrum.," said Raskin.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-jewish-voters-antisemitism/
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumb quote comes from current Arkansas Governor and former Trump Administration press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. who decided it was her turn to weigh in on parenthood. Sanders has three kids, and I don't know what kind of a parent she really is, but she said to an audience at a Trump town hall meeting:
"My kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble."
That, of course, is nonsense. Harris has two stepchildren. She married Doug Emhoff when his children were teenagers over a decade ago, and those children, now both adults, say she was a good mom.
Sanders' attack was not only on Harris, but on all parents, women and men, who are raising blended families.
I hope one of Huckabee-Sanders' kids "humbled" her after that comment.
(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)
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