Trump Offers Practical Solutions To Complex Problems

Despite recent news reports of illegal aliens murdering Americans, and exposing “Sanctuary Cities” for what they really are, the city of Huntington Park, California has appointed two illegal aliens to city boards. California cities appear to be hell bent on turning themselves into mini-Tijuanas. For non-Hispanics residing in the Golden State, it seems as though they have been kidnapped and transported to a foreign country. There are pockets of Los Angeles and Orange Counties that are inundated with illegal migrants from Mexico, and because of their sheer numbers, coupled with ingrained political correctness and a president who refuses to enforce immigration laws, they seem to out in the sunshine instead of “living in the shadows.” Illegal aliens in California are eligible for driver licenses, membership to the state bar association, Section 8 housing, welfare, food stamps, public education, in-state college tuition and grants, and soon Medical, California’s version of Medicare. They comprise at least thirty percent of the state’s prison population, and in some counties, account for eighty percent of all births (anchor babies) in public hospitals at taxpayer expense. In 2014, illegal aliens accounted for thirty-seven percent of all federal convictions nationally. The politically correct media refuse to mention the immigration status of the many foreign criminals arrested by the police for committing a variety of crimes. To do so would bring attention to the problem of illegal aliens committing crimes all over the country, not just California. Recently, where I live in Monterey County, California adjacent San Benito County Sheriff’s deputies raided a corn field that was being used by Mexican drug cartel members to conceal at least one thousand marijuana plants. Nine were arrested and about the same number escaped on foot. Many of them were armed. This exact event happens frequently in different parts of California, especially in national and State parks. Although it was reported on the local television news, not one word was printed about it in the local Monterey newspaper, which is highly politically correct and apparently sensitive to the feelings of illegal Mexican drug cartel members. If the media was just a tiny bit curious about the immigration status of a Spanish speaking suspect who needs an interpreter during court proceedings, it might blow the lid off of a more important underlying story about Mexican and Central American illegal immigrants committing crime. It would also validate what Donald Trump has been saying about the problem and how it’s killing this country. Enter Donald Trump Donald Trump’s willingness to address the illegal immigration problem head on and offer practical solutions to it has resonated with the conservative base of the Republican Party, and I suspect, many Democrats and independents as well. They are tired of cheap laborers lowering wages for unskilled American workers, and taking jobs that Americans will gladly do. They are tired of their tax money being spent on solving crimes committed by illegals, related court expenses, housing illegal inmates, and cleaning up gang graffiti left by their children. They’re tired of being victims of robberies, fraud, hit-and-runs, burglaries, and drunk drivers. They realize that none of this would be happening if illegal immigrants were not here. But, leave it to immigrant-friendly Huntington Park to ignore all these problems and appoint two illegal alien Mexican citizens on its boards instead of calling immigration authorities to arrest them. Not surprisingly, the good citizens of Huntington Park, after hearing about the appointments, jammed the city council chambers and complained loudly about its actions. One black woman in the audience told the council that the reason Donald Trump was so popular was “because of people like you!” Amen. Since Teflon Trump entered the presidential race, his message of building a wall to keep illegal Mexicans aliens (and others) out of the country has struck a strong chord with many Americans. The other Republican candidates are already on record for having signed bills to provide in-state tuition for illegals (Christie, Perry and Huckabee), co-authored a “comprehensive immigration reform” bill (Rubio, Graham), or said that the illegals already here should be allowed to stay (Kasich, Bush). Jeb Bush thinks illegal aliens in this country are committing “an act of love.” He was all in for illegals obtaining Florida driver licenses. But, because Trump’s remarks about enforcing existing immigration laws resonates so well with voters, all you now hear from the other Republican presidential candidates is how they will “secure the border” without offering any specifics. Somehow, I don’t believe them. For example, Gov. Rick Perry is on record of opposing E-Verify, and is fond of saying that if you build a ten foot wall, there will suddenly be a demand for eleven foot ladders. Gov. Christie has said that he’s never seen a fence you couldn’t “go over, under, or around.” Rand Paul refers to illegal aliens as “undocumented citizens.” Trump sees a complex problem and offers practical solutions. The other candidates just offer excuses. Hillary Clinton has an illegal alien as her campaign’s director of Latino Outreach, so you know where she stands.

Gov. Cuomo’s Nightmare Is Finally Over

At a news conference last Sunday following the capture of David Sweat, who had escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, Gov. Mario Cuomo pronounced, “The nightmare is finally over.” David Sweat was convicted of killing a sheriff’s deputy he shot 20 times and then ran over multiple times with his vehicle. His fellow escapee, Richard Matt, killed his employer and dismembered his body. Without a death penalty in New York, both were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Following the tragic shooting event in December of 2013, at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, CT, Gov. Cuomo and his fellow anti-gun legislators went into a hysterical frenzy to swiftly enact the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act. This overreaching legislation limits the number of bullets in a handgun magazine to seven, even if it has the capacity of 12, 15, or more. Originally, this restriction applied to law enforcement officers. It requires registration of all existing semi-automatic rifles liberals like to call “assault weapons,” outlaws standard 30-round capacity rifle magazines, and requires a full background check on all purchasers of ammunition and then their names are reported to the police. Fifty-two of New York State’s 62 counties passed resolutions against the SAFE Act, and many counties directed their police forces not to enforce its provisions. The SAFE Act was so unpopular with New Yorkers that they simply didn’t comply with the requirement to register their semi-automatic firearms with the New York State Police. The State Police recently released data showing that of the estimated 1 – 1.2 million semi-automatic firearms within the state, only 23,847 people registered a total of 44,485 guns before the required deadline. That’s not even a four percent compliance rate. The SAFE Act made criminals out of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who are exercising their Second Amendment rights. So, when Richard Matt and David Sweat made their audacious escape from the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility, Gov. Cuomo’s nightmare began. As anyone could have predicted, the fugitives burglarized an unoccupied cabin and stole a shotgun that they used in an attempt to carjack a driver. Matt had the shotgun at the time Border Patrol Agents shot and killed him. Gov. Cuomo’s nightmare was about law abiding New Yorkers being killed while reloading their weapons defending themselves and their families against two desperate murderers who had nothing to lose. Such an event would be further evidence that such laws have not, and will never work as intended. To justify passing the SAFE Act, Gov. Cuomo cried out in a speech, “You don’t need 30 bullets to kill a deer!” No you don’t, but you may very well need 30 bullets to ward off two armed and dangerous escaped murders who want to break into your rural home, kill you, and steal your money, guns and car. Why do Gov. Cuomo and his anti-gun cronies feel compelled to place law abiding citizens at a disadvantaged position against armed felons? What makes them believe felons will ever comply with ill-conceived anti-gun laws like the SAFE Act? Why would Gov. Cuomo purposely give the advantage to criminals over the general public? To liberal politicians it does not matter. They don’t like firearms, therefore they must be banned! New Yorkers dodged the bullet (pun intended) when the law enforcement dragnet located Matt and Sweat before they managed to kill again. This entire event should illustrate to New Yorkers and all Americans that no matter how many anti-gun laws liberals pass, they will never stop criminals and mentally ill people from obtaining and using firearms to commit crime. These laws only handcuff honest citizens and diminish their Constitutional right to defend themselves. In light of the actions of Matt and Sweat, New Yorkers would be wise to demand that the SAFE Act be repealed and make sure every legislator who voted for it is held accountable.

President Obama Sides With Thugs

Three days following National Peace Officers Memorial Day, President Barack Obama announced that he is ending the long-running transfers of surplus military gear to State and local police agencies that could save law enforcement officers’ lives. The president said he will prohibit the military transfer of grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armored vehicles, .50 caliber machine guns and ammunition to State and local police agencies. Interestingly, none of these items, with the exception of grenade launchers, are used by State or local police. Police use grenade launchers not to launch high-explosive fragmentation grenades, but rather tear gas projectiles that are specifically designed to fit in these delivery devices. When is the last time you saw a police officer with a bayonet, or a police helicopter equipped with machine guns? His list of prohibited items is laughable. Also, the president has identified a variety of military equipment that will now be harder for police agencies to obtain: wheeled armored vehicles, manned aircraft, drones, specialized firearms, explosives, riot batons, ramming devices, helmets, shields, and battle dress uniforms, much of which were used to quell the riots and protect the police in Baltimore MD and Ferguson, MO. Police departments will now be required to get city council or mayoral approval before any of this equipment is transferred, and police chiefs will have to justify to the government why their departments needs it. If issued, chiefs will now have to document training with the equipment and keep records of its use. President Obama knows that most urban riots occur in cities run by liberal politicians who will probably not approve the requests for this equipment in the future. While touring the Camden, NJ police department, the president said, “We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there’s an occupying force, as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them.” What he failed to mention is that all of this specialized equipment, including surplus military armored vests, are only used for extremely unusual occurrences such as the riots and civil disruptions recently suffered by Ferguson and Baltimore. Under those sets of circumstances, the mere presence of hundreds of police officers in itself might give the appearance of an “occupying force,” regardless of how the officers are dressed and equipped. The president’s former director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (now retired) recommended halting the manufacturing, importation or possession of “armored piercing” green-tipped .223 caliber ammunition commonly used in AR-15 style rifles. These rifles are the most popular sporting firearms sold and used in the United States by hunters, ranchers, and target shooters. More people are murdered by hammers and feet in the U.S. then by these rifles. The Obama Administration’s attempt to ban the ammunition was a back door attempt to render these firearms gun control advocates love to call “assault weapons,” useless. Fortunately, efforts by law enforcement organizations, the National Rifle Association and its membership beat back this regulation and the proposal was withdrawn. One of the justifications for banning the ammunition was that it could pierce commonly worn police vests. What was not mentioned is that any large caliber rifle round will defeat a bullet proof vest designed to only defeat handgun ammunition. If the president is so concerned about law enforcement officers being shot by “assault weapons,” then why is he making it harder for them to obtain surplus military vests and armored vehicles that are designed specifically to defeat rifle ammunition? He can’t have it both ways. These vests weigh about 40 pounds and are heavy, hot, and awkward, but they do what they are designed to do. That’s why mostly police SWAT teams use them, since they are more likely to experience rifle fire during enforcement operations than a normal uniformed police officer. By restricting useful surplus military equipment to State and local law enforcement, President Obama is siding with rampaging thugs. He doesn’t want them to be intimidated by the presence of well-equipped police officers who would be more capable of quelling major disturbances with this equipment.

Another Liberal Idea Backfires

In the latest, if not the best, example of why liberals should not be in charge of health care, national security, retirement, foreign policy, or anything else, a Rand Corporation study concluded that Los Angeles’ seven year ban on new fast food restaurants did nothing to reduce obesity in the predominately African-American community of South L.A. Last week, NBC nightly news, hosted by Savannah Guthrie, teased an upcoming segment about the Rand study in which she said: “One city takes an aggressive stand against obesity by banning new fast food restaurants, but what happened next might come as a shock.” Come as a shock to whom? It should have been obvious that a 2008 Los Angeles City ordinance banning, not limiting, but the outright banning of new fast food restaurants in Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, and portions of South and Southeast Los Angeles would accomplish nothing. What’s really shocking is the number of jobs and the amount of tax revenue lost by the city as a result of this nanny, feel-good ordinance. African Americans suffer the highest rate of unemployment of any group. Instead of promoting economic activity where they live, the City Council chose to depress the economy on the guise of promoting weight loss to improve health, just as the “Great Recession” was taking hold. Let’s assume the ordinance had never been enacted, and just one of each of the following ten fast food chains established new restaurants in the four areas of the city targeted by the ordinance: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr., KFC, Panda Express, In-N-Out Burgers, Taco Bell, Pollo Loco, and Jack-in-the-Box. That would create 40 additional businesses. According to an August, 2014 Forbes Magazine article by Carol Tice titled, “7 Fast-Food Restaurant Chains That Rake In $2M+ Per Store,” some of the companies I selected were mentioned. For simplicity, if each of the 40 new stores took in an average of $2 million dollars per year, that would equal $80,000,000 in sales per year. At L.A.’s nine percent sales tax rate, these restaurants would generate $7,200,000 in yearly tax revenue. In the seven years this ordinance has been in existence the city has lost $50,400,000 so far! In addition, think of the impact these restaurants would have made on local unemployment. At an average of 40 employees per restaurant, that would be 1,600 people off the unemployment rolls who would now have money to spend, generating additional tax revenue and economic activity. The increased property values of each of these restaurants would generate higher property tax revenues for Los Angeles County. Now, consider all the jobs created to build each of these 40 restaurants: carpenters, brick masons, concrete pourers, landscapers, electricians, surveyors, tile setters, etc. Also consider the manufacturing and production of the materials needed for these 40 restaurants: glass, tile, insulation, drywall, roofing, light bulbs, wiring, cable, speakers, microphones, ovens, stoves, grills, fans, heaters, toilets, sinks, railing, stainless steel counters, advertising, plastic utensils, napkins, plastic trays, trash receptacles, tables, chairs, soap, brooms, and mops. To prepare meals they need, hamburger meat, chicken, beef, rice, tortillas, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, soft drinks, coffee, ice cream, condiments, all of which need to be farmed, processed and then sold, generating more jobs and tax revenue. Ironically, new overweight employees working in fast pace restaurants would help with their weight loss, instead of standing in unemployment lines all day. When liberals don’t like something, they want it banned. Banning new fast food restaurants in one part of the city makes no sense if they can be found elsewhere. But, that’s what liberals do, and everyone suffers for it.

Main Stream Media’s Anti-Veteran Bias

Why is it whenever someone who has been in the military commits a crime the media headlines always emphasis that the suspect is a "veteran?" The latest example is Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, the man who allegedly was returned to the U.S. from Turkey after attempting to transit into Syria to join ISIS. The major news outlets included in their headlines that Pugh is an "Air Force Veteran." The Associated Press headline read: "Air Force vet pleads not guilty to federal terrorism charges." His veteran status trumps him being a Muslim convert who wrote in a letter to a woman believed to be his Egyptian wife: "I will use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States," and "There is only two possible outcomes for me, Victory or martyr." Pugh served in the U.S. Air Force as an airplane mechanic from 1986 to 1990, 25-years ago! I hardly think his veteran status has anything to do with the fact he is now a radicalized Muslim who wants to become a jihad martyr. That's the real story here, not the fact he served in the Air Force a quarter century ago. For as long as I can remember, the media has been portraying Vietnam veterans, Iraq war veterans, Afghan war veterans, former marines, ex-soldiers, ex-navy SEALS, former Green Berets and now Air Force airplane mechanics as being mentally ill individuals who are obsessed with guns and display various levels of violence or sexual deviance simply because they were exposed to the military. The media will never admit this, but the evidence is overwhelming. The reporters of these events focus on the perpetrator's military experience to explain their actions. The underlying message is that if you join the military, you too will suffer from mental illness and turn into a trained, mind numb robot killer. Many of these same reporters have never spent a minute in the military, but instead went to college to earn a journalism degree while these veterans were fighting terrorists overseas to preserve their First Amendment rights. On March 13, 2015, WABC in New York City had a story that screamed: "Army veteran who scaled White House fence pleads guilty." The first sentence of the story on its website read: "A knife-carrying Army veteran who scaled a White House fence and dashed into the executive mansion before being caught took a plea deal Friday." Mentioning he had a small pocket knife makes him seem all the more menacing, instead of just being a mentally ill person who happened to have a pocket knife. Other recent headlines have been: "Former marine guilty of murder in ‘American Sniper' trial." "Former marine freed from Mexican jail arrested for drunk driving in Georgia." "Former marine suspected of killing six in Pennsylvania." "Transgender [former] navy SEAL to primary Steny Hoyer." "Ex-Hawaii soldier sentenced in beating death of daughter." "Former soldier charged with aiding al-Qaeda in Syria." "Former coast guard member sentenced to 50 years for child pornography charges." And the list goes on and on. Something has to explain why an individual would drive drunk, kill six people, get a sex change to run in a primary race, beat his daughter to death, aid al-Qaeda and disseminate child porn. The media's explanation is that these people are all veterans. What else could possibly explain their behavior?

Yes We Can Deport 11 Million Illegal Aliens

The Obama Administration, Jeb Bush, John McCain, Lindsay Graham and the media's take on why Congress needs to enact "comprehensive immigration reform" is that it's impossible to deport the 11 million plus illegal aliens here, or as the president calls them, "Americans in waiting." Of course, it's possible. The notion that this country can't find these people is simply ridiculous. Here's why. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are over 461,000 local, county, and State law enforcement officers in the country. There are also about 120,000 federal law enforcement agents. If Congress gave state and local police officers the authority to enforce federal immigration laws, most of the 11 million illegal aliens could be identified and deported in about a year. Let's do the math. I'll round down to not count about 61,000 State and local officers who are probably managers, sheriffs or chiefs of police. Eleven million divided by the remaining 400,000 is 27.5. That's the number each law enforcement officer, on average, would have to apprehend to get to the 11 million goal. It's been my experience that uniformed police officers and sheriff's deputies encounter an illegal alien at least one a week, or often daily, during his or her normal work day. Most of those encounters result in the illegal alien's arrest for drunk driving or crimes such as shoplifting, drinking in public, vandalism, domestic violence, hit and run accidents, peace disturbance, driving without a license, drug possession and the like. Without even trying, an average uniform police officer will run across an illegal alien at least 52 times a year, based on my theory that they encounter illegals at least once a week. If all 400,000 police officers arrested just one illegal alien a week for a year, more than 20 million illegals could be identified and deported, far exceeding the estimated 11 million that are here. The real challenge is to locate the estimated 40 percent of illegal aliens that have overstayed their visas. That's where the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other federal agents could concentrate their efforts. In places where there are large numbers of illegal aliens such as in Los Angeles County, police encounter illegal aliens far more often than the police in say, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. According to the Los Angeles Times, L.A. is the "hit and run capital of the nation." Nearly half of the 40,000 traffic accidents reported in Los Angeles were hit and runs, well above the national average, according to the LAPD. I'd estimate that nearly all the hit and runs in Los Angeles were committed by illegal aliens who have no drivers license, no insurance, and fear they'll be deported. But, illegal aliens flourish where municipalities, such as Los Angeles, declare themselves "sanctuary cities" and won't allow their police officers to cooperate with immigration authorities. That needs to change. Congress should hold back federal funding to these cities until they stop running interference for illegal aliens. Where I live in Monterey County, California, the largest industry besides tourism is agriculture. The National Agricultural Workers Survey estimates that 48 percent of farm workers in the country have no legal status. Mexican-American Cesar Chavez, the founder of the United Farm Workers, was very vocal about not hiring illegal aliens for farm work because it undermined the wages of legal immigrants and American Citizens. If there are not enough American workers available to plant and harvest the Salinas Valley, why not fill the void by allowing farmers to hire non-violent, volunteer state prisoners, at minimum wage, and pay for their correctional officer escorts. Paying these prisoners minimum wage would give them the ability to pay any court ordered restitution to their victims and provide them a nest egg for when they are eventually released. Since California and other states have prison overpopulation problems, why not let convicted illegal aliens do their time in their home countries? About 30 percent of all federal prisoners are illegal aliens. Altogether, federal, state and local governments spend about $338 billion dollars a year on illegal aliens. I think that money could be better spent on other things. None of what I'm suggesting will happen during this current Administration. The U.S. immigration system isn't broken, it's being ignored. The country needs to get a handle on illegal immigration before promoting legal immigration, with very few exceptions. Securing the southern border while deporting illegal aliens will go a long way in freeing up jobs, reducing crime, enhancing public education, reducing disease, and providing security for American Citizens. We need a leader to take action so the rule of law and quality of life for American Citizens can be restored.

A Simple and Effective Counter-Sleeper Cell Strategy

In light of the recent lone-wolf and sleeper cell attacks in Ottawa, Sydney and Paris, in which scores of people were killed and wounded, another strategy must be implemented to counter future attacks. The Ottawa shooter was denied a passport by Canadian authorities because they felt he intended to travel to Istanbul and make his way to the battlefield in Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Since he was denied the opportunity to perform jihad in Syria, he decided instead to commit it at the Canadian war memorial and parliament. The Sydney shooter at a coffee shop was an Iranian "refugee" who converted from being a Shia to Sunni Muslim, became sympathetic to al-Qaeda, and failed to assimilate into Australian culture. He was arrested several times for violent acts, including the attempted murder of his wife. Two American teenage girls of Somali parents actually flew to Istanbul in hopes to have sexual relations with ISIS members to increase their numbers before being discovered and returned to the U.S. One of the shooters in Paris attended a terrorism training camp conducted by ISIS and the two others attended training by the al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen, and then returned to France to carry out their evil deeds. All three were born in France, but chose to be jihadists rather than support their country of birth. It's obvious that many young, self-radicalized Muslims want to be jihadists. France estimates that their numbers are in the hundreds. It's impossible to measure how many there are worldwide or how many more will join their ranks in the future. One simple strategy in countering this trend is for Western nations to not only allow, but encourage these jihadist wannabes to travel to Syria and other places to join ISIS or the AQAP, but with this caveat: anyone who leaves the country to join ISIS or an al-Qaeda affiliated group would be considered an act of treason and the renouncement of their citizenship. These people would have their passports revoked, placed on a worldwide no-fly list, and barred from ever returning to their home countries. This would decrease the chances of trained terrorists returning to their former homelands to continue jihad. Western governments should let it be known that anyone who travels to a foreign country an attempt to join, assist or facilitate a jihad movement would result in their citizenship immediately being revoked or immigration status canceled. Enough is enough. Allowing these radical Muslims to travel to join ISIS would give U.S. and NATO air assets more opportunity to give these people martyrdom on the Syrian and Iraqi battlefields instead of the streets of Ottawa, Paris or New York City. Western intelligence and security forces can only accomplish so much. There are possibly many more radicalized, or potentially radicalized Muslims in the Western world then there are government agents to monitor their activities. Hopefully the events in Paris will wake up American liberals and stop them from further attempting to degrade the effectiveness of local law enforcement, the NSA, FBI, and the CIA. They should realize that the U.S. is ripe for similar attacks. The very organizations they criticize are the ones trying to prevent another attack. They need to show support for their local police who are the front line defenders against homegrown jihadists. They need to stop worrying about the "militarization of the police," which is pure nonsense. In news footage of the French police in action in Paris, they looked "militarized" because the situation demanded it, and I didn't hear Parisians complaints about them using helicopters and armored vehicles to quell the violence. The sooner Western nations take aggressive, affirmative action against their homegrown jihadists the better off they will be.