On Immigration and Being American

The immigration issue has become a hot button topic in this years election cycle. It is couched in a variety of ways: national security; legal fairness; labor rights; economic development; multicultural(xenophobia). I suspect it is part of a larger issue, namely a national struggle to answer the question of what it is to be an American.
America was founded on five basic principles: 1- Equality (of opportunity not outcome), 2- Liberty, 3- Individualism, 4- Populism (as opposed to elitism), 5- Laissez -faire. These principles have become assaulted by misguided people who yearn for a "fairer" system; perhaps modeled on a Euro-style socialist system. The result of this trend is to force equal outcomes through employment/enrollment quotas; promotion of groups (gay, Hispanic, etc) rights rather than their respective individual rights as human beings; the propagation of elitist thinking in the press and our universities over the general will of the people. This struggle has been going on for some time, it is has only recently been focused sharply on the American consciousness through the immigration debate.
The immigration issue is divisive precisely because we are divided on our own identity. If we can not agree on a national identity than the new arrivals will have nothing to aspire to and integrate with, hence further weakening the foundation that has made us great. It is this that we fear and it is this issue that we must address.
In fact, we as Republicans have been standing in the breech on these very issues for sometime. Regrettably we allow others to twist our arguments to make them sound elitist or heartless. More regrettably, we ourselves have narrowly redefined these issues to suit factions within the party. It is increasingly imperative that our message be unified, informed and articulate not so much on immigration but on equality of opportunity; liberty; individuality; populism and laissez-faire. We must do so not to win elections but so we may preserve our system of government for our children and grandchildren.
To read more on this issue, especially as relates to Islamic immigration in Europe and the parallels to us read: http://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/gratis/Fukuyama-17-2.pdf

On Being A Republican

In accepting my present role as Chairman of the GVRCC, I have given great thought to why I am willing to give of time, talent and tithe to a political party. I wanted to share my thoughts on why I am a Republican and why I am willing to volunteer in this challenging time.

Republican politicians are being challenged from the Liberal factions as never before, part of that assault is our own doing. We seem to have lost focus of the philosophy that has led this country to economic and political preeminence in the last twenty-five years.

It is easy to look back on our Country's history and say it was always great. In the 1970's a malaise swept the land. It is easy to say that event was due to the Vietnam War; I think it was much more than that. The Post World War generation of Baby boomers was coming of age. We had heard the stories of the Depression and WW II from the time we were born. This experience of sacrifice and depredation was contrasted to our being raised in relative affluence. This affluence led to most achieving a higher level of education than our parents. We began to question the status quo; it became a new enlightenment if you will. We questioned religion, morals, politics and virtually every aspect of life in America. This led to a period of very unhealthy choices and painful turmoil: for individuals as well as the Country. Church attendance dwindled, college campuses were ripped apart by demonstrations and urban areas were racked by race riots. We watched as our troops were airlifted from Vietnam in disgrace as well as later snafus in Central America and Iran.

Out of the initial negative consequences of this new enlightenment came a realization that rules mattered, not rules blindly adhered to but rules personally formulated through a belief in the greater good. A belief began to emerge that a just society promoted equal access to education and jobs. That man is at his best when he is free to realize his God given potential. Socio-economic roadblocks began to fall. “Good ole boy” networks were made less relevant. We began to recognize that free and fair markets could rectify the unfairness witnessed in the world. As I remember it, we were called YUPPIES (Young Urban Professions). It was mistaken for crass materialism and for some it was, for most it was the journey to solve not only the ills of this country but the world. It was in this vein that Ronald Regan was elected in 1980.
The so called “Regan Revolution” was the collective realization that throughout history man’s attainment of greatness came when he was free of arbitrary bonds, be it from societal or governmental dictates. As a consequence tax rates were lowered, the ability to borrow/raise money for projects was eased, trade was liberalized. In short, government got out of the way of the marketplace. It is perhaps no coincidence that the stock market, having languished for the 1970’s began to raise steadily.

Our foreign policy also embraced this philosophy. We were not against Communism for the sake of combativeness but rather for the sake of the individual in that state whose potential was being victimized. We could see ourselves not as hegemonic but as liberators. In the end, it was the dramatic economic growth of the West in stark contrast to that in Communist East that brought down the Berlin Wall. Steadily, that phenomenon has brought a capitalist form of democracy to increasing number of countries from Latin American to Eastern Europe to Asia. Americans feel good about our foreign policy when we are doing something noble, for much of the 1980’s and 1990’s we felt good about ourselves.

The Democratic Party position during this time could be summarized as wanting government help for those unable to immediately compete in this free economy. They do not buy into the concept that free markets help all in society over time nor that the US economy is very fluid in that individual family units rise and fall within the economic hierarchy very often. In foreign policy this meant sympathy for socialist forms of government, if not communist forms as well.
Coincident to this time period but not part of the movement per se, people regained focus on there own spirituality, not out of being told but by consciously choosing to worship a Higher Power that they could recognize at work in the world.

How have we who call ourselves Republican's today gotten our message confused? First, we have included in our definition our personal spirituality. While many of us believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ; it is not part of the Party, only a consequence of our personal growth. Second, we have mistaken our belief in free markets for blanket embracing of libertarian philosophy. This is a reach and frankly incorrect. Third, we have spoken of Iraq as a conquest of evil or worse, part of a preservation of Israel rather than freeing the people from a Dictator who kept them in poverty and ignorance, in spite of great natural resource wealth.

We need to remember the noble reasons we call ourselves Republican and act accordingly.