Editorial voices from elsewhere
Editorial voices from newspapers around the United States:
Immigrants, particularly those without the proper documentation, have become easy targets in recent years and the election of Donald Trump as president has increased antipathy toward those who weren’t born here.
Let’s be up front: We would prefer that people come to this country legally and with all the proper documentation. At the same time, we understand that many of the immigrants from other countries do not have the required paperwork, but still they come.
They come because America is – and always has been – a shining beacon of hope.
Yet, in recent years, many politicians and politically motivated groups have demonized immigrants, particularly illegal immigrants. They are freeloaders we are told, placing huge demands on our schools, our health care system, our social structure. In short, they take, take, take, stealing jobs from American workers, committing crimes, voting illegally, and not paying taxes. That sounds dire, and if it were true, it would be.
In fact, illegal immigrants do pay taxes – lots of them. Many pay Social Security taxes, although they likely never will see any of that money in “retirement.” Like the rest of us, they pay sales taxes when they purchase food and goods. Wherever they live, illegal immigrants pay property taxes, either directly or through rent on the places they live.
As the nation goes about trying to determine how to deal with illegal immigration, it is important to remember that immigrants should be treated with dignity and respect. Basic humanity requires it.
Across the United States, democracy is taking place, as previously apathetic or disengaged residents decide to take an active role in their government, largely through attendance at congressional town hall meetings.
Now that people care enough to ask questions and compel lawmakers to do their work, it seems some members of Congress aren’t quite so interested in the sometimes ugly, unruly and uncontrollable American public.
In Texas, the often inflammatory Louie Gohmert expressed fear that he might be shot, citing the 2011 shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords at a public appearance in a grocery store parking lot in Arizona.
Ironically, many of these members of Congress, now so fearful of violence and an armed citizenry, have campaigned on the idea that good guys with guns help keep the world safe. It seems this logic would carry over to town hall meetings and other public appearances by members of Congress.
The legitimate threat of violence against a member of Congress is slim. There’s most often intense security, screening and most people aren’t bent toward violence. And contrary to statements like those from Gohmert and President Trump, while attendees of such town halls might be organized – much like the Republican-friendly tea party – they likewise aren’t paid to stir up trouble. They are citizens who at long last have demanded that they be heard.
Abraham Lincoln saved the Union. George Washington was the father of his country. Franklin D. Roosevelt marshaled the power of the federal government to rescue a nation from economic depression and sent it off to war.
That’s why historians consistently rank them as our top three presidents. A recent survey of historians by C-SPAN is no different. The ranking at the bottom are also consistent.
New Hampshire’s pro-slavery Democrat Franklin Pierce (41st) has not seen his reputation improve over time. Neither has Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson (42nd), who was impeached for interfering with congressional attempts to protect the rights of former slaves in early days of the Reconstruction. And the perennial last-place finisher, James Buchanan, failed to keep the country from falling into civil war, which is why he’s 43rd out of 43 on the list.
It’s far too soon to know where President Trump will end up in the rankings between Lincoln and Buchanan, but the perspective of the historians is good to keep in mind during what looks like a period of upheaval.