Michael Reagan Should Be Deported

I'm responding to Michael Reagan generally, of course, but most specifically to his column, "Bush Should Strip Sanctuary Cities of Federal Funds." I'm not, as I've said in the past, in the habit of simply linking to other articles, but I'm mostly just talking about Michael Reagan.

First off, I think that Mr. Reagan needs to read up on the tenets of conservatism if he thinks that the Federal government should be giving money to cities anyway. After all, that's big government. Cities should be on their own, sink or swim, capitalism red in tooth and claw, fiscal responsibility, etc. I don't happen to agree with that platform, but Mr. Reagan certainly should. So yes, I guess according to that, the president should strip all cities of federal funds. What are cities doing getting federal funds anyway. Bad business, that. Makes cities reliant on the government.

Now that the silliness is over. I think that cities should have to abide by laws, and if those laws say that illegal immigrants who commit crimes are to be deported, and there's no legal reason for those laws to be overruled (not that I think there is or there isn't in the particular case that Mr. Reagan brings up) then by all means, deport criminals who are illegal immigrants. They'll most likely get back in because our immigration control is laughable because we're spending all our money on building walls and hunting down illegal aliens instead of spending it on checking immigrants out before we let them in and then - gasp - letting them in. But by all means, cities should have to follow laws.

For that matter, we could probably solve the problems we have with jail overpopulation if we simply deported all criminals, illegal immigrant or not. Commit a crime, go to Mexico, that's the ticket. Because pretty much all crimes are committed by illegal immigrants anyway, right?

What a crock. Michael Reagan and his ilk are stirring up hatred for illegal immigrants by pointing out that they commit crimes. The rest of his points are valid, but to say that the crime never would have been committed and the victims would still be alive, that's presumptuous. Yes, illegal aliens commit crimes. So do legal aliens, natives, and tourists. Everyone from President on down commits crimes.

It's like the people who pointed out, a few years ago, that most violent criminals were men, so we should lock up all men preemptively. Maybe it would lower the crime rate, yes. But so would putting away all people who make below a certain amount, or all teenagers, or all black people. Yes, I said black people. Or all white people. Locking up any large sector of the population would no doubt, by casting the net so wide, round up a few criminals at least. Even if you locked up all 80 year-olds, there's a good chance there'd be a few criminals there, a few crimes they wouldn't be able to commit. All demographics have criminals, and to believe that being "lenient" with illegal immigrants is somehow increasing the crime rate is bogus. What's increasing the crime rate is making immigration so difficult for the vast majority of people who aren't criminals. Only criminals are desperate or rich enough to get in.

Now I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Who the Hell is Michael Reagan anyway? His C.V. lists his father, and a book he's written about, guess what, his father. Yes, Michael Reagan is Ronald Reagan's son. This makes him an expert how?

Not that I'm saying that he shouldn't be allowed to blog. I blog. But his views are certainly given more weight than mine. Why? Because he's Ronald Reagan's son.

For that matter, who is Rush Limbaugh? Who are a lot of these demagogues who tell so many people how and what to think? Where are their credentials? Why shouldn't someone who knows what they're talking about be given the floor? It wouldn't have to be a left-winger. I think there are lots of conservatives who know what they're talking about. They have expertise. I may not agree with them, but at least if they're talking about immigration, they actually served on a committee regarding immigration. They aren't just someone's son, or some accidentally important person.

Know to whom you're listening. You can keep listening, but at least know who they are.