Thursday, January 17, 2008

Evansville, Indiana - Population 121,582

I know what you are thinking, "what does Evansville Indiana have to do with protecting our borders?" Well, let me tell you. It all has to do with The Shield, the University of Southern Indiana's student newspaper and an article written by J.I. Lutz. The article, should you choose to check it out, is called 'Insight on Illegal Immigration'. I can't type the first thing that came to mind after reading the article, but let's just say it had something to do with bulls and what they excrete.

I lived in Jeffersonville Indiana which is just across the Ohio River from Louisville Kentucky. I lived there for 3 years. The city, and the whole state for that matter, is so far removed from the actual problem of illegal immigration. Don't get me wrong, illegal immigration is everywhere but just not as concentrated as it is in a state such as Texas, a border state. Evansville Indiana had a population of 121,582 in the year 2000 and an estimated population of 115,738 in the year of 2006. Arlington Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas and sits between Dallas and Ft. Worth, had a 2006 population of 367,197. Just a tad bit bigger than, let's say, Evansville Indiana.

Back to the article in The Shield written by J.I. Lutz. The article starts out like this, "The presidential election season has kicked off an open season on immigrants". Okay, let's make a correction right off the bat here: it should read "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS". J.I. Lutz is so mistaken here. The candidates are not, I repeat, are NOT making an issue of immigrants, but rather ILLEGAL immigrants. Big difference and if J.I. Lutz does not know that, then if I were Mr. & Mrs. Lutz, I would think about paying tuition to another school other than the University of Southern Indiana. J.I. Lutz goes on to say "The war in Afghanistan is not going well, and despite claims of progress by President Bush, we are stuck in a horrible quagmire in Iraq with no end in sight." Again, correction needed. When did we declare war with Afghanistan? For that matter, we haven't even declared war in Iraq. But if I'm not mistaken, Bush is getting slammed by Democrats and Republicans alike for pulling out of Afghanistan and turning our efforts towards Iraq. Again, I question the University of Southern Indiana if this is the best we can do as far as teaching our children.

J.I. Lutz goes on to write: "These are real problems that call for bold action from brave, visionary and courageous leaders.
Unfortunately, only a few of those people currently holding or running for office in this country possess those qualities.
Instead we seem to be stuck with a bunch of blow hard demagogues.
It's much safer for politicians to stay away from issues that really matter because taking a stand on any issue of real importance is bound to alienate someone, resulting in loss of votes.
Immigrants have provided a convenient solution to this dilemma for over 150 years.
They are the perfect group to attack.
They can not vote, and they are generally poor.
In this world, poverty is synonymous with powerlessness." Again, let's go back to the part where it says "immigrants". This again, should read, "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS". What is it that people don't understand? There is a huge difference between immigrants and illegal immigrants. For starters, one is legal, one is not. Period. J.I. Lutz calls for a "Courageous Leader" to stand up to these issues. Uh....hello? Does the name Congressman Duncan Hunter ring a bell?

Here is another real interesting thing that J.I. Lutz had to say in the article, "Meanwhile, at the urging of U.S. corporations, Congress has repeatedly opened the flood gates out sourcing jobs to come into the country through programs such as H-1B. Thousands of technology workers have lost their jobs or had their wages reduced because of legal immigrants from counties such as India.
Tech companies like these workers because they are willing to work for lower wages than U.S. workers. These people represent much more of a threat to the U.S. economy than a bunch of people from Mexico here to do yard work and pick tomatoes. But the companies that benefit from their presence have the money to make large campaign contributions." Can we go directly to the part in which it says "....a bunch of people from Mexico here to do yard work and pick tomatoes"? Was that not a racist and bigoted thing to say? Trust me, illegal immigrants do FAR more than just the above described. They do construction work on roads. They roof houses. They work at meat packing plants so that J.I. Lutz has something to eat. They cut tobacco on tobacco farms in Kentucky. And let's not forget the ongoing drug problem that we have that the illegal immigrants have contributed to. Due to the fact that companies pay illegal immigrants, in most cases, with cash, they are able to offer lower wages which in doing so, keeps legal immigrants and native Americans out of jobs. Approximately 28 miles from Evansville Indiana, sits a little town called Princeton Indiana. Why is this of any importance? Well, let me tell you why. Toyota has a plant there. I wonder just how many family members J.I. Lutz has that work at the plant or how many relatives J.I. Lutz has had that worked at the plant. With a population just a little over 8,000, I am sure that Princeton relies on the folks over in Evansville to come to work at the plant each and every day. 24 hours a day. I wonder what will happen when the illegal immigrant has migrated to Evansville Indiana and decides that he or she wants to help build those pretty Japanese cars and trucks? J.I. Lutz goes on to say "Illegal Mexican immigrants, on the other hand, do not make campaign contributions so their only value to a politician is as political tool to be used during election campaigns". To that I say, "uh.....WRONG!". I wonder if J.I. Lutz has ever wondered just how much money is being payed to politicians by the so called 'Illegal Mexican Immigrant' to keep their mouths shut while they cross tons and tons of illegal drugs into this nation on a daily basis? Trust me, the illegal immigrant is very important to the politician. They have to be or else why hasn't the fence been built? What fence you might ask? The one that Congressman Duncan Hunter authored into law and was signed by President Bush. The wall that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas keeps finding a way to postpone the building of. Hmmmm, wonder if she could be taking some of that good 'ole green stuff called "hush money"? My bad, back to the wonderful article written in The Shield by J.I. Lutz in which Lutz has this to say, "....In 1867, California politicians successfully scared the public into thinking that there was a plot by the Chinese to annex the western United States by means of mass immigration."....hmmmmm, has J.I. Lutz heard of the ongoing LEAD BASED PAINT problem that we have going on in this country? If not, let me fill you in. It's coming from China. Does J.I. Lutz know who owns the majority of this nations debt? If not, let me fill you in. It's China. Does J.I. Lutz know what the theme of this years Olympics being held in Beijing China is? If not, let me tell you. It's "One World. One Dream" We didn't come up with that slogan. People of Evansville Indiana damn sure didn't come up with it. You know who did? I'm guessing the folks of China. The same people that J.I. Lutz refers to that pose no threat to The United States of America.

I will end with this: obviously the editors at The Shield, (student paper of The University of Southern Indiana), and teachers at the University do not want their students knowing the truth. I would suggest that J.I. Lutz do just a little bit more homework before writing such garbage. This is nothing more than an article written by someone trying to please a left-wing professor and get a good grade so that he or she can go out into society and become a part of the very biased media that has plagued this nation. Good job University of Southern Indiana. You should be proud of yourselves. Do something GOOD for your students and turn them on to Congressman Duncan Hunter. http://www.gohunter08.com/ I am sure once you get the facts on this man, you will see that he is ready and willing to address many, if not all, of the issues brought up by J.I. Lutz's article.

KP

5 comments:

Jim said...

This rant is practically incoherent. You are right to point out that the real area of concern is illegal immigration and not immigration in general, although you are wrong to assume that because illegal immigration is the larger concern that it is the only concern. Very many Americans are concerned that their cultures are going to be wiped out by the size of the wave of legal Latino immigrants. Much of this concern is mapped out in Sam Huntington's article for Foreign Policy magazine, Jose Can You See?

At any rate, Evansville's population, with which you start your rant is entirely irrelevant. Immigration is a national concern, and while we feel immigration at the level of individual communities, the size of the city makes no different.

Take Goshen, a very small city in north central Indiana. It is now nearly 25% Latino and growing. Trust me, the people there are feeling immigration more than you in Jeffersonville, you in Evansville, and likely more than anyone in Texas (since they've grown accustomed to a process that is new to Goshen).

Your "point" about whether we are in a war in Afghanistan or Iraq is not only irrelevant but semantic in nature. It doesn't matter if it is legally called a war by declaration, it is a war as commonly understood. Any reasonable person is using the term to discuss what is happening over there--including your hero Duncan Hunter

And your precious wall is a pipe dream. Not only is it causing an expansion in government bureaucracy it is also beginning to tread on people's individual rights to privacy and property: two Republican staples they are betraying for the construction of a wall that won't work.

At the end of the article you dismiss the author's opinion as grade pandering, as if it's impossible to believe that the author actually has those opinions. Ridiculous. I doubt very seriously if any professor is going to give that student an A based on their (very common) opinions as expressed in The Shield. No, I'd wager the student actually feels that way and your charge of grade pandering is yet one more misguided part of your "argument."

Rather than appeal to Mr. and Mrs. Lutz to pay for tuition at a different school for their son, maybe you could write to them yourself to see if they will underwrite the additional education you so desperately need.

Unknown said...

Jim:

I think I've seen you on the USI campus!

Anonymous said...

If you lived in Mexico for any time you would understand why they Have to come and let me be the first to tell you. IF IT WAS YOU AND YOU KIDS LIFE AT STAKE YOU WOULD DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO. For all these people stating how much peace they want and how free they want the entire world to be ....well everything stated goes against that and thats enough said.

I live in Mexico and have seen both sides of this issue for myself. I am from Evansville and have a home there also still.

I will support and understand any culture wanting to come into Evansville or anywhere because YOU WOULD TO but you dont have to THEY DO .

Come live in Mexico and see for yourself. Your views will change.

Anonymous said...

I live here in Princeton Indiana, and this town is nothing but meth dealers, marijuana growers, and illegal immigrants, we have 6 mexican restaurants and each one is owned by illegal immigrants, i know this how, well, because each one of the employees walk to work, they all live at the same trailer park, even the owner walks to work, and there children go to school here, and the police let them stay here because they cook food for the entire force once every month, they are ILLEGAL, they do not belong here.

Anonymous said...

Illegal immigrants can get away with murder. How can you come to this country and not pay taxes or have any paperwork or ID and if you end up killing someone just hop back over the border without a trace?! Mexico or any other country. It is ridiculous. If you are standing up for illegal immigrants...sit back down!