Reading time – 51 seconds . . .
This week President Obama declared an executive action that redirects our immigration people so that about 40% of our undocumented residents need no longer fear deportation. Families get to stay together. American children will no longer have to fear that they will come home from school to find that mom and dad are gone forever. Some of these people might even stop being exploited by nefarious employers.
The President telegraphed the importance of this issue starting when he was a state senator in Illinois. For years he has been telling Republicans in Congress that they must take action on immigration reform or that he will. He’s stated that promise repeatedly for over 500 days, ever since the Senate passed an immigration bill and sent it to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Obstruction) for consideration in the House. Boehner is still sitting on that bill, refusing to bring it to the floor of the House for a vote. And can you believe that guy – the President? He went and did what he said he would do. He signed an executive order reforming the parts of our broken immigration system on which he has the authority to take action.
And the Republicans had a brain inversion for 24 hours, claiming his action did everything from grant amnesty to criminals to infecting everyone in America with both Ebola and Benghazi fever. (That’s a Republican-crafted disease invented by Darryl Issa (R-Meanie) which causes complete issue amnesia, such that everything has to be investigated forever.) And within 24 hours the Republicans shut up, because President Obama has the high ground on immigration and the Republicans look like jerks. They set themselves up in the clown suit suspended over the tank of water and the President obliged them by pitching a perfect strike into the triggering mechanism.
This is what leadership looks like. It is about taking a stand on the right side of the tough issues. It is about doing what can be done and setting aside whining because things are hard or can’t be made to be perfect.
This is President Obama’s last rodeo. He’s off the bucking bronco in just over two years. Do you want to see him go out in a blaze of legacy-creating, lasting glory? Encourage him to continue to lead boldly. Let him know that you respect him most when he answers the call of his own mojo. That is what you hired him to do.
For more on the frequency of presidential executive orders, have a look at this chart. Hint: No president has issued fewer executive orders than President Obama since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s.
For a discussion on whether President Obama’s executive order on immigration is legal, read this short article.
Thanks to SDA for the references.
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Ed. note: There is much in America that needs fixing and we are on a path to continually fail to make things better. It is my goal to make a difference – perhaps to be a catalyst for things to get better. That is the reason for these posts. To accomplish the goal requires reaching many thousands of people and a robust dialogue. Please help by offering your comments, as well as by passing this along and encouraging others to subscribe and do the same. Thanks. JA
Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.
3 Responses to Mojo
dominick November 23, 2014
The volume of lies from those detestable members of Congress you mentioned in your article Jack will be unprecedented in the next two years. They and their equally obnoxious cronies will continue to harass the President to avoid calling attention to their obstructionist conduct. Our tabloid news media will cover all the stories of impeachment, lawsuits, and equally nonsensical pronouncements brought about by these sleazy characters.
Unfortunately, those that call themselves Republicans will not look like jerks, as long as the vast majority of American voters cannot understand the difference between political B.S. and the truth. In fact, I wonder sometimes if there is even 5% of our population that grasps how our economy is being destroyed by corporate greed through their toady politicians. Didn’t the last election prove these points, with one jerk after another getting elected to office?
Don Zwiers November 23, 2014
We have much bigger problems.
If the President were to ask Congress why we can’t use as the only source of revenue each of our governments has, is a consumption sales tax on all products and services created for profit.” This has only the Federal, state, county and local governments collecting taxes; eliminating all special district governments.
The Federal Government will pay the doctor when people get sick, pay everyone the same retirement when they reach 55, and make sure everyone has a job that they can live and pay taxes. The local governments will provide those jobs and will also determine how much money a person needs to live there. The jobs they will guarantee will be to beutify their community for a little less than that wage. These people will find a job or move where there are jobs.
The illegal are all paying their taxes, just like us when we spend our money and have the same government benefits as the rest of us. They just can’t vote or collect a retirement unless they become citizens, learn the language and follow our laws.
In order to stay, they have 6 weeks to register their position and have a special SS number until they become a citizen. It’s their choice.
No business is allowed to hire anyone without the proper identification to prove who they are. Businesses will lose their license if they do. We don’t need a wall to keep people out. We need them to go through the gate so we know they are healthy and have a reason to come here.
By the way; this tax reform opens the way to solve a lot of our problems.
Jim Altschuler November 23, 2014
AMEN!!!