Mike Scruggs
“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”
The origin of the quotation, “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad” is ancient and unknown. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has Prometheus say the words in his poem, The Masque of Pandora. Because it has the meter and theme common to ancient Greek tragedies, it was once attributed to Euripides (480-406 BC). However, very similar quotations appear to be even more ancient. A common ancient variation attributes a man’s destruction to foolishness, especially in the sense of moral blindness, confused judgment, or willful rejection of self-evident truth. Several Biblical passages have this theme. Romans 1:22 says it plainest of all: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools.”
I have been a Republican County Chairman in both North Carolina and Alabama. I have served countless hard-working hours as a volunteer for Republican candidates. I am therefore deeply grieved that the Republican Party leadership in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate has seen fit to betray the principles and values of a substantial majority of Republican voters, and the majority of the American people. This last week witnessed both the House and Senate passing budget bills that essentially gave Obama’s unlawful amnesty for five million illegal immigrant workers an effective pass.
The majorities that passed this essentially special interest budget may not be bothered by conscience, but American workers and taxpayers will suffer, lawlessness will abound, and public safety and national security will be undermined. Our liberty and freedoms are being traded for gold in the form of huge special interest political campaign donations.
What kind of party leadership do we have, when they refuse to defend the Constitution, and thus allow President Obama to get away with an unlawful amnesty for at least five million illegal immigrant workers? What kind of party leadership do we have, when they ignore the pain of over 18 million Americans who want a full time job and cannot find one? Yet GOP leaders continue to favor big business special interests that profit by flooding the labor market with foreign cheap labor, both legal and illegal. The wages of American workers have been stagnant for nearly 15 years, held down by an excess supply of foreign labor. The GOP leadership message to American workers is that the Republican Party is not concerned with them. Their message to grassroots conservatives is the same.
The users of cheap foreign labor profit $437 billion a year, mostly at the expense of American workers—$402 billion annually, nearly $2,800 per year each for 147 million workers.
According to the Heritage Foundation, the average unlawful immigrant household receives $14,387 more in government services and benefits paid than taxes paid. This will almost double with amnesty, because of more benefits. This is essentially a taxpayer subsidy to businesses using illegal immigrant labor. How long will we put up with this outrage for the benefit of big political donors. What kind of GOP leadership wants more of these injustices to American workers and taxpayers?
Speaker of the House John Boehner did not give a pass to Obama’s amnesty and plans to double legal immigrant workers because he feared being blamed for a government shutdown. He wants amnesty so that establishment Republicans can continue to receive huge donations from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other cheap labor lobbying associations.
If Obama and Boehner get away with giving work permits to five million illegal immigrant workers, there should be no expectation that Obama will stop at five million. Just as the 1986 amnesty spawned six more follow-up amnesties, and resulted in twice as many illegal immigrants as we had before the amnesty, we can expect considerable demographic change in the next few years. There will be a big push to make them citizens and Democratic voters with all deliberate speed. Since document fraud, social security number fraud, and social security number theft will apparently be permissible for some folks now, there won’t be any effective criteria for citizenship or voting. Numerous studies show that the GOP will get very little of this new vote. The GOP will have betrayed itself out of any hope of future electoral or Congressional majorities.
Obama’s next major step will probably be gun control. At this point, maybe he could just decree whatever he wants. If Article I of the Constitution won’t stop Obama from making his own open door immigration policy, why do we think the Second Amendment would be an obstacle to him?
Do we think the same Congress that has been bribed by big cheap labor businesses will stand in his way?
The post amnesty demographics will make throwing out the Second Amendment much easier. Only 45 percent of Americans favor stricter gun control, but 62 percent of the largest ethnic block in Obama’s amnesty favors strict gun control. In addition, nearly75 percent favor big government welfare and healthcare programs. Economist Milton Friedman once pointed out that a welfare state is not fiscally compatible with high immigration and porous borders. That is obvious to sane people, but not to the mad.
This year a Reuters poll found that 24 percent of Americans favor the secession of their state from the United States. A Public Policy poll in 2012 found that this sentiment was highest among Hispanics, 46 percent, and conservatives at 37 percent. I leave the reader to speculate why people are favoring secession. Perhaps the conservatives are looking for ways to protect their cultural, religious, and political heritage. Boehner has ignited a conservative revolt against the Republican Party establishment, and not over things conservatives will forget by 2016. The results of amnesty will be evident everywhere by 2016, if not early 2015.
I do not believe the Republican Party will survive long, if it continues to put the interest of big business and cheap labor above the Constitution and above the interests of conservative voters, American workers, and taxpayers.
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From a Scottish Protest Song Circa 1707, objecting to the means by which the Scottish Parliament was merged into the UK Parliament, allegedly through bribery and corruption.
What's the spring breathing jasmine and rose?
What's the summer with all its gay train?
What's the splendor of autumn to those.
Who've bartered their freedom for gain?
No sweetness the senses can cheer,
Which corruption and bribery bind.
No brightness the sun can e'er clear,
For honor's the sum of the mind.
Let virtue distinguish the brave.
Place riches in lowest degree.
Think them poorest who can be a slave.
Them richest who dare to be free.
