politics

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News/Politics 7-9-15

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread

1. Caving to the whiny minority. 

From TheAP  “The South Carolina House approved a bill removing the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds, a stunning reversal in a state that was the first to leave the Union in 1860 and raised the flag again at its Statehouse more than 50 years ago to protest the civil rights movement.

The move early Thursday came after more than 13 hours of passionate and contentious debate, and just weeks after the fatal shootings of nine black church members, including a state senator, at a Bible study in Charleston.

“South Carolina can remove the stain from our lives,” said 64-year-old Rep. Joe Neal, a black Democrat first elected in 1992. “I never thought in my lifetime I would see this.”

The House approved the Senate bill by a two-thirds margin, and the bill now goes to Republican Gov. Nikki Haley’s desk. She supports the measure, which calls for the banner to come down within 24 hours of her signature. It’s not clear exactly when that will be.”

The majority of Americans disagree.

From TheHill  “Most Americans continue to think of the Confederate flag as emblematic of Southern pride and not inherently racist, according to a new Gallup poll, though views are divided along party lines.

Some 54 percent of Americans say the flag represents not racism but Southern heritage, but Democratic support for the Confederate battle banner has dropped precipitously, according to the survey.

About a third of Democrats, 32 percent, view the flag as symbolic of Southern pride, almost half of the 61 percent who held that view when surveyed in 1992.

Meanwhile, views among Republicans have remained relatively consistent, ticking upward 3 points to 78 percent since 1992, when a full three-quarters of Republicans viewed the flag as a Southern symbol.”

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2. Trump’s only in trouble for speaking the truth. 

From MRCTV  “Donald Trump has been under fire for remarks he made on illegal immigrants during the announcement of his candidacy. “The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems,” He said. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

While the remarks are certainly blunt, they’re not inherently wrong. Border Patrol seized just under $3.5M worth of marijuana from Mexican nationals in Arizona this past Thursday alone.  There’s also  been 40 cases of sex abuse by illegal aliens this year, and that’s just from what Border Patrol has posted as media releases on their website. A staggering amount of those cases involve children and minors.”

There’s a long list of offenders at the link.

Here’s more. From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Of the more than 2,200 people who received federal sentences for drug possession in fiscal year 2014, almost three-quarters of them were illegal immigrants, according to new data from the United States Sentencing Commission.

Illegal immigrants also made up more than one-third of all federal sentences, that data said.

The commission’s data showed a slight decline in the total number of illegal alien sentences from 2013 to 2014, but still showed that the illegal population is a major contributor to federal crimes in America.

But the sentencing of illegal immigrants for drug possession jumped significantly. In 2013, 1,123 illegal immigrants were sentenced on convictions of simple possession, and made up 55.8 percent of those cases.

In 2014, 1,681 illegal aliens were sentenced, and they made up 74.1 percent of the total. Illegal immigrants were also 16.9 percent of all federal drug trafficking sentences.”

And 63% of polled voters agree with Trump.

From Rasmussen  “During his announcement that he is running for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump called for tougher border control, saying Mexico and Central America are not sending their best people here but are exporting a lot of criminals instead. In surveys dating back to 2008, as many as 69% of voters have agreed with the billionaire businessman that gaining control of the border is more important than legalizing the status of those who are here illegally. In seven years, that number has never dipped below 53%, and in April it hit a four-year high of 63%.

Most voters for years also have complained that the policies and practices of the federal government encourage rather than discourage illegal immigration. They don’t like President Obama’s plan to protect up to five million illegal immigrants from deportation either and think it will just encourage more to come here illegally. Interestingly, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton says the president’s plan doesn’t go far enough.

Yet, voters remain overwhelmingly positive about immigrants who come to the United States to work hard, support their families and pursue the American Dream. The problem is just 54% now believe that is what most immigrants have in mind.“

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