Anderson@Large

Bearing Witness

It’s been more than seven months since Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans. Since then, nothing has come easy for those who were abandoned in the Big Easy. I’ve heard the stories and viewed art exhibitions (and here).  I've also seen the photos and videos (here and here).  In a few hours, I will walk the streets of the Crescent City and see for myself the plight of those who are struggling to put their lives back together (and here) .

No, You Can't!

Illegal immigrants and their allies continue to protest and chant “Si se puede!” (Yes we can).  When President Bush meets with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Cancun, “the whole enchilada,” i.e., a guest worker program and amnesty for millions of illegal Mexican immigrants, will be on the table.

Since Fox wants to mettle in U.S. domestic politics, he should know the first rule of thumb among American politicians: dance with the one that brung you. Conservative voters, who support a crackdown on illegal immigrants, brought Republicans their congressional majorities.  By contrast, illegal immigrants bring little more than their appetites to the table:

The National Research Council has estimated that the net fiscal cost of immigration ranges from $11 billion to $22 billion per year, with most government expenditures on immigrants coming from state and local coffers, while most taxes paid by immigrants go to the federal treasury. The net deficit is caused by a low level of tax payments by immigrants, because they are disproportionately low-skilled and thus earn low wages, and a higher rate of consumption of government services, both because of their relative poverty and their higher fertility.

The mass mobilizations will likely trigger a backlash (here and here). Consider this editorial in the New York Post:

Their cause was not helped over the past few days by the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets across the nation to protest any crackdown on illegal immigration.

Folks who have been asked to support outsiders seeking to share in the “American dream” likely were shocked by the thousands waving Mexican flags and chanting “Mexico, Mexico.”

The marches were provocative, and meant to be so.

Is it not reasonable also to see in them an implicit bid to effectively move Mexico’s border north?

It bears remembering that gays thought their provocative street demonstrations would launch a “new civil rights movement” (and here)  They flouted American values (and here) and state laws, and demanded recognition of same-sex marriages.  That worked out pretty well for them, didn’t it.

State Property

The National Urban League will unveil its annual report on the State of Black America today at a press conference in Washington, DC.  And, folks, the news is bad: the “Equality Index remains virtually unchanged.”  The Equality Index compares the conditions between black and white Americans using a number of variables, including homeownership, employment, entrepreneurship, educational attainment, poverty and criminal justice.

However, the really bad news is found in a new book, “Black Males Left Behind.”  The findings include:

Joblessness and low earnings among these less-educated young adults are contributing to reductions in marriage, increases in nonmarital childbearing, and a host of other social problems.

The Dellums Commission, appointed by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute, believes that African American men are facing a "crisis.  Commission Chair, former California congressman Ron Dellums, said in a recent statement:

The statistics document the problem that we have been studying for a year.  The challenges that young African American men face today will only be resolved by a concentrated effort by government and the private sector to address the causes, which range from discrimination to poor schooling to unsettled family environments to the decline in blue collar jobs.

Simply put, the state of black men is bad and that ain't good for black women, black children, or indeed Black America.

Is It Hot in Here, or Is It Just Me?

Whew, that’s a relief.  I’m not alone in thinking that it’s getting hotter.  According to a Time magazine/ABC News/Stanford University poll, 88 percent of those surveyed say global warming is already happening; a whopping 88 percent think it threatens future generations.

Hell, it’s already a threat to me because I cannot stand the heat.  This is the time of the year when I start looking for cool places (temperature-wise) to visit during the hot summer months.  How's the weather where you are?

Day Without Mexicans

On Tuesday, the Senate will begin two weeks of debate on immigration reform proposals (here, here and here) that would crack down on illegal immigrants and employers who hire them. Critics, including the 500,000 who marched in Los Angeles (and here), denounce the proposals as “inhumane.”

BTW, the “Am I Not a Human Being? signs allude to an iconic image of the abolitionist movement, “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?,” and the “I Am a Man” signs carried during the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike.

Though they work for slave wages, illegal immigrants' humanity is not at issue.  Instead, the issue is whether they entered the U.S. with the proper documentation. Period. It drives me loco to hear illegal immigrants say they haven’t done anything wrong; they just want to work. They’re here illegally.  Again, what part of illegal immigrant don’t they understand (and here)?

While low-skilled undocumented workers, arguably, are “contributing to the economic vitality of our country,” the high cost of their cheap labor is being paid by American taxpayers. Once they sneak across the border, American citizens pay for the delivery and education of anchor babies, hospital emergency rooms visits, and other government services.

So, I support building a 700-mile security fence along the southern border. As I’ve written before, good fences make good neighbors.

Protecting the Katrina Vote

In the run-up to the April 22 municipal elections in New Orleans (here and here), the Rebuild Hope Now Campaign, in partnership with the Houston Area Urban League and the Houston Coalition for Black Civic Participation, will hold a series of voter education events. The program will include a mayoral candidates forum (and here) and expo, where displaced voters will receive assistance with absentee ballot applications (and here). There will also be information about plans to rebuild their shattered city (here and here).

The first Katrina Survivors Empowerment Weekend will be held tomorrow (Saturday) in Houston at St. John’s United Methodist Church. Future empowerment weekends will be held in:

• New Orleans – March 31
• Atlanta – April 8
• Baton Rouge – April 15

For more info about Katrina survivors outreach events, click here. For free voter assistance, call the toll-free Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR VOTE (1-866-687-8683).  Volunteer lawyers will help displaced voters navigate the voting process.

Walking to New Orleans

         

Though the Department of Justice has given the go-ahead for the municipal elections in New Orleans, the fight to protect the voting rights of Katrina survivors is far from over.

On April 1, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson will lead a march and rally in New Orleans (and here) to demand enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, and “the right to return and rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.”  Supporters include Judge Greg Mathis and Bill Cosby.

Jackson described the rally as a “mass education campaign and opportunity to make our case.  We’re at a fork in the road, where we have to make a decision.  It’s time for some street heat.”

For more info on the march, click here.