No One Asked Me But… (December 31, 2018)

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… This being the beginning of the twelfth year of “No One Asked Me But…” it means that the Progress has printed nearly 600 of these columns. I would remind my readers that this is not a news article. It is an opinion piece and that is why it appears on the Opinion page. As you read this column keep in mind it is merely the thoughts of a man who is under no illusion that his thoughts are any greater that the thoughts of the reader. The column is merely a collection of thoughts I have throughout the week: you know, those thoughts that come into your head as you watch the news, read the paper, or when you are walking in the 110 degrees of summer heat?

You may agree or disagree with the ideas expressed each week but that really doesn’t matter. What matters is that some of you take the time to read my column.

Some get upset enough to write in to the editor and express an opposing opinion. That is great too. Some stop me on the street and tell me they enjoyed the column. They generally express agreement, most of the time. While agreement is not sought, it is always welcomed.

What I find interesting is that some find me too liberal and others find my thoughts too conservative. What is amazing is that these thoughts are expressed about the same column.

These columns will continue until the editor of the Progress comes to his senses and lets me know that they are no longer needed or wanted.

With that said, let’s begin a new year with hope in our hearts.

No one asked me but… Presently the main governmental issue seems to be whether or not there is a need to build a wall, or fence, or whatever, along the southern border with Mexico. There seemed to be little Democrat opposition to the wall until President Trump tried to fulfil his campaign promise of building a wall to slow down the illegal aliens, criminals, drugs, and gang members from entering the U.S.

In 2006, under the George W. Bush administration, Congress passed a bill called the Secure Fence Act, which mandated double-layer fencing from San Diego to the southern tip of Texas. In 2007, through the appropriations process, the language was amended to certify 700 miles of fencing to be required, at the discretion of the Department of Homeland Security. Twenty-six Senate Democrats voted for the measure, including Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton.

In fact, two-thirds of the Republican-led House including 64 Democrats, and 80 of 100 senators approved the bill in the Senate. Those Democrats in the Senate who voted for the wall in 2006 included Sens. Barbara Boxer (CA), Sherrod Brown (OH — then in the House), Tom Carper (DE), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Barbara Mikulski (MD), Bill Nelson (FL), Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Ron Wyden (OR) and Joe Biden.

There are also a number of Democrat representatives still in the House who voted for the bill: Sanford Bishop (GA), Corrine Brown (FL), Michael Capuano (MA), Jim Cooper (TN), Jim Costa (CA), Peter DeFazio (OR), Steve Israel (NY), Ron Kind (WI), Daniel Lipinski (IL), Stephen Lynch (MA), Carolyn Maloney (NY), Bill Pascrell Jr. (NJ), Collin Peterson (MN), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD), Tim Ryan (OH), and Adam Smith (WA). Democrat Rep. Barney Frank and Democrat Rep. Anthony Weiner who left the House in disgrace also voted for the bill.

“Democrats are solidly behind controlling the border, and we support the border fence,” Ms. Feinstein, California Democrat, told the Los Angeles Daily News at the time. “We have to get tough on the border. There’s no question the border is a sieve.”

In pushing for comprehensive immigration reform in 2009, Mr. Schumer praised the Secure Fence Act for making the U.S.-Mexican border less porous.

In a 2006 speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Mrs. Clinton said: “There isn’t any sensible approach except to do what we need to do simultaneously: you know, secure our borders with technology and personnel, physical barriers if necessary in some places.”

As a senator, Barack Obama stated: “Better fences and better security along our borders would help stem some of the tide of illegal immigration in this country.”

Hillary Clinton, during her campaign for president, often stated: “I voted numerous times when I was a Senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in.”
When she was interviewed, during a campaign event, by Jorge Ramos of Telemundo Television the conversation was as follows:

Clinton: “…we do need to have secure borders and what that will take is a … physical barrier,”
Ramos: “You want a wall then?”
Clinton: “No, we’ve —”
Ramos: “You said that.”
Clinton: “Well, I voted for border security, and some of it was a fence, I don’t think we ever called it a wall. Maybe in some places it was a wall.”

This turned me to the Oxford Dictionary to find how a wall and fence differ. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word wall comes from the Latin for a rampart …., a stake or post…space between palisades or ramparts, …Etymologically, then, a wall is, well, something like a fence. The English word fence comes from the Latin word to defend…to ward off.

Let me suggest this is not about a border wall, it is about a personal and childish dispute between Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and President Trump. If these were my children, I would give them a swat on the bottom and send them to their rooms.

This dispute has caused a shutdown of a portion of the federal government. Non-essential personnel in about a quarter of government agencies have been sent home without pay.

Answer me this, if these are non-essential personnels why are any government services shut down? My second question is why do we have any non-essential personnel working in government jobs to begin with?

Jessica Klement, a legislative director for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association explained it this way, “…nonessential is kind of like if you go on vacation, we can find a way to make sure that work gets done…while Congress is …trying to get its act together, …without that person there.”

Thought of the week: It is time for the adults in the room to take over the American government, that is, if there are any adults left in the American government.
– Dr. Larry R. Moses