[BRIGADE] PJB: Courage, Mr. Holder
Published: Tue, 02/24/09
Courage, Mr. Holder
By Patrick J. Buchanan
Lecturing a conscript conclave of Justice Department bureaucrats,
Attorney General Eric Holder last week called America a "nation of
cowards" for not spending more time talking about race.
Reading his speech, however, one recalls the sage counsel of Pat
Moynihan to President Nixon in 1970: This whole subject might
benefit from a long period of "benign neglect."
One point Holder did allude to, without specifics, was this:
"It is not safe for this nation to assume that the unaddressed
social problems in the poorest parts of the country can be isolated
and will not ultimately affect the larger society."
Fair point. And what are some of those social problems?
A 70 percent illegitimacy rate in black America, an incarceration
and crime rate seven times that of white America, a 50 percent
dropout rate in many urban high schools, African-American graduates
reading and computing on average at eighth-grade levels.
And about these problems what is the black leadership doing?
Unlike Bill Cosby, the heroic Holder was virtually mute. Rather, he
is upset that "on Saturdays and Sundays" we don't go to church or
hang out together. But why are the free associations of Americans,
of whatever creed or color, any of Eric Holder or Big Brother's
business?
Having insulted us, perhaps Holder will start doing his own sworn
duty. For one area where he has a lead role is enforcing the
nation's laws -- in particular, the U.S. immigration laws. For the
federal failure to enforce these laws is a contributory cause of
one of those "unaddressed social problems in the poorest parts of
the country."
Case in point -- rampant unemployment among minority youth.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, among
African-Americans 18 to 29 with only a high-school degree,
unemployment is now 20 percent. Among black adults who do not have
a high-school diploma, it is 24 percent. Among teenagers under 18,
black unemployment is 30 percent.
Among native-born Hispanics with only a high-school diploma, the
unemployment rate is 13.6 percent. Among high-school dropouts, 16
percent. Among Hispanic 16- and 17-year-olds, the jobless figure is
40 percent.
As these figures were compiled in December, before the last two
months of sweeping layoffs, they surely understate the situation.
And with both black and Hispanic dropout rates now reaching 50
percent in major cities, the social dynamite is piling up.
Last month, USA Today reported that the FBI estimates there are now
1 million gang members in the United States -- up 200,000 from 2005
-- and these gangs are responsible for 80 percent of all U.S. crimes.
From other studies, young Hispanics are 19 times as likely as white
youth to join gangs, while African-Americans are 15 times.
These millions of teenagers, and unskilled and less-educated young
adults with no jobs and little prospect of finding them, are
recruiting pools for criminal gangs.
Who is getting the jobs for which these native-born black and
Hispanic young could quality? Illegal aliens hold literally
millions of them.
Last week, the CIS reported, "An estimated 6 to 7 million illegal
immigrants are currently holding jobs. Prior research indicates
they are overwhelmingly employed in lower-skilled and lower-paid
jobs."
Exactly what sort of jobs?
"Illegals are primarily employed in construction, building cleaning
and maintenance, food preparation, service and processing,
transportation and moving occupations and agriculture."
With the exception of agriculture, a majority of the workers in
these occupations are native-born Americans. Thus, illegal aliens
are taking jobs Americans are not only willing to do, but are
doing, and taking 7 million of these jobs from young Americans now
out of work.
By failing to enforce U.S. immigration laws, the government of the
United States is selling America's working class down the river.
In addition to the 7 million illegals holding jobs, legal
immigrants have another 15 million. In 2008, when Americans lost
3.5 million jobs, 144,000 immigrants were admitted every month.
Why do we have an open-borders immigration policy that annually
allows in millions, legal and illegal, to compete for jobs, when 10
million Americans are out of work and half a million are losing
their jobs every month? The political correctness and moral
cowardice of our Lords Temporal, who refuse to call a time-out on
immigration until our own people go back to work, is killing the
American dream for millions.
According to the census, as reported in The New York Times on
Saturday, 97 percent of immigrants from Mexico do not speak English
at home. They are less skilled and less educated than the average
American.
Says demographer William Frey, "The new immigration magnets
especially in the Southwest are disproportionately attracting young
Mexican men who are willing to accept low wages."
What further proof is needed that mass immigration from the Third
World is taking jobs from Americans and driving down their wages
when they do find work?
Here is a problem more serious than whether black and white elites
are getting together on weekends to gabble about race.
But, dealing with it, Mr. Holder, will take courage.
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SOURCE: http://buchanan.org/blog/2009/02/pjb-courage-mr-holder/