Problem of illegal immigration; taking issue with Biden presidency: Letters, Nov. 2, 2022

The problem of illegal immigration is real

I continue to be amazed at people who don’t think illegal immigration is a problem or if it even exists.

Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution guarantees protection against invasions. Would that not include people smuggling large numbers of fentanyl across the border with the effect of killing our children?

Would it not include all of those we can't identify, don’t know who they are and what their intent is? What about human trafficking?

Congress does need to figure out what is wrong with our broken borders, but let’s be clear, this president and his administration have taken full advantage of the system to open our borders to unvetted, unvaccinated hordes of illegal immigrants.

NBC News reported that border crossings for fiscal 2022 topped 2.76 million, breaking previous records.  President Joe Biden had Alejandro Mayorkas, head of the Department of Homeland Security, tasked with keeping us safe, tell us our borders are “secure." This is an out and out lie, for which he should be impeached.

We all remember the tears over “kids in cages,” but we hear absolutely nothing about the deaths of illegal immigrants from drowning and suffocation from being jammed into the backs of trucks.

It is not part of the left’s narrative, so it is ignored by the Biden administration and sadly, by much of the media.

Border guards have been vilified and maligned while trying to do their jobs. This is a disgrace. Illegal migrants could be heading to a town near you, presumably as letter writer Ronald Penfield claims, for “cheap labor."

Is it really worth it?

Patricia A. Perrone, Stuart

Columnist ignoring host of issues with Biden administration

I must respond to the column by James Widgerson that he’ll vote Democrat because of the insurrection.

Apparently, uncontrolled borders and a failing energy policy (halting the Keystone pipeline) that put approximately 1,500 people out of work and eliminated thousands of direct and indirect jobs means nothing to Widgerson.

Twenty-five American soldiers were killed or wounded because of a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan ordered by this commander in chief. But, people, look at the insurrection. That has to be much worse than soldiers being killed. This logic seems to be the mantra of the Democrats.

Inflation has devalued our dollar. Just like anything else, if you want to devalue something, flood the market with it. The excuse that inflation is worldwide should not even be considered. How many times has it been said that when the United States gets a cold, the rest of the world gets the flu?

Another, consideration is when President Joe Biden gave greater control of our energy supply to the Saudis, our high cost of living problems began. As long as we let other countries manipulate our destiny through energy control, those countries control America. Why Democrats seem to welcome that is something of a mystery.

Biden has never had the ability to recognize, research and develop a systematic approach for solving what he considers a problem. He didn’t have the ability in his prime and the problem has worsened.

This happens to all of at some time, but this man is commander in chief and in charge of my grandchild now serving in the military! Unfortunately, other countries are keenly aware of the weakness of this man; hence Russia into Ukraine.

Frank Fuchs, Fellsmere

In defense of letter defending democracy

I must answer Bill Fredericks' response to my letter “Defending democracy is the real issue in the upcoming election.”

My reference to following the Constitution was in connection with accepting the results of the 2020 election.

I agree the Constitution allows state legislatures to select their own electors. They do not have to follow the popular vote unless state laws require it. So we could have a tyranny of the minority.

As far as voter suppression goes, minorities are less likely to have an approved ID. Among white eligible voters, 95% have IDS; 90% of Hispanics do and 87% of Blacks do. My polling site is a long walk on a street with no sidewalk. I'm glad I can drive. Drop boxes and mail-in ballots make it much easier for me to vote.

As for voter turnout, in the Census Bureau survey Fredericks cites white turnout increased in 2018 by 11.7%; Hispanic by 13.4%, and Black by 10.8%, so voter turnout increased by less in the Black community.

Joan Clark, Vero Beach

Faithfulness should be a virtue

In a recent commentary, Shayne Looper noted, “The number of Americans who identify as Christian has declined by 12%” over the past decade.

According to the Pew Research Center, Christians could be the minority by 2055. Looper reminds us that, six years ago, Fox News published on its website, “A look at white Evangelical angst over declining clout,” an article that now seems anachronistic given the religious right’s enormous pressure on states to restrict or prohibit abortions.

Looper is correct to note “shock waves were felt throughout the conservative political community” after conservative Kansans rejected a state constitutional amendment supporting draconian abortion restrictions. But for conservative politicians, it’s not about the religious doctrine — often conflated with political extremism — in far too many white Christian evangelical pulpits.

Instead, it’s all about winning. Politicians are like bar flies: They love you as long as you’re buying them drinks. Once you stop buying, they couldn’t care less about you.

Looper says Christians “consider faithfulness a virtue.” But he doesn’t explain faithfulness to what. It’s not self-explanatory by any means. If I understand the teachings of Jesus Christ at all, spirituality is not about telling others they’re going to Hell because of their personal choices.

It’s not about demonizing individuals because of their reproductive choices, their gender identity, the political party they support or their skin tone or country of origin. In the grand scheme of God’s universe, these are the concerns of silly, self-important, sanctimonious individuals who have the arrogance to tell others how to live their lives.

What, then, does God want?  It’s really quite simple: He wants us to pray for knowledge of His will for us. When we do this constantly, we’ve entered the spiritual realm of living.

Cray Little, Vero Beach

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Stop Illegal immigration; Biden presidency in peril: Letters, Nov. 2