Giving away la tienda, promising la luna

Part I, The Obama Promises

I have been reviewing the remarks of both Obama and McCain at La Raza. I believe these remarks show us what to expect if they win the White House and get cooperation from Congress.

Obama spoke first, on Sunday July 13th.
As only Barack can do, he starts with the pain and bitterness of our lives today. He speaks of crumbling schools and kids who can’t read or write. He speaks of young people who can’t afford college. He speaks of Hispanic people “losing their jobs faster than almost anybody else.” (Which begs the question, “Are African-Americans losing jobs faster than Hispanics?”)

He tells us America is broken because 12 million people “live in hiding” and “hundreds of thousands cross our borders illegally each year.” (Funny, not once does he talk about the impact of unskilled immigrant labor on black workers.)

He says that these illegal workers get paid less, are banned from unions, and have few benefits.

It gets good when he talks about the worksite raids: “…when communities are terrorized by ICE immigration raids – when nursing mothers are torn from their babies, when children come home from school to find their parents missing, when people are detained without access to legal counsel.”

Now the sympathy before the miracle: “I know that sometimes, you get tired. Sometimes, you start to lose heart. You start to feel like you’re walking that long, hard road alone – like no one sees the sacrifices you make or appreciates the services you provide.”

He criticizes efforts to push back against the illegal aliens when he complains about:
*“the communities taking immigration enforcement into their own hands”
*“the neighborhoods seeing rising tensions as citizens are pitted against new immigrants”
*“the hateful rhetoric filling our airwaves”

And the answer? “Rise above the fear and demagoguery, the pettiness and partisanship, and finally enact comprehensive immigration reform.” (Well, he ought to know fear and demagoguery; he just delivered 10 minutes of it before he uttered that line in his speech!)

His plan for bringing the 12 million out of the shadows includes:
*“require them to pay a fine”
*“learn English”
*“go to the back of the line for citizenship”
*“we cannot – and should not – deport 12 million people.”

His plan for health care:
*“take on the drug companies”
*“take on the insurance companies”
*“cut costs”
*“guarantee health insurance for anyone who needs it”
*“make (health insurance) affordable for anyone who wants it”
*“help more employers provide health benefits for their workers” As I slice and dice what he said, he is in favor of amnesty for illegals. He is against local cooperation with Immigration. He is against free speech if it happens to be critical of illegals. He is against freedom of the press, especially radio, if they speak out about the immigration crisis.

He is against deportation. He is against worksite raids. He wants universal health care.

Sounds generous…and expensive.