Tuesday, June 20, 2006
The Mayor's Disinformation and "Traitors" Among Us
Mayor Allan Mansoor has, either through ignorance or
intentionally making false representations, attempted to mislead
his constituency in many of his public pronouncements and
published commentaries.
For example, in his commentary published in the Daily Pilot on June 17th, our young jailer/mayor responds to Steve Smith's assertion that immigrants are not a drain on our economy with the following statement: "Smith then says illegal immigration is helping our economy. Wrong again -- there is plenty of documentation that shows a net loss. Hospitals have closed, wages are suppressed and billions are spent in California alone to incarcerate illegal-immigrant criminals. This is only a partial listing of the costs to the American taxpayer."
Today the Wall Street Journal published an editorial entitled "Immigration Consensus" that refutes the mayor's myth. That editorial quotes an open letter sponsored by the Independent Institute to President Bush and Congress last week in which more than 500 prominent economists, including five Nobel laureates, proclaim that "immigration has been a net gain for American citizens." Later, this letter adds that "while a small percentage of native-born Americans may be harmed by immigration, vastly more Americans benefit from the contributions that immigrants make to the economy, including lower consumer prices. As with trade in goods and services, gains from immigration outweigh the losses."
Apparently, according to the editorial, one of the striking aspects of this letter is that it is "signed by economists from different fields of research, political affiliations and ideologies." Further, the editorial states, "It is possible that no other issue in the economic field, with the exception of the benefits of free trade, inspires such unanimity of professional opinion as immigration does."
The editorial goes on to quote a survey conducted by the Cato Institute of past presidents of the American Economic Association and past chairmen of the President's Council of Economic Advisers. In that survey, the editorial reported, eighty percent agreed that immigration has had "a very favorable impact on the nation's economic growth." It went on to state that 70% of those surveyed indicated that even illegal immigrant workers "have a positive economic impact." The editorial went on to state that "These experts agree that on balance immigrants don't displace native workers, depress wages or abuse welfare. If only these economic facts could break through an immigration debate that is dominated by emotion and political fear."
Obviously, our young jailer/mayor has either been getting bad advice from his cadre of cronies, is too busy or lazy to do the proper research or just doesn't understand the information available to him. My guess would be all of the above.
This is important to consider as we watch the campaign unfold this summer and fall. It's important to know that he appears willing to fabricate "facts" to suit his own purposes. This is certainly something to consider as you decide if this is a man you can trust with the future of our city.
***
Our old pal, Your Neighbor, has taken an interesting tack in his blog today. He launches off with a quote from Roman Senator Cicero. After that he implies that those in Costa Mesa who don't agree with him and his pals are traitors. I suspect he will present his scowling countenance at the City Council meeting tonight and attempt to influence the budget discussions. It's worth the time to watch just to see his views rejected. Never has a person been more deserving of a standing NOvation. I'll be sure to have my tuna can antennae adjusted just right so I don't miss a second.
3:59 pm pdt
For example, in his commentary published in the Daily Pilot on June 17th, our young jailer/mayor responds to Steve Smith's assertion that immigrants are not a drain on our economy with the following statement: "Smith then says illegal immigration is helping our economy. Wrong again -- there is plenty of documentation that shows a net loss. Hospitals have closed, wages are suppressed and billions are spent in California alone to incarcerate illegal-immigrant criminals. This is only a partial listing of the costs to the American taxpayer."
Today the Wall Street Journal published an editorial entitled "Immigration Consensus" that refutes the mayor's myth. That editorial quotes an open letter sponsored by the Independent Institute to President Bush and Congress last week in which more than 500 prominent economists, including five Nobel laureates, proclaim that "immigration has been a net gain for American citizens." Later, this letter adds that "while a small percentage of native-born Americans may be harmed by immigration, vastly more Americans benefit from the contributions that immigrants make to the economy, including lower consumer prices. As with trade in goods and services, gains from immigration outweigh the losses."
Apparently, according to the editorial, one of the striking aspects of this letter is that it is "signed by economists from different fields of research, political affiliations and ideologies." Further, the editorial states, "It is possible that no other issue in the economic field, with the exception of the benefits of free trade, inspires such unanimity of professional opinion as immigration does."
The editorial goes on to quote a survey conducted by the Cato Institute of past presidents of the American Economic Association and past chairmen of the President's Council of Economic Advisers. In that survey, the editorial reported, eighty percent agreed that immigration has had "a very favorable impact on the nation's economic growth." It went on to state that 70% of those surveyed indicated that even illegal immigrant workers "have a positive economic impact." The editorial went on to state that "These experts agree that on balance immigrants don't displace native workers, depress wages or abuse welfare. If only these economic facts could break through an immigration debate that is dominated by emotion and political fear."
Obviously, our young jailer/mayor has either been getting bad advice from his cadre of cronies, is too busy or lazy to do the proper research or just doesn't understand the information available to him. My guess would be all of the above.
This is important to consider as we watch the campaign unfold this summer and fall. It's important to know that he appears willing to fabricate "facts" to suit his own purposes. This is certainly something to consider as you decide if this is a man you can trust with the future of our city.
***
Our old pal, Your Neighbor, has taken an interesting tack in his blog today. He launches off with a quote from Roman Senator Cicero. After that he implies that those in Costa Mesa who don't agree with him and his pals are traitors. I suspect he will present his scowling countenance at the City Council meeting tonight and attempt to influence the budget discussions. It's worth the time to watch just to see his views rejected. Never has a person been more deserving of a standing NOvation. I'll be sure to have my tuna can antennae adjusted just right so I don't miss a second.
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