Allen West, Townhall.com
(Editors’ note: This column was co-authored by Luke Twombly)
“Tolerance is a tremendous virtue, but the immediate neighbors of
tolerance are apathy and weakness” – Sir James Goldsmith
“When tolerance becomes a one way street, it leads to cultural
suicide” – LTC Allen B. West (USA, Ret)
The song by Neil Diamond, “America” is one that expresses the true
essence of the attainment of that which we refer to as the American dream. It
is here upon these shores where one is rewarded for an indomitable, individual
drive…that singular thing we call work ethic. Those are the ingredients which
go into that “melting pot,” producing entrepreneurs and those seeking “the
“pursuit of happiness.” They come to America, to experience and achieve the
American dream.
However, what happens when a political ideology perverts language
and redefines the word “dream” into a policy that is not consistent with our
fundamental values and principles? Such has occurred with the term “dreamer,”
as if there is only a specific, politically designated group that is searching
for a dream.
All of a sudden there has been an almost Orwellian, political
redefinition of a “dreamer.” Dreamers are now, as defined by the Obama
administration, any illegal immigrant who claims to have come into the country
before the age of 16, whom has also been here continuously for five years, and
is currently under age 35. The federal government estimates that there are 1.4
million “dreamers” in the United States. Of that number, 68% are from Mexico,
13% are from Latin America or the Caribbean, and 8% are Asian.
When huge political capital is being expended to secure a desired
outcome, who suffers the most?
It is our native born American children and grandchildren, and
those who have come to our land legally. For some odd reason, they are not
defined as “dreamers,” and even legislation signed into law dismisses their
aspirations. While on the other hand, there is a group being politically
elevated upon their backs -- hence the Dream Act. Fortunately, we have recently
witnessed the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against President Obama’s executive
amnesty and this ideologically imposed agenda.
But, is this contest over? What are the ramifications for the real
American dreamers, our own sons and daughters? Half of this rising Millennial
generation has adopted the bleak outlook that the American dream is dead. While
the other half remains steadfast in a hope for America and its economic future.
Perhaps not all is lost.
For today’s American Millennial the economic outlook is bleak.
Unemployment for these real American dreamers is almost 13%. Furthermore, to
exacerbate the situation, 51% of this generation are underemployed to the point
of being Baristas with Bachelor degrees, certainly not the ideal circumstance
for the generation taking us into the highly technical 21st century.
Since 2000, 100% of net gain job creation has gone to immigrants, both legal
and illegal, while the native born population accounts for 66% of population
growth.
In examining the workforce participation rate, we are at a
dreadful all-time low of 62.4% which translates to 94.7 million Americans not
actively in the workforce. The deceptive tool of declaring the unemployment
rate at 4.7% is a reflection of not counting these millions of Americans in the
calculation. The denominator changes for political expediency.
For the homegrown, minority American dreamers, the statistics are
dire. The millennial Hispanic unemployment rate is 13.9% and for the black
community it is at an alarming 15.2%. One must ask, why would anyone place a
higher value on illegal, foreign-born millennials than those who are part of
the legacy representing the American ideal? It can only be explained by the
fact that perhaps there are those who do not believe there is a legacy, a
lineage, which has been passed down through generations in America. Or, perhaps
there are those who see little value in our national sovereignty and therefore,
no value in America’s cultural history and identity?
The best means by which our real American dreamers achieve their
hopes is with a quality education. But, it appears the resources needed for them
are being allocated elsewhere for the politically defined foreign born
dreamers. Case in point: in America, English learner programs are costing
between $20-$25K for each Obama administration-defined “dreamer.” Instead of
these investments going toward after school education, music, arts, and
vocational training programs for our children, our tax revenues are being
redistributed from American dreamers to the foreign millennials.
When all is said and done, the total annual education cost for
those here illegally is $52 billion. But, this does not take into account the
oversized classes, over-extended teachers, and the other adverse effects on our
education system.
Some will certainly deem this commentary as lacking compassion.
However, what can be more dispassionate than to politically deny the dreams of
our own children and grandchildren? We must ask ourselves, for what purpose?
There are those who would actually attack anyone stating these
figures as xenophobic and racist. This has become a means to an end preventing
anyone from bringing this topic to the discussion table. They would leverage
the catch all phrase of “multiculturalism” to promote ideological uniformity --
and silence.
It is time to break the silence of apathy and weakness to secure
the future for the real American dreamers.
Allen West is the Executive Director and Vice Chairman of the
Board for the National Center for Policy Analysis, where Luke Twombly is a
research associate.
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