Thread: Tancredo: The Man Who Would Be President

Tancredo: The Man Who Would Be President

www.thebulletin.us


The Bulletin: What is your view on Iraq and the "war on terror"?
TT: This is a war of ideas - it is a clash of civilizations. Western civilization is in danger. I believe that with all my heart. We are the last best hope to save Western civilization, and the decisions we make in this election will determine whether we are successful in this great global conflict.
The first thing we have to know is who we are and find out who our enemy is. Our enemy is not "terrorism" - that is a tactic. It is in fact radical Islam. I don't believe it's because we were in Saudi Arabia that we were attacked on 9/11. I don't believe the attacks were something we brought on, but I believe this clash, this conflict has been going on for a long, long time.
We did not invade Iraq to conquer it but to set it free. The United States does not stand to gain territory, oil or any other spoils of war. We all should be proud of that sacrifice. I support the troop surge, but we must disengage as the Iraqis step up and take control. If they lack the equipment, then give them the keys to our Humvees. They must patrol the cities and put their lives at risk.
I am pleased that Gen. David Petraeus has indicated progress on the security situation in Iraq and that this progress will allow us to begin disengaging from our lead role without withdrawing. He said that our relationship to Iraqi institutions and their effectiveness, particularly the Iraqi military, are improving. I remain hopeful that this trend will continue, allowing the Iraqis to assume responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by the November benchmark identified by President Bush.
CF: You are best known for your staunch opposition to illegal immigration and amnesty. Why do both parties, and the White House, drag their feet on this issue?
TT: Follow the money. Whenever you can't figure out why something very logical is not occurring, follow the money. There are billions riding on the continued flow of cheap labor and the market that's created by illegal aliens. As an example, hundreds of millions alone are made on fees charged to illegals sending money home.
You have the Democratic Party that looks at massive immigration, both legal and illegal, as a source of voters, both potential and, sometimes, real ones. You have large numbers of illegals voting all over the country - that's voter fraud. And you have the Republican Party that looks at immigration as a source of cheap labor. That's why it's been so difficult to do anything about this for so long. You have this "silent agreement" with both parties that they won't deal with this issue. But we must. It is imperative! It's not just a job or wage issue. It's also about our schools. We're educating the children of millions of illegals, yet we're not drawing the tax revenues from that population to support the infrastructural costs we incur as citizens. There is a cost to every America taxpayer for illegal immigration. Cheap labor is not cheap to taxpayers! Cheap to the employer, but not cheap to the rest of us.
There is a huge effect on health care because of the large numbers of illegal immigrants accessing our system, though health care never seems to come up in our "debates." Eighty-six hospitals closed in California alone in 1995 because of the impact of illegal immigration. That state admits spending over $1 billion a year in health care for illegals. But in terms of costs, that's just the tip of the iceberg. We as taxpayers incur hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Health care is free to illegals, but it's not free to us.
CF: If, as you say, illegal immigration is not just about border walls and jobs, what about the crime factor, the U.S. becoming bilingual and the deepening split in the country?
TT: Immigration is the big picture issue. Take the explosion of prison populations - a whopping 27 percent of people in federal prisons are criminal aliens. We are watching a peculiar situation taking place all over the country: Cities and even some states have introduced and enacted a "sanctuary cities" policy giving refuge to illegals. We are wrestling with the idea of who we are. As Americans, we are beginning to get Balkanized. We are dividing up into linguistic and ethnic groups. You pick up the phone to order something or make reservations and you have to press "one" for English, and people are beginning to think that's normal and acceptable. But it shouldn't be. We are becoming a bilingual country, and it's not good. Bilingualism on the part of individuals - that's great. My wife taught Russian for 27 years in the public schools, but that's not what we're talking about in regard to becoming a bilingual country. A bilingual country has a lot of problems.
CF: It doesn't help what the Mexican president stated last week.
TT: No! He said in a State of the Nation address that there is no such thing as a northern border and that the borders of Mexico are wherever there are Mexicans! His predecessor, Vicente Fox, said essentially the same thing to the Hispanic group La Raza. This is a racist organization (whose very name means "the race") to which millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars are appropriated. This is a push for separatism occurring in this country. Along with this is the strong, politically correct multi-culturalist desire to demean anything that is pro-West and pro-United States. So much so that we can't use the word "Christmas" in schools - William and Mary had to take down a crucifix even though it had been there for 200 years. All the symbols of the Judeo-Christian foundation of this country - and whether we like it or not, it's how we got here - are trying to be erased from the public sphere. It's the politically correct crowd going amuck. And yet the University of Michigan at Dearborn is building footbaths for its Muslims students so they can prepare for prayer. Look at the Denver and Indianapolis Airports - there are already non-denominational chapels, but now they are constructing special places for Muslims because there are so many Muslim taxi drivers. And in California, some students are made to spend a week becoming immersed in Islamic thought and Islam as both a culture and a religion.
CF: What is your plan for the 12 million illegals already here?
TT: It's closer to twenty million. On the supply side, we must construct a barrier on the southern border first, then the northern border. It needs to be as impenetrable as we can make it: a fifteen foot high fence, a road and another fence, all of which are sensored for people breeching them as well as digging under them. We should also use unmanned aerial vehicles and human resources to back up the fence. The fence is only as strong as the people behind it.
On the demand side, we must go after the employers. It's the only thing we have. They are the magnet bringing people into the country. Break the magnet, and we stop the demand. If the millions of illegals already here cannot get a job and cannot get social services, they go home. And they will go home in big numbers. Those that don't will have to be deported. Start with those who we know are criminal aliens, then the people who are here illegally, and over time, we'll see a significant drop in the number of illegal immigrants in this country.
CF: What are your feelings on your opponents' positions on this issue?
TT: I am pleased that we have forced them to take strong positions on the issue. I know we have done this because many were on record as supporting the amnesty bill. Now everyone is for securing the border, but I'm not sure their rhetoric matches their willpower. Because they changed so easily on this, how can people be assured that when they get to the White House, they will follow through on the policy they promised? I am very leery, to say the least.
CF: The value of our dollar is the lowest it's been in decades. What are your thoughts on this?
TT: We have to recognize that the exportation of American products is increased by the reduction in the value of the dollar, so it will help our balance of trade significantly. But at a certain point it becomes problematic because other governments dump [their dollars], and when they do, we're in trouble. So many other governments own so much of our debt that when they want out of the dollar, it can create major problems for the United States. The best way to manage the movement of the dollar is not to inflate the currency and to simultaneously do things that will improve the overall economy of the country. The value of the dollar is in large part based on how people view America's economy, and it's still the safest haven in the world, so it's key to keep the economy growing.
CF: Shifting to a contentious issue: oil. How do we wean ourselves off our dependency of volatile Middle Eastern oil, and are you in favor of opening up the Arctic (ANWR) for drilling?
TT: Yes, absolutely. I believe in developing every single resource we have within the continental United States and off our continental shelves. That includes shale in Wyoming and Colorado, where there are 1.2 trillion barrels of oil. You also have coal liquification and coal gasification. With technology developing to the point where we can think about sequestering carbon, the fact that we have some of the largest coal deposits in the world makes it very attractive, especially as alternative sources to the petroleum that we import from other countries. Markets help move these things. They work to shift resources to where they are more appropriately used. Let them work. I don't believe in subsidies.
GM lost its prominence as the number one automaker in the world to Toyota for one reason: the hybrid Prius. Markets work. So yes, we must fully use all the resources in our country.
CF: Thank you so much, Congressman. Any final thoughts?
TT: Issues matter - they are what motivate me. It's been a long time since I, along with many Americans, have cast a vote for someone who was not "the lesser of two evils." Enough is enough. This country can't afford that, and our party can't afford that, and I'm not going to do that anymore. America is our country - let's take it back!




©The Evening Bulletin 2007

Quote:

Eighty-six hospitals closed in California alone in 1995 because of the impact of illegal immigration. That state admits spending over $1 billion a year in health care for illegals. But in terms of costs, that's just the tip of the iceberg. We as taxpayers incur hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

Next time someone tells you we need to be compassionate. Ask them if they are compassionate toward the American citizen who doesn't get free medical and in some cases its an 11 hours wait in an emergency room. Is that what you want in your area, in your state, in your country?

That is what I like about Tom the Tanc Tancredo, he tells it like it is. I wish he could lead this country, it might take awhile but I believe he would get us back on the right path. I know I would feel alot safer and more confident that my Grandchildren could live and prosper. Some of us have made a commitment on Grassfire to send a letter to the editor once a week to inform people about Tom and what he stands for.