To the Editor:

Martin: What made my head ache, in reading last week’s editorial, was trying to figure out whether you resent people with high financial IQ’s begging government to do its job and remedy increasingly destructive income inequality, or you were just avoiding holding Republicans responsible for pandering to extreme wealth. However, you clearly have not lost your choreography skills when it comes to avoiding the subject.

Republicans finally said the quiet part out loud when it comes to immigration and the southern border. Contrary to GOP representations, it’s not the Democrats who have failed to propose immigration regulation and controls. It’s not Demos trying to keep immigration an election issue rather than resolve it.

The 2024 Biden-proposed budget includes 14 billion to increase border patrol officers, immigration judges, and other border personnel. It is essentially a conservative proposal (resisted but ultimately accepted by Demos) and supported by a handful of Republicans.

But ex-president Trump has made it known he does not want a border/immigration solution during President Biden’s term. He wants it to remain an election issue so that, if elected, he will be credited with the solution. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Mike Johnson have decided not to “undermine” the political objective of the presumptive Republican nominee, sexual assaulter and defamer, and accused felon. The usual Republican handwringing continues, with Republicans who truly support immigration reform putting country over Party.

Many Republicans want the border problems to remain unsolved, an election issue with which to flog Democrats. No matter that it’s politics over the country’s interests, no matter that it’s disingenuous. No matter that their candidate is facing 91 felony accusations, last week’s second $83.3M civil verdict for repeated defamation damages, $65M of it punitive because the jury believed that he cannot be deterred by anything less than a massive award. A slow learner, without a moral compass but with a vicious temper, whom the RNC wants to be their 2024 presidential nominee by acclamation.

This weekend, Islamic Resistance in Iraq hit an outpost on the border of Jordan’s boundary with Syria and Iran, killing three American soldiers. Iran denied responsibility and clearly it is incumbent upon all countries in this tinderbox to withhold retaliation until all facts are known. President Biden stated that “we will respond.”
Candidate Nikki Haley essentially called for nuclear bombing of Iran without knowing the details, as did Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), tiny barking dog Lindsay Graham, and other Republicans. Candidate Trump, perhaps addled by his recent legal disasters, declared that he could have prevented the attack. Can’t get a jury to believe him, but the Middle East will fall on its knees.

Kelly Scoles,
Fillmore, Ca.