Watch the Democrats Closely on the SAVE Act

It is something that has been talked about ad infinitum for decades. Voter ID. Yet the left, of course, has forever been adamantly opposed to it. They say it is an attempt by Republicans to oppress and disenfranchise certain sectors of society and make it harder for them to vote.

The reality is that voter ID requirements would do neither of those things. In fact, it would ensure the integrity of our elections and protect every single American and ensure all votes in elections are fairly cast.

Our elections in this country are one of the most sacred things we have to maintain our Republic the way that our founding fathers intended. The voice of the People matters in our representative system of government, and it ought to be taken damn seriously.

Recently, U.S. Senators John Kennedy and Mike Lee joined forces, along with other Republican colleagues, to introduce the SAVE Act, or the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would provide an amendment to the National Voter Registration Act to make it clear that states must require proof of citizenship when they register individuals to vote in federal elections.

The main concern is the massive influx of illegal border crossings that are occurring as a result of the disastrous border policies of the current administration.

While it is already set in law that only citizens can vote in federal elections, how do you safeguard that when you don't know who is casting the vote, or whether they are truly eligible to vote at all? And what is the potential, say, if even just 1% of the illegals who have entered the country do vote somehow? That's potentially hundreds of thousands of votes which can very much impact the results.

The SAVE Act does not require voter ID. It simply requires states to prove votes are cast by confirmed citizens. But it does leave it up to the states to determine how they go about this.

The bill would also require states to clean up their existing voter rolls and remove any current non-citizens from them. It would provide for more accountability, creating higher federal penalties for registering non-citizens to vote, and ensure that "proof of citizenship" is provided by voters in acceptable ways that can be verified.

I think it's a no-brainer law, frankly. It's sad we need it. But we do.

It's a Republican lead bill and what will be interesting to see is how Democrats decide to vote on it. You'd think it would be a slam-dunk bi-partisan bill. But you can almost bet Democrats will oppose it. If and when they do oppose it, I think Americans need to listen very closely to the reasons they provide against it.

The question is, what would be the harm in simply making sure the voters who vote in our federal elections are actually citizens of the United States?

We're not talking about people being oppressed or disenfranchised here. We're simply saying, "Prove you are an American citizen." Because without there being a set law that at least requires citizenship to be verified, the door is wide open for anyone to vote.

Including illegal immigrants.

The bill is up in the air for now. But I think it's one to pay close attention to especially as we draw nearer to the upcoming November presidential election. The border crisis is one created by design by the Democrat party and Biden's border policies. Do we accept that it's simply an action taken in the interest of "inclusion and acceptance of people simply seeking better lives," or if they adamantly oppose the SAVE Act can we safely assume the Democrats are simply trying to source new voters?

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© 2024 Jim Bauer 

Of COURSE the Biden Border Bill is Nothing More than a Political Stunt

Without question, the issue of the open border under the Biden Administration has become a highly politicized one and one of the top issues for voters coming into the 2024 presidential election. Something that has more than a few people scratching their heads a bit that it should be an issue at all, and for a variety of reasons.

For one thing, the border was, for all intents and purposes, one of the leading issues that landed former president Trump in the White House in 2016 in the first place. It was a key component of Trump's entire campaign.

Yet, President Joe Biden, among a host of other things, in the first hours of his taking the oath of office, saw fit to reverse nearly all of President Trump's border policies, cease construction of the wall, and essentially send a message to Mexican nationals, "The border is open. Come one, come all."

The problem is that it created a massive border crisis worse than any border issues we faced long before Trump was ever in office.

Perhaps the Biden Administration simply didn't see the damage coming? Or did they somehow think it would not become the problem it is? It's hard to say exactly what they thought was going to happen, but clearly it became a much bigger problem than, I think, behind closed doors they would acknowledge now is a huge problem.

And one that they would rather not have to deal with in an election year. But deal with it they must, even if the reality is, that despite acknowledging it is a problem, they don't see it as a problem for America. They see it as a problem for winning an election.

The fact is, the Democrats simply have no interest in really doing anything at all about fixing the border crisis. But they sure want to look like they are concerned. That's why they tried to introduce a border bill—one that they can hang around the necks of Republicans to make it look like Republicans, and even Trump himself, are simply using the border issue to win points for the reelection of Trump.

The Democrats know two things. The American people won't bother to read the bill and understand what it does or doesn't do, and the media won't report on the bill according to its actual contents, but rather will report on the Republican's dismissal of the bill.

It is something they can use, ultimately, to try and make it appear that the Republican's interests in securing the border are just smoke and mirrors.

The Biden Administration has quickly tried to tell the American people that he cannot act on the border issue without the aid of Congress. A statement that is patently false. Just as quickly as Biden reversed Trump's border policies, he could turn around and put them back into place through the same executive actions he used to create the mess.

Not to mention the fact that the powers that Biden has according to laws already on the books are exactly the same powers to close the border as Obama and Trump had when they were in the White House. The real game of smoke and mirrors is being played by Biden himself and the Democrat party.

The Republican's rejection of the so-called bipartisan border bill is something the Democrats can take to voters and say, "See, they really don't want to secure the border."

But that's not the case at all. Of course we know that. But does everyone else? Because in conversation after conversation about the border issue that's the one thing thrown in the face of any conservative who argues we need to do something to fix the issue.

"We gave you the opportunity to do that and you said no just because it would give Biden a win that Trump and his supporters don't want him to have."

It's just not true, is the problem here. It's not about what the bill is called. It's not about what the Democrats say the bill does. It's about what the bill actually does and doesn't do, and the one huge thing it doesn't do is actually secure the border.

Sure, the bill may provide Biden funding for 1,300 border patrol agents, 1,600 asylum officers and 375 immigration judges. But what about the asylum system that's broken? And what about the authority to shut down the border being discretionary? 

These are important factors voters need to be aware of.

For one thing, provisions in the bill wouldn't even become possible to do anything until inadmissible immigrant encounters reached numbers totaling more than 4,000 to 5,000 over a 7-day average. That piece is strategic, mind you, in the bill, considering that the averages now are between 4,000 and 5,000. So essentially that piece alone makes the bill worthless.

If the bill's aim was to close the border and solve the issue, that provision would not be in it at all. Essentially what it allows the administration to do is to catch and release somewhere around 2 million illegals a year with no authority to stop it unless the numbers surpassed that.

That is insanity, by the way.

All in all, I think voters need to be more aware of what is actually in the bill itself and the media should do its job to explain that. The Republicans are attempting to explain it, but of course there are limits to what the media will disseminate to the public regarding their opposing statements and reasoning behind not wanting to pass the bill.

As Senator Ted Cruz put it, "It's a way for Democrats running in elections to say I wanted to secure the border, but those mean Republicans won't let me."

Democrats aren't going to sway from their idea that the border bill Biden wants secures the border. So, the ones who need to know and hear the message are the independent voters. The good news is that I think they are, in fact, getting the message as polls continue to show that most voters believe Trump is better equipped to handle the border than Biden is.

Either way, the insistence by Democrats that the bill proposed is the answer Republicans don't want to hear is more than a little bit annoying. Because we know it isn't the right answer, and the one that is, is already sitting on President Biden's desk.

He can close the border practically overnight with a signature.

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"No Crisis on the Border," Says Harris

It could be said, and difficult to deny, that the Biden/Harris administration may not have invented gaslighting, but they sure have at least perfected the art of it. Take any issue you want, be it the economy, how many jobs they've created, working from the middle up, or the border crisis.

It's all a farce. They have accomplished nothing and yet they continue to tout false narrative after false narrative about how well it's all working for the American people.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that it would seem that the majority of the American people simply aren't buying it. Even the media has had to say more than once, "Something isn't right." And no matter how badly they may want to, they can't deny the polls either.

Biden is disliked and his approval ratings are in the tank on almost every issue, and Kamala Harris' polls are so bad even an abacus wouldn't work to try to get the numbers right.

While there are myriad issues plaguing us right now, the border crisis is one that stands out like a sore thumb, inflation notwithstanding, and Kamala Harris, the supposed border czar is fit to stand before the American people and all but outright deny that a crisis on the border even exists.

How many times has she even been to the border, by the way?

In an ironic way, one guesses, who do we really have to thank for at least a heightened awareness of the border issue? Republican governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gregg Abbott of Texas who were left essentially to just "deal with it," until they decided to send the illegal immigrants they were dealt to the places where the liberals live.

From the liberal pulpits they shouted to the high Heavens that illegal immigrants are no more than regular folks just looking for a better shot at life who deserved a chance just as much as anyone, and that we should welcome them with open arms and see them as an opportunity to make America a warm, welcoming better place. To see not their intrusion on our lives, but to see what wonderful things they can offer to society as a whole.

Of course, that liberal tune quickly changed not long after the illegals were sent straight to their doorsteps. The reality suddenly didn't seem to jive with their narrative and not in my backyard stepped up to rear its ugly, glaring head.

Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it. 

The reality is that it's, well...it's a bitch you know. And what some of the border states did was to shine some of that real light on the issue which even democrats themselves can no longer deny. The border is an issue and the situation that we have is clearly a crisis.

Unless you're Kamala Harris.

She recently told Margaret Brennan on CBS' "Face the Nation," citing images of thousands of illegals flooding the border in hot spots like Eagle Pass, Texas, "What it means is that we have to stay focused on a number of issues related to the irregular migration that we're seeking around the world and America is not immune."

By the way, what the hell does that actually even mean?

How are we staying focused on the issue? What means are we using to stop the flood? What policies are we implementing to secure the border? What tools and other resources are we offering to our Border Patrol agents? What resources are we offering or providing to the border states most impacted by the problem? What consequences are we imposing on those who enter our country illegally? What sanctions are we considering against Mexico if they do not work with us to solve the issue?

The fact is that when Joe Biden took his oath of office, he shut down nearly all, if not all, of the tough on immigration policies imposed by former president Donald Trump and essentially opened the floodgates wide, only to turn around and pretend to solve a problem that existed (that did not) before he took office.

And by the way, just for optics sake, why even appoint a supposed czar to oversee something that isn't supposedly a problem? And if the czar herself, directed with the responsibility of addressing the problem doesn't even see a problem, how does that qualify her to be a czar at all?

It is a problem, and everyone seems to know it except for the person who is supposed to be charged with fixing it.

Democrat New York Mayor, Eric Adams, has been highly critical of Harris and her lack of leadership on the issue of the border as tens of thousands of illegals pour into his city. In his eyes, despite any denial, it is indeed a crisis and said publicly, "Never in my life have I had a problem I did not see an ending to. This issue will destroy New York City."

Those are poignant words that should raise eyebrows for anyone. The people of New York City, long considered to be a resilient and strong people, able to deal with anything that comes their way, who have turned around a damaged city more than once in its history, is now reduced to being helpless?

And where is the communication between the Biden/Harris administration with Border Patrol chiefs outright saying they have never seen a worse situation on the border than they are seeing now. In other words, if the men and women on the front lines are saying, "This is bad," or in fact, "this is the worst I have ever seen it," where are the efforts to ramp up the response? If you had a general come to you and say, "We are going to be attacked," you'd probably want to perk your ears up and listen to what the general has to say.

But it's a moot point according to Harris. You have to ask yourself, why would they lie? Not just the Border Patrol agents. But Eric Adams. Why would they lie about an issue that supposedly doesn't exist? What purpose would it serve? 

Maybe it just all comes back to Trump in an odd sort of way. You know, I've said it multiple times, but it bears repeating. I am convinced that in the eyes of the democrats, or at the very least, in the eyes of the Biden/Harris administration, that the destruction of America itself is, to them, simply collateral damage in what the real goal is.

Taking out Trump no matter what it takes and no matter what the cost is. Everything else be damned. The border crisis is part of that. Reversing other highly effective Trump policies is too. 

The bottom line is that we have a serious issue facing us when it comes to the border, and with a clear lack of acknowledgement or leadership on the issue, the reality is that the issue will only worsen. It's like an early missed diagnosis of cancer. Once you finally realize it's a problem, it's too late.

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From Shitholes to DACA

THE DEMOCRATS WILL OBVIOUSLY STOP AT NOTHING TO TRY TO DENIGRATE AND DENOUNCE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. And the latest accusation made against President Donald Trump that, in talks over DACA, referred to some foreign nations as shitholes is just another glaring example of this.

Whether or not the statement was actually made, to my mind, is not necessarily the issue. Granted, it is a bit of a poor statement to make. But, if you are thinking of it in more realistic terms, is it really that far from the truth?

The people of these countries, if the statement was made, is not what the president probably was referring to in any event. If the statement was made, it was more of a direct statement against the governments of these countries which defile their populace, and place their lives into chaos such that they potentially become less than desirable in their attitudes, and potentially even their impact in other communities in which they may become a part...

SUCH AS THE UNITED STATES IF THEY COME HERE.

Is it really racist to make such a statement? I don't think so. It merely points out the obvious in more ways than one. And what about the situation in, for example, Muslim countries. Are these people products of their environments? Their upbringing? Their religious and government leaders?

YES.

And so their attitudes toward life, liberty, economic status, societal contribution and any number of other things is influenced by the attitudes of their leaders, and the conditions in which they live in their own countries. If we make a statement about this it is not a racist statement. It is a simple observation of what are largely verifiable facts.

Democrat senator Dick Durbin of Illinois made remarks that he couldn't believe such racist and vile remarks had ever come from the Oval Office at any time in America's past history. But the reality is that there have been well documented reports of rather racist remarks made by even Lyndon B. Johnson. And certainly there had to have been rather colorful language even in the early days of the Office of the President, such as before the Civil War—granted, those were different times and this is now 2018.

But one can imagine what may have been more than a few comments during the Civil Rights Movement.

NONETHELESS, UNIMPORTANT.

The real reason the dems are launching, yet again, attacks against the president is because—and people should FINALLY be getting around to understanding this—trying to paint a narrative that the president is racist, vulgar, unfit, and even mentally unstable. None of which are particularly true. They so badly want this to be the reality that they will go to every length to make it seem apparent.

DO I APPRECIATE IT IF THE PRESIDENT ACTUALLY SAID THIS? Like I said before I think if he did, it was a very poor choice of words, even if I believe the underlying point of that statement would have some truth to it. Do I think it ultimately matters if he said it?

Look, if we weren't concerned over the content of the emails between Clinton and her cohorts which were actually downright mean, and if we weren't concerned with the events of Fast and Furious, the IRS scandal, or four dead Americans in Benghazi, and all of the events leading up to those events which actually harmed people, I think the entire narrative trying to be forced down our throats about this are made moot.

The president is working with highly combative and uncooperative democrats who have no other desire but to discredit and disparage the president at every opportunity. In the DACA talks I would be absolutely shocked to learn that dems were not engaged, in some form or fashion, in making every effort to lead the president into a snare just so that they could come back afterwards and make a public stink about the effect without reporting the cause.

What's more, perhaps even if the statement was not made in the manner in which it has been implied, the question is still a good one. Yes. Exactly. If they, the democrats, are so determined and adamant that these people deserve to be here and stay here, tell us why. Drop the rhetoric and touchy-feely garbage and actually come up with a compelling reason in favor of their argument that we should have a different thought about the program, the people, and the benefits or lack thereof of the whole thing.

Really, at some point the democrats need to just move on, get back to the work of the American people as the president is trying to do—and quite frankly just grow the fuck up. Their temper tantrum has gone on long enough and it is getting more than a little old—and quite frankly is terribly distracting.

Something, however, tells me that the democratic party, still not able to fully comprehend their dramatic loss in 2016, is incapable of being the adult in the room.

There Are No Rights For Illegal Immigrants

One person writes;

"I say all humans—and the operative word is humans—should be able to have access to education. Only through education can we help fix problems in our society. Out of state students are paying higher out of state tuition because they chose to leave their state. Most of the illegal immigrant students had no choice in the matter of entering the United States. I suggest you educate your readers and not cause further frustration amongst people."

This comment came at the heels of someone who made the suggestion that if you are an illegal immigrant, you should not have access to any benefits. A statement which I happen to agree with.

There is no question that we are all human on this planet. We all have certain rights. Those rights, of course, differ from country to country, and even change a little bit depending on the religious or social cultures. But we all most certainly do have basic human rights.

The question is not about whether or not we are human. The question is not whether or not we have rights. In the United States it is undeniable what our rights are, and what benefits we are entitled to enjoy. These are for United States citizens, however, and that's where we need to make the distinction. Everyone includes people who were either born in the United States, or who have legally come here.

The thing we have to keep in mind is that these people are here illegally. That's key. They have broken the law. Perhaps the word "criminal" is a bit harsh. If I speed and break the law, I don't consider myself a criminal. But clearly a law has been broken for which there is a consequence.

It is for this very reason that laws have been broken in order to get here that illegal immigrants entering our country have no entitlement to any benefits whatsoever, which mind you, are paid for by hard-working American taxpayers. Education, to speak specifically on the argument made by the commenter, is paid for not only by hard-working American's taxes, but by American homeowners. The cost of education is already steep, and homeowners are taking it in the seat of their pants enough as it is. Now you want my taxes to cover the kids of illegal immigrants too?

Education is important. Every country should focus on education as the most basic foundation for its future successes. You need a country of citizens who are smart enough to advance your country in technology, medicine, productivity, and whatever else.

But that should be limited to your own legal citizens.

To do anything else would be akin to opening up the doors of every Wal-Mart in the country and declaring that everything in the stores is free. Maybe it's a ridiculous analogy. But why? Clearly there would be nothing left on the shelves. The stores would all be cleaned out. People would drive for miles to get to their nearest Wal-Mart and loot the stores unfettered.

Ridiculous? Yes. I'm definitely agreeing with that. Wal-Mart would never do that, and the reason is pretty obvious. It doesn't make any damn sense.

But this is exactly the message we send to people who wish to cross our borders illegally. Come on over. Come on in. Everything in America is free for the taking. We, the hard-working people of America wish for you to come on across our borders, bring your family and children—hell, bring your grandparents too—and loot us. How you get here doesn't matter. What country you come from doesn't matter. Come by boat. Come by plane. Toss a ladder up against our border's walls and climb right on over, we may even help you get down on the other side by putting up our own ladder for you to climb down. It's going to be a great party and everyone is invited.

Well, everyone except for the Americans. They will have to work. There are taxes to be paid for all of these wonderful benefits that will be given away for free.

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© 2010 Jim Bauer

MORE OPINION BY SPRINGBOARD:

It's Not Just About Illegal Immigration Anymore
"The situation on our borders with Mexico is yet another glaring example of the absolute idiocy, and incompetence of the Obama administration. The president has now been given every reason to clamp down on illegal immigration, and especially to send a clear message to the Mexican drug cartels, that if they carry out their illegal activities on United States soil, we will act accordingly..."