[nmap]

Sir, I believe the items you mention are simply manifestations of a deeper underlying problem. That problem, in my opinion, includes culture, values, and fragmentation.

Let’s start with border security. Why are the laws not enforced? The majority of voters want border security; why does our government fail to act?

The businesses that hire illegal aliens do so to reduce labor costs. Their owners can make direct contributions to politicians and hire lobbyists to advance their interests. The voters who oppose open borders are not united, do not make significant contributions, and do not hire lobbyists. In addition, one of the drivers of inflation is increasing wages. If an influx of illegal aliens suppresses wage increases, then overall inflation is reduced. That, in turn, tends to reduce increases to Social Security and other such programs.

I believe it is fair to say that the issues of border security have been subordinated to the desire for profit and a national policy that uses this mechanism to fight inflation. Our politicians listen more closely to money than to the voters.

Voter fraud is a tool used by some (generally leftist) politicians to acquire votes. It is interesting that the press, the courts, other political parties, and the public are not incensed. It suggests that people perceive little value in their vote. Voter turnout seems to imply the same. This looks like disengagement from the greater society and the political process. Could it be that we have withdrawn from public life as the political commons cease to share universal views?

The value of English is another point – and deserves careful examination. A strong movement toward multiculturalism has existed for some time. An element of culture is language. Thus, different segments of society are being encouraged to maintain their culture and hence their language. The process of encouraging English fluency is sometimes referred to as “cultural domination” and even “cultural genocide”. I hasten to add these are not my views; however, the terms are included in readings I am required to do in a university class. Here we have a class, in a state university, that actively promulgates positions detrimental to the maintenance of a unified culture.

In darker moments, I wonder if such fragmentation is not encouraged. A nation with a united people may be difficult to control. However, a fragmented people, filled with groups who distrust and fear each other – who do not understand each other – is easy to rule. One simply plays one group against another. Groups that do not conform can be punished easily. Do some of our politicians act in such a Machiavellian manner? I suspect so.

My concern is that we are likely to enter an extended period of financial stress for many people. If that’s true…and if our national bonds are little more than a shared marketplace…then the future holds some significant challenges both for us as individuals and for the nation as a whole.

None of this is whining. It is political discourse in the classic sense; it is a discussion of ideas and perceptions that deepens understanding. It is the essential first step toward constructive change.