Jeb Bush: Immigrants Are More Fertile.... ?

I have always like Jeb Bush.  I believe he’s a good man.  He was a decent governor when I lived in Florida and he came across as a solid, conservative Republican.  Except he’s really not a solid, conservative Republican.  He’s more of a progressive, even more than his brother.

The other day in a speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to the Majority conference (whatever that may be), he basically said the reason Republicans don’t get the Hispanic vote is because of their stance on immigration.  He then went on to say that “Immigrants create far more businesses than native-born Americans.  Immigrants are more fertile, and they love families, and they have more intact families, and they bring a younger population. Immigrants create an engine of economic prosperity.”

I’m not sure where Bush gets his statistics on any of those statements but he seems to be sure of himself.  The part about intact families is probably true.  The intact American family is rapidly disappearing and there are many out to destroy it.  Wholesome family values are a threat to liberal -progressivism just as solid Christian values are.  They simply don’t fit into their “I want to do anything I desire without consequence” lifestyle.

As for the Hispanic vote , Governor, I can bring you up to speed on that.  Hispanics in the USA vote Democrat for the most part.  The immigration debate has nothing to do with it.  Going back to 1980, the Hispanic vote has always gone to the Democrats.

--1980 Jimmy Carter, 56% Ronald Reagan, 35%

--1984 Walter Mondale, 61% Ronald Reagan, 37%

--1988 Michael Dukakis, 69% George H.W. Bush, 30%

--1992 Bill Clinton, 61% George H.W. Bush, 25%

--1996 Bill Clinton, 72% Bob Dole, 21%

--2000 Al Gore, 62% George W. Bush, 35%

--2004 John Kerry, 58% George W. Bush, 40%

--2008 Barack Obama, 67% John McCain, 31%

--2012 Barack Obama, 71% Mitt Romney, 27%

Take particular note of the 1988 election.  In 1986, Ronald Reagan gave amnesty to all illegals in the United States so they could become citizens.  What did they do in 1988?  Gave more votes to the Democrat candidate.  Reagan got 37% of the Hispanic vote in 1984, then granted amnesty.  Your father then got 30% of the Hispanic vote just two years later.  How, exactly, did that amnesty thing work in favor of the Republicans? 

Oh – and your brother got the highest percentage of the Hispanic vote in that 30+ year history.  And he didn’t do anything about immigration.  Duh.

Mr. Bush indicated that immigrants work harder than native born Americans.  I suppose in some instances that may be true but it’s not because Americans are incapable of hard work.  It’s because today’s young people have had so many things handed to them many of them don’t know or appreciate the value of hard work and the rewards it brings.  Work ethic is dying in America because children aren’t raised with the same values of the 50s and 60s, when the family was strong and children were taught that they get what they work for.  Even our government encourages people to sit back and relax and let Uncle Sam take care of them.  Welfare, unemployment and food stamps are at an all-time high in this country and have been for several years now.  And it’s not getting better. 

So, Governor, there you have it.  It’s not about immigration.  It’s not about amnesty.  Many Hispanic voters, particularly low income voters, vote Democrat for the same reason other people do….   free stuff.   Democrats give out more entitlements, benefits and free money.  It’s not that difficult to figure out.  I got it and I was never a governor.  I don’t even have a college degree.

The immigration system in this country does need to be fixed.  People in the country illegally should be given a path to citizenship but it should not be an easy path.  Amnesty is NOT the answer.  They broke our laws and they need to make up for it somehow.  The greatest problem, however, still lies with the borders.  If we allow illegal aliens to become citizens, even following a difficult path to get there, and leave the borders unsecured, we’re not fixing anything.  We’re simply making room for more illegals to come in so we can do the entire process over again in 20 or 30 years.

I guess it’s not surprising that Bush has a softness for immigration.  His wife is a Mexican immigrant.  I’m sure that has something to do with it as I’m sure he has family in Mexico.  So I can give him a pass for his feelings on the subject.  There was a time I would have supported Bush for President.  What an historic day that would have been – a third Bush in the White House.  I don’t think I can support him now.  He is a moderate Republican at best leaning toward progressivism.  And he swears off conservatism as a bad thing.  So far he has said he won’t run for President.  That I can support.