Schwarzenegger and Navarrette Compare Immigration Reform Patriots To Nazis; Joe Answers Them
Posted: 27 Jun 2009 11:02 PM PDT

A single opinion column written by Ruben Navarrette and published by the San Diego Union-Tribune explains why:

• California is in a irreversible financial crisis[/*:m:1604x8a6]
• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will leave office with a popularity rating of about 20 percent.[/*:m:1604x8a6]
• The state’s major newspapers are on the verge of bankruptcy. (Good!)[/*:m:1604x8a6][/list:u:1604x8a6]

To understand fully the impact of what follows in my column, first read Navarrette’s. [Schwarzenegger Defends Immigrants, by Ruben Navarrette, San Diego Union-Tribune, June 17, 2009]
But if you are pressed for time or simply cannot stomach the idea of reading more Navarrette tripe, here’s a brief summary:

• In a meeting with the Union-Tribune editorial board, Schwarzenegger repeated his often-stated position that illegal immigrants are not to blame for the state’s economic crisis.[/*:m:1604x8a6]
• Illegal immigrants, continued Schwarzenegger, contribute to California’s economy by paying taxes and doing jobs in “hard-to-staff industries”. Ignored by Schwarzenegger: many aliens work off the books and don’t contribute anything to the tax base.[/*:m:1604x8a6]
• Californians who suggest that illegal immigration is an economic drain remind Schwarzenegger of “how Jews were blamed by the Nazis for Germany’s economic difficulties after World War I.” Schwarzenegger warns that linking “hard-working people” to economic strife could lead to “atrocities,” “crime,” and “executions” just as it did when Nazis governed Germany.[/*:m:1604x8a6][/list:u:1604x8a6]

Where should I start?

• First, no problem as grave as California’s $25 billion budget deficit can be corrected if those responsible for resolving it refuse to recognize what is, at the least, a major contributor to that problem. For a complete breakdown of those costs, read Nicholas Stix’s blog here.[/*:m:1604x8a6]
• Second, no California resident believes that illegal immigration does not play a role in the state’s collapse. And the further south anyone lives (e.g., San Diego), the more crystal clear the relationship is between illegal immigration and California’s financial catastrophe.[/*:m:1604x8a6]
• Third, a newspaper’s role is to challenge its sources by asking the hard questions. For the editorial board (of which Navarrette is a member) to allow the governor to come into San Diego, make absurd statements and then print them as gospel—even in an opinion piece— is one of the major reasons no one reads newspapers anymore. Why should patriots who live in San Diego, of whom there are plenty, subscribe to or even read the Union-Tribune only to learn that it associates them with Nazis?[/*:m:1604x8a6]
• Any comparison to patriotic immigration reform proponents and Nazis is outrageous. Navarette’s hedge—he wrote: “Obviously, Schwarzenegger’s comments should not be taken literally” only adds to his insult. Obviously, to make the Nazi association and then try to water it down doesn’t fool anyone.[/*:m:1604x8a6][/list:u:1604x8a6]

Unless the Union-Tribune editors live in a bubble they, like every other Californian with eyes in his head, see the impact of illegal immigration all day every day.