This is part three of my five part interview with GOP primary candidate for Missouri's 5th US House District race Chris Knowlton. I made an error and missed publishing a few of his answers and felt it best to republish the entire segment. This is a vital national issue that effects everyone. I think anyone who dares run to represent the views of his/her constituents should be asked and should answer each and every one of these questions.
I would like to thank Mr. Knowlton for his direct and honest answers to these tough questions. I would also like to point out that I have invited his opponents to also give us their opinions on this issue. I sent them a complete copy of the interview below and have yet to hear back from their campaign offices. If they respond I will post it as I have with Mr Knowlton's and will follow it up with a question by question breakdown on the differences on the issues.
Immigration
1a) Are you in favor of making American English the official language of the United States of America? Yes
English is the common language and our historical tongue and if there has to be a law to establish what is true. I will stand and make it so. The question is how stupid do we have to be to need a law to state the truth? Shakespeare lawyer rant may have been true then but is even truer now.
1b) Is it now time to stop the practice of teaching core curriculum public school classes in foreign languages? Yes
1c) Do you consider Mexican Spanish a foreign language when it is used as a primary means of communication in the US? Yes
2a) Would you be in favor of returning ALL criminals to their home countries who are in the US illegally and criminals with temporary status.
With 35% of our Federal prisons being filled by other than Citizens I would consider the immediate deportation of all criminals. My problem is that I do not trust their countries of origin to make their sentences stick. There would be all kinds of revolving doors and corruption that would put them back on the streets of the U.S. ! In principal I agree they should have never been here in the first place.
I don’t think it is in our countries best interest to allow criminals to benefit from our countries blessings. If they have bad backgrounds in their home country, they should be returned. If they are convicted of wrong doing in the States they should serve their full sentence and be deported without any ability to achieve freedom in our country.
2b) As it concerns the 14th amendment ,children born to illegal aliens. This seems to be a tough issue to because it deals with innocent children. Would you consider reforming laws that more clearly define the exceptions to the 14th amendment to include children born to guest workers, criminals and all those who refuse to get in line for a green card? Or does the 14th amendment already make it clear in Sec. 2 that "other crime" could constitute an exception for all who have violated our immigration laws?
It is a common practice in the law to seize the proceeds of unlawful acts and I can see that working in this situation. If someone was born here of one or more illegals after the 1987 Amnesty, there should be special consequences. What those are I am not quite sure, but if there are no consequences we will never put a stop to this invasion. As United States’ citizens we must allow ourselves the thought of placing a value on our Legal Birth-Right.
2c) Would you be in favor of zero tolerance as it relates to enforcement?
Without question, zero tolerance should be the standard in dealing with Illegal Immigration. If their family arrived after the 1987 Simpson-Mazzolli bill there should be a special court for immediate review with deportation as the goal.
3a) A lower end income taxpayer has to perform a trade for less to compete with an illegal worker alien (IWA). Do you believe that denies the poor and middle class workers in America the right to work in a free market economy.
I have seen a lot of good hard working Americans being driven out of one trade or another. Tile, drywall, roofing, concrete and many other trades have been affected by the 20 million illegals that we support. No one will ever know what individuals would have done had this cheap labor not been available. What businesses would still be employing citizens for a good wage? What businessmen would have been created with a more elastic wage base? We are a good and gracious nation. But at sometime even America will say that our laws mean something to us, even if you ignore them.
There is no question that the Millions of low-end Illegal workers depress the market value of many millions of legal citizens. How many entepnures have been forced out of their business plan and middle class future because they can not or will not compete with these Illegally low wages and quality of work? The Courts and the Feds have let the public down over the years in many ways. This blind eye towards the Illegal invasion and occupation, may be the worst case of Treason that our country has ever seen. It must be corrected for our children and grand children.
3b)Do you think the illegal aliens or the those who hire them want that to stop?
There is no indication that I have seen that there is any reason to stop. At this time there is no downside to the fraud and corruption that illegals or their boss must commit. If the goal is to utilize cheap and many times a substandard labor source, that’s where Illegals come in. No one can convince me that they are not aware of the status of those they employee. So they are complicit in the federal crime of identity theft at a minimum and in certain cases much worse criminal activity. If the current laws were enforced the jobs would dry up and many would self-deport.
4a) Should the US government provide guest worker programs to companies who feel they have a right to have labor at a specified rate of pay?
No. Setting wages is already handled in the Minimum Wage issue. If they are here the law says they are entitled to a minimum wage. To negotiate as a nation for lower than that would smack of hypocrisy. I can understand that Agri-Business and others would like lower input costs for their bottom-line. But isn’t that how some justify the current open borders philosophy? And there are Guest worker programs on the books. They may need to be streamlined for our current worker needs, but I ask who was doing the jobs before the Illegals? I bet they were Americans!
There are guest worker programs that are currently available. Surprise! It is just too much headache working with the Government and so easy to avoid detection that many go around the law. Thus, the Government is making criminals out of citizens by not enforcing certain laws and choosing to enforce others. What a great system.
4b) As it relates to guest workers isn’t any measure to make retroactive immigration reform just a scheme of price fixing the labor market?
Could be. But I feel that there may be a more sinister goal for retroactive immigration. There seems to be a party that needs a victim to prey on. This is not just the greedy corporate types, but a political movement that is running out of under-classed, under-educated needy people. Who can be lied to over the next few decades in the hopes of the Federal government giving them everything that they need. (I am not in that party!)
4c) What possible benefit can a guest worker program have on the "poor" and the middle class of this country?
I do not see and upside for the poor and middle class. Perhaps, the cost of certain items would be more affordable. But other than that, I can only see those coming in on guest worker programs, lowering the wages and opportunities for the rest of us.
5a) Should states most affected by illegal human labor smuggling be permitted to sue the federal government and be allowed to enforce current written law?
If a class action suit would get the House and Senate to take action I would apply! Since they are lawyers in most cases that may be the only way to get their attention. Tie up their personal and Electoral assets until the suit is complete. But, we should not leave out the Judges that overstep the constitutional truths that we find self-evident. Those who allow Illegals go away after an initial hearing on their status. Especially when that Illegal causes trouble or does a DWI T-bone into a family of four! That judge should be off the bench!
5b) Does lack of immigration enforcement weaken other law enforcement efforts concerning drugs, gangs, and other crimes of violence?
Duh! How do you think the first time crossing gets paid for? Bicycles loaded with drugs are pushed to the border and left at the staging area just inside our territory. A $20,000 fee per person must be paid some way. And drugs are an easy profitable, high demand product that pay off most of the coyotes who encourage those new comers to keep up the business! Where there are drugs there is cash and guns which can sometimes go off. That could be why there are 35% of the federal prison population filled illegals.
6a) Do you think a worker in a hazardous work zone is in danger or possibly a danger to others around him/her if that person is unable to communicate in English?
Yes.
6b) Wouldn’t a law banning hiring practices by all enterprises that require bilingual or other foreign language background better protect the rights of the American worker?
They can not enforce a ban the importation of stuff that is Illegal. So how can they make a hiring ban work? The best way to get through our current mess is to agree as a nation that we speak English. Learn it or leave. If employers need international language skills as a requirement for job status, I have no problem. So long as it is not McDonalds or Joe’s roofing.
7a) Can we solve the problems of health care and education without addressing the issue of illegal immigration.
No.
8a) Do you support a southern border fence as passed by the 109th congress?
Yes and would fully fund this effort and deploy 1,000,000 bureaucrats to monitor the border. This would serve two distinct purposed. First to get them out of Washington and secondly to prevent the Envasion from the south being continued.
Yes! It took less time to build the A-bomb than to build this fence. How far have we slipped?
8b) Do you support using legislation to encourage illegal aliens to return to their own countries voluntarily?
In a coercive way! Drying up Identification fraud, duplicate SSN usage, following these duplicate numbers that are registered with the IRS and all of the S.S.N. 000-00-0000 numbers that are used would be a start. But without teeth, the current situation will continue to grow this extractable problem. Our full nation must be of one accord that Citizenship means something and has extrinsic value! Something worth fighting for and standing up for! With out that feeling in our nation we will fall for the emotional stories of the families that are split apart by our mean laws. What about the families that were left behind when the Illegals headed this way? Will the media dig that deeply?
8c) Is there ever a time or place you would consider endorsing a $250 billion plan to mass deport all person in the US illegally?
Not likely. Our system will have to work on the employers first, then the sanctuary cities or states and then perhaps the last 10 million will have to be rounded up through charitable agencies if the rest of the social service safety net is removed. That is unless they become more lawless and get caught! Then the courts and the jails will have to deal with them.
8d) What if we were attacked by a terrorist who came over our southern border? Or if the terrorist is an illegal alien?
I would hate to see any further attacks on our country such as 9-11. But the likelihood of the U.S. avoiding future aggression by those who envy or hate us is small! We will be the target of many. Where it comes from will determine the response that the public will demand. I hesitate to predict anything. But I feel that we could get more serious if there was more of a perceived threat. 20 Million Illegals is cause enough for me, how about you?
9) Do you believe current illegal aliens want citizenship or do they just want things to stay the same?
That is an unknown. I believe that most illegals want a better life than what they have had in the past. They find this an easy place to stay and make good lives. This is the story of America. What we need to do is send them home to a better economy in their homeland. I believe that Americans would stand up and adopt to mentor honest hard working illegals, to help them get re-established in their home country. It is worth a shot. I can not see the U.S. with jackboots and guns rounding people up to deport. Yet it may come to that some day.
This is not their home. The major problem is that they can not make a living wage in their land. But they would be glad to be home if they could.
Chris Knowlton