Well now, looks like Ben Carson and Donald Trump are trying to see who can be the most offensive to anyone who happens to be a Muslim or is from another country.
You may recall that yesterday the Donald declared that it might be a good idea for all Muslims in America to carry or wear some form of identification which lets everyone know they’re a member of the Islamic faith. Trump didn’t just say this once, he even repeated it later in the day when asked by another reporter!
And today Ben Carson says that all “foreigners” should be in a database so we can keep a close eye on them. Because hey, you never know when one of those crafty Canadians might cross the northern border without us knowing about it. Next thing you know, we’ll all be playing hockey and eating poutine. Or…gasp…worst of all, speaking French!
Here’s what has just been reported by Dave Weigel of the Washington Post:
Carson on Trump: "Hopefully we already have a database on everybody in this country," but shouldn't treat races/religions differently.
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) November 20, 2015
More Ben Carson: "If we don't have a database on every foreigner who comes into this country, we're being negligent."
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) November 20, 2015
OK, so here’s an attempt at some sanity and reason amidst all the crap being spewed out by the GOP candidates for President these days: Data shows conclusively that immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than the native population. They are also far less likely to be arrested for violent offenses. And, they are much less likely to be sent to prison:
“[N]umerous studies going back more than a century have shown that immigrants—regardless of nationality or legal status—are less likely than the native population to commit violent crimes or to be incarcerated. A new reportfrom the Immigration Policy Center notes that while the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. more than tripled between 1990 and 2013 to more than 11.2 million, FBI data indicate that the violent crime rate declined 48%—which included falling rates of aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder. Likewise, the property crime rate fell 41%, including declining rates of motor vehicle theft, larceny/robbery, and burglary.”
So who is the real threat to this country? Well, mainly it’s the folks who were born and raised in the United States.
In other words, as the comic strip “Pogo” taught us many years ago:
“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
Yes. Exactly.
This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org.