LETTER: Don't hold your breath, America

Mr. Steinle’s daughter Kathryn was allegedly murdered by Mr. Francisco Sanchez, an illegal alien on July 1, 2015, in San Francisco, a sanctuary city.

Mr. Steinle testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee asking for legislation to prevent it from happening again.

Sorry, Mr. Steinle, for your loss, but no legislation enacted or restrictive gun laws will prevent killings of innocents. Only harsh prison sentences and swift punishments will deter most but not all persons intent on doing criminal acts or activities.

The senators will posture and talk but the results will be zero. President Obama and the Democratic Party hierarchy do not want to lose Hispanic voters, legal or illegal, who overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. Their brethren in the lower activist courts who are proponents of “open borders” have ruled that municipalities can ignore federal immigration requests, or “detainers,” therefore becoming legislators, usurping Congress.

It also violates the U.S. Constitution’s Article I Section 8 paragraph 4 that says in part “to establish an uniform rule of naturalization.”

The policing of the U.S. southern border is not a priority, and the biggest beneficiary is Mexico because:

1. Both parties know that if Mexico is in chaos and financially collapses, the U.S. border will be overrun and the U.S. taxpayer will pay to rebuild Mexico.

2. Mexico’s second biggest source of hard currency (U.S. dollars) is what the legal and illegal aliens send back to their families in Mexico.

3. Mexico’s policy to prevent illegal aliens from Central and South American countries from settling in Mexico is to allow them to ride atop freight cars going north to the U.S. where coyotes smuggle them to the U.S.

4. Police forces are underpaid and most are corrupt. Nor are there adequate prisons or funding to provide care to felons. They turn their backs, let them go north and are rid of them.

5. Mexico’s economy does not produce the jobs for their expanding population or medical care.

Letter writer Jim Garvey of Kalispell recently chastised President Reagan for granting amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens in 1986. However, he did not say why he granted amnesty and it is germane to this article.

I voted in 1986 when the Democrats controlled Congress and the House Speaker was Tip O’Neill, a Democrat. President Reagan wanted to pass a tax reduction bill. The House speaker said no deal unless there was a quid pro quo. If President Reagan gave amnesty to the 3 million illegal aliens the Democrats would give the President his tax reduction.

However, Speaker O’Neill reneged and blocked the tax reduction. After that Prwsident Reagan’s policy dealing with both the Democrats and Russians on the first SALT Treaty was “trust but verify.”

This is why the border will remain open. Taco, anyone? —John H. Rallis, Columbia Falls