-Caveat Lector- For an immigration time-out: http://www.projectusa.org/ Immigration controversy: Iowa becoming battleground Issue 80: July 1, 2001 +== TIME OUT PROJECT ==+ In 1999, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsak suggested Iowa put itself above federal immigration limits and turn Iowa into another Ellis Island. Claiming there was something called a "labor shortage" in the state, the governor openly admitted that importing cheap labor was the justification for his plan. Iowans, however, were less than enthusiastic about the governor's proposal; many Iowans were not happy with a plan that would further lower wages in a state where wages are already so low relative to other regions of the country that Iowa has a difficult time retaining its own young people. ProjectUSA, joining the majority of Iowans, criticizes as politically irresponsible and environmentally unsustainable such short-sighted schemes to harvest the cheap labor of other nations. Already immigration levels are so high that the United States is growing at a faster rate than China. We question the wisdom of continuing to promote such massive growth and have been active in Iowa raising public debate about this important issue. Now, the controversy surrounding our efforts has helped make Iowa an emerging battleground state on immigration policy. ____________ "Town hall meeting to examine immigration" Mason City (IA) Globe-Gazette http://www.globegazette.com/news/2001/062001/week4/24/ni4.shtml "Charges of racism cloud immigration arguments" Christian Science Monitor http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/06/25/p17s1.htm "Labor shortage overstated, research group contends" Des Moines Register http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4789010/14999603.html "New Arrivals in Iowa Are Immigration Signs," New York Times http://projectusa.org/press/june01/new-york-times-6-24-01.html The Iowa poll: "Immigration and meat-packing," Des Moines Register http://desmoinesregister.com/extras/iowapoll/200011/immigration.html +== TAKE POSITIVE ACTION ==+ In the face of strong criticism, Governor Vilsack has publicly backed off his suggestion to exempt Iowa from federal immigration policy, but the councils he created to "accommodate the needs of newcomers" and propagandize for "diversity" continue to actively advance his agenda. Three towns in Iowa have been declared "model cities" for the governor's proposal, and now one of the towns, Mason City, finds itself at the center of the mass immigration battle. While some in the Mason City business community eagerly await the increase in consumers and cheap labor that the governor's plan promises, community reaction against the high-handed state policy has been fierce. Reacting to the criticism, City Councilmember and chair of Mason City's New Iowans Committee, Lori Henry, 641-423-4478, in a guest editorial printed Tuesday in the Mason City Globe-Gazette, assures residents that the governor's plan is not really an attempt to lure immigrants to Iowa, but, rather, is now only an attempt to attract both immigrants and non-immigrants currently living elsewhere in the United States. Most residents, of course, recognize Ms. Henry's new plan as unworkable or silly and her recent assurances as nothing more than a strategy to slip the plan through against the express will of the majority of Iowans. At their meeting Tuesday evening, the City Council in Mason City, which has scheduled a vote on the implementation of the "New Iowan" plan, will be presented with more than 1500 signatures on a petition against the governor's scheme. One thousand, five hundred signatures, in a city of 29,000, is a significant number -- especially given that democratic debate on this issue has been largely squashed by the use of insults like "racist." Here is how you can help: Please take a minute and call the person below with the following message: The majority of Iowans, according to a Des Moines Register poll, oppose transforming Iowa into a state that is reliant on an endless stream of cheap foreign labor. Please oppose Governor Vilsack's reckless plan. Tell the governor to stop using Mason City as a tool to push through his cheap labor agenda. A country should do its own work. Bill Schickel, Mayor, 641-421-3600 +== QUOTE OF THE WEEK ==+ "I know no country in which, speaking generally, there is less independence of mind and true freedom of discussion than in America." Alexis de Tocqueville Democracy in America +==EMAIL OF THE WEEK==+ We make the appearance of controlling our border by publicizing expensive border policies to limit illegal immigration, and at the same time provide amnesties, 245i policies, and enact legislation to further provide magnets for illegal immigration. If that is not stupid, I have no idea what "stupid" is. Richard Pelto Kenmore,WA +==INFORMATION==+ Unsubscribe: hit reply, and type "remove" in the subject line Ezine staff: http://projectusa.org/Ezine_staff.html Tax-exempt gifts: http://projectusa.org/contribute.html 11e <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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