BEN CARSON News & Opinion anything these opponents suggest will be either harsh, making them appear cruel and callous, or weak, making them appear to be amnesty supporters. Either way, they will take a political hit. Meanwhile, the administration can stay above the fray and receive the political benefit of gratitude from many legal and illegal immigrants. It’s a clever and effective ploy with the added benefit of redistributing even more American wealth. It remains to be seen how many people will be hoodwinked. We all have heard it said many times that America is a land of immigrants, some voluntary and some involuntary. We have plenty of space in our country, but insufficient jobs and insufficient resources to support everyone who wants to come here. When we see innocent children used as political pawns, it still tugs at our heartstrings, which is the intent. The real question is: What are we going to do about it? The combination of immigration reform being a tough issue and a political football has led to governmental stalemates and no useful solutions for decades. To begin to solve this problem, we must have some understanding of why it exists. Despite all of its problems, America is still the place of dreams. As such, it is small wonder that so many from other nations would like to live here. The benefits of an American domicile are so great that they currently outweigh issues of legality. Immigrating is relatively easy for those in proximity to the United States -- we have porous borders, and it is easy for illegals to hide and obtain fraudulent identification after they have penetrated the border. Although there is some fear of deportation, unenthusiastic and inconsistent enforcement of immigration laws is the expectation. Further incentives for illegal immigration are easy enrollment in public schools, easy employment for those willing to take jobs others don’t want, easy access to health care and easy acquisition of public support through welfare programs. These and other inducements produce an osmotic effect that attracts ever more people to our land. Any discussion of immigration reform should include bipartisan solutions to these inducements. If these issues are not addressed, solutions will fall short. On the other hand, if all of these issues are addressed firmly and consistently, the osmotic effect will be reversed. Just as people found a way to get here, they would find a way to leave on TIMES, THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014 • 4 COPYRIGHT 2013 RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING & PUBLISHING CO., INC. Since 1908 Published Every Thursday By RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING & PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. General Publication Office: P.O. Box 863299 Ridgewood, N.Y. 11386-0299 60-71 Woodbine St., Ridgewood, N.Y. 11385 Periodicals Postage Paid At Flushing, N.Y. (USPS 465-940) TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500-7501-7502-7503 FAX: 1-718-456-0120 Or E-MAIL: info@timesnewsweekly.com Or info@ridgewoodtimes.com WEB SITE: www.timesnewsweekly.com ON TWITTER @timesnewsweekly SUBSCRIPTION: $25 Per Year By Mail / $30 Outside Queens & Brooklyn Allow 2-3 Weeks For New Subscriptions. Postmaster Send Address Corrections To: RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING AND PUBLISHING CO., INC. P.O. BOX 863299, RIDGEWOOD, N.Y. 11386-0299 Periodicals Postage Paid At Flushing, N.Y. USPS-465-940 Photo Submissions And Requests Photographs submitted to the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times should be in electronic high resolution (300dpi) JPEG (.jpg) or TIFF (.tif) formats. Sharp and clear non-Polaroid photo prints in color or black and white are also acceptable. Photographs submitted will become the property of this newspaper, with the exception of photos or other materials sent for use by The Old Timer and photos which are part of paid announcements. We welcome the submission of unsolicited photos or related materials for consideration of publication, but we cannot guarantee their use. The return of such photos or materials, except in cases as noted above, is not possible. We regret that we are unable to accommodate requests for photos taken by photographers working on assignment for the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times. MAUREEN E. WALTHERS.........................Publisher & Editor JOHN T. WALTHERS......................................Managing Editor ROBERT POZARYCKI...................................Associate Editor DEBORAH CUSICK.................................Classified Manager MARLENE RUIZ...........................Assist. Classified Manager TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association Reaching The Queens Homes Of Ridgewood, Glendale, Liberty Park, Maspeth, Middle Village, So. Elmhurst, Woodside, Sunnyside, Astoria, Long Island City, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Richmond Hill, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Elmhurst, And Kew Gardens. Reaching The Brooklyn Homes Of Ridgewood, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East Williamsburg And Williamsburg. COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement. Gaming The System On Illegal Immigration In 2012, the current administration made it clear that certain unaccompanied illegal minors would not be deported if caught. This helped create an atmosphere of tolerance that would be conducive to the current rash of illegal dumping of thousands of children from south of the border into the United States. Now we have a humanitarian crisis that appears to have been manufactured for political reasons. One would not have to be incredibly bright to predict that families in South and Central America, as well as in Mexico, would recognize a veiled invitation to get their children into the United States with little chance of deportation. Of course, the media are asking opponents of the administration for solutions to this crisis. Almost -SEE CARSON ON PG. 27- EDITORIAL Who could have believed just a few days ago that there would ever be a way to bring the U.S. and Iran together in a war, rather than on opposite sides? As recently as June 6, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ridiculed the U.S. as the “Great Satan” and declared our nation would sit idly by as Iran pursued a nuclear program. He stated this while speaking under a banner that bluntly declared, “America Cannot Do a Damn Thing.” But within 10 days time, the U.S. and Iran found themselves on the same side against an ultra-violent, ultra-extreme terrorist faction known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Syria), otherwise known as ISIS. This organization, formed amid the bloody civil war in Syria, has run roughshod through the region, raping, pillaging, plundering and murdering everything in its path. ISIS is proud to kill and display the bloodshed they commit through social media websites such as Twitter and YouTube. Over the weekend, they documented its soldiers executing lines of Iraqi soldiers and slaughtering truck drivers they questioned. Within the last week, ISIS—a group comprised of radical Sunni Muslims—took control of cities the U.S. fought hard to control during the war in Iraq over the last decade, including Fallujah, Kirkuk and Mosul. Now ISIS has Baghdad in its sights, but the city won’t be conquered without a fight. Shiite Muslims in Iraq were called by their religious leaders to take up arms and fight the ISIS insurgency. President Obama sent in nearly 300 troops to defend the American embassy in Baghdad. There were also unconfirmed reports that Iran’s leadership—which, like the Iraqi government, is predominantly Shiite—dispatched 500 of its Revolutionary Guard troops to help stop ISIS. Moreover, Secretary of State John Kerry—perhaps capitalizing on a classic “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” approach—left the door open for a possible U.S. alliance with Iran to prevent Iraq’s Shiite government from collapsing. Eleven years ago, the U.S. invaded Iraq in a vain pursuit of establishing a Middle East democracy and ridding the world of Saddam Hussein. It succeeded in the latter, failed miserably in the former and paid a heavy price both in casualties (more than 4,600 dead) and financial burdens (more than $2 trillion spent). The Obama administration, along with the American people, are weary after more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Going back to Iraq with another “surge” of American troops has many political, economic and social costs— none of which this president nor this nation seem willing to bear. But allowing Iraq to fall into the hands of a murderous theocratic regime would prove disastrous for the U.S. and the globe. An ISIS-led Iraq would be a giant terrorist training camp. There can be no doubt that such a regime would do nothing but export violence and murder around the world. Iran also realizes they would be the next target if ISIS takes Iraq, but they are a nation with the resources and political will to fight the enemy. Don’t think for a second that they wouldn’t use that leverage against the U.S. in any negotiations over an alliance against ISIS—and over Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear problem. Either way, the U.S. appears screwed, and years of bad diplomacy have come back to bite us once again. Knowing our history, we’ll make a deal with Iran and let them help Iraq defeat ISIS—and then, on some future date, Iran will stab us in the back, too. Few Challenges In 6/24 Congressional Primary Upstarts Face Velázquez & Meeks by Robert Pozarycki Just two local incumbent Congress members are facing challengers in the Democratic Congressional primary set to take place this Tuesday, June 24, the first of three elections this year. Polls will be open across the state from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. For information on voting or to find a polling place, call 1-212-VOTENYC. Only registered Democrats may participate in the primary. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, looking for her 11th term in the House of Representatives, is being challenged by attorney Jeff Kurzon for the Seventh Congressional District seat. The district includes parts of Maspeth (bounded by Grand and Metropolitan Avenues, Rust Street and 60th Street); Ridgewood (south of Metropolitan Avenue, west of Forest Avenue, 60th Street, Myrtle Avenue and the Long Island Rail Road Bay Ridge Branch); Bushwick (south of Flushing Avenue and east of Broadway, Grove Street, Bushwick Avenue, Gates Avenue, Madison Street, Central Avenue, Moffat Street and Wilson Avenue); Glendale (east of Brooklyn/Queens border and LIRR Bay Ridge Branch and south and west of Myrtle Avenue, 62nd Street, 80th Avenue and Cypress Hills Street); and all of Cypress Hills and Woodhaven. In southern Queens, incumbent -SEE PRIMARY ON PG. 26- ©Times Newsweekly - 2014 - MABID
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