Union protects illegals just for dues

Re: “Costly enforcement measures won’t fix broken system,” From Readers, May 2

An illusion is defined as a misleading appearance, a deception. Matt Nerzig, spokesman for the Service Employees International Union, is for all intents and purposes an illusionist in his letter calling for the cessation of enforcement measures with regard to illegal immigrants.

The illusion he presents has been conjured up many times: The immigration system is broken; enforcement is solely a federal responsibility; enforcement is too costly and unproductive, foments racial and ethnic tensions, and just appeases ideologues with an anti-immigrant social agenda; employers are unduly burdened; illegals do all the menial work and their fraudulent payment of Social Security taxes is deserving of de facto citizenship.

These concerns and assertions are high-sounding and noble, but a skeptic might suspect that Nerzig doth protest too much, and that there is more than a bit of deception intended. Could it not be reasonably assumed that the illusion he wishes to create is a subterfuge for his union’s concern about the loss of dues and membership from this captive group if full enforcement becomes a reality?

Jerome C. Burchard

Gainesville

Look who is pandering to Democratic voters now

Re: “Clinton chides Obama over gas tax holiday,” May 6

Sen. Barack Obama calls Sen. Hillary Clinton’s federal gasoline tax proposal “pandering,” yet he calls for a $1,000 tax rebate for all American families that will require us to borrow the funding from countries like China. If that isn’t pandering, I don’t know what is.

Jack Donner

Alexandria

Focus on right issues, not the Rev. Wright

Re: “Barack Obama will be judged by friends he kept,” From Readers, May 6

I am sick and tired of this Jeremiah Wright media feeding frenzy. There are more important issues for the candidates and certainly the political pundits to address: Skyrocketing gas prices, more than 5,000 young men and women who have been killed in Iraq, the lack of health care, the housing market, rising food prices — and the list goes on and on. 

Give it a break!

Joyce A. Fourth Clemons

Washington

Most Americans’ ancestors were against slavery

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright said in one of his recent TV appearances that he wants an apology from white Americans for the evils of slavery.

But most white Americans wouldn’t be the ones to apologize since the majority of their ancestors were against slavery.

In fact, the slavery problem delayed the ratification of a constitution by six years. The compromise involved the stipulation that the importing of slaves was to be terminated before 1808, and each male slave was to be counted as three-fifths of a person to maintain the balance of political power between the North and the South.

This fraction has been disparaged by those who have no understanding of the reason for it. Non-tax-paying American Indians weren’t counted at all.

After further compromises, such as the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the South saw an end to slavery in sight and attempted to secede, resulting in the deaths of 500,000 Americans. Surely, their descendants aren’t the ones from whom the Rev. Wright wants an apology!

He should look to the source of American slavery: The black tribal chiefs who sold their people in chains to slave traders for delivery to American plantation owners who needed cheap labor.

Joseph P. Carrigan

Fairfax

Debunking-myths column itself needs debunking

Re: “Debunking myths about oil,” April 29

Irwin Seltzer says it’s a myth that we are running out of oil. But since oil is finite, it began to run out when we drilled the first well in Titusville in 1859. Many experts believe we are now at or near the peak of global oil production.

Stelzer lists a number of “above ground” factors that limit current oil production, but most of these factors existed five years ago when oil cost only a quarter of what it does today. Hugo Chavez was in power in Venezuela, rebels were bombing pipelines in Nigeria, and Iraq was in turmoil.

What has changed is that while demand has increased, supply has no longer been able to expand. New fields coming into production must first offset declining fields before they can add to new supply.

Carl Henn

Rockville