I am in recovery mode
I didn’t write my column last week due to computer problems I had with viruses, causing me to be very late on my deadline. So, I received several calls from people who usually wait for it to find out what’s happening around us.
Other times, when I write, the comments are about criticisms of the content. I know you can’t please everybody, and what they say doesn’t concern me.
This week is one of those weeks: I predict that some will complain, saying that I am the spokesperson for the mayor of Lawrence. They can’t stand seeing him on the front page and think nobody should admire the mayor for anything.
First, it’s not my job to acclaim the mayor’s performance or deeds. Any article involving his duties is from a journalistic perspective (remember, I am not a journalist; I just pretend to be one). One thing is for sure: I take this job very seriously.
This edition is full of “good news” stories. Every page has something to smile about because it is about success, happiness, and achievement, the reason for which we created Rumbo. Our job is not to make politicians look good; we thank them for their excellent work for the city and scold them when they do not. Ask some of them, and they’ll say that I was awful, untrue, and so on, but the evidence that I was proper stays.
If in doubt, read my column of September 8, 2024.
Housing need in Lawrence
In this edition, you will find some articles about how the city is making a dent in this problem. Many residents suffer the consequences of high rents, paying for a small apartment up to $3,000 while working two or three jobs to afford it.
Building these rental units will provide a respite from that situation.
We realize that property taxes have not increased sufficiently to demand those increases, but it’s a matter of supply and demand; the city is growing, and landlords know that someone will come along and pay the asking price.
When the property owner asks a tenant to pay $300 or more starting the following month, he’ll be collecting $3,600 additional dollars after the increase from that one unit, and I’m sure their taxes didn’t go up that much. Imagine if he has more than one apartment rental! That’s abusive!
Of course, Section 8 is always coming to the rescue and if they fall behind on their monthly rent, the city will help with up to three months in arrears. That’s also part of the reason why rents are so high. Landlords as well as tenants got the hang of it!
These new apartments will undoubtedly alleviate the housing shortage in this city.
Noncitizens voting
It is not a new argument because we have known for many years that residents who are not United States citizens have been voting in our elections. Some states even allow them to vote in local and state elections, but the Federal Government still forbids it.
The truth, however, is that noncitizens have been barred from voting in federal elections since 1924. In 1996, Congress made noncitizen voting in federal elections a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment.
In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections, including elections for the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and presidential elections. This law does not apply to elections for state and local offices.
On December 9, 2021, the New York City Council approved Int. 1867-2020, which extended the right to vote in municipal elections to lawful permanent residents and other non-citizens authorized to work in the United States. The council voted 33-14 in favor of the legislation, making New York City the largest city in the nation at the time to authorize voting by non-citizens.
This year, because of the influx of illegal immigrants who have been instructed in Mexico to register to vote for the current administration, the government is taking measures to prevent that.
The Daily Signal, an online publication, had an article on September 18, 2024, by Ben Johnson titled Experts Predict Up to 2.7M Votes Will Be Cast by Illegal Immigrants on that topic. Here are some excerpts:
“Do you plan to vote this November? You’re not alone. Experts say somewhere between 1.5 million and 2.7 million illegal immigrants are likely to cast a ballot in the 2024 elections, affecting races from dogcatcher to president of the United States.
“A 2014 academic journal found that 6.4% of noncitizens voted in 2008,” Kerri Toloczko, executive director of Election Integrity Network and senior adviser to the Only Citizens Vote Coalition, told The Washington Stand. ‘There are about 24 million noncitizens in the U.S. right now. If they voted only at the same rate of 6.4% this year as they did in 2008, they would account for 1.5 million votes.’
“The author of that study—James D. Agresti, the president and co-founder of the think tank and fact-check website Just Facts—confirmed to the Washington Stand that ‘the most comprehensive, transparent, and rigorous study on this matter found that about 2 [million] to 5 million noncitizens are illegally registered to vote, and aggressive attempts to debunk the study have completely failed.”
Ben Johnson is senior reporter and editor at The Washington Stand. You may contact Ben at Ben Johnson@TheRightsWriter.
Last week, Congress met to vote to request proof of citizenship before voting through a passport, birth certificate, native tribe identification, etc. All the Democrats, plus one Republican, voted against it. What is their logic? Wherever we go, we must show identification. Yes, the legislators claimed that everyone knows that one must be a citizen to vote. It is happening, and we must try to curve or eliminate the chance that foreigners rule this country by making the wrong selections at the state and local levels.
Many arguments exist about why we should not ask for identification before voting. Some say that many residents do not have IDs; if they drive, they must have a driver’s license. They can also get an ID card from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. If citizens, no problem. That way, we can make sure, at least, that they won’t be voting for someone else.
But recently, I read about the negatives of asking for IDs.
“Requiring Americans to prove their citizenship to register to vote would exclude millions of citizens from the political process,” Kevin Morris, Cora Henry, June 11, 2024.
Have you ever heard anything more senseless?
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