The recent protests involving the takeover of streets and freeways in California set off a lot of law-abiding citizens.

The Democrats talked up the Jan. 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol like it was the worst thing since Dec. 7, 1941 – it definitely didn’t come close – but when their constituents shut down freeways like the 101, well, that’s acceptable practice to them.

Some local Latinos who don’t care about the rule of law regarding foreign invaders and want anyone coming across the border shut down a section of Crows Landing Road and many ditched school for the protest.

I never think it’s okay for anyone to shut down our transportation arteries to make their political points. At least it was more appropriate for protests at the Capitol than for groups of people to shut down our roads and freeways. 

What really upsets many Americans is the fact that the Mexican flag was waved at these street takeovers. How ironic that folks who want to be in the greatest nation on earth think more highly of the country many of them fled.

As Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided cannot stand.”

Something is lost with this newer generation. They seem to have zero allegiance to the United States, only to their ethnicity or their “people.”

Nobody is against immigrants but the majority of Americans have a big problem with border jumpers. After Biden idly let millions flood our country while he did nothing, it’s time to put forth an immigration policy based on merit. This policy would allow you to become a U.S. citizen if you have something to offer, some skills or talents, not be allowed to come in because you’re poor and need taxpayer subsidies.

And one requirement needs to be a demonstration that you fully embrace American values, our Constitution, our heritage, our way of life and that you are all about America First. 

We must severely restrict the numbers of immigrants who come in each year, not the willy-nilly policy of take in the world’s poor. We’ve already taken in too many under Biden. The U.S is trillions of dollars in debt. 

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If you elected Democrats in the state Legislature, they crammed through their so-called $50 million “Trump proofing of California.” Democrats even rejected a GOP effort to insert a stipulation that legal fees cannot be spent defending felony criminals who are illegal immigrants. Apparently Democrats want those kinds of folks to stay put amongst us.

One of the groups that receive OUR TAX DOLLARS is a group named the California Immigrant Policy Center. Their website reads “Fighting Mass Detention & Deportation.” That group also funds ICE Out of California, an effort to keep federal immigration authorities from doing its job.

Trump needs to fight fire with fire by withholding federal funds to California in response. As a Californian, do I want us to suffer? No, but a message needs to be sent to these treasonous out-of-control Democrats occupying offices in Sacramento.

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Proposition 36 is already paying off handsomely. Last November California voters wised up and passed the measure to increase penalties for shoplifting, burglary and carjacking. It reversed the lax policy under Newsom’s Prop. 47 passed by the voters in 2014 which made it open season on businesses with smash-and-grabs.

In San Diego County, 429 people have been arrested and booked on charges impacted by Prop. 36 as of Feb. 5. Of those, San Diego County Assistant Sheriff Dustin Lopez said 75% were drug-related crimes and the other 25% were related to theft.

Southern California Comics owner Jamie Newbold is relieved Prop. 36 passed because his store has been the victim of multiple attempted burglaries. “Let’s hope that it puts the fear of God into the thieves who casually and cavalierly walk into a business and pluck something and walk right out,” he was quoted as saying by KUSI, Fox 5 in San Diego. Amen.

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A certain businessman I’ve become acquainted with seemed to be on the fence about Trump late last year. For sure, he disliked Biden and thought Harris was an empty suit and he was scared that Trump wouldn’t win. I assured him that Trump would be elected and undo the damage done to our country by Biden. After Trump was soundly elected my friend was wringing his hands over the threat of tariffs, saying it would make everything cost even more than it already reached under Biden.

Just the mere threat of tariffs set a fire under Mexican officials to dispatch 10,000 Mexican troops to secure their side of our southern border. According to Jose Luis Santos Iza, a Mexican National Guard leader, “There will be permanent surveillance on the border” and that “this operation is primarily to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, mainly fentanyl.”

Canada has also responded with affirmations that they will do a better job of securing the northern border. Fentanyl makes its way into Vancouver ports and then into the U.S. across the border that Washington shares with Canada.

It’s nice to see such progress in just the first month.

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I’m not sure the Democrats learned anything from the presidential election.

Three weeks into Trump’s terms we hear that they want to impeach him – once again. Apparently they don’t understand that the American people spoke loud and clear that they’re tired of illegal immigrants flooding our country, tired of being taxed to death only to see the massive waste in government spending and fed up with ridiculous DEI programs. Trump has tackled all of those issues in his first month.

The vast numbers of Americans also believe in the right to protect themselves from criminals, meaning the right to own guns. So who did the Democratic National Convention just pick for their vice chair? David Hogg, who became famous as a high schooler after the Parkland, Florida school shooting. Hogg became the poster child to steal guns from from us law-abiding citizens. Hogg also has openly called for the defunding the police, abolishing ICE, and other leftist positions. At 24, Hogg is just another skull full of mush used by lefties. Hogg’s fans include Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz who, thank God, is not our vice president right now.

Hogg thinks he’s the Democrat Party’s savior. Last November he told Politico “Our party failed to connect with voters this year because they felt like we ignored them.”

Well, no David, voters ignored YOU. His playbook is worn out and they rejected your ideology as unworkable. But keep doing what you’re doing because President J.D. Vance has a nice ring to it.

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I had high hopes that the new Whitmore Park gazebo was going to look as though it was worth the nearly half million dollars being spent on it. But it looks nearly the same as the old one which was, in my opinion, solid and safe.

Due to a contractor goof up, the project is taking much longer than it should. Apparently they will be eating the cost of their mistake.

But in the end, what a colossal waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars that undoubtedly cost Bret Silveira the election since he was the one who pushed for it. You heard right – that project was funded by COVID relief money (ARPA) which in reality was placed on the nation’s credit card to be paid back by generations yet born.

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Speaking of wasting taxpayer dollars, why are the Democrats like Cory Booker and John Garamendi screaming bloody murder over Trump’s quest to trim the government of wasteful spending?

As you scramble to pay your taxes this April, ask yourself why the government spends:

• $700,000 studying how a male parrot attracts a female parrot;

• $118,000 to have the National Science Foundation study finger snapping only to have them conclude that “varying … friction between the fingers alters the performance of a snap…”

• Hundreds of thousands of dollars to determine if Neil Armstrong’s famous first words on the Moon were “One small step for man” or “One small step for a man.” It was clear to anyone with good hearing that he didn’t say “a man.” Alas, the National Science Foundation said it was ambiguous.

• $10,000 given to the Bearded Ladies Cabaret to underwrite ice skating shows pushing the climate change narrative;

• $2  million to fund Moroccan pottery classes;

• Over $1 million to fund research in the Wuhan lab (which returned the favor by giving us COVID in 2019 and 2020);

• $20 million to fund Sesame Street in Iraq of all places;

• $1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia’s workplaces;

• $70,000 to put on a DEI musical in Ireland;

• $2.5 million to buy electric vehicles in Vietnam;

• $47,000 to put on a transgender opera in Colombia;

• $2 million for sex change operations and LGBT activism in Peru.

And on and on and on. I could fill this edition with examples of insane spending by our government.

Cut away but it won’t come close to the reducing the $2 trillion overspending Uncle Sam does each year. The cumulative effect of this wanton overspending is our national debt is at $36.45 trillion and climbing.

Drastic measures are required.EE

Cut the U.S. Department of Education. States are responsible for school systems.

Sell the 300,000 federal buildings that are vacant or underutilized.

Sell off the millions of acres the land owned in the west.

This column is the opinion of Jeff Benziger, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Ceres Courier or 209 Multimedia Corporation.  How do you feel about this? Let Jeff know at jeffb@cerescourier.com