My Point of View by Aaron Farris

 

America first. That simplistic, yet patriotic approach to global diplomacy is one that, until President Trump started using it, was one of little controversy and disagreement. For decades, Americans applauded their president when it came to putting the interests of the American people over what was best for other countries that cheated (and still continue to cheat) in regards to the global market, global organizations whose sole purpose in having the United States in their organization is to take our money and give to other countries whose leaders don’t have the interests of their own country at heart (let alone ours), or countries that are proud of being enemies of the United States. The kind of mindset that now dominates a large faction of the Democratic Party that it is “racist” or “un-American” to believe in putting America first is truly sad. I am young enough to remember back to elementary school when children were taught the Pledge of Allegiance, and it was said on a daily (if not, very close to daily) basis. I remember when the children of Freeborn County were taught to respect our police officers, to respect others’ right to free speech and to honor the brave men and women who have and continue to give their lives in defense of this country and the rights that we often take for granted. It is important that we as Americans learn to once again believe that the leaders of the United States (a country that has in many ways helped a plurality of the world’s countries) should be putting our interests over those of foreign countries and entities.

On the topic of immigration, Democrats want open borders (if you don’t believe me, watch the Democratic debates), because they claim that it is the moral and ethical thing to do, and that to limit those who wish to come into the United States using a merit-based system, would be an unforgivable smear upon the record of the United States. (Translation: Put citizens of another country over Americans.) Open borders would also enable human trafficking, which has become a growing problem in recent years. These kinds of immigration policies are reckless, unrealistic and don’t put America first. Democrats like to pain asylum as being the exact same as trying to emigrate somewhere, when it is very far from that.

Asylum-seeking should be done in the first safe country that you come across. For example, if you live in Venezuela, Cuba or Nicaragua (countries that have been destroyed by socialism) and want to leave because it is unsafe for you to live there, go to the first safe haven that you come across and apply for asylum. Asylum is not a system where it is made for someone to pick and choose where they want to go. Asylum-seeking is a matter of life or death. Republicans like myself support a merit-based immigration system where those who love America want to contribute to the factors that make it such a great country to live in. America is the most gracious country in the world when it comes to immigration. We take in more people legally every year than any other country in the world. Personally, I think that’s pretty impressive!

When it comes to trade, that is another issue where Democrats like to put other countries ahead of the United States. The most recent and relevant example I can think of is Speaker Pelosi absolutely refusing to bring the USMCA trade agreement to the House floor for a vote, where it would receive bipartisan support, including from the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Minnesota’s own Democratic Congressman Collin Petersen. This deal would be a win-win-win for American farmers, including our own here in Freeborn County. The only reason Speaker Pelosi will not bring this to the floor for a vote is because not giving President Trump a win is more important to her than solving the problems within our horrible trade deals that she and her party constantly complain about. Madame Speaker, the solution to the problems that you claim to care so much about is right in front of you, and the only person stopping it benefiting so many people is yourself.

On Jan. 20, 2017, during his inaugural address, President Trump said the following: “From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first. America first.” With those words, you would think that the Democratic Party, who claims to represent so many of us in middle America, would have rejoiced at the news of America finally being put first on the world stage. Clearly, that wasn’t their reaction. How very, very sad for a party that “represents” so many of us.

Aaron Farris is the secretary of the Freeborn County Republican Party. He is the party’s youngest activist.