NewBostonPost Endorses Rick Green in Massachusetts Third Congressional District Race
By NBP Editorial Board | October 22, 2018, 12:29 EDT
Of all the thorny issues that need to be dealt with in Congress, immigration perhaps tops the list. Currently we have the spectacle of thousands of men, women, and children marching from Central America towards our borders to enter America illegally. But we have an even more tragic spectacle: Democratic politicians of all stripes throughout the country encouraging immigrants to enter America illegally and calling for the abolition of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
What is Rick Green’s position on sanctuary cities, which trample the rule of law? Green makes it clear that while he supports legal immigration, which has been a vital and positive force in American life, he is strongly opposed to illegal immigration and the blight of sanctuary cities. He makes it clear that sanctuary cities undermine the rule of law, and if carried to an extreme, lead to anarchy – as politicians and bureaucrats selectively decide which laws they will obey and which laws they will ignore.
What is Rick Green’s opponent Lori Trahan’s position on immigration and sanctuary cities? Trahan tries to avoid the issue by stressing that Congress needs to pass a new immigration bill that would put “constraints” on federal authorities from imposing an “overzealous” crackdown on illegal immigrants. No formal vote to become a sanctuary city would be needed if federal immigration agents can’t do their jobs. And while Trahan has avoided the more extreme left-wing rhetoric of abolishing ICE, if you hamstring ICE, you get some of the same effect.
Lori Trahan has mastered the art of appearing more moderate than she really is. Immigration is a good example of it. Americans reject sanctuary cities by a large margin, and by an even larger margin, they oppose open borders and the abolition of ICE. Trahan’s rhetoric sounds reasonable on these matters, but her policies would make a bad situation worse. Trahan is greatly at odds with the American people on this critical issue.
Another key issue on which Rick Green and Lori Trahan disagree is taxes. Last year, the Trump administration passed the Tax Cuts and Job Act. There were two major themes in this act: to reduce corporate tax rates and to cut taxes for most taxpayers. Before the act was passed, America had the highest corporate tax rate of any developed country in the world. (At 35 percent, it was far higher that the rates in most other industrialized nations.) American corporations parked over $2 trillion in overseas banks, because repatriating these funds would have caused a huge tax burden. With the reduction of the corporate tax rate to 21 percent, these funds are flowing back to the United States for investment in plants and equipment and increased dividends for stockholders – including many ordinary Americans who are depending on 401(k) investments to provide them income in retirement. Secondly, the act cut taxes for the ordinary taxpayer: more than 80 percent of American households saw a reduction in their tax bill.
Lori Trahan would have voted against the Tax Cut and Job Act, which has helped the economy grow at the fastest rate in a decade. Black and Latino unemployment are at record lows. Unemployment across the country is 3.7%. In Massachusetts, it’s slightly lower.
Rick Green supports the Tax Cut and Job Act. He and his brother founded a company which now has over 450 employees. He understands how tax cuts help not just large corporations but also small businesses and the people that work for them.
The extraordinary economic growth and expansion of jobs that we’re seeing would not be possible without the Trump tax cuts. Green is for it. Trahan is against it.
Massachusetts needs a representative in the Third Congressional District who will protect jobs that might otherwise go to illegal aliens. We need a politician who supports the rule of law, who puts principle over power politics – not power over principle, as the Democratic Party does in seeking open border policies and the undermining of ICE. And citizens in Massachusetts need at least one Congressman in Washington who understands how to create jobs and grow the economy. Massachusetts needs Rick Green.