Assemblyman Chuck DeVore Is Boycotting Vicente Fox's Visit To The State Capitol

I'm sure more than a few OC Blog readers have seen the recent post up on FlashReport about this, but it's worth reposting on Orange County's blog of record.

I offer my thanks to DeVore.  It shows he's is out front on the issue of illegal immigration and an equitable relationship with Mexico. 

Fox is a foreign leader who continues to thumb his nose at the American people, demanding that we greet his unlawful citizenry with goodwill while cleverly providing lip service to Bush and the press.  I have seen nothing to suggest Fox is at all sympathetic to the plight of the American taxpayer.  Why is the California legislature honoring this man with the podium?

So far only DeVore and soon-to-be Lt. Governor Tom McClintock have stated they won't attend the Fox speech.  Are there any other OC legislators willing to stand up for their constituents in opposition to Fox?

UPDATE: DeVore has also sent a letter to Vicente Fox about his grievances.  It's posted in green at the bottom of Jon Fleischman's commentary today.  And it's attached below the Assemblyman's latest blog post on his campaign website.

Comments

[Jon Dumitru]

KUDOS to Chuck and to Tom...its good to see somebody enough is enough.

[Slob Rutzman]

I think that's great. When they criticize Fox for what he says they'll sound like those wingnuts who criticize movies they have never seen.

And, they look like hypocrites too since they always slam democrats for not crossing picket lines because they disagree with the labor practices of an establishment.

Way to take yourself out of the media spotlight! Keep up the good work!

[Not in the 5th]

Right now Vicente Fox is saying, "Chuck who?"

[Slob Rutzman]

Have either of these two boycotters officially asked the Republican leadership to walk out on Fox.

If not, then their actions are pretty lame.

[Art Pedroza]

I know I will be boycotting any of RINO Lynn Daucher's visits to the 34th Senate District...

[Andy Favor]

Would it be possible to directly engage the Mexican President a la Ronald Reagan in front of the Berlin Wall, and say, something like "President Fox, if you truly care for your people you will tear down the bariers to foreign investment. Lower your taxes. Slash your regulations, and stengthen property rights."

I would pay dearly to see Tom McClintock stand up to Vicente Fox and call him out.

[Chuck DeVore]

To some of the previous posters: Have you actually read my letter to the Mexican president? Before hitting me for my walkout, you should check out what I said.

Interestingly, the New York Times, of all outlets, has a story today entitled, “Some in Mexico See Border Wall as Opportunity.” It reads, in part:

“To build, or not to build, a border of walls? The debate in the United States has started some Mexicans thinking it is not such a bad idea.

“…But, surprisingly, another view is gaining traction: that good fences can make good neighbors.

“A wall could dissuade illegal immigrants from their perilous journeys across the Sonora Desert and force societies on both sides to confront their dependence on an industry characterized by exploitation, they say.

“The old blame game — in which Mexico attributed illegal migration to the voracious American demand for labor and accused lawmakers of xenophobia — has given way to a far more soul-searching discussion, at least in quarters where policies are made and influenced, about how little Mexico has done to try to keep its people home.

“If Mexicans were really shut inside their country, Mr. Rodríguez said, Mexico might be forced to get its own house in order.”

It’s this last point I really hammer home in my letter to President Fox, pointing out the hypocrisy of his calling for America not to toughen immigration enforcement while Mexico not only has tough laws aimed at illegal immigration, but also refuses to educate all its citizens and give them adequate economic opportunity.

This New York Times piece is remarkable for its candor. I recommend it highly.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District

www.ChuckDeVore.com

Right now Lynn Daucher is saying, "Art who?"

If Daucher is indeed saying, "Art who?" it is because she is completely ignorant of the 34th District. Like Art or not, he is a major activist there and she is a carpetbagger. Comprende?

[Pat]

Good job, Mr. DeVore. You are ahead of the curve on this issue.

Chuck---Where can we find the letter?

[Chuck DeVore]

It's on my website on my blog: www.ChuckDeVore.com.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District

[Bladerunner]

Assemblyman,

I didn't think you'd be citing the New York Times but, all the news thats fit to print...

I liked most of your letter. Mexico does need to be confronted with the hypocrisy(although in fairness they have had a long term insurgency going on near their southern border). And I agree that the best long term solution to the immigration influx from Mexico is an improvement in their economy. As one commentator said " It's the economy stupid...Mexico's."

That being said I think you lose some of the intellectual high ground when you then start talking about the costs of illegal immigration without talking about the benefits. The societal costs may be higher then the benefits but to mention one without acknowledging at least some of the other generally turns the conversation to your bias rather then on what you've correctly pointed out is an inconsistent policy coming from south of the border. Better to have just left that part out.

As for your boycott, its an American tradition for sure. I like to think that boycotts, walkouts, silent periods have some value but often tend to cloud the picture. We talk about how rude some college students were to Condelezza Rice rather then what's wrong with our foreign policy. We talk about how rude some Republican legislators are in not listeneing to a neighboring head of state instead of talking about Vincente casting the beam out of his own eye.

If its the only way that you feel you can draw attention to the issue then better a boycott then an embarassing walkout or disruption(I can just see Ray Haynes yelling out "Remember the Alamo"). But as a rule I think we want our elected representatives to politely listen to a visiting head of state...and then give him or her hell later if they deserve it.

[Jerry Amante]

As I said yesterday at the FlashReport...Good for you Chuck. We know what Fox will say. We've heard it all before. It's frankly disgusting that our disfunctional legislature is entertaing Mr. Fox. Look up hypocrisy...there's a picture of Vincente Fox and his Government. Enough really is enough!

[Thomas Gordon]

Good for Chuck Devore and Tom McClintock.

Vicente has looted the California taxpayers wallet.

He has cost this state more than 60 MILLION dollars by sending his poorest, most uneducated masses to this country to steal free schooling, healthcare, housing and more.

The "No Illegal Alien Left Behind" bill being forced upon is the worst thing this US Senate has ever done.

BUT.

There is hope.

At least 13 Pennsylvania incumbent state legislators including the Senate President Pro Tempore ,Majority Leader and House Majority Leader were voted out.

This WILL happen across this country unless those elected by us, start listening to us.

[Chuck DeVore]

To Bladerunner:

In 2002, Pres. Fox refused to meet Pres. Bush at his ranch in Crawford. Reason: the pending execution of a Mexican national who murdered a police officer in Texas.

That snub was certainly much more serious and high profile than my staying away from the Assembly floor this afternoon.

Lastly, in staying away, I have drawn attention to the issue. First, that we do not appreciate a foreign head of state telling us how to reform our immigration laws while a guest in our nation. Second, that Mexico itself treats its illegal immigration problem much more agressively than we are even considering.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District
www.ChuckDeVore.com

[Andy Favor]

Chuck,

I applaud what your are doing. However, wouuld it be more beneficial to raise ecconmic policies in Mexico rather than what they do in regard to immigration from the south?

Are you a Cato Institute supporter?

Here is a clip from the announcement about this year's Milton Friedman Prize that was awarded a few weeks ago:

Former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar Wins Friedman Prize for Liberty
WASHINGTON -- The Cato Institute today announced that the recipient of the 2006 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty is Mart Laar, the former prime minister of Estonia and main architect of his country's remarkable economic transformation into one of the world's freest and most dynamic economies.

Throughout his public life, Laar has embodied the values of liberty and free choice recognized by the prize, and his dedication to these ideals helped him to lead his country to economic prosperity through a radical free market program.

Today, Estonia is hailed as a model for emerging democracies and is cited as an example that ailing Western European economies should follow too. Consistently near the top of the Economic Freedom of the World Index, Estonia is now a member of NATO, the EU and the WTO, with well over 90 percent of its formerly state-run economy privatized.

When Laar took the reins of power of the newly independent country in 1992, he was only 32 years old, and Estonia was struggling to heal from the wounds of Soviet occupation. Laar believed that the way to ensure success for Estonia was to cultivate freedom and self-determination. In only two years in office, he negotiated the withdrawal of Russian troops from Estonian soil and introduced the kroon, one of Eastern Europe's most stable currencies. He also instituted a flat tax rate, a move which has been widely copied—even in Russia. Under Laar, Estonia removed price controls, discounted useless regulations, and saw the largest real per capita income of any of the former Communist states.

But as Laar, who served two terms as prime minister, has pointed out, he is not an economist: "I had read only one book on economics—Milton Friedman's Free to Choose. I was so ignorant at the time that I thought that what Friedman wrote about the benefits of privatization, the flat tax and the abolition of all customs rights, was the result of economic reforms that had been put into practice in the West. It seemed common sense to me and, as I thought it had already been done everywhere, I simply introduced it in Estonia, despite warnings from Estonian economists that it could not be done. They said it was as impossible as walking on water. We did it: we just walked on the water because we did not know that it was impossible."

"Mart Laar, who was inspired by Milton Friedman, is the perfect Friedman Prize winner," said Ed Crane, president and CEO of the Cato Institute. "His courageous program as Estonia's prime minister created the 'Baltic Tiger,' a free and prosperous nation that is a model for the world to emulate. Laar's selection again underscores the international nature of the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty."

In 2001, Friedman agreed to lend his name to the award. He said in a statement about the award: "Those of us who were fortunate enough to live and be raised in a reasonably free society tend to underestimate the importance of freedom. We tend to take it for granted. It has made us in the West more complacent, so having a prize emphasizing liberty is extremely important."

Freedom works!

I hope to join you in December Chuck!

Andy Favor

[Bladerunner]

Assemblyman Devore, I agree that President Fox's 2002 snub of President Bush was more serious and high profile then your staying away from the Assembly floor this afternoon. So is this political payback?
I believe Fox's snub of Bush,notwithstanding what Fox said, had much more to do with politics then policy(he was and is perceived by many south of the border as Bush's errand boy). Is that what's going on here?

I agree that your boycott draws attention to the issue of a foreign head of state telling us how to reform our immigration laws while a guest in our nation. So can we count on you to boycott(along with press release and letter) any official visit and speech of Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahem? The P.M., as I'm sure you recall, while a guest in our nation on March 17, 2006, urged Pesident Bush and the Congress to pass the Kennedy-McCain bill immigration bill and give relief(spelled A-M-N-E-S-T-Y to Republicans)to the estimated 50,000-70,000 Irish in the U.S. without legal documents.

Chuck,

I guess I'm the only person that thought that you should have went to see el Presidente Fox.

After all the country of Mexico is not going anywhere. President Fox inheirented his country's problems and is working to move it in the right direction. We can help Mexico be a greater nation or we can seal the border and allow it to be the next Venezuela. Of course I'm not saying that we allow things to continue or we give full amnesty but that we have to keep the diologue open.

We need to be diplomatic about these issues and turning your back on this issues is not diplomatic.

[Girliegirl]

The Mexican government is so crooked it is pathetic. Illegal immigrants INTO Mexico are sent packing.....while their criminals and trash come to the US for handouts. The multi-billions of dollars these people have cost us would fix social security, make sure every citizen had proper healthcare, and lower federal, state, county, local and school district taxes.
Assyman DeVore..........YOU GO GUY!!!!

Girlgirl

Your naive.

You sound like that Santa Margarita racist lady who hired house-cleaners to clean her house but then called the cops when she lost her purse. these three house cleaners got deported because the lady misplaced her purse at the resturant.

The point is that everyday people complain about these people while they are being served by them. whether it is cleaning their car, house or table.

Let's ask Chuck whether he using house cleaners to clean his house? Before you answer that question please know that one of your neigbors is a friend of mine. please, let's not use the common employer response that is their papers looked credible.

[Chuck DeVore]

To Anonymous on May 28 at 6:00 PM:

That's easy. We've NEVER, in 18 years of marriage, had ANYONE over to clean our house. Further, we've NEVER had a groundskeeper. Diane and I do all our own work around the house, thank you very much. I find that pulling weeds can be just as satisfying as voting "no" in Sacramento (of course, that's probably why my landscape isn't the best looking in the neighborhood).

Now, as to your your "friend" who's a "neighbor" of mine, perhaps he or she has me mistaken for someone else.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
70th Assembly District
www.ChuckDeVore.com

[Thomas Gordon]

Hey Chuck,

I was born in America and I would be willing to come over and help you mow your lawn.

Maybe we can get your lookie loo neighbor to help us!

Thomas Gordon