Re: America Border Wall Part Two [Village News, Maynard Letter, 6/23/22]

As a general comment, I think it is poor form to blow one’s own horn as a peerless, fearless reporter of the truth and then rehash some old canards. Cases in point:

1. No, illegal aliens are not taking jobs away from U.S. citizens. Unemployment rates are at historic lows and small businesses are still having difficulty in getting new hires.

2. No, illegal aliens are not a drag on our economy. According to Cal Matters: “...undocumented workers play a key role in California’s economy, contributing an estimated $3.7 billion in annual state and local tax revenues. Additionally, these workers hold one in 16 jobs in the state, many of whom were deemed ‘essential workers’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.” (5 April 2022) For source, see “California’s new benefits for undocumented immigrants are not enough, workers say”.

Yes, illegal immigrants (children) come in to Los Angeles by air (and land) for transfer to their parents. Nothing mysterious, nothing new. For source, see “’Ghost flights' are the latest GOP effort to weaponize immigration ahead of midterms” (NPR, 20 June 2022)

No, the media are not hiding the statistics on opioid overdosing deaths. The Los Angeles Times recently noted “US overdose deaths rose past a record 107,000 last year” (11 May 2022). The CDC regularly produces a number of statistics like this, but you’re not likely to see them on a newspaper’s front page. The 107,00 figure includes the 70,000+ fentanyl overdoses plus others. I assume you also know the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in 2020 and 2021: guns.

If you think the fentanyl crisis sprang up full blown on Biden’s watch, you haven’t done your homework. Fentanyl overdose death rates began rising exponentially in 2014. For source, see “NIH Overdose Death Rates.” Also, read up on the fortune the Sackler family made with their Purdue pharmacy that got doctors to over prescribe addictive OxyContin, and the addicts who went on to fentanyl when Oxycontin was no longer enough. That said, the US has always been a profitable market for mind-altering drugs.

Also, I see a (feeble) attempt to use one of the Republicans’ favorite fallacies: the fallacy of false equality. Specifically, the Democratic policy on immigration is just that: policy. It’s ridiculous to equate it to seditious conspiracy. Just observe Congress’s hearings on the Jan. 6 insurrection and the FBI’s indictments of the Oath Keepers leaders to see the real thing.

John H. Terrell