A Day Without An Immigrant

You may have heard of the brilliantly conceived (if somewhat less brilliantly executed) film, "A Day Without A Mexican".  In the movie, Southern California awakens to an absence of Mexicans, and the world grinds to a stop because no one is there to provide the infrastructural support needed for society to operate.  I've seen real-life, miniature examples of this, such as when ICE raids on South Beach and in St. Thomas have temporarily closed entire shopping areas.  If you've been reading what I write for awhile, you know that I am very much in favor of immigration controls and no apologist for those who ignore our immigration laws.  But that being said, I am also a pragmatist who understands the role these currently-illegal migrants play in our very …

The Death of a Sickly Embargo

Having emigrated from Cuba in 1966, I have lived under the rules of the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba since resettling in the United States with my parents.  I grew up in South Florida, where the Cuban-American community sincerely believed for many, many years that the economic pressure imposed by the embargo would succeed in displacing Castro's communist regime.As I grew up, this faith seemed more and more misplaced, and in this past decade, through several sanctioned visits to Cuba, I eventually came to the conclusion that the embargo had never been, and would never be, effective in achieving its purpose.  In fact, the embargo seemed to have become Fidel Castro's primary weapon for staying in power, a powerful tool for demonizing American interests and creating the &quot…

Obama Announces Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The New York Times reported today that the Obama administration has reiterated its intention to tacklecomprehensive immigration reform this year.  Among the objectives is the creation of a viable mechanism giving legal status to the estimated 12 million illegal migrants living in the U.S.  The news of this effort is enthusiastically received by those affected as well as by the many U.S. employers who depend upon such workers for their operations.This bit of great news, along with the Administration's current attention on ending the 50 year old, toothless, worthless trade and travel embargo on Cuba, suggests that this administration has as much bite as they do bark. 'Bout time someone in Washington did……