The Assimilation Factor

by Howard Husock - May 13th, 2008 - The New York Sun

A hundred years ago, there was a pro-assimilation movement led by the nation’s cultural elite. Across the country, more than 400 settlement houses — from New York’s Henry Street to Chicago’s Hull House — were established. Their mission, taken up by the privileged of that era, included Americanization of newcomers. Indeed, the Pledge of Allegiance, first published in 1892, was written as a primer of America’s values just when immigration was hitting its peak.

Today, the pledge is regarded as chauvinistic, particularly by those who should be leading the assimilation effort. We can’t bemoan low levels of immigrant assimilation if 21st century America’s most fortunate lack the cultural self-confidence to promote it.

It is true. America is in the process of losing on so many fronts because so many of our most successful feel guilt and self hatred, not pride, for their success and the success of our nation. Compare Teddy Roosevelt's attitude (shown below) to the attitude of the socialist, pacifist, group grievance dominated Democrat Party of Barack Obama.

Even more dramatic, compare the whining about our economy with its current reality. We have the lowest unemployment of any major society on earth. We are at all time highs in home ownership. Our poor are better off than the middle class in almost every other nation with 75% owning their cars. Yet all we can focus on is the "possibility" that it might not keep going up at a "good enough" rate.

We have had growth, even though weak, for the last two quarters. Nevertheless our nation is now whining about the fact that it is not good enough. Chicken little politicians are claiming that it is the fault of the party that opposed the major causes of economic weakness. The cause is high energy prices. For years Democrat dominated energy policy has been based on the hypothesis that there is global warming and man is causing it, or that environmental requirements demand we must not drill for oil. Therefore we have committed to not drilling for oil in our nation, even though any rational analysis proves that only if all nations stop drilling could it make any difference. NONE of the rest of the world who have oil have stopped. Therefore our not drilling is useless. I repeat, NOT DRILLING FOR OIL IS USELESS.

In addition, it is Democrat dominated policy that has left our assimilation of immigrants in shambles and our borders open to illegal foreign invasion. No country in history has been as stupidly ruled as the Pelosi-Reid dominated America has been ruled.

How have these two been allowed to persuade the country that their control of our legislature still leaves them blameless for the problems they have caused?