President offers optimism in the face of ignorance

President Barack Obama was in Albuquerque, N.M. Sept. 28 to discuss issues ranging from the economy to immigration and veterans’ issues, and while knee-jerk critics reduced the appearance to a campaign photo-op, the president reminded listeners that he is listening to constituents’ concerns and attempting to help solve some of the nation’s most vexing problems.

The president’s remarks, in a residential backyard, were a typically inspiring and comforting reminder that this is a magnetic, thoughtful, deeply intelligent leader who understands the complexity of many issues — not the least of which is immigration — yet he has been unfairly maligned at every turn by so many less impressive people.

Opening the event to questions from the audience, Obama was immediately asked the obligatory question about comprehensive immigration reform, to which he gave an articulate summary of his views.

“This is a nation of immigrants,� the president said. “It was built on immigrants — immigrants from every corner of the globe who brought their talent and their drive and their energy to these shores because this was the land of opportunity. Now, we’re also a nation of laws so we’ve got to make sure that our immigration system is orderly and fair.�

Obama said Americans have legitimate concerns about the country’s immigration system, but that people need to think about the problem using logic and reason.

“So what I’ve said is, look, yes, let’s secure our borders; yes, let’s make sure that the legal immigration system is more fair and efficient than it is right now because if the waiting times were lessened then a lot of people would be more prone to go through a legal route than through an illegal route; let’s make sure that we’re cracking down on employers who are taking advantage of undocumented workers to not pay them overtime or not pay them minimum wage or not give them bathroom breaks; let’s make sure that we’re cracking down on employers to treat all workers fairly. And let’s provide a pathway to citizenship for those who are already here, understanding that they broke the law, so they’re going to have to pay a fine and pay back taxes and I think learn English, make sure that they don’t have a criminal record. There are some hoops that they’re going to have to jump through, but giving them a pathway is the right thing to do.�

Obama called the issue a priority that must be solved on a bipartisan basis, despite the fact that Republicans have been throwing up regular legislative roadblocks. He expressed confidence that comprehensive immigration reform can be achieved.

“And my hope is, is that the Republicans who have said no and have seen their party, I think, use some unfortunate rhetoric around this issue, my hope is, is that they come back and say, you know, this is something that we can work on together to solve a problem instead of trying to score political points.�

Virtually every day, the president has held informative events at the White House and around the country in which he has spoken and taken questions from audience members and the press. This latest appearance was just another reminder that there is a thinking man in charge in the White House and that Americans should spend less time listening to ignorant critics and more time sharing in the president’s optimism and confidence.