Apparently the MAGA love affair on immigration policy is over. DOGE Brothers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are in one corner, with Neanderthal Steve Bannon in the opposite. Some background info before punches fly.
H1B visas originated with the 1952 Immigration and Naturalization Act and subsequent legislation. They sidestep immigration requirements in “specialty occupations” requiring advanced technical skills. H1B is the largest visa category for guest workers. It is capped at 65,000 a year for new applicants with a B.A. or work equivalent, plus 20,000 more for those with an MA or doctorate degree.
H1Bs are good for six years before reapplying. An employer sponsor is required. Amazon is currently the largest H1B employer, followed by tech giants IBM, Microsoft, Google, Apple and Intel. Musk’s Tesla is #16. In recent years the number of H1B applicants has increased exponentially, with 70% of new hires coming from India. Median salary is $118,000 [BBC 1/8/25].
Musk and Vivek pull no punches in downplaying the low quantity and quality of the American skilled labor force and the need for overseas help. Vivek, American-born of Indian ancestry, chastises US culture as “dumbed down” and that it “celebrates the jock over the valedictorian.”
Musk once held an H1B visa from South Africa before obtaining dual citizenship in 2002. He threatens, “I will go to war” to expand H1B visas. His over $250 million 2024 campaign contributions has Donald Trump’s attention.
Bannon, fresh off a four month prison sentence for defying a Congressional subpoena, attacked The DOGE Bros. “We’re going to rip your face off in this visa fight,” language more suitable for the WWE than the political arena.
Where does referee POTUS #45/#47 stand in this conflict? Depends when you ask the question. When wooing voters in the 2016 campaign, The Trumpster called H1B “very bad” and “unfair” to American workers. He recently changed his tune, boasting “I’m a believer in H1B … It is a great program” and cited his own business involvement with it. Go figure.
This will not be the only issue involving MAGA infighting. Don’t expect kumbaya on tariffs, Ukraine, and other heated topics. With the fictitious “Biden Crime Family” now disproven as a sham MAGA FBI-Smirnov bribery scheme, expect the MAGA Circular Firing Squad to take aim, locked and loaded.
“Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true.” — Aesop’s Fables
ED ENGLER, Sebring, Fla.
Traitor Trump is awfully sad — not to mention completely mad — isn’t he? Jesus Christ, please return ASAP to save us from your fake followers soiling the name of Christianity. We’ve had enough of their nonsensical bigotry and idiotic anti-science ideology.
As far as an adjudicated sexual assailant and convicted felon like Putin’s puppet Donald Trump is concerned, that self-destructive Rapepublican narcissist is already a lame duck president even before taking office again. Partisan Republican politicians who live in constant conservative fear of their fascist, hate-filled, abusive father figure Orange Hitler are without a doubt some of the weakest wimps that America has to offer.
For instance, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson? (Yeah, not for long.) Thankfully, the endless opportunities manifesting themselves in this particular political crisis are apparent to us, the real Americans who do not make a mockery of Jesus of Nazareth’s name. Diabolical Donald is not a Christian, not even close! Trump is an Antichrist, and you all know it too.
Deranged Donald is just another one of those so-called “Christian” conservatives who would be the first in line to unjustly execute Jesus should Christ ever return to Earth to admonish his fake followers. If you are under the incredibly ignorant impression that most Americans are now falling into line like fascists to worship Elon Musk’s moronic man crush Don the con, you have another think coming.
JAKE PICKERING, Arcata, Calif.
Like all reasoned Americans and global citizens I recoiled in horror today when Donald Trump, in an inauguration that will be remembered in infamy, told the world that we will “Drill baby drill” with regards to petroleum and new oil production. It is hard to find the right words to address this unspeakable declaration of war on our planet’s eco system and environment. Anyone with an I.Q. above room temperature realizes and accepts the reality that our beloved planet is in it’s death throes — this a direct result of human-caused global warming.Simply look at the recent and unprecedented coastal fires in California and the indescribable destruction they wrought. And the inescapable truth is this — if we as a species and a nation ignore or minimize the realities of climate catastrophe we will with immediacy enter into an apocalyptic age where the fires of California resemble a 4th of July fireworks celebration when contrasted with what’s coming.
I would very much like to hear and understand from both Trump and his hairy howling MAGA hordes how destroying the planet’s environment and ultimately human civilization will somehow “make America great again.” And this does not even factor in or take into account the extinction of untold species of animals that are a direct result of this insanity. I would suggest to all caring and decent people that instead of pursuing global environmental suicide and accelerating the planets destruction that we instead embrace a path that insures the future for our children and future generations. If we choose this course of planetary healing and species survival we could indeed “Make America great again.”
JIM SAWYER, Edmonds, Wash.
Trump successfully skated away from consequence for the seditious crimes he was indicted for, not because he was judged innocent, but because he manipulated our legal system of justice with help from several corrupt judges and justices. He even avoided punishment for the one crime for which he was found guilty (34 counts!). Until Inauguration Day, these evasions from accountability were the most egregious attacks on the rule of law, and on our national security, that a public official has ever perpetrated against us.
Now, on Inauguration Day, Trump exceeded his previous deplorable, traitorous sabotage. With the blanket pardon of violent Jan. 6 rioters, Trump has subverted the legal system required for civil society. Setting free those violent insurrectionists gives them immunity to become Trump’s unofficial violent enforcers of fear and corruption, just like Nazi brownshirts were.
On Day 2, the criminal must be impeached. Contact your Congress representative.
Oh, where do I start but the essence of shock and a broken heart? The pain I share for the dire devastation you ultimately, unfortunately, all bear is truly uncontrollable in today’s troubled world of uncertainty that others shall unfortunately need to share is clear. Neither empathy nor continued strife shall bring forth an expedited better life. But our care, concern and humanity for all our societal others — sisters and brothers — is our “right and righteous” caring of togetherness for one’s life of strife.
On Christmas Day 2024, America’s psychotic sore winner (and still a sore loser from 2020), convicted felon Donald Trump publicly lambasted nearly everyone his Adderall-infused brain could contain, except of course for Trump’s KGB Colonel puppet master Vladimir Putin, who received absolutely no criticism from traitor Trump whatsoever, regardless of the fact that Russia had just shot down a civilian airliner killing 38 people.
Nor did deranged Donald criticize his favorite North Korean communist “little Rocket Man” Kim Jong Un either. Every time Russophile Trump speaks in public, we should be forgiven by the GOP (Greedy Old Perverts) for our preferring to hear diabolical Donald’s ridiculous right-wing propaganda in its original Russian language instead.
For being a fake billionaire, dingbat Donald sure is a fan of communist dictators, isn’t he? Perhaps Don the con will finally pay his federal taxes for once, after he trash cans the USA and replaces it with his newly created catastrophe in the making to be called the People’s Republic of Mar-a-Lago.
Just like when Vladimir Putin’s puppet Trump the chump infamously said to let Putin do whatever he wants in Ukraine (the use of nuclear weapons included), we Americans should now allow the Danes, Panamanians, Canadians, and Mexicans to “take care of” Trump before that insane orange idiot starts World War III by invading Greenland, etc.
Wouldn’t the justifiable “war” be the “war” to free 2.3 million Palestinians held captive in a cage, instead of the “war” upon the 2.3 million Palestinians held captive in the Gaza cage?
How is it possible that the justifiable “war” is the one where the captors make “war” upon defenseless people being held captive based only on ethnicity.
Held captive, nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, no way to defend themselves, like animals being fed to the slaughter, and this type of military violence upon people that Israel holds captive, then attacks — is this justifiable “war”? Nice try, Israel. Nice try, America.
Hamas has never forced Israel to hold 2.3 million Palestinians captive. Israel purposely keeps Gaza dangerous for all Palestinians by not allowing anyone the freedom to leave.
Thanks to our elevated “war” status, we in America can write off the total destruction of Gaza as “war,” but if anyone did that to us …
FRANK ERICKSON, Minneapolis, Minn.
The Democrats do not have to look any further for their 2028 Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. They already have three outstanding candidates who have been overlooked for higher office by this nation’s media — Hakeem Jeffries, Adam Schiff and Jamie Raskin.
Jeffries is my first choice. He has done an excellent job serving in the House of Representatives since 2013 and as House minority leader since January 2023. He demonstrated his leadership abilities by getting the December 2024 government spending bill passed despite strong Trump-Musk opposition and by defeating the Trump-Musk effort to raise the debt ceiling and shut down the government.
Schiff and Raskin are tied for my second and third preferences as the 2028 Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. Both have been extremely articulate leaders in the House for a number of years and did an outstanding job in the Select Committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
EDWARD L. KOVEN, Highland Park, Ill.
From The Progressive Populist, February 15, 2025
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