Sensenbrenner town hall meeting in So White Wisconsin

I went to a Sensenbrenner town hall meeting tonight in a sleepy little town about 20 miles west of Milwaukee. Its population is around 8000, and the town has beautiful large homes with lush green lawns. Its a well-to-do town, better off than many of the other small towns that make up this district. Its a place where you can avoid being confronted with nearly all of the major social problems that exist in this country, and where you never have to deal with anyone who is having trouble learning English.

I have the urge to ask him questions about all the things he has failed to do as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee for the last 6 years, especially hold the President accountable for lying the country into a pre-emptive war by manipulating the intelligence about WMDs in Iraq. But I immediately realize I am in a room full of Sensenbrenner supporters, so I sit quietly and take notes, just a few feet away from the Congressman.

S announces that he will take questions from anyone who has filled out the note card, and afterwords he will talk to anyone for whom a government agency is causing a personal problem. (Is a government agency causing me a personal problem? I realize he probably isn't referring to my anxiety over warrantless wiretapping.)

The first question is just words of praise from an older man who tells S that he supports him 120% and really favors strong sanctions against employers who hire illegal immigrants. The identification using biometric data, the fence, the fines, stronger border control, and the deportation of 11 million illegals are long overdue. He looks at S as if he were looking upon the Christ child, his face aglow.

Since it isn't really a question, S responds by talking about how 85% of the gang members in Chicago are made up of illegal immigrants. He says that some of the employers who hire illegals today treat them like indentured servants, and they are no better than the slave-masters of the 19th century.

Another person asks why her future son-in-law, who will soon be deployed to Iraq, can't get cheaper plane tickets to come home on the weekends to see his fiancee. Don't the people who are "protecting our country" by going to Iraq deserve a discount on plane tickets? (I'm amazed that anyone with a relative going to Iraq who has a Congressman's attention uses that time to complain about the price of a plane ticket.)

The next question is back on the immigration topic and S starts describing how illegal immigration creates a permanent underclass, which is bad for society. He brings up a story about a janitors union in California where the workers used to have jobs that paid $12-$16/hour with benefits. Because illegals have taken those jobs, the pay is now $8/hour, no benefits. During the course of his comments on immigration S repeats over and again that we are a nation of laws, and we ought to enforce the laws. (Can we talk about the lack of enforcement for all the laws the President has broken now?)

The wife of the man with the glowing face tells S how much it bothers her that there has been a bi-lingual school in the next town over for 20 years. This really bothers her, because she thinks people ought to be required to learn English. At this point in the room everyone starts chiming in how awful it is when they go somewhere and people aren't speaking English. Bi-lingual schools should be against the law.

Another woman chimes in that she and her husband moved their family from San Diego to So White Wisconsin because the immigration in that part of the country had ruined the schools and the health care system. They made Southern California uninhabitable. She praises S for his no nonsense bill and tells him that the Senate bill is a "travesty". "What's wrong with these Senators- they're just giving our country away". "Why don't you tell them," asks S. "They don't listen. You're the voice of reason. Thank God you're here to do this for us".

Her husband speaks up and complains about all the Hispanics moving into Wisconsin, and S points out that Iowa and Wisconsin have had a greater influx of hispanic immigrants during the last couple of years than any other states. Their cheap labor is ruining the chicken industry. Since these people are poor and have no health insurance, in Wisconsin families are eligible for State coverage called "BadgerCare". He resents that they get their prescriptions for free, when they can't even speak English, and that he has to pay $30 for his prescriptions. He feels that he is paying for their health care, and he shouldn't be.

The worst thing about these people is the women having "anchor babies". They deliberately plan to give birth in the US because a child born here is a US citizen and cannot be deported.

S jumps in and says that "birthright citizenship ought to be reviewed". Its apparently based on old case law, and he says we need a new case to provide a different legal interpretation. We may need an amendment for this. Someone says that birthright citizenship is a scam, and S agrees with her.

I am trying to imagine how any of these issues really and truly affect people in this room and if it is even possible that their views arise from anything other than bigotry.

I try to imagine than S really cares about street gangs in Chicago, the working conditions of illegal immigrants, the wages of janitors in California, the chicken industry, or the existence of a permanent underclass. None of these issues directly impinge upon the people of So White Wisconsin, yet these are things that trouble them deeply. The unfairness of those people getting opportunities that they shouldn't... the possibility of those people getting too close to So White, WI so that they threaten to disturb its purity.

Just when I think its over, a man in the group up speaks up and tells S that immigration is just a diversion from the real issues confronting America, like the high price of gas. Turns out he is the Green Party candidate for the congressional seat, and he's like a breath of fresh air.

S gets ornery and tells him that he voted to build more refineries just last week and that the rejection of the Kyoto treaty has kept gas prices from being even higher. Turns out that S and the Green Party candidate have known each other for decades.

I realize that as beautiful as this little town is, its ugly on the inside.

Is a government agency causing you a personal problem?

than live in a racially mixed community.

neocon who's time has come to step down.

I hope and pray he is voted out of office.

The sooner, the better.

Thanks for sharing your story with us.
Senseless' demeanor did not surprise me at all.

He is pitiful!

:mad:

Oh yes, did I mention I live in the SoCal he was
referring to? What a jackass!!

He spewed GOP immigration talking points to the far reaches of that room and beyond. What a hate monger.

I laughed through your entire story -- you know,

In a kinda sad, bang-my-head-against-the-wall, it's so scary some people are allowed to vote kinda way. :banghead:

BTW, San Diego is terrible. I've been there many times.

The weather, the ocean, the palm trees, the diversity, couple hours drive to L.A....blah blah!

AWFUL I TELL YA!!!! :eyes:

is a hate fest!

jesus the dells would shut down if it wasn`t for cheap labor...

But really, it should be called "So White"

A lot of them sound like those republican cspan callers. So White, Wisconsin. You know, there are a lot of towns just like that all across America. I'm sorry that you didn't get a chance to voice your opinion. They probably would have kicked you out for giving it.

be that they are teaching classes in Spanish in the next town over. Too rich to worry about the price of gas, I guess. Too selfish to care about the 45 million people without health insurance.

want to add is toward the end Sensenbrenner commented that "Lamar Smith of Texas will become the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee next year." Also the guy originally from San Diego said "I want to praise you for your work". I'm wondering if Sensenbrenner's Green party opponent can go to Sensenbrenner's town meetings why doesn't Bryan Kennedy go to some of Sensenbrenner's town meetings also?? :shrug:

and I know that he has gone to others in the past. I don't know if it accomplishes much for him to be there. Sorry I didn't meet you!

:hi: :loveya: :hug: :pals: :woohoo:

Bryan has been to several of these townhall meetings. The best one was Shorewood (the liberal stronghold of the district!) where Kennedy campaign supporters managed to pack the place and give Sensenbrenner an extraordinarily hard time.

:hi: :loveya: :hug: :pals: :woohoo:

with people who want to hold him responsible for not doing the job of holding this president accountable, among other things.

The failure to do his job is going to cost him his job. :P