Thoughts from the Campaign Trail
July 1, 2008 by dannycarroll
Recently, I was talking with some voters over coffee at the Mayflower Nursing Home in Grinnell. I enjoy these opportunities to talk with you informally. One attendee had recently moved to Iowa from southern California. She had seen the negative effects of illegal immigration on the region and enquired as to my position on the issue.
I replied that I have the same opinion as many Iowans in that everyone should obey the law. We understand the desire of families that want to improve their lot in life by coming to our country for better jobs and living conditions. However, if you want to enter this country to work or visit you must do so according to our laws. Companies that depend on immigrant labor should be held accountable too. They have a responsibility to verify the legal status of their workers. I don’t want to oversimplify the issue but to me it is clear…obey the law. If you choose to ignore our laws then you should not be surprised by the consequences when you are caught.
On another issue, I was pleased to learn that the US Supreme Court upheld the 2nd amendment to the Constitution in its ruling on gun ownership. We could go on at length about the issue of gun ownership, the various kinds of guns and so on. My opinion though is very simple; the 2nd Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms, and secondly if we outlaw guns our citizens will not be safer because criminals will have the upper hand. This right, however, brings with it certain responsibilities. For example, parents should teach their children gun safety and guns should be properly stored and maintained. Just like any tool, they can be dangerous.
I look forward to discussing these issues with you further. See you on the campaign trail.
-Danny