Let’s find out, by starting with one of the biggest of the HOT TOPICS – Immigration
A January 2024 Pew Research poll indicated that 76% of Americans believe that immigration has become a crisis in the United States.
In another Pew Research poll on Voter Issues, done in September of 2024, 61% of voters said that immigration was one of their top issues in deciding where to put their vote.
July 2024 Gallup Survey 55% of Americans want to limit immigration. In the same poll, 2/3 of Americans believe immigration is a good thing, while 27% said it is a bad thing.
These aren’t simply right or left ideas. Yes, Republicans and Democrats poll differently within those polls, but in all cases we are talking about over 50% of the country.
On immigration, we really aren’t that different. Most of the difference comes in understanding and communication of our ideas. While most US citizens believe that immigration is a good thing, they also believe we aren’t handling it well, or that we have too many immigrants coming in at a time. In a world where immigration and infiltration can be easily co-mingled, most of us are willing to welcome people into our society, but we want to control how that happens, who gets in, and eliminate those who want to do us harm or damage our Republic. Republicans have long been painted by the left as anti-immigrant, however polling shows that to not be true. The truth is most Republicans, or Conservative individuals believe the problem is with illegal immigration, not immigration as a whole. They welcome immigrants, knowing that somewhere along their family history, they were likely immigrants as well. They just want immigration to follow a legal process. Years ago, immigrants to the United States needed to meet requirements which would help them to assimilate into our society, and ensure that the fabric of our nation continued in a positive manner. Over the years, immigration has had no real emphasis upon becoming part of the country to which they want to join, and a stronger emphasis on maintaining their own culture and social structures. This has been done by pushing and prodding the ideas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
If we could agree that immigration as a whole is good for our country, adding to the fabric of nation, couldn’t we also agree to work to make legal immigration the accepted way to do this? This would necessarily require that we limit and even work to stop illegal immigration together. There is no doubt that the process of legal immigration needs work, but we have to begin with stopping immigration which does not follow our laws. How can we expect to get law abiding citizens when the first act taken to enter our country is done by breaking the law?
Going back to the September Pew Research poll on Voter Issues, the next topic on the Presidential ballot was actually the most important issue – the Economy.
The economy is nearly always an issue, unless it isn’t an issue. If the economy is going great, then it slips down the list. Though Biden/Harris supporters found lower issue with the economy, 67% still chose it as one of their main issues. Republicans found it to be of great concern by 93%. Overall voters found it to be the biggest issue of the election at an 81% margin. Looking at those numbers well over 50% of us feel the economy is an issue, though we vary in degree based upon our political persuasion.
So we agree on this as well. Again, the difference comes when we start trying to determine what is best for the economy. While Liberals tend to have less faith or appeal towards a free and fair market, Conservatives have lost faith in the US to maintain a free and fair market. Liberals tend also to choose more government intervention in the market, while Conservatives tend to believe government needs to get out of the market and let it work. There is no doubt government plays a role in making sure the market isn’t abused by those who try to manipulate or fraud the market, we are a free market economy. Regulation needs to be limited to only those things which protect the public from harm, not for picking winners and losers.
Next Difference – Abortion, a big, contentious issue.
The contention comes by way of political and moral beliefs. While both Liberals and Conservatives claim it as an issue, by far Liberals claimed it as a bigger issue for capturing their vote. Liberals found Healthcare (76%) as the top issue, and Abortion (67%) as their fourth concern. However, Liberals also tend to conflate these issues by seeing access to abortion as a healthcare concern. Only 35% of Conservative voters found this issue to be defining in their determination of a candidate’s support. When one side sees the issue as a right for the life of the unborn, and the other side sees it as a woman’s right, the divide between the politically encamped will likely never be bridged. However, with just over 50% of overall voters finding it an issue, conversation, communication between the sides might someday allow the issue to lessen in its toxic level.
Curiously, after the Trump victory, many Liberal women chose to take a stance that they are going celibate in an effort to force men to support their position. Conservatives welcomed the move, citing that it meant there would be less abortions. This brings to mind that one way in which to lower the toxicity level of abortion in political camps, would be to focus on lowering the causes of abortion, certainly a better goal for government tasked with serving the interests of all citizens than promoting abortions. Liberals often use rape and incest as the main battle cries, while the stats show that these issues are less than 2% of overall abortions. Of the reasons women seek abortion, 98% are elective, with 74% claiming that “Having a baby would dramatically change my life.” Taking the focus off abortion availability and putting it on abortion prevention through birth control and abstinence might help. In 2021 the abortion rate per thousand for African American females was 28.6, for Hispanic women 12.3, and for White women 6.4. There is a strikingly higher rate for African American females at three times the rate of White women.
While we could continue to investigate the issues which divide us, as a nation of individuals, it would behoove us to look for those things which unite us, while working on the divide in a calmer, more reasoned approach. This would be the true role of government, to minimize those divisions while celebrating those unions, seeking to draw citizens toward those very things which makes this country so special. As of 10:43am on 11/09/2024 the population of the United States of America was 346,092, 220 according to Worldmeter. With that number of people all of differing opinions, beliefs, and moral values, the work will never end, but we can take a step forward with each passing minute.
