Winning the Future for May 1, 2006

Winning The Future

by Newt Gingrich

Welcome Aboard, Senator Clinton and Chairman Dean

Dear Friend,

Immigration is a big topic this week. And guess which unlikely duo has come around to the American people's view that our borders are out of control? In the past couple weeks, both Senator Hillary Clinton and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have called for increased border security. We welcome their voices of support to the effort to protect our nation's security. Now let's see if their actions match their rhetoric.

Republicans in Congress should take this opportunity to act. The House should immediately pass a new stand-alone bill that focuses exclusively on controlling our borders. Then the Senate should, with the support of Senator Clinton and

Chairman Dean, welcome the chance to make the House bill law for the American people. Will they seize that opportunity?

America needs border control now. So we extend a hand of welcome to Senator Clinton and Chairman Dean. For us, border control isn't a question of politics but of national security. We look forward to knowing which Senator Clinton and Chairman Dean will put first.

Our National Anthem Should Be Sung in English. Period.

The release of a Spanish version of the National Anthem last week gives Congress an opportunity to affirm one of America's great strengths -- and gives needed direction to the current debate about immigration. We welcome immigrants from across the world. But once they're here, they must learn to speak English and embrace the values that make us Americans.

In June, the same group that released this Spanish version of the National Anthem will release another version. Far from being a Spanish translation of "The Star Spangled Banner," this version contains lyrics that mock and condemn our laws against illegal immigration. Here's just a sampling:

These kids have no parents, cause of all the mean laws
Let's not start a war with all these hard workers
They can't help where they were born
Congress should act now -- this week -- to reaffirm that our national anthem is "The Star Spangled Banner" and that it should be sung in English. Period.

California Senate Backs Boycott. Does Nancy Pelosi Agree?

The California Senate has endorsed today's boycott of work and school by illegal immigrants and their supporters.

On a party-line vote, Democrats in the California Senate called the boycott "The Great American Boycott 2006" and compared it to the Civil Rights movement.

Meanwhile, amidst rising racial tensions, California education officials pleaded for students to stay in school Monday.

This action by California Democrats reminds us of this recruitment flyer seeking votes for the Democratic Party, found at an illegal immigrant protest. It shows Texas and Mexico combined and the rest of the United States missing and states, "Let's work together. Vote Democrat in 2006." Do the Democrats really want to be the party of illegal immigration? Do they want to be the party of people who not only break the law, but then say openly that they want to reunite the Southwestern United States with Mexico?

Real Change Meets 'Heckuva Job Brownie'

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is so broken it needs to be abolished and replaced -- that's the conclusion of a report co-authored by Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

FEMA is the agency whose failures were on vivid display in the days, weeks, and months following hurricane Katrina. We saw its failure when we saw 22,000 people in the Superdome to whom the government couldn't deliver water, while private companies had trucks of water going by on the streets outside.

To be fair, not just FEMA but all levels of government -- local, state and federal -- failed after hurricane Katrina. That's why we wholeheartedly support Senators Lieberman's and Collins' recommendation that FEMA be abolished and that we start over.

It wasn't just individuals who failed after Katrina hit. The bureaucracy itself failed. Tinkering around the edges with piecemeal reform won't get the job done. We need transformational change -- real change -- to have government that works. The recommendation to abolish FEMA is the first example of real change in Washington, D.C. -- change that will give us government with the speed and efficiency that matches our daily lives. We welcome this example of real change and hope to see more.

Thanks for reading, together we can win the future.

Your friend,

Newt Gingrich