Senator Flake;
I find your recently stated positions on immigration and trade to be without merit and completely in opposition to the policies President Trump was elected on.
The president is backing a bill sponsored by Republican Senators. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas. The bill is the result of analysis of the approximate one million immigrants granted green cards in recent years. Senator Cotton makes the point only 1 in 15 people allowed to immigrate on green cards are admitted because they have skills useful to the United States. This means of the 1.1 million admitted in recent years only 73,000 have skills needed in the US economy. You make the statement, which we see in the headlines, the “Visas are being cut in half”. Which is true, but the US under this revised law will be receiving 7 times more job ready skilled immigrants, than they receive today. In other words instead of 1 million unskilled immigrants who immediately seek welfare and compete with other low skilled American worker, the US will receive 500,000 skilled workers who will contribute to the economy immediately and will not be a burden on the welfare system. If you are worried about the seasonal field workers in California, there is still the temporary worker visas for that purpose.
One other point to be made, this bill will limit the number of relatives a visa holder can petition to bring in, to the immediate family. Visa should not be an anchor to allow distant relatives, or even grandparents, to come into the country. These unscreened shirt tails, give us more of the old system, where unskilled come and load up the welfare system. The country needs skilled workers and this bill will solve that problem. The question is, are you for working class Americans, or are you for immigration which only puts a greater burden on those who are working and paying taxes? Think about it, how would you like it, if we tripled the size of the US Senate and cut your wages and retirement by 2/3 thirds?
Regarding Trade, you have stated the President is against Free Trade and for isolationism. From my viewpoint, you are pandering to others who do not understand the trade agreements the US has entered into and how they fail to deliver “Free Trade”. Take Mexico. They can produce automobiles for several manufacturers and ship them to the US without any tariffs. If a US manufacturer tried to ship a US built auto to Mexico they will be hit with a huge tariff, as much as $5,000 to $10,000 dollars per car. How is that “Fair Trade”. There are many of these situations at the center of NAFTA, where free trade is a one way street. The net effect of such imbalances is lost US jobs and gain of jobs in Mexico and other countries. Trump has said NAFTA is unfair to the American workers and you should be standing beside him when he says he is for Free Trade, but it has to be “Fair” trade. Instead you are pandering to the Democrats.
Regarding the Transpacific Partnership the President withdrew from, I am willing to state unequivocally you have not read it and do not understand the negative aspects for the US. Less than 30% of the wording in that agreement was about trade. The balance was about social issues and country behavior. Such agreements hamper the US and in essence write social behavior agreements to which our country must comply without the benefit of passing through our legislative process. I know the argument, China will now assemble a trade agreement with the Pacific nations and we will be left out. How absurd, when the US is the largest market in the world. Do you think China wants to buy goods from Thailand, Viet Nam and others when they produce the same items and have massive workforces to keep productive. There is still plenty of room to negotiate a true “Fair Trade” agreement with these countries, without the social legislation.
I see no sign of isolationism, by the Trump Administration. Asking NATO to pay its fair share for its defense, when the EU has a larger economy than the US, is not isolationism. Taking an active role in defeating ISIS, is not isolationism. Trying to properly vet immigrants from countries harboring known terrorists, is not isolationism. Withdrawing from the Paris Climate agreement which called to the United States to reduce its already low carbon emissions, while letting China, the second largest economy, and largest polluter, in the world increase its emissions for the next 13 years, is not isolationism. Asking that the government of the United States put the welfare of its own people first, is not isolationism.
The United States has and economy which is the envy of the world. The Democrats have spent the last 30 years trying to destroy the Capitalist engine of commerce which created this great nation. You want to join them in their efforts to create a socialist government, in an effort to obtain a few votes in 2018. You are a United States Senator. You were elected by the State of Arizona on the Republican platform, along with President Trump. The President is staying true to his promises and you should support him and the platform you ran on.
Fritz Biermeier
