Mayor Bob Phelps speaks out against Farmers Branch ordinances
Mayor opposes immigration ordinance
FARMERS BRANCH — The mayor of the first city in Texas to forbid landlords from renting apartments to illegal immigrants is urging voters to strike down the ordinance.
It’s the first time Mayor Bob Phelps has taken a public position against the measure, which was adopted in November and resulted in lawsuits and outcry from civil rights groups, residents, property owners and businesses.
On Saturday, voters in this Dallas suburb will become the first in the country to decide whether to repeal or approve a city ordinance that would ban apartment rentals to most illegal immigrants.
Phelps, former Mayor David Blair and former City Manager Richard Escalante all signed a letter Tuesday opposing the measure.
“The City should not waste millions of taxpayer’s dollars to defend an ineffective ordinance that is likely never to become law,” said the letter, which was an advertisement mailed by a group opposing the ordinance.
I suppose we will see on Saturday night how the chips fall but this is a good sign. The world is watching you Farmers Branch. Choose carefully. Would you like to use this moment of fame to send a message of harmony or hate? The choice is in your hands.
Technorati Tags: Farmers Branch, immigration, Bob Phelps, David Blair, Richard Escalante
Filed under: Bob Phelps, David Blair, Farmers Branch, Richard Escalante, immigrants, immigration
This is not about harmony of hate it is about what is right and wrong!!!!!!!!!
The taxpayers have decided on what is important to them. Illegal’s should not be allowed housing or any assistance from the government or state!!!! Illegal’s drain our assistance programs that we the tax payers paid in. But isn’t it our own fault?? We have made it easy!! By our schools having special classes in their language for the majority of the people in that district. By business’s press 1 English 2 ___ . Store signs in both languages. Business’s flying both flags.
Illegal’s say they are not criminals, but yet when they crossed the border they broke the law, by not paying in taxes, not filing income tax returns. Yes, I know that even our citizen’s have not paid the IRS but they have also been caught and had to pay.
The only question now is? What about other rental properties in FB?
Now instead of having 3 families living in an apartment they will have 10 families living in a house. So really what good did this vote do?
Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
Confuzzd, if you thought the ordinance you were voting for was about providing housing assistance for illegal immigrants you were misled. It had nothing to do with government assistance it had only to do with placing a fine on landlords renting space to illegal immigrants.
Your questions about what happens to other rental property is actually quite interesting.
Nothing will happen to any rental property. The lawsuits will fly and in the mean time you, as a farmers branch voter, just put money in criminals pockets. There will be quite a bit of black market trade in renting apartments starting as soon as the ordinance takes affect. So the immigrant can’t rent an apartment for themselves but the citizen that is a criminal can and charge an outrageous fee for the job.
I live in San Antonio, at least half our billboards are in Spanish. So what!!! I grew up in upstate New York where the signs were in Polish and half the masses were said in Polish. Does it damage you in some way if a sign is in both spanish and english?
They do pay taxes, no they don’t file tax returns and what that truly means in the end is that they don’t receive those monies that would have been theirs back. The federal government gets to keep them.
Loved the quote from Teddy Roosevelt. Problem with quoting something from 1907 is that my grandmother came through Ellis Island that year and the only thing she needed to do to be allowed in was say she didn’t have TB. Mind you, she wasn’t tested for TB just asked if she had it. Our borders were open to any and all who showed up at that time and that isn’t the case now.
Food For Thought “A LINE IN THE SAND CONFRONTING THE THREAT AT THE SOUTHWESTERN BORDER” Senator Mc Cauls Website 10th District Texas Iraq’s Learn Spanish (Pages 29-32) www dot house dot gov backslash mccaul backsllash
Have you read this?
You know, as I was inputting my email address just to respond to this, it suddenly occured to me that the Gov’t. could put me on some kind of anti immigration list. As an American I should not be afraid to speak my mind but that is not the case nowadays. However on the topic of immigration the people of this town know that they must take matters into their own hands because frankly, the Gov’t has something going on with Mexico or they would have built that wall back when Reagan was in the White House but they didn’t. Now we as a soverign nation have a society of people who don’t want to learn our language (they aren’t stupid are they?), who drain our economy and bring in drugs, gangs, diseases etc. I thought our votes meant something but I guess not, it’s not about the people anymore, it’s about politics. When my daughter was in 3rd (yes 3rd)grade they tried to stick her in a classroom with non-english speaking kids so she could teach them! Enough is enough! If the Mayor of your town or any town for that matter that doesn’t respect the wishes of it’s lawful citizens should be impeached! Let’s take back our Country! My grandmother came over here from Sweden and she learned the language, didn’t take welfare and lived life honestly. I don’t trust alot the Mexicans because I see how sneaky they are and a Social Worker in L.A. even told me the fathers get an apartment together while the mothers and children live down the hall and get the welfare!
Actually it is about the constitution and what is constitutional and what isn’t. I should spend the time to write a thoughtful reply but I am just done with people like you right now.
I love that you think ‘them darn foreigners’ are the reason for drugs, gangs and diseases. Because obviously it has to be someone else’s fault. No white person anywhere could possibly do anything wrong unless some brown person caused them to, sure. Who exactly would you like to take the country back from? If we really want to get into taking back the area then I think Mexico has more standing then you or I do.
Sorry you think the world is coming to an end because of them darn foreigners but you are just looking for a scapegoat for the ills of your life. You blaming drugs, gangs, diseases etc on immigrants makes that very apparent. Yeah, they are just sneaky, sneaky, sneaky and you are racist, racist, racist.
Okay, Gloria, I feel bad. You took the time to come and comment and I should give you a real answer not just a sarcastic one.
You shouldn’t have to be worried about speaking your mind. Your email address is seen by me, the other writers of Dig Deeper and our isp. Unless someone decides to subpoena those records then no will ever know who you are except you and me. I really have more to worry about for my views than you do for yours. But they know who I am because I write letters to our leaders all the time.
The problem with your arguments are that they are racist. The United States isn’t messed up because of illegal immigrants. We do that just fine all by ourselves. They aren’t to blame for bringing drugs, gangs or diseases. Now drugs do come through from other countries but if there wasn’t a demand they wouldn’t be bothering to supply it. I could get into the origins of gangs but I know you can look it up yourself and probably realize that Mexico and Mexicans really aren’t to blame for them. As for diseases, my gosh, I can only imagine that you have been listening to whoever is buzzing in Leo Berman’s ear and can unequivocally say that is vague and over generalized misinformation. If you would like specifics I would be happy to send you sources.
Why is it always someone told me? Do you know how welfare works? If you do then you realize that in order to apply you must have a social security card. Lifetime benefits last for only 4 years and the amount of food and money given wouldn’t pay to take care of my pets for a month. Yes, people scam welfare and have their spouses/boyfriends etc live with them or away and collect but that isn’t a immigrant trick. So, yes it happens, but it’s citizens doing the scamming so while I personally don’t think that makes it any better it isn’t an immigration issue it is an american issue.
You should look into the donut effect and what sociologists say about people perceiving problems when none actually exist and then come back and talk to me about immigration.