Of the issues rapidly approaching a show-down, President-elect Trump's promise to shut off federal funding to sanctuary cities has the greatest potential for the most shocking and ugliest domestic outcome. If there is a domestic flash-point, this may be it. First, I'll be abundantly clear on a few things: 1. The POTUS has every legal right to restrict or withhold federal funding, via Executive Order. 2. The federal government singularly possesses the absolute right to require cities and states to enforce federal law. 3. The federal government will win this fight. It will only be a matter of how much these cities are forced to suffer before their mayors and other elected officials capitulate. 4. These mayors are crazy - clinically insane - to think otherwise, and to be playing chicken with Trump on this. 5. Trump is going to directly tie federal funding to the cooperation of local cities / states cooperation in enforcing immigration laws, including actively making warranted arrests, detention while awaiting deportation, and whatever else the Feds request or require. So, if that money does get substantively reduced, it will have to be made up somehow and elsewhere. It seems to me that cities will then be required to one or more of the following: 1. RAISE MONEY - Increase property, sales or income taxes on its citizenry, perhaps substantially, so as to make up for the lost federal funds. 2. SAVE MONEY - Reduce city-based services and functions. These could include layoffs, furloughs or reduced hours of any city workers, including police, fire, teachers, maintenance, sanitation, public service, admin, etc. I wonder what the unions representing many of these groups will think of this, to be honest. It could also and easily be envisioned to effect funding for ancillary or secondary services, such as public transportation, parks, museums, etc. It will be damned interesting to see how genuinely (foolishly?) committed these cities will be to maintaining their status as sanctuary cities, when it's their citizens who directly bear the full brunt of financing the cost to do so, following the substantial loss of federal funding. It could get ugly, and quickly.
Hartford and New Haven CT as well. Oddly a mayor in Danbury CT asked his police force to pick up known illegal immigrants and the Feds said he was out of his lane.
Just speaking from experience, if you try to buck the US Govt, you are gonna get bucked, or something like that.
Will this also extend to states? Particularly the ones that have legalized Marijuana in defiance of federal law. Consistency would dictate that it should.
He really doesn't have anything to lose politically speaking... Most all of these "Sanctuary" cities are hardcore blue votes anyway. From a PR standpoint, you KNOW the (cue the sinister voice and the Bwahahahahahahahaaaaa.....) Global Media are going to beat him up one side and down the other over it....
You guys just won't let it die, will you? Just wait until Fareed Zakaria and Chris Matthews crawls up your rectums with a microscope. We'll see who is laughing maniacally then....
I know, let's help tank our own major city infrastructure, where over 10 million people live, over 1.2 million people across the entire country. Hurray! We're making stupid great again!
No, the threat of punishment makes him an autocrat. If he wants Federal law executed.... he has the power of the Federal government to do it. Via their own law enforcmeent.
Punishment? Like Obama punishing folks for not buying something they didn't want with money the don't have anyway?? Gotcha.
Yea, the law is that immigration is policed by the Federal government. If Trump wants to run border patrol up and down San Fran, that's on the tax payers. He's not doing that, though. He's not using his executive branch law enforcement powers, which are numerous and wide spread, but instead, want local law enforcement to do the work. Sorry, local law enforcement has local law enforcement to do. The Feds can deal with their own stuff.
Oh god, this is going to be great next several years. Everytime an idiot does something stupid, another idiot is going to say "ba ba ba ba ba Obama." Hey, when it is dumb and out of line. It is dumb and out of line. Period.
Obama spent the first six years of his administration blaming Bush for everything wrong with the country so there IS precedent...
