Congressman Tom Tancredo: Not Bi-Lingual, Bi-Ignorant!

Tom Tancredo has represented Colorado's 6th Congressional District since 1999; on October 28, 2007, Tancredo announced that he would not seek re-election to his Congressional seat. Instead, Tancredo is a bottom-tier candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Along with CNN's Lou Dobbs and MSNBC's Pat Buchanan, Tancredo is one of the foremost Know-Nothings beating the anti-immigration drum today. If this is (fair (balanced) xenophobia, so be it.

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10 Questions for Tom Tancredo
By Carolyn Sayre

Tpm Tancredo (R-CO) speaking to a Republican wpmen's gathering.

With the media attention on the big names in the election, how do you expect to win the nomination? —Roland Green, Denver

I have to do well enough in the first primary states to command the media attention that I would otherwise have to buy. That's why we in the second tier are all fearful of these compressed primaries. We can't afford to run in 10 states at one time.

What evidence would convince you that global warming is a serious threat to the planet? —Jeff Young, Sydney, Australia

I have no doubt that global warming exists. I just question the cause and what we can do to ameliorate it. But I wonder why the Sierra Club isn't going crazy about the environmental aspects of massive immigration into the U.S. The fact is, Americans consume more energy than anyone else, so if a person moves here from another country, they automatically become bigger polluters.

If you were given a choice between catching Osama bin Laden and deporting all illegal immigrants, which would you choose? —John M. Spalding, New York City

That kind of hypothetical choice would never happen, of course, but I guess I would take Osama immediately, and then my next step would be to deport all the illegal aliens.

I refuse to learn Spanish. Should I immigrate to Canada, Australia or New Zealand? —Marjory Dutcher, Phoenix

[Laughs.] I get the gist of the question. It's true that we have, in many places, replaced English with Spanish. And I don't believe bilingual countries work very well. Because we are a diverse nation, we need something that holds us together. For us, that is the English language.

I recently found out my family came from Holland without permission in the 1600s. Should we be sent back? —James Smith, Phoenix

No. When they came, it was perfectly legal. So God bless them. You know, whenever I can, I go to the swearing-in ceremonies for new American citizens. I know when I walk in, people go, "What is Tancredo doing here?" But I speak to them and I tell them two things: "Welcome to America" and "Thanks for doing it the right way."

Why do you hate Mexicans? —Ubaldo Padilla, Oroville, Calif.

Ah, jeez. You know, even responding to that question gives it some credibility. I don't hate anyone because of their ethnicity. Nothing I've ever said, nothing I've ever done, I believe, could ever be construed in that way.

How effective would a national ID be in controlling illegals? —Ray Holbrook, SEATTLE
It probably would be effective, but I'm a little leery of a national ID, simply because the government might know more about me or you than they need to. But I think you should make a Social Security card that can't be fraudulently reproduced. That's different from making every human here have some sort of mark of the beast on them. [Laughs.]

If you are successful in barring illegal immigrants, what will happen to the economy? —Charles Horton, Beijung

You can get a lot of interesting data on each side of this. What does seem to happen is that when there's a reduction in low-wage workers, companies tend to develop technologies to compensate. Tomato farmers genetically engineered tougher skins so tomatoes could be picked by machine, for example. And citrus growers are starting to do the same things.

How would you change the Senate's current comprehensive immigration bill? —(SGT) Matthew Anderson, Baghdad

I'd take out the amnesty and guest-workers parts. And come to think of it, even the security issues are bogus. There's no part of this bill that I want.

I have a master's degree in economics and want to work in the U.S. What is your stance on aspiring legal immigrants like me? —Tarun Kumar, Bielfield, Germany

I believe we should have a moratorium on all immigration--legal or not--for at least three years. We have to have an immigration time-out, I think, in order to assimilate the people who have come here already.

As president, what would you do to help combat poverty? —Brandon Harrison, Los Angeles

I would move for an elimination of the tax code, to move from an income tax to a consumption tax. If we could do that, you would see an explosion of job opportunities and economic growth that would probably be unmatched in this nation's history.

If this Senate bill passes, I recommend that American citizens assemble at the southern border bearing arms. What do you say? —Richard D. Coburn, Denver
Assembling on the border is a fine idea. Guns are probably not necessary because, as the Minutemen were able to show, you can accomplish the same goal—reducing the flow of illegals—with cell phones, binoculars and lawn chairs.

How do you expect this nation to take you seriously as a leader and statesman after you stated at the GOP debate last month that you do not believe in evolution? —Michael Magee, San Diego, Calif.

We were asked to raise our hand in response to a question, and it's difficult to explain your beliefs like that. I actually believe that evolution exists, but I also believe that creationism is the prime mover of that evolutionary process. So if I could explain it, maybe people would understand a little more about me, then they can decide to take me seriously or not.

Do you favor changing the 14th amendment of the constitution so that the newborns of illegal aliens do not automatically become U S citizens? —Raymond Ogilvie, Santa Maria, Calif.

I have co-sponsored legislation that says that children born to illegal aliens cannot have automatic citizenship. And actually, I don't think our bill violates the 14th amendment, which dealt specifically with the children of slaves, not with illegal aliens like we have now. There's a case to be made, and I would like to have it tested in the courts.

Why is it that Republicans continue to accuse illegal immigrants, mostly starving Mexicans, Guatemalans and Salvadorenians, of "terrorism"? —Oscar Galvan Lopez, Avondale, Ariz.

I don't know that I've ever heard that kind of accusation. I have certainly never said that illegal immigrants from Mexico are in away way suspects of terrorist activities. But security at the border is a national security issue. It has nothing to do with trying to stop a particular ethnic group. It has everything to do with trying to control the flow of people into your country.

How do illegal immigrants today compare to the "huddled masses" of the early 20th Century? —Brian Walker, Kansas City, Mo.

They are coming today to a different country. Back then, you worked or you starved. Today, of course, we operate as a welfare state in many ways. It's also a very different world in which we live, one where it's too dangerous to just let anybody in.

What sets you apart from the other GOP candidates? —Anthony Brown, Omaha, Neb.

I think that the fact that I have the most consistent record on immigration, along ith the most consistent record on conservative issues in general. That is, Sen. Brownback has certainly been consistent on the life issue. But if you put everything together—fiscal along with social issues, then I would come out with the most consistently conservative background.

How do you plan to convince people that you are not a single-issue candidate? —Sarah Podenski, Plymouth, Minn.

When people accuse me of that, I always say, well, at least I have one. Secondly, the issue itself includes so many parts. It's got a health care component. And and education component, considering the impact of illegal immigation on our school system. It's got a prison component—27% of our federal prison population are criminal aliens. There are environmental issues that nobody wants to talk about but that I think are very significant. And also the culture itself. Right now we are balkanizing America and not assimilating, and there are major implications for that alone, in terms of being able to hold together as a nation.

How would you address the current cry for national health care? —Angela Thornton, Hoffman Estates, Ill.

I would look to something other than the government to provide health care, as certainly everything we've seen indicates that national health plans increase costs and decrease quality. I would expand health savings accounts, both who can get them and how much you can put into them. The goal is to get as few middlemen in the process as possible. Health saving acconts allow that to occur for a lot less money. Then I say, you reduce the number of illegal Immigrants in this country who are costing us billions by using our health care services and for the most part not paying for them.

When did your family first arrive in the United States, and how quickly were they awarded American citizenship? —Paul Green, Royal Oak, Mich.
I think the first member was my dad's father, around the turn of the 20th century. I really do not know how long it took before they were awarded citizenship. I never asked my father that.

The Senate bill is not perfect, but it is reasonable. Practically, how would you deport 12 million illegal immigrants who are now in this country? —Max McConkey, Tucson, Ariz.

Could you actually round them up and send them back? Well, yeah you could. It's possible. But it's not necessary. You can do what I call attrition through enforcement. If you enforce the laws against hiring people who are here illegally, aggressively. Not just with fines, but with jail time for folks who are found to be not just hiring but conspiring to bring people in. Believe me, you'd only have to do that a few times in high profile cases and you would see that the number of folks willing to actually take that risk go down dramatically, as would the number of folks who are illegally.

I admire your stance against abortion. That said, I would like to know what you're doing to raise awareness about gun control considering what happened at Virginia Tech? —Isaac Muchengwa, London, U.K.

My district includes Columbine High School, and I think, knowing way too much about school shootings, that all of our efforts should go into trying to identify people who should not be able to possess firearms. I'm talking about felons, people who are a danger to ourselves and others. But gun control beyond that is not effective or judicious.

Copyright © 2007 Time Inc.

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