October 25, 2011 | 1:25 PM | By

Pat Buchanan on How to Lower Black Unemployment

FILED UNDER: Media, Black Unemployment, Diane Rehm, Immigration, Pat Buchanan, Race and Class

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Political commentator and former presidential adviser Pat Buchanan.

Conservative political commentator Pat Buchanan discussed his views on how diversity harms America this morning on WAMU 88.5′s “The Diane Rehm Show.” After the show we caught up with Buchanan, who is a native Washingtonian, and asked how he proposes addressing D.C.’s wealth disparities that break down along racial lines.

Buchanan said that D.C. is one of the wealthiest places in America, in part because of federal government jobs. “D.C. has problems, but I don’t think D.C., with its unemployment rate and things like that, is hurting as bad as some of the other cities and states around the country,” he said.

D.C.’s unemployment rate is 11.1 percent, which is higher than the national rate of 9.1 percent, but still lower than some of the hardest-hit states, such as Nevada. The District is also home to extreme poverty. Some nearly all-black wards of the city face Depression-era unemployment levels. Buchanan suggested a solution to the disproportionately high national unemployment rate among African Americans, now at 16 percent:

“One thing I would do is stop immigration into the country until all unemployment is down to 6 percent,” he said. “We’ve got to start putting our own people first.”

The notion that immigrants take jobs from out-of-work African Americans is the subject of recent debates in D.C. where 13 percent of the population is foreign born. Critics have raised the issue in response to Mayor Vincent Gray’s signing last week of an executive order that prevents police officers from inquiring about the immigration status of those arrested. Leo Alexander, 2010 mayoral candidate, told the Washington Examiner that Gray was “blowing the opportunity to make sure undereducated populations have jobs.”

Overall, Buchanan said “a lot of these things demand national solutions rather than local ones.”

  • http://twitter.com/drigoblanco rodrigo blanco

    Someone explain to me how someone “takes” a job from someone else? The labor market doesn’t work like that. Its always based on competition. The absence of a small percentage of the population is no guarantee that 16% will get any closer to being employed. Some perhaps, but the labor market is always more complicated than that. Is there a right match of skills to labor needed? Is there sufficient liquidity in the capital markets for more residents to go into business for themselves? Lets stop oversimplifying things and feeding into right-wing rat-race thinking between minorities groups in the city. 

  • Anonymous

    Interesting. I’ve always thought Loe Alexander and Pat Buchanan were two sides of the same coin.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Francis/100002158029860 Dave Francis

     

    POLITICIANS FLOUTING
    E-VERIFY AND IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

     

    Don’t blow off mindless steam in comments or blogs; stop the
    unceasing complaining and aim your anger and frustration, at the politicians in
    Washington This chaos caused by unfettered immigration has not been just caused
    by the Obama administration, but former Bush, Clinton and others. THIS IS
    YOUR MONEY, TAXPAYERS MONEY–LEGISLATORS ARE SPENDING IN FINANCIALLY
    ACCOMMODATING ILLEGAL MIGRANTS AND IMMIGRANTS. On SPAN today I saw a smug
    featured Homeland Security Janet Napolitano making excuses for the Department
    Of In-Justice. Still informing us that our borders are secure, so why is
    Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina far from the border, fighting to save
    their small treasuries from Economic illegal aliens?

     

     

     

     The inception of
    incessant immigration happened on Ronald Reagan’s dime, known as the 1986
    Immigration Control and Reform Act (IRCA)
    also known as the Simpson-Mazzoli bill. 
    It was apparent from the start that this systematic legalization didn’t
    work, but because of the loopholes involved the original estimated 3.5, turned
    into 6 million unauthorized persons whole claimed amnesty. Now our country
    through fraudulent and abuse we are now carrying an estimated 20 million
    through chain migration and the unceasing millions of illegal aliens who have
    broken border rules and 40 percent who over stayed legal visas. The main
    attraction is criminal minded business owners, who since 1986 have felt comfortably
    in hiring discount labor. This includes the villains in the farming industry,
    who have violated labor laws, by keeping wages low and attributing to poor
    living conditions. Agriculture must also carry the guilt in placing the weight
    of education for their children and family health care on taxpayers.

     

     

    This is a brief
    description of the Simpson/ Mazzoli law:

     

     

    Requirement for employers to attest to their employees’
    immigration status.Made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit
    unauthorized immigrants.Granting amnesty to certain seasonal agricultural
    illegal immigrants.Granted amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the
    United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously.

     

     

    The whole bill was a total disaster, as
    business owners has shown since that time, violated the law and ignored the
    American people. Both the Republicans and Democrats, pushed by the Liberals
    remained either ignorant to the fact or intentionally covertly assisted in this
    fiasco. The cost for this fraudulent outrageous experiment carried a price tag
    over a ten year period of $78 Billion dollars.

     Today—an estimated for full immigration
    reform, Amnesty, as assessed by THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, a mind blowing $2.6
    TRILLION OF YOUR DOLLARS.

     

     

    A labor economics Professor Vernon
    Briggs, of Cornell University stated:

     

    “The
    toleration of illegal immigration undermines all of our labor; it rips at the
    social fabric. It’s a race to the bottom. The one who plays by the rules is
    penalized… a guest worker program guarantees wages will never go up and there
    is no way American citizens can compete with guest workers.”

     

     

     The only way to cut
    them off from their lucrative jobs and show them who is really in charge, is
    tell the invaders is to embrace Rep. Lamar Smith” LEGAL WORKFORCE ACT”  Pay attention and use the free faxing system to
    qualify the E-verify law. This is the same Washington switchboard
    number to insist that your local or federal politician to push a vote on the
    “THE LEGAL WORKFORCE ACT”. Contact Speaker of the House John Boehner
    (R-OH); House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA); House Majority Whip Kevin
    McCarthy (R-CA) ; House Chairman of Ways & Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI.)

     

     

    Call ALL these Other Members of the
    Ways & Means Committee to phone or fax for free. Your arguments and irate
    anger on the Internet, will most be ignored. But aides in the offices of these lawmakers
    cannot escape your voices and your wrath. Just keep on calling without
    hesitation, because the Liberal quacks, Democrat hard liners and the GOP minority
    establishment don’t want this law imposed. They are not working for Americans
    any more, but for the open border advocates and the corporate ‘K’ street lobbyists.

     

     

    BOTH SIDES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE HAVE
    THEIR AGENDAS, ONE FOR PROFITS FROM ILLEGAL ALIEN LABOR, THE LEFT SIDE FOR A
    MASSIVE VOTING BLOCK.

     

    Never was immigration enforcement about
    any race of people, it strictly about how you enter America. Both political
    parties are to blame, as how can you enforce a law on anybody—WHEN IT’S JUST A
    CIVIL OFFENCE? IT MUST BE DRUMMED INTO THE HEAD OF POLITICIANS, THAT ONLY BY
    ENACTING ILLEGAL ENTRY AS A FELONY, WHICH WILL MAKE FOREIGN NATIONALS TO STAY
    IN THERE HOMELAND AND NOT TAKE THE CHANCE OF BEING IMPRISONED.

     

    NEBRASKA, Rep. Berg, Rick (GOP) (202-225-2611)
    ; NEBRASKA, Rep. Smith, Adrian (GOP) (202-225-6435);
    LOUISIANA, Rep. Boustany, Charles (GOP) (202-225-2031);
    MICHIGAN, Rep. Camp, Dave (GOP) (202-225-3561)
    & (202-225-2031); KENTUCKY, Rep. Davis, Geoff
    (GOP) (202-225-3465); PENNSYLVANIA, Rep. Gerlach, Jim
    (GOP)(202-225-4315); KANSAS, Rep. Jenkins, Lynn (GOP)(202-225-6601);
    MINNESOTA, Rep. Paulsen, Erik (GOP)(202-225-2871);
    WASHINGTON, Rep. Reichert, Dave (GOP) (202-225-7761);
    WISCONSIN, Rep. Ryan, Paul (GOP) (202-225-3031) Tell
    these disinclined lawmakers that you are a voter and that they will be hearing
    from you in 2012.

     

     

    Whoever is pursuing the Presidency
    better push the mandatory E-Verify to their Audience, as the TEA PARTY is avidly
    listening to every word. In the following debates, either Perry, Romney, Cain, Gingrich,
    Bachmann, Paul, Huntsman, Santorum and Johnson will be under pressure to
    approve THE LEGAL WORKFORCE ACT (Bill
    H.R. 2885)

     

     

    As an addition through CHAIN MIGRATION
    and children of illegal aliens is accelerating past the 300.000 yearly entering
    our nation that taxpayers are forced to pay. This is outlandish paramount circumstance
    that economic illegal aliens, who steal into America, must have their violation
    supplemented by American dollars.

     

     

     If you want to fax, go to NumbersUSA or please
    call 202-224-3121 and ask for your U.S. Representative’s office to urge action in
    this next session in Congress. The TEA PARTY will not tolerate Sanctuary
    cities, Dream Acts, another Amnesty or any Immigration Reform that circumvents
    the law.

     

     

    In our future elections and
    specifically the 2012 presidential vote, we must firmly oversee our absentee
    ballots and in the voting precincts. It is proven beyond any shadow of doubt,
    that illegal aliens are voting, which could be a major problems in close
    elections; but canvassing organizations of leftists activists and some Democrats
    are registering illegal aliens as in Texas, without restraint. This is not an
    isolated case, but rampant throughout this country. Read about voter fraud on
    the Internet.

     

    ATTN: USE DISQUS OR FACEBOOK, TO MAKE
    COMMENTING SIMPLER & EASY.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1019412022 Brett Cottrell

    Pat Buchanan just needs more white paint.  http://brettcottrell.blogspot.com/2011/10/pat-buchanan-needs-white-paint.html

    Send it care of MSNBC.

  • Wata4choc

    What a farce; blame it on the Hispanics! When the economy is thriving, jobs are bountiful… when the economy is suffering, the supply of jobs bottlenecks. Human resource/personnel offices( the people who hire) are disproportionately run by whites. They feel the pressure of racial loyalty to hire: (1) family (2) friends/acquaintances (3) and at the very least, people who look like “them”. White women can come straight outta high school (many w/o graduating, i.e. GED), and waltz into a climate-controlled desk job in somebody’s accounting or HR office… never having to grind on the production floor like their cohorts. I’m black, a Mensa member, a former ISPE (international society for philosophical enquiry/iq 150+) member, finance committee chairperson at my local church, a college grad; however, I’ve never been able to land an office job. Just recently started a minimum wage job after 27mnths of unemployment– 171 applications later, & only 6 interviews during the whole time… and that’s when I listed my name as “sarah beth reynolds”! Imagine that, much to the chagrin & dismay of the white-female personnel associate. Now that’s equity 4-yo-@ss!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Wata4choc

    What a farce; blame it on the Hispanics! When the economy is thriving, jobs are bountiful… when the economy is suffering, the supply of jobs bottlenecks. Human resource/personnel offices( the people who hire) are disproportionately run by whites. They feel the pressure of racial loyalty to hire: (1) family (2) friends/acquaintances (3) and at the very least, people who look like “them”. White women can come straight outta high school (many w/o graduating, i.e. GED), and waltz into a climate-controlled desk job in somebody’s accounting or HR office… never having to grind on the production floor like their cohorts. I’m black, a Mensa member, a former ISPE (international society for philosophical enquiry/iq 150+) member, finance committee chairperson at my local church, a college grad; however, I’ve never been able to land an office job. Just recently started a minimum wage job after 27mnths of unemployment– 171 applications later, & only 6 interviews during the whole time… and that’s when I listed my name as “sarah beth reynolds”! Imagine that, much to the chagrin & dismay of the white-female personnel associate. Now that’s equity 4-yo-@ss!!!!!!!!!!!