1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

The amount of unacceptable in the headlines these days is exhausting. Even dedicated letter writers get tired of the nonsense. But there are a few interesting things that don’t require an increase in blood pressure. So that’s where we’re going today. In May 2023 the Florida legislature passed a law requiring employers with 25 or more employees to confirm that their workers are in the US legally. The new law prompted foreign farmworkers and construction workers to leave the state. So the Wall Street Journal reported in a February 6 editorial, employers “are struggling to find workers they can employ legally.” They continued: “There’s little evidence that undocumented migrants are taking jobs from Americans. The reality is that employers can’t find enough Americans willing to work in the fields or hang drywall, even at attractive wages. Farm hands in Florida who work year-round earn roughly $47,000, which is more than what some young college graduates earn.” “The lesson for President Trump is that businesses can’t grow if government takes away their workers,” they concluded. Then the Florida AG reacted to the WSJ, explaining on Fox Business that the Republican Party expects to replace undocumented workers with young Americans: “We need to focus on our state college program, our trade schools, getting people into the workforce even earlier. We passed legislation last year to help high school students get their hands dirty and get on job sites more quickly. So I think there’s a lot more we can do with apprenticeships, rolling out, beefing up our workforce, and trying to address the demand that is undoubtedly here in the state.” The new American dream. Good luck selling it. We had a willing workforce. Y’all got rid of them. But now I guess your kids and grandkids can step up. But onto the most recent political kerfuffle. Colbert vs CBS, now aka Fox News Lite. The most recent example of GOP suppression efforts resulting in just the opposite. Now the whole country knows who James Talarico is. And I bet a whole lot of Trump’s base might find his words appealing. Talarico is a Texas state lawmaker studying to be a minister, who criticizes the Republican use of Christianity as a political weapon. He says such politicization of Christianity both distorts politics and cheapens faith. He says the true way to practice Christianity is simple but not easy. He says it is to love your neighbor. He says political positions should grow out of that to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and heal the sick. “[T]here is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism,” he told Colbert. “It is the worship of power in the name of Christ, and it is a betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth.” Trump won Texas in 2024 by 14%. But obviously someone is worried. So a power-play was tried, and failed. “I think that Donald Trump is worried that we’re about to flip Texas,” Talarico said. “Across the state there is a backlash growing to the extremism and the corruption in our politics…. It’s a people-powered movement to take back our state and take back our country.” He is absolutely correct in his assessment. As of this morning, Colbert’s 15-minute interview with Talarico has been viewed on YouTube almost 6M times. Forbes says it is Colbert’s most watched interview in months. Talarico also reported that he had raised $2.5 million in campaign donations in the 24 hours after the interview. Y’all definitely know how to fight dirty. But it seems less likely you know how to win dirty. Because even that needs some level of competency. So keep up the good work. Please.