First, the Wall Street Journal article and now the reports from Fox News (“Conservative critics target Portland for its support of asylum seekers,” Feb. 1).
Portland deserves to be held up as a model of what can be done, not of wrongdoing. Resources of money and housing, etc., are finite, so a single city can and will reach its limits. However, a city that has shown the courage, creativity and determination to go the limit deserves credit. The news media and government ought to hold up those cities as models. They may not have found perfect solutions, but they have demonstrated that much can be done.
Alongside the negative reports, we read of cities and towns in this country that are advertising for people to come. Daily we hear of jobs not filled because there are no workers to fill them. Our immigration policies need comprehensive reform that looks at not only issues of screening and admission but also of the process and structures necessary for location, housing, language education and job training.
More than a few cities and areas need to be accepting refugees and asylum seekers. We have a moral obligation to care for our fellow human beings. The gifts of freedom and our wealth as a nation carry the responsibility of our sharing them. With wisdom and prudence, yes, but with generosity and respect for the dignity and needs of all.
Our country was founded on truths held to be self-evident – “… that all (humans) are created equal … endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life. liberty, and the pursuit of happiness … .” We can live up to that courageous declaration. We can find the way to improve the situation that faces us today at home and also the way to improve conditions in other countries through shared technology and skills. We can. Will we?
Virginia Calvo
Wells
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