What Steve Kroft/60 Minutes forgot to ask (Hazleton immigration ordinance)

Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes offered a slightly fair report on Hazleton, Pennsylvania's new ordinance concerning illegal aliens renting and being employed in the city.

Here's a partial list of some of the things he forgot to do:

1. At the end, when Kroft said that some people had called mayor Lou Barletta a racist, and Kroft lingered over the word "racist", he forgot to mention the far-left, anti-American loonies who've said such things. If 60 Minutes opposed illegal immigration, they would have given people like Anna Arias, Agapito Lopez, or Stephen Glassman enough rope to have hung themselves.

2. Kroft interviewed a disguised illegal alien and her daughter. The former had been working 60 to 72 hours per week, and had only ended up near the poverty line. Kroft asked her if it was better than Mexico, and she responded affirmatively. If 60 Minutes opposed illegal immigration, they would have pointed out that such working conditions are Dickensian, and they would have wondered why Mexico is unable to take care of their own people. And, he would have tried to compute all the social services that the duo received, pointing out that that was a huge subsidy to her former employer.

3. Kroft gave more than a minute to Lucas Gutentag of the ACLU's Immigrant Rights Project, without asking about their indirect link to the Mexican government, and without asking why all of their immigration-related lawsuits and activities will enable Mexico to keep sending us people. (See also this and this).

4. Kroft offered a brief interview with a local shopowner, Isabel Rubio. Despite being here legally, Croft implied that some people don't want Hispanics in general in the town. And, in the the brief shot of her shop's sign, one can see that one of her lines of business is wiring money out of the country. Perhaps Croft could have discussed issues relating to remittances if he wants to "follow the money".

Comments

Kroft asked her if it was better than Mexico, and she responded affirmatively.

But (obviously, one would think) this is only half of the story -- aliens deciding it is in their own self interest to come to the US. If, on the other hand, Americans decide, e.g. due to the adverse effects on their community that they observe around them, that the more or less untroubled presence of large numbers of illegals is not in their best interest, then they ought to be able to act on that, e.g. by passing laws designed to make life more difficult for illegals, without being called names -- i.e. Americans pursuing their own self interest is just as legitimate as illegals pursuing theirs.

Despite being here legally, Croft implied that some people don't want Hispanics in general in the town.

Depending on the location and the situation, this may also not be totally irrational, i.e. such a feeling or decision may be instead more the result of weighing the tradeoffs -- benefits vs costs etc. The media doesn't want to go there, however, because it involves recognizing demographically significant group differences, which is still generally taboo; irrational bias or prejudice is the more acceptable, and so seized upon, explanation.