Napolitano Goes to Homeland Posted by Moira Whelan

In foreign policy circles, the Homeland Security department is often regarded with fear…fear that you might end up having to work there. With Janet Napolitano, a department often viewed as a backwater could surprise everyone, if the innovation it could show is in any way reflective of what we've seen from Napolitano.

I’d read quite a bit about Napolitano as potential short-lister for AG, and it’s clear her legal credibility is unrivaled. Clearly, an asset at DHS. Upon hearing the rumors that she would be nominated for Homeland Security, I tapped into some friends from Arizona to ask about her reputation as governor since in my opinion, the job requires a pretty sophisticated understanding of many things, not to mention, outstanding leadership abilities. Suffice to say, rave reviews came back, and as a result, I offer a few high points of the Napolitano nomination I haven’t seen in other media reports...

She’s a governor. Both Obama and Biden bring national security credibility, but unlike administrations in recent memory, the top of the ticket lacks gubernatorial experience. Here Napolitano can play a major role. One of the Bush Administration’s critical errors in this regard was to treat layers of government as if they were top down: DHS would make demands and state and local officials were expected to carry it out according to their wishes. Not only does this not work because governors and mayors don’t take orders by virtue of laws that grant them authority, but it also ignores a resource that if harnessed, can revolutionize the way American government conducts itself. The worst manifestation of this was with regard to Hurricane Katrina, where state and local officials complained they spent more time meeting the demands of the federal government than receiving the help they needed. If DHS revisions itself to be in service of state and local officials, they’ll find they’ll get further with honey than vinegar. DHS can offer opportunities governors and mayors can’t otherwise get: trainings for local officials, best practice exchanges, and generally speaking, a one-stop resource for states and locals. In times of crisis, this sort of cooperation can be critical. When not in the midst of crisis, these sorts of relationships will be valuable. Napolitano seems to get this. Her reputation is that of being a dynamic leader more interested in tapping in to talent and harnessing the energy than in steamrolling and bullying.

She’s a BORDER STATE governor. As a result, Napolitano is in touch with the perspectives of border communities which often find the immigration debate baffling because their lives exist on both sides of the border. It’s not unusual for town along the border to have people live in one country and work in the other. In addition, she brings an understanding of the challenges we face on our borders with tribal lands. In Arizona, the Tahono O’odhom lands have posed a challenge since they sit on the border, but the tribal leaders are rightfully suspicious of federal agents operating on the reservation. A significant part of US lands on the border are tribal lands, so this perspective is going to be useful.

She’s a leader. This from emptywheel:

She is spectacularly good at bureaucratic detail and getting big entities working as an efficient team. Janet has an incredibly feel good aura around her, and it is contagious to those working with and for her. She is a master team builder, both in terms of efficiency and competence as well as morale and attitude. Janet has already exhibited her turnaround skills in her transformation of the Arizona Executive branch, which was in shambles when she took over.

This largely reflects other things I’ve heard about her. DHS is currently an agency with multiple missions and multiple identities. Because there is no clear promotion track among civil servants, it tends not to attract the talented. Those civil servants who are there are demoralized. The quality of life inside the DHS agencies is poor. Napolitano’s work is cut out for her, and personally I’m reassured because what I’ve learned about her indicates that she takes leadership seriously. She’s not a figure head or entitled…she has to work for it, and I think that will go a long way in improving what DHS can accomplish.

Interesting tidbit: I was listening to Jane Mayer’s “The Dark Side” on my holiday road trip, and learned that Janet’s brother grew up with—and was close friends with—the notorious David Addington.  Also of interest to me is that Napolitano is a fellow life-long Girl Scout—an organization dedicated to strong feminist principles, despite what its public image may be.

Comments

[Carracticus]

Anti-illegal advocates will be on their guard against the new team under president elect Obama. In the past Napolitano has vetoed numerous measures to halt the waves of illegal aliens squatting in Arizona. But she strongly apposed the border fence and may try to rescind the raids on parasite employers who is the main cause of illegal aliens attracted by employment opportunities. The fact that Governor Napolitano was picked for heading Homeland Security instead of the possibility of New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson shows a realistic attitude, that the administration doesn't need a politician who panders to illegal immigrant organizations such as La Raza. Even with the advent of 9/11, Richardson issued drivers licenses to foreign nationals, without qualifying their right to be here.

Politicians like Napolitano have either intentionally neglected to understand the difference between an legal Immigrant and an illegal alien. The difference being the 'Rule of law' that illegal aliens have no sovereign rights in this land. Yet because current and many previous administrations have neglected their oath to the American people, we have seen massive growth of radical groups of people with no loyalty to this country. With a centralist view as governor she was one of the first politicians to call for deployment of the National Guard along the border and also declared a state of emergency in her state's counties nearest Mexico.Yet at the same time opposing the immigrant crackdown launched by the courageous Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and vetoing laws that would have denied state social services to illegal immigrants.

As the new Homeland Security chief, Napolitano can be expected to follow the lead of Chertoff and the Democratic Party in insisting that current immigration laws be enforced to some degree.

1.Arizona hospitals spend $150 million annually to provide care to illegal aliens, according to the Arizona Hospital and Health care Association

2. Arizona taxpayers over $1 billion annually in services for schools, medical care, welfare anchor babies, loss of tax base and prisons.

3. Illegal aliens displaced American workers at a cost in excess of $133 billion dollars last year according to Harvard Professor George Borjas. College and high school kids cannot find a summer job in yard care, landscape, fast food or service jobs. Why? Illegal aliens work them at a third the wage and often, under the table.

4. When an alien criminal gets caught for rape, murder or drug distribution, you pay $1.6 billion annually in prison costs to house, feed and clothe those filling 30 percent of our federal and state prisons.

5. Over 300,000 women annually arrive pregnant and drop them on U.S. soil. You pay food, housing, medical and schooling for them to age 18 PLUS their mother. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, average annual cost per child K-12 is $7,161.00 and exceeds $109 billion annually per cycle of anchor babies. That’s your money given out to 300,000 moms and their kids annually and all they did was get pregnant and birth that child on U.S. soil.

6. The average head of household illegal alien costs you $2,700.00 in welfare money over and above any taxes he or she pays in their meager paying jobs. With 15 to 20 million illegal aliens in the USA, that figures exceeds $20 billion of your tax dollars, according to Center for Immigration Studies, August 2004)

7. $56 billion in pure cash illegal migrants sent to their home countries last year and every year? That’s after their kids enjoyed free education, free lunches and free medical care paid for by you.

8. With a minimum of 37 million illegal aliens in our country, (according to the Tucson Border Patrol Union) these figures are the tip of the iceberg. Average bilingual education is $1,200.00 per illegal alien student. We educate 1.1 million illegal alien children each year. You paid $27 billion to provide forms, ballots, interpreters and brochures for languages other than English in 2003.

9. An estimated one-third to one-half illegal aliens work off the books. It costs $200 million to provide for emergency health care for illegal aliens in the Border States annually. California with over three million illegals paid $79 million, BUT four of their major LA hospitals bankrupted and shut their doors in 2004. Texas with 1.5 million illegal aliens paid $74 million in hospital care. Who is Texas? You, the taxpayer, that’s who! Because you, in your state, pay commensurate medical care according to your illegal alien population. Georgia ran a $63 million deficit for 64,000 unpaid doctor visits to their Grady Health Care system in 2002. In the same year, Georgia taxpayers paid $27 million for 11,188 anchor baby hospital births. Georgia taxpayers paid a whopping $242 million for educating illegal alien kids in 2003. What is it in your state?

What are the consequences? One in two adult African-Americans in New York is unemployed. African-American children’s poverty grew by 50 percent since 1999. Why? Their dads can’t find work.

10. Illegals are arriving at over 4,000 per night according to Time Magazine, September 12, 2004, "Who Left the Door Open?" I quote, "That total of illegal aliens flooding into the United States this year will total three million. An additional half-million are coming every year.

In 1996 Illegal aliens were then displacing 730,000 American workers a year, so says Rice University.

It is estimated that the cost to supporting illegal aliens is over a $1trillion dollars a year in government handouts.

Read about www.judicialwatch.org winning court cases against parasite employers, illegal immigrant groups and corrupt politicians.
www.numbersusa.com is your HQ, to find the ugly facts not lies. www.capsweb.org has different petitions to fight the illegal alien pestilence.
Read about the unrevealed war going on at www.americanpatrol.com

Our future free of OVERPOPULATION, is up to YOU?