Mr. President: Americans don’t need good vibes. We need an American program first

On Tuesday, President Biden delivered his second State of the Union address. The speech was peppered with surprisingly nimble ad libs on not extinguishing Social Security as well as calls for Democrats and Republicans to unite, especially to boost economic growth and productivity through a new push. for the “made in America”. The president noted – rightly so – that a revitalization of American manufacturing will inspire feelings of pride, hope, optimism and collaboration down the aisle. Yet while his call for bipartisanship was music to my ears, I recognized the tone of the soft words and weak substance.

Mr. President, Americans do not need positive vibes; we need american economic policies first.

The president is correct that the strength of the union would be enhanced by substantial economic returns for the average Joe. Yet to achieve this, Americans need something the President has proven unable or unwilling to give us: a secure border and strong limits on legal immigration.

Americans need a plan for the native-born workforce, not a promise of jobs we can see from home but never deliver.

Biden celebrated the American people for their strength and resilience in his speech. Yet too often politicians champion the adversity we can manage while continuing to disengage.

Nothing in the SOTU speech suggested that the Biden administration planned to withdraw its damaging immigration policies that deprive Americans of lasting economic gains.

For example, Biden applauded Intel’s semiconductor plant, which promises to create 10,000 temporary construction jobs and 3,000 permanent positions, many of which allegedly “don’t require a college degree.” Yet, given our effectively open border, one might reasonably ask, while those jobs may be in the United States, what percentage of them will go to American citizens? After all, Intel has always been in the top 10 companies to use H-1B and OPT visas to hire foreign students from India and China.

Add to that the fact that President Biden plans to admit 30,000 foreigners a month, then add the competition of nearly 3,000 jaunts to our southern border. per month. The math is stacked against US citizens.

Of course, there is nothing new here. The United States has wasted two generations offshore American jobs and importing foreign workers. This is mismanagement in the extreme, given that more than 30% of working-age Americans are considered “not participating in the labor force,” but these citizens are not represented in the unemployment rate. official 3.4%.

Every job opportunity that goes to a foreign worker instead of a US citizen is the responsibility of employers who exploit immigration laws, but more so, of elected officials who allow it.

And both political parties are breaking the backs of American citizens. American wages are being suppressed by liberals who erase American borders and free-market Republicans who help them.

Can President Biden and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy fix it?

This is the wrong question. The right question is, do they to want For?

An America-first economic policy should not be a partisan issue. If elected officials aren’t working together to ensure national security and economic prosperity for American households, what good are they to us?

Biden highlighted his 50-year career in DC, but he doesn’t have enough political capital to negotiate anything other than a warmed-up version of Obama’s narrative of hope. To that I say no, thank you.

The call to action is to secure the border, reduce legal immigration and get to work designing and implementing a native-born workforce sourcing plan and internal strategy. talent management across all industries.

Politicians can push their poetry about hopes and dreams. It’s time to show me the money.

Pamela Denise Long is CEO of Youthcentrix® Therapy Services, a company that helps organizations implement trauma-informed practices and diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism (DEIA) at a systems level. Connect with Ms. Long online at www.youthcentrix.com or @PDeniseLong on social networks.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.