Fact-checking Mcclintock

To the Editor:

An opinion article appearing in the U.D. on March 6 by Congressman Tom Mcclintock was short of accurate facts and more in line with those of the GOP who prefer to use sensational, and often misleading statements to incite their base.

He referred to early lockdowns due to the coronavirus as a “left wrecking ball” to our economy, seemingly blaming Democratic led states for economic downturns, rather than a thoughtful health necessity during a pandemic.

He gave the Trump administration credit for the improvement in wages of low and unskilled workers following huge tax cuts that directly helped the wealthy as the greatest beneficiary rather than lower down the scale.

His tirades about the new administration's immigration actions makes the statement that those seeking asylum at the border are mostly false claims. Politifact (nonpartisan) considers this as incorrect and gives statistics to back it up.

He claims illegal immigrants commit crimes stemming from sanctuary cities and allowing travel from “hotbeds of international terrorism” are threatening us. Again, Politifact states that immigrants don't commit crime at a rate higher rate than citizens. “Undocumented immigrants commit less crimes than the native born.” As far as the threat coming from foreign sources, the RAND Corporation states, “America's jihadist terrorists are not imported from abroad. They are mostly homegrown.” This was aptly proven by the events of Jan. 6 and the insurrection by groups of radicals in the U.S.

Mcclintock finds red meat for his and others' base of supporters with false or misleading “facts” meant to scare those who have been fed a steady diet of propaganda that not only do we have to have a border wall to keep out those “undesirables” but we need to withdraw our humanity and morality for those seeking refuge. Or in my opinion, Trump's way. Wayne Kirkbride