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Sunday, December 31, 2017

Europe...listen to the wisdom of Calvin Coolidge

I assimilated.
Europe, as well as the American Left, would do well to heed Calvin Coolidge's wisdom. Just insert "Europe or Europeans" in place of "America or Americans". 

“We are all agreed, whether we be Americans [Europeans] of the first or of the seventh generation on this soil, that it is not desirable to receive more immigrants than can reasonably be assured of bettering their condition by coming here. For the sake both of those who would come and more especially of those already here, it has been thought wise to avoid the danger of increasing our numbers too fast. It is not a reflection on any race or creed. We might not be able to support them if their numbers were too great. In such event, the first sufferers would be the most recent immigrants, unaccustomed to our life and language and industrial methods. We want to keep wages and living conditions good for everyone who is now here or 
who may come here."

And again, advice for Europe: "America’s [Europe's] first and foremost obligation is to those immigrants who already live on American [European] soil – both those who have been here for centuries and those who have only just arrived. The reason for this? 'They came to us with stout hearts and high hopes of bettering their estate. They have contributed much to making our country what it is.' As such, Coolidge implied, they have a right to “the full measure of benefits and advantages which our people have been privileged to enjoy.”

I will never assimilate. 
“It is my belief that those who live here and really want to help some other country, can best accomplish that result by making themselves truly and wholly American [European]. I mean by that, giving their first allegiance to this country and always directing their actions in a course which will be first of all for the best interests of this country. They cannot help other nations by bringing old world race prejudices and race hatreds into action here. In fact, they can best help other countries by scrupulously avoiding any such motives."

“Restricted immigration is not an offensive but purely a defensive action. It is not adopted in criticism of others in the slightest degree, but solely for the purpose of protecting ourselves. We cast no aspersions on any race or creed, but we must remember that every object of our institutions of society and government will fail unless America [Europe] be kept American [European]."

Calvin Coolidge
POTUS 1923-1929
“As a nation, our first duty must be those who are already our inhabitants, whether native or immigrants.”

We ought to have no prejudice against an alien because he is an alien. The standard which we apply to our inhabitants is that of manhood, not place of birth. Restrictive immigration is to a large degree for economic purposes. It is applied in order that we may not have a larger annual increment of good people within our borders that we can weave into our economic fabric in such a way as to supply their needs without undue injury to ourselves.”

“Those who do not want to be partakers of the American [European] spirit out not to settle in America [Europe].”

“We have certain standards of life that we believe are best for us. We do not ask other nations to discard theirs, but we do wish to preserve ours. Standards, government and culture under our free institutions are not so much a matter of constitutions and laws as of public opinion, ways of thought and methods of life of the people. We reflect on no one in wanting immigrants who will be assimilated into our ways of thinking and living. Believing we can best serve the world in that way, we restrict immigration.”


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