Voters sound off on midterms, immigration

Oct. 24--Bob Harlan of Valdosta, Georgia, worries about what will happen if America doesn't defend its culture and doesn't bring back meaningful, quality jobs.

Harlan retired from the Air Force in the early 1990s, but continued working until two years ago.

The 65-year-old said he wants a candidate who will bring back jobs, someone who understands the potential of American greatness.

"Many years ago, young children repaired bicycles and then they got jobs at factories doing things, but all that disappeared," Harlan said. "Now, the Chinese children are repairing bicycles and they are learning how to industrialize. Our generation that knows how to make things happen is rapidly declining, while other countries are defending their culture and going forward. We're really missing the boat because of that."

Harlan said he wants a candidate who will bring new businesses to communities struggling to find work.

And he said he believes jobs are tied to immigration.

When he first moved to Valdosta in the 1990s, there were few Hispanics, he said. Through the years, the Hispanic population has "greatly increased all through South Georgia."

"What's slowly happening is that Americans are refusing to do certain jobs," Harlan said. "As a youth, me and my friends would look forward to working the fields to make money during the summer."

He said more children are doing absolutely nothing. They are not working after-school or during summer breaks. American youths should work these jobs.

Harlan said Hispanics are taking over America in the same way Europeans took the country from Native Americans.

"The British didn't (invade) in a mean, hateful way, and it wasn't racist. It wasn't anything," Harlan said. "Europe was overcrowded and they basically said 'This is a good thing, and I want a part of this good thing.' Well, the problem is the Indians were there, but over a period of time they basically conquered the Americas and displaced the Indians."

"Conquest" didn't happen over night then and isn't happening over night now, Harlan said, adding European Americans are declining and could face the same situation as Native Americans.

Harlan attributes the decline to Americans losing what he calls the "gutsy, get-with-it."

"As the Europeans are slowly declining, both in population and with that drive, I see the Hispanics coming in, inch-by-inch, and I'm not saying it's an evil thing," Harlan said. "I think it's the natural order of things. Survival of the fittest."

Harlan's concerns about immigration and jobs are not unique. The 2016 election proved that.

President Donald Trump tapped into concerns missed by the media.

We want to know what matters most to voters. With midterm elections less than a month away, we hope not to be surprised by the outcomes this time around. That's why we are taking the Pulse of the Voters with our sister papers throughout the region and the nation.

In this third edition of Pulse of the Voters, we want to know what matters most to voters and what draws them to the polls.

We conducted grassroots interviews in an environment where subjects felt comfortable so we can report on the opinions of local voters.

The project is being mirrored in communities across the country served by more than 100 CNHI newspapers in similar-sized communities, from Florida to Iowa, from New Hampshire to Texas.

Immigration and Population

Much of the population growth in Whitfield County, Georgia, has been fueled by an influx of Hispanic workers.

The county's population has almost doubled during the past 48 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county had an estimated population of 104,658 in 2017, up from 55,108 in 1970.

Dalton, Georgia, the largest city and county seat of Whitfield County, has seen its population grow almost as fast.

The Hispanic workers, many of them immigrants, are employed by floor-covering mills. The Hispanic population rose from the low single digits to an estimated 49 percent of the 2017 population of Dalton and 35.5 percent of the county population.

Zeucis and Lis Martinez, who work for a Dalton-area school system, came to the Georgia city about 30 years ago.

Born in Venezuela and a former member of the military, Zeucis Martinez was a pioneer in Spanish-language broadcasting in Whitfield County.

They said they have long identified as Republicans, but he said the party's stance on immigration and Trump's language about immigrants, especially those from Mexico, concern them.

"I agree we have to have strong borders. I agree we have to protect our country. I agree that criminals need to be out," Zeucis Martinez said.

But he said many illegal immigrants have set down roots in the community and have children who are American citizens. He said he would like to see the government find a way to identify the "good families" and help them gain legal status while removing criminals.

Lis Martinez said her concerns are for the children, both those born here who could see their parents deported and those brought to the United States early in life who know no other country.

"Those kids, their parents came here to make a better life," she said. "These kids can be the future of this country. If we hurt their future, we hurt our future."

Meanwhile, some people in the north-central Alabama community of Cullman believe the president's stance on immigration has merit.

The mood was exemplified on a warm September evening in Karma's Coffee House as Alex Chaney settled in with a single shot of espresso.

Chaney of Cullman, Alabama, said he is frustrated with the lingering immigration debate.

"I've worked with clients to help them with becoming citizens, and it's incredibly expensive and a long process," Chaney said. "There are a lot of ideas from creating easier paths to citizenship to somehow allowing those already here to become citizens. But I don't know if I agree with rewarding people for breaking the law.

"Some people are upset about the wall the president wants, and it can probably do some good, but the real answer -- the long-term answer -- is in establishing an effective policy that is manageable and is in the interest of our country."

While Chaney sees a lot of lines drawn in the sand, he stressed more people should weigh the efforts of the president, instead of lashing out immediately.

Social Issues

Colquitt County, Ga., Sheriff's Office Sgt. Jerome Burgess is dead set against abortion.

Support of abortion rights is a non-starter for the 48-year-old veteran officer, who reckons his last vote for a Democrat was in 2004, when he supported conservative Democratic U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop.

Any pro-choice candidate will not get a second look, he said.

And Burgess of Moultrie, Georgia, said the country should concentrate on its problems first.

"I think we need to be more concerned about what goes on in our country before we worry about other countries," Burgess said. "I think government should be small. I don't think government should be overbearing, over-regulating."

He said he remains a strong Trump supporter and predicts congressional gains for Republicans in November. Burgess said Trump has kept his word and has done things he said he would.

"Does he get results?" Burgess said. "Yeah, he gets results. I do my own homework. I can make my own decisions and do my own research. You've got to choose the lesser of two evils."

Abortion is also a top issue for Baptist preacher John Werner. The Tifton, Georgia, resident identifies as a conservative, but not necessarily a Republican.

"The stance that the candidates have on that (abortion), to me, is generally a telltale sign of their views almost across the board on other issues as well," Werner said. "I'm very pro-life. That's generally one of the first things I look for."

Libertarian View

Caleb Martin, a 30-year-old Meridian, Mississippi, native, mostly identifies as Libertarian, placing an emphasis on social issues and conservative economic policies.

"I feel like there are social problems that deal with race and religion and gender and sex things like that that the government shouldn't be involved with whatsoever. Because, to me, that's personal freedom. I mean, I guess not race, per se, because you don't really get to choose," Martin said. "Socially, I'm very liberal. Economically, I'm a little more conservative."

Martin said he hadn't been closely following Mississippi's congressional races.

"It's a bit disheartening though to see what you have to choose from. And a lot of that has to do with how much money they have behind them more so than the platform that they're standing on," Martin said.

The hyper-conservative nature of Mississippi's politics pushes some of the more liberal, younger populace out of the state, Martin said.

"I think that Mississippi being a conservative state and being a red state... that's why I think you have a lot of Millennials that leave the state," Martin said. "They don't identify socially with the people that are running the state and they don't identify economically with the people who are running the state. I can't tell you how many friends from high school I have that don't live here anymore.

"I have more friends living in California and places like Atlanta and New Orleans and places like that than I actually have living here in Meridian."

As for President Donald Trump, Martin said he feels Trump comes across as crass, something he didn't agree with, and his tariff choices hurt Martin's job in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning industry.

"In the industry that I work in, all that's done is drive costs up which has made it harder for contractors to compete; it's made it harder for homeowners to afford repairs to their heating and air conditioning," Martin said. "The problem with that is when you introduce tariffs into the society and businesses, companies that have absolutely nothing to do with aluminum and copper will use it as an excuse to increase their prices just to make an extra percent. Ten, 15 percent. So I"m not really sure if it's working."

Martin said while countries such as Canada and Denmark had found ways to make government health care work, the Affordable Care Act doesn't meet the mark.

"I think the ACA was a great idea in concept. I think it was executed poorly and I don't necessarily agree with being fined for not purchasing something I don't feel I necessarily need," Martin said about the individual mandate. "Now my deductible is so high that I don't even reach it by the end of the year half the time. If I were to put my wife and my daughter on my insurance plan, I wouldn't bring home any money every month because it would be $800 a pay period for all three of us to be covered."

A gun owner and former Boy Scout, Martin said he agrees there could be "a little more stringent guidelines" for firearms.

"A lot of people will argue that, 'Oh, let's ban cars next.' OK, look, cars have a specific purpose. Cars can be used as a weapon, but their specific purpose is to transport people and things from one place to another in a quick, efficient manner," Martin said. "Guns have one sole purpose: they are designed and made to kill things. If you have to have a license and you have to pass a test in order to drive a car... why do we not have the same process for owning, literally, something that is designed only to kill stuff?"

Robust Economy

Tom Berry, a 70-year-old retired municipal administrator in Thomasville, Georgia, said he cast his first vote when he was in the Navy during President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign.

"Man, was the country in an uproar," he said. "Europe hated the U.S. military. We'd pull into a port and there would be bomb threats. It was terrible. We're almost just as bad nationally as we were then."

Still an active voter, Berry decried the inability or intransigence of politicians to work together.

"It encompasses all the issues," he said. "It is the worst time in politics that I remember. It's certainly state and local."

The economy worries Berry most.

"I want a solid, vibrant economy for my children as they raise their families," he said.

Berry said opportunities need to be created for people, particularly young people, where they can excel.

"Not many people are looking at what is going to happen as many jobs are being replaced by machines. It's going to create jobs on the other side to delve all of this," he said. "But there are not going to be as many of them and you are going to have to be fairly well educated to have those jobs."

Retired from the Commonwealth Edison Company in Joliet, Ill., George Anthony has seen how environmental regulations affect the industry, noting his company went from 700 employees to 50 when it converted from a coal-burning to a natural gas-burning facility.

"I worked in a fossil generations station for 35 years and we burned coal," he said. "I know it is not good for the environment, but it is good for the economy because when people are working they are spending, buying homes and cars and things which, in turn, makes the economy stronger."

As a Republican, the Athens, Georgia resident said he believes the president's policies renewed an economy that faltered during the previous administration.

"I believe (the economy) is robust, from everything I can see from building to trades to everything. It is going hot and heavy," he said.

As for immigration, Anthony said he believes America benefits from its immigrant population but would like people attempting to cross the border go through proper channels. He said he thinks America should be an asylum for immigrants fleeing danger and abuse in their native countries.

"We have a moral obligation to protect people whose lives are in danger," he said. "That is one of the principles that has made this country great."

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256

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