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Where Does Ratowitz Stand on Immigration?

-By Warner Todd Huston

**UPDATED** 11/15 2:30 PM

Over at the always interesting Cao’s Blog there is a spot ‘o controversy over the candidacy of David Ratowitz who is running as a Republican to take the Chicago based 5th District Congressional seat that Rahm Emanuel once occupied. In the election timeline, we’ve arrived at the infuriatingly common stage where every candidate in the state is running around challenging everyone else’s petition signatures and Cao feels that Ratowitz is acting the hypocrite with his actions in this case.

If you want all the ins and outs of the petition challenge argument Cao makes, I suggest you go on over and visit the posting. As for me, it doesn’t much interest me. There is a far more important part of the story that Cao talks about after the petition discussion that I find far more important.

First, though, I will agree with those that find the whole petition challenge milieu one of the most vexing aspects of the Chicago Way style of Illinois politics — one repeated all across the country not being a strictly Chicago phenomenon, granted. Petition challenges are usually petty, niggling, cynical, and strikes against the whole one-man-one-vote ideal where a candidate throws his hat in the ring and the people decide his suitability to serve them.

But, that annoyance aside, one of Cao’s commenters, Jim Fuchs, made an excellent point on the whole subject.

I think you’re all missing a very important point – that it is SUPPOSED to be difficult to get on the ballot! If that weren’t the case, every nutcase and his neighbor would fill the ballot with hundreds or more names for each office. I believe the rules are quite simple AND FAIR: get a minimum number of valid signatures from registered voters in the district you want to run in. If you can’t handle that simple of a task, you don’t belong on the ballot.

Like many, I have feel that most petition challenges are cowardly but I think Jim made a good point that we shouldn’t too easily dismiss. I, for one, would not like to see an election process where dozens of candidates end up on the ballot at election time. We must make it at least a LITTLE hard to get on the ballot in order to avoid this fate. Too many on the ballot and we drift toward democracy (little “d”) and that augers against our ideals of a representative republic and the two party system. We are all aware that a pure democracy is something the founders wanted to avoid at all costs.

So, as far as I am concerned the petition challenges that the Ratowitz campaign filed and when they filed them is not as important as the later point that Cao made concerning David Ratowitz.

After displaying a pair of images of past business cards that Mr. Ratowitz has used Cao points out that one of them identifies Ratowitz as an immigration lawyer. This brought a seminal question to Cao’s mind.

The immigration lawyer card is the one he was passing out a year ago, but it’s inconvenient to come out and admit what he’s REALLY about on his cards right now, when he’s looking to get votes from voters who don’t agree with AMNESTY FOR ILLEGALS.

Now, there is a pertinent question. Is David Ratowitz an amnesty supporter? Is he soft on immigration as one might imagine with his past practice focusing on that area of law? (The Ratowitz campaign says that his practice is less about immigration and more about employment law now)

Cao also points out that Ratowitz also has a past association with the Libertarian Party. This might also argue that he might harbor pro-amnesty sentiments.

So, if some fear that Ratowitz is pro-illegal, then that is a question that should be put to him in a public forum, one we, as voters, should REQUIRE that he answer. So, that is what I am calling for. I don’t have a whole lot of interest in the petition challenge question but Mr. Ratowitz’ immigration stance is far more important. After all, as a Congressman he will be voting on immigration. In Washington the question of petition challenges is moot.

So, there it is. I challenge David Ratowitz to clarify his stance on immigration, legal or otherwise.

www.ratowitzforcongress.com

UPDATE**

The Ratowitz campaign has been kind enough to issue a response to my question. It is in the comments section below, but I also want to put it here as part of the main piece:

David is working up a longer immigration editorial that will be released tomorrow. Meantime, here is his abbreviated response:

“We are a nation of laws , and I do not support illegal immigration. It is clear that our immigration laws need reforming. Our current immigration policy is designed to serve Cold War needs that became obsolete a generation ago. Immigration reform will have to address illegal immigrants currently in the country. I do not support amnesty. I believe that would only encourage disrespect for our laws. I believe illegal immigrants should have the option of paying some sort of fine, in return for which they would be allowed to apply for legal residence like anyone else.

“I have assisted people seeking legal residence here in the United States. As a grandson of immigrants, I found that to be rewarding work. My primary practice area of federal employment law has picked up in the last year, however, prohibiting my former level of diversification. I do not see the connection between helping someone to become a legal immigrant and support for illegal immigration.”

Lisa Wogan
Ratowitz for Congress

We eagerly await David’s longer response once it is completed.
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.

He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston

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