Opinion: Sacramento Democrats are playing a dangerous game of chicken with Donald Trump

To the editor: By vowing to push back against President-elect Donald Trump once he is inaugurated, the ruling Democrats in Sacramento are playing a dangerous game of chicken with the federal government. Before they proceed, they need to review the Constitution of the United States. (“California’s new legislative session begins with a message: We’re ready to fight Trump,” Dec. 6)

State power is not unlimited; it is constrained by the Constitution and the laws of the land. This understanding was a condition of joining the union when California asked to become a state.

It’s easy for elected officials to get on their high horse and decide to defy the federal government. However, they would do well to remember there can be a price to pay. The unfortunate part is that their actions will not affect their pay or privileges, while the loss of federal funds will affect state residents.

Most of us learned early in life that playing chicken is dangerous.

Alan L. Strzemieczny, Riverside

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To the editor: Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) denounced Trump’s agenda as “cynical, shortsighted and reactionary.” He went on to say, “White nationalists and anti-Semites have no business working in the White House.”

Fortunately, Assembly GOP leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley rose to Trump’s defense and said he was “saddened by the bellicosity of Rendon’s speech.” And then in an ironic and astounding insight, he added, “I felt like I was watching a speech from Trump, to be honest. It was fear-mongering. There was demagoguery.”

Thank you, Assemblyman Mayes, for confirming what all perceptive and intelligent patriots already knew. I trust you will be amply rewarded for your candor by your Republican colleagues.

Tim Huntley, Vista, Calif.

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To the editor: I am sick of the never-ending debate on immigration. Why doesn’t someone do something about it? Both Democrats and Republicans keep kicking the can down the road for someone else to pick up. That’s how we got into this mess.

As for the debate at hand, this is a nation of immigrants, as it is often quoted. Yes, it is a nation of legal immigrants, and I am one myself. Let’s limit the discussion to illegal immigrants. If you break the law, there are consequences, period.

In the United States, there are up to 3 million illegal immigrants who ran afoul of the law for any number of reasons. They should be deported. Why the outcry? The Obama administration has deported at least 2.5 million illegal immigrants.

Then there’s the argument of “tearing families apart.” If, say, an illegal immigrant father commits a crime and is deported, what prevents him from taking his family with him? It is not the government that tears a family apart; it is the father. Let’s put the blame where it belongs.

Dietmar Wagenknecht, Thousand Oaks

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