“It is what our country is, it is a country of immigrants. We have not recently done a very good job of remembering who we are.” – George Clooney, commenting on President Trump’s border and immigration policies. (1)
“He doesn’t feel like Amal and the twins are safe living in the English countryside. He’s determined to move his family to LA, where he feels much more secure.” – per an insider to Life & Style. (2)
Does the second statement sound like it refers to the same Hollywood star that made the opening quoted comment?
It does.
Some celebrities are more outspoken that others. George Clooney has a reputation for speaking his mind on political issues – especially on issues such as the Trump Administration’s policies on border and immigration.
Clooney and his wife Amal have both loudly opposed President Donald J. Trump’s policies. They did so while supporting Secretary Hillary Clinton, while she was on the campaign trail last year in the Oval Office contest — the one her upstart real estate mogul and reality TV star rival won.
A Step Back – Looking at The Border and Immigration Policy Principles
While controversial, the border and halting illegal immigration policies are designed to protect U.S. safety, and cut down on illegal drug flow into the country.
Those policies also have as their goal to protect the wages of American workers. Administration defenders say those workers are hammered because illegals work for less, and cost legally present green card holders – and U.S. citizens – opportunities.
Given the law of supply and demand, reducing the flow of ‘cheap’ labor is one of several ways the Trump policies are striving to boost wages. American workers pay have been stagnant for decades.
Whatever one’s view of the administration’s policies, reports are that illegal border crossings are markedly down, some illegals are ‘self-deporting,’ and wages saw a modest rise in the most recent labor report.
This new approach, say supporters, is far superior to an artificial – and counterproductive – hike in the minimum wage, see that report, linked here.
But there are those in the manufactured home industry who benefit from open borders. Some retailers and manufactured home communities here and there have become known as havens for the undocumented, and love to sell those lower cost homes; often for cash, or with larger down payments.
Hollywood Hypocrisy?
Clooney has millions of fans. His wife Amal is a successful immigration attorney. They support progressive causes and candidates, like Secretary Clinton, and President Barack Obama.
“It is what our country is, it is a country of immigrants. We have not recently done a very good job of remembering who we are. … It’s actually easy to dismiss giant numbers, but it’s very hard to dismiss a young child sitting on the ground crying when her mother is telling the story about how she left, how she grabbed her daughter and sat on the ground and said, ‘If I die, we want to die by a bullet because it would be quicker,” said Clooney, as quoted by the Washington Times.
For the last two and a half years, Clooney and his wife have been living in a nine-bedroom estate in Berkshire, England.
However, after the recent terrorist attacks in nearby London and elsewhere in England and Europe, it appears the Clooney family is making plans to move back to their home in Los Angeles for security reasons. That home – one of several they own in various lands around the world – was determined to be the safest as it is located near the L.A.P.D., and reportedly has its own wall and security.
“As soon as Amal found out she was pregnant, he hired former Secret Service agents to assess all his properties and make recommendations for improvement. His mansion in Studio City [CA] was deemed the most secure, and it’s within minutes of an LAPD station,” a source reportedly close to the Clooneys told Life & Style.
The irony – Clooney critics say, hypocrisy – was not lost on Trump policy supporters.
Hollywood May Lean Left, but the President is Getting Some Star Support…
Among those in Hollywood that have come out with an ‘enough is enough’ of the presidential criticism is actor Matthew McConaughey.
“Well, they don’t have a choice now. He’s our president. It’s very dynamic and as divisive of an inauguration in time that we’ve ever had. At the same time, it’s time for us to embrace — shake hands with this fact and be constructive with him over the next four years,”- McConaughey said, per the Washington Times.
“Just because someone has a lot of money doesn’t mean they’re not frugal,” says Jess Maxcy, president of the California Manufactured Home Institute (CMHI).
The left-right split over the president and his policies are bound to continue, as will the border wall and immigration debate.
But it’s useful to step back and see the broader picture, which the fair-minded – including manufactured home embracing McConaughey – has brought to the policy discussion. ## (News, Analysis, People.)
Footnotes & Sources:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/14/george-clooneys-lake-como-getaway-attracts-flood-o/ (1)
http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/george-clooney-twins-135725 (2)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/2/matthew-mcconaughey-its-time-for-us-to-embrace-don/ (3)
(Image credits are as shown above, and when provided by third parties, are shared under fair use guidelines.)
