Opinion

By Boston Herald editorial staff | December 14, 2018 at 1:58 am Lawbreakers should find no safe harbor in courtrooms regardless of the activist, progressive sensitivities of judges. Dozens of retired state and federal judges this week called U.S. immigration officials to stop the practice of making arrests at courthouses of people suspected of being in the country illegally. Judges from 23 states signed a letter stating that immigrants should be free to visit halls of justice without fearing that ICE will converge upon them. Thankfully, U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling stood behind ICE officials who say they will not stop making courthouse arrests, regardless of the letter. “The ICE agents who are enforcing immigration laws? They’re doing just that. They’re enforcing a federal law. And so, if you don’t like that federal law, change the law,” Lelling said Wednesday. The law is the law and ICE should be allowed to do its job. Empty rhetoric about … [Read more...] about Let ICE do its job — enforcing the law

By Michael Graham | December 14, 2018 at 1:51 am Massachusetts, you have finally achieved the “Terminator” stage of progressive politics: They are coming to get you, your money, your property and your rights. And they are Never. Going. To. Stop. Talk to local Democrats about the far-left extremism of their state’s politicians, and they start sounding like Trump Republicans: They take their progressive politicians seriously, but not literally. Run through progressive proposals for massive income and carbon tax hikes, insane spending plans and radical social-engineering schemes with your neighborhood Dave and Denise Democrat, and their attitude is “Oh, c’mon — it’s not that bad.” Really? Tell that to state Rep. Mary Keefe of Worcester. Keefe is so far left that, not only did she endorse socialist Bernie Sanders in 2016, but his progressive action group, Our Revolution, endorsed her. And yet, when the liberal activists at … [Read more...] about Bay State Dems take a hard left, keep going

By Boston Herald editorial staff | December 14, 2018 at 1:43 am With the official start of winter just a week away, it is good to see some marked progress in the wake of the gas explosions that rocked the Merrimack Valley in September. Although the initial handling of the crisis bore all the trademarks of gross inadequacy, things have improved for most of those affected. Natural gas service has been restored to 98 percent of Columbia Gas’ residential and business customers. Almost all have heat, hot water and working gas appliances. Since the day of the explosions, Sept. 13, heat and hot water has been restored to nearly 7,500 residential and business meters. Approximately 44 miles of gas main lines have been installed or replaced in several communities in the Merrimack Valley. Columbia Gas, and NiSource Inc., its parent company, will continue to support and provide services for those in affected areas. Gov. Baker has committed to seeing the restoration process through. … [Read more...] about Merrimack Valley improving, but Columbia Gas still on the hook

By Marc A. Thiessen | December 14, 2018 at 1:40 am WASHINGTON — Good news for the incoming House Democratic majority! They have something President Trump really, really wants: money to build a border wall. Trump is desperate for this money. Mexico won’t give it to him. Only congressional Democrats can. Without their consent, he can’t deliver on one of the key campaign promises he made during the 2016 election. There’s a name for this in classic negotiating strategy. It’s called “leverage.” Good negotiators use leverage (something they have, which their adversary wants) to obtain what are called “concessions” (something their adversary has, which they want). The result is what experts call “compromise.” This is how the civilized world gets things done. But in a fit of pique, Democrats are throwing away their leverage, insisting that they will never  — under any circumstances — give Trump … [Read more...] about Dems dropping the ball on leverage

By Betsy McCaughey | December 14, 2018 at 1:02 am Congressional Democrats are butting heads with President  Trump over his demand for $5 billion to continue building a wall along the Southern border. Rep. Nancy Pelosi vows not one dollar will go for a wall. She calls the idea of a wall “immoral.” Not building the wall is what’s truly immoral. Allowing destitute, uneducated people with limited job prospects to flood across the Southern border into the United States forces taxpayers here to toil longer and pay more in taxes to feed and house them, accommodate their children in public schools and pay for their medical care. Americans are already maxed out caring for our own needy, including the homeless sprawled on city streets. This nation has 40 million in poverty, 1 out of every 8 people and 1 out of every 6 children. That’s far higher than in Canada or Great Britain. Our country doesn’t need to import more poverty. For the same reason, Trump is … [Read more...] about Tapped-out U.S. taxpayers need the wall built