Clinton vs. Trump? Maybe consider a write-in vote?

Addressing the nation with their acceptance speeches, one presidential candidate took a sane approach while the other took an insane approach. 

If the election were held right now, I would have to go with Clinton, while Donald goes for a checkup from the neck-up.  

Then there’s still the write-in choice on Election Day.

Hmmmmm.

Refugee resettlements? Evidence says forego them

Citizens of Asheville need look no further than Minneapolis, Minn., and Twin Falls, Idaho, for indications that refugee resettlements bring risks and problems.  

Somali refugees brought to Minneapolis in the 1990s have disrupted and threatened the city with gang crime, sex trafficking, robberies and murder. 

The children of the original Somali refugees have become recruits for ISIS in Syria, according to the U.S. attorney for Minnesota.  

Recently, young Somali men invaded quiet neighborhoods, threatening the residents with kidnap and rape. 

In Twin Falls, American workers at the Chobani yogurt factory have been displaced by cheap refugee labor. And a 5-year-old girl was horribly assaulted by three refugee boys.

Such stories might be hard to believe, were it not for the regular reports from European countries of assaults and murders of defenseless citizens by Muslim refugees. 

Have we forgotten Boston, San Bernadino and Orlando already?

The leaders of Asheville and Buncombe County need to consider whether they really wish to impose these kinds of threats on us.

Their decisions would impact the citizens of Henderson County because refugees accepted in Asheville could be relocated in Henderson County.

Citizens need to voice their opposition to being placed at even a small risk.

Aren’t there plenty of poor, homeless Americans, veterans included, needing our generosity first?  

Refugee costs steep; taxpayers will foot the bill

Many local communities are led to believe by the refugee organization sponsors and the State Department that the cost of refugee resettlement is absorbed by the federal government. 

Where do you think the federal government gets this money? 

You pay through federal taxes. Most of the money comes from you in state and local taxes.

Additionally, the state and local communities must pay for housing, health, public safety and education. Over five years, one refugee costs taxpayers $64,370, and a household costs you $257,481 (Center for Immigration Studies). The lifetime costs are much higher for the uneducated whose benefits and services exceed their tax contributions.

Ask yourself: Why is our government putting us at financial (and security risk) when we can help 12 refugees in the Middle East for five years or 61 for one year for what it’s costing us for one refugee a year here?

Moreover, since the FBI admits refugees cannot be vetted properly, they pose a safety risk. Look no further than San Bernardino and Orlando. Tell city council, commissioners, school board and your church — do not put us at risk.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bilello is chair of the Asheville Tea Party and Asheville TEA PAC.

Buncombe should follow Henderson refugee stance

The Board of Commissioners of Henderson County recently passed a resolution to oppose the resettlement of refugees from the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program.

I applaud their action and urge the same be done in Buncombe County. 

The commissioners noted that Michael Steinbach of the FBI Counterterrorism Division has admitted that they are unable to fully vet incoming Syrian refugees because there are no systems in place on the ground to collect information.

Furthermore, while the U.S. Department of State provides short-term funding, eventually the host communities become responsible for the expenses of supporting the needs of the refugees.

These include housing, job training, education of children, health care and food.  Assuming these refugees eventually become employable, they will compete with Americans for jobs and drive down wages.   

Charity begins at home, and the resources of the citizens of Buncombe County should be directed to helping our own poor and unemployed citizens. 

FBI, Homeland Security can’t properly vet refugees

The U.S. has always allowed more refugees than any other nation. However, the U.S. government’s first obligation is to its citizens. 

The FBI and Homeland Security’s inability to properly vet refugees from failed states as Syria, Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan threatens our safety and financial well-being, as Europe is now experiencing with the alarming rise in rape, theft, gang activity, intimidation and organized crime. 

In addition, the Islamic State doesn’t hide how it is using refugees as cover to infiltrate the West. Look no further than the recent terror attacks in San Bernadino and Orlando.  

Our failed Refugee Resettlement Program is a threat to our national security.  Contact your commissioners, school board, city council, and state and federal representatives, and your church.

Tell them refugee resettlement is expensive, secretive, risky and unfair.

Insider says Trump lacks conscience, ‘plays’ people

Some observations on Trump made by Tony Schwartz, the ghost writer to Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal:”

• “It’s impossible to keep him focused on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes, and even then . . .   he goes on:

 • “If he had to be briefed on a crisis in the Situation Room, it’s impossible to imagine him paying attention over a long period of time.”  

Schwartz says he believes that Trump’s short attention span has left him with “a stunning level of superficial knowledge and plain ignorance.” 

On his (Trump’s) relationships with others, “He was playing people,” Schwartz recalls. “On the phone with business associates, Trump would flatter, bully and occasionally get mad, but always in a calculated way.”  

He says Trump seemed driven entirely by a need for public attention. “All he is is ‘stomp, stomp, stomp’ — recognition from outside, bigger, more, a whole series of things that go nowhere in particular...

“More than anyone else I have ever met, Trump has the ability to convince himself that whatever he is saying at any given moment is true, or sort of true, or at least ought to be true....

“He lied strategically. He had a complete lack of conscience about it.”