Power of Promise
Persuasive Essay
Some have hoped to bring truth, only to spread deception. Some have hoped they would bring prosperity, only to start a depression. Some have hoped to become the greatest, only to fall among the worst. Some have hoped to ensure peace, only to bring their nation to war. Politicians promise. All that politicians can do is promise. Promise that their leadership will lead their country and its peoples to success and prosperity, like Obama’s promises to provide federal healthcare to all and solve the energy crisis by promoting ethanol use.
Republicans, Democrats, Liberals, Conservatives, men, women; any and all politicians can promise. It is their most valuable and essentially only tool, using the mere power of words. Words that, if in the right hands, can succeed in converting millions. Words that spread ideas. These ideas are like viruses: just as there is no cure for the cold once contracted, there is no cure for the hope a promise brings to citizens. The hope that if their politician is elected, their lives will improve. The conundrum all politicians face is between making promises and fulfilling them, for making promises only instills hope in citizens, but to keep this hope, and the office, politicians must keep their promises or make new ones. Although Rick Perry’s promise to end illegal immigration is laudable, he can’t keep this promise because he nor any politician can stop illegal immigration, and even if possible, stopping it would result in disastrous economic consequences. He might as well have endeavored for world peace.
North Korea is a prime example of the sheer impossibility of stopping illegal immigration. The Demilitarized Zone extends across the entire 151 mile border between North and South Korea and is fortified with razor wire, guard towers, electric fences, “landmines, tank-traps and heavy weaponry.” It continues to be the most fortified border in the history of man. There are few, if any ways this system could be improved.
Yet even with all of these defenses, North Koreans seeking to escape the totalitarian rule of their country have managed to find ways through all of these countermeasures. And for escapees, to fail is to die or face years of punishment; there is no turning back. How does the U.S-Mexico border compare? Roughly twenty thousand Border Patrol agents cover the entire 1,951 mile border, which only has a partially completed fence and minor additional defenses. The U.S border security might as well be a line in the sand with “Stay Out” signs compared to the DMZ. If North Korea still has issues locking down its border, how can the U.S ever hope to do so?
Even if a theoretical “perfect system” managed to prevent illegal immigration, there would be unintended consequences if it was put into effect. It would damage the entire American economy, if that counts for something. Illegal immigrants account for approximately “five percent of the total U.S labor force.” They promote economic growth by spending, which creates jobs and supports the economy. They are vital to the survival of small businesses and industries, as well as construction. They “pay sales and property taxes” along with “federal and state income taxes” while they’re ineligible for “Social Security, Medicare, and many other programs their tax dollars help fund,” contrary to popular belief. Around “1.4 million undocumented immigrants in Texas alone added almost $18 billion to the state's economic output.”
These are the exact same immigrants that Rick Perry seeks to block from the country, whom fill millions of jobs. Some believe this is beneficial as these jobs could be filled by unemployed, legal Americans. But would a laid off IBM project manager who made six figures want to seek a job in a Ford Factory? Not every unemployed person in America is a low skill worker; they vary from lawyers and doctors to mere retail clerks. If this promise came true, who will build our houses? Who will work in our industries? Who will work for small businesses? If illegal immigration is stopped, there may not be enough to answer those calls.
So what is the power of promise? A politician without promise is simply a man in a suit. A politician with promise can be anything. Without promise, there is no potential. Without potential, there can be no success. Politicians must promise if they wish to succeed, to gain the support of millions. Americans don’t elect politicians because they have good morals, a fancy tie, and an agglomeration of campaigning. American’s elect politicians because they promise. Alas, promise is only potential. To truly succeed, the politicians must keep their promises. They can’t keep every promise, for they are human, but they have to keep as many as possible or their support will die away. Ergo, politicians make many promises so they have a wide arsenal to draw upon as they know they can’t keep all of them.
This is exemplified by Rick Perry and his broken promise to end illegal immigration; if this was his only promise, his political career would be over. Unless Perry plans on building a thousand foot wall across every mile of the U.S-Mexico border with guards on every inch of land, illegal immigration can’t be stopped. People have been moving since the beginning of time, whether to escape past lives or to establish new ones. It is an innate cycle of human behavior, a cycle that even a border as secure as the DMZ can’t stop. Not to mention that stopping illegal immigration would cause severe economic repercussions. Small businesses, construction, industries; all would suffer.
But even though he can’t keep his promise, it must be noted that it took promises to get him to where he is today, whether they were broken or kept. A promise of some sort is better than no promise at all, for without promise, he would just and forever be another man in a suit.
Analysis:
This is no political slander, my main idea revolves around the idea of how people condone politicians for making promises they cannot keep. In reality, these politicians must make promises simply to act their role. If they do not risk making such promises in the first place, how can we as people even conceive giving them power to govern us?
Thank you for reading: I hope you enjoyed my work!
If you want some more of my modern work, please take a few minutes to read the sample of Condemned. These are a mix of works over the past 2 years, and as it is with all writers, my writing style has dramatically changed.
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