¡Nueva York! - Dan Zanes' New Album;
or Talent Doesn't Equal Knowledge


We love Dan Zanes in our family. We have all of his albums and listen to them constantly. We saw Dan and Friends in concert and it was probably the best show I've seen in a while, and totally blew Ephraim away. After that concert Dan was put in heavy rotation in our house, pushing The Wiggles almost completely out of the CD player. You can click on this link or the album picture to visit the Dan Zanes site - purchase many of his great discs! I recommend Catch that Train! and Night Time! - heck, splurge and get the How to Grow a Family Band collection!

So we were excited to be listening to Dane Zanes' new album, ¡Nueva York! for the first time the other day. It's pretty good musically, a collection of songs from Central and South America. Since its almost entirely in Spanish it isn't really what you would call a sing along album. Disappointing really, as Dan's earlier family music discs are all favorites or Ephraim and mine. I mean, The Wiggles are great and all, but neither Ephraim nor I sing their songs all that often. Dan's songs are different though, we sing them CONSTANTLY. It's great. Not so much the new album though, and Ephraim doesn't recognize “Cola”, the first single, like he recognizes ALL of Dan's other songs. In short, ¡Nueva York! is unlike other Dan Zanes album and more like one of the (many) Putumayo albums that we enjoy from time to time, but aren't memorable.

I've heard that Zanes refers to ¡Nueva York! as his “Pro-Immigration” album. Great, nothing wrong with infusing your music with political messages. If if those political messages run contra to the opinion of a majority of the population. Who knows though, maybe it'll work out for Dan better than it worked for the Dixie Chicks. All of that aside, I think that calling ¡Nueva York! “pro-immigration” is just a little disingenuous. It's not a pro-immigration album, its a pro-Hispanic immigration album. Really, many fine French, Chinese, and Albanians immigrate the the United States, yet only Spanish language songs are included. I think that we can reasonably assume that what Dan means by saying “pro-immigration,” what he really means is “pro-illegal Hispanic immigration.”

Dan's obvious liberal, and that's fine, but like many (okay, most) liberals, he obvious hasn't thought though the issue thoroughly enough. That's generously assuming that he has thought through the issue at all, instead of merely relying in feelings, hunches, and the word of others, which seems to be how many liberals form the basis for their beliefs. Let's gloss over the fact that illegal immigration is causing states like California billions (yes billions, $10. 5 billion a year in California) that could go a long way towards other programs. Monies that could lead to decreases in taxes, or to pay teachers, police, and firefighters more. Forget that illegal immigrants typically don't pay taxes on their earnings, therefore drawing from a system that others, not they, pay for. Forget about the money though. Forget about the fact that illegal immigrants are breaking the law. Forget that illegal immigrants as a population commit a higher percentage of crimes. Forget all of that (liberals do!) What many liberals can or refuse for political reasons to see is that illegal immigration ultimately hurts poor Mexicans.

Illegals come here to work, and send a lot of money back home to Mexico and other southern countries. These dollars are why the Mexico government encourages illegal immigration. The monies that are sent back across the border is keeping the Mexican economy afloat. By encouraging illegal immigration into the U.S., the current Mexican government also prolongs its hold on power. It means less angry citizens demanding change (and the extra monies in the coffers doesn't hurt). So, those that can afford to make the trek across the border illegally get to improve their lives while family members left behind and others unable or unwilling to get across the border are left to struggle in a poor country with poor benefits and few possibilities to improve their lot in life. I mean, if life in Mexico was great, Mexicans wouldn't be “immigrating” to the United States in droves.

So, if we are really compassionate and want to help the greatest number of peoples, which in the end is what I want, we need to close down the borders and depart all those that are here illegally. If people go through the proper channels to immigrate here, that's fine, but no more illegals. What will happen is that things in Mexico will get worse in the short term and there will be suffering. Pressure will worsen on the Mexican government to improve and there will be political unrest, and there will ultimately be change. Maybe the new government would be worse, maybe better. If worse the process would start over until they finally get it right. The result will be a country that can stand on its own, without leaking its population into the United States like a sieve.

So, while Dan Zanes is a unique and wonderful musical talent that Ephraim and I will enthusiastically continue to listen to and support, he is merely a musician. One who apparently lacks even the most rudimentary understanding of non-socialistic economic or political theory (meaning of course economic and political theory that actually passes muster in the real world.) Mad props to the Chicago boys, Mises, Friedmann, and Hayek.

Of course, most of the illegals at “pro-immigration” rallies carry Mexican flags while burning American flags. So maybe the whole point of the exercise isn't to get good jobs but instead to reclaim the southwest United States. Stranger things have happened.