A January 22, 2018 letter to the WSJ from Cynthia Cross of McLean Virginia reeks not only of outrage at President Trump’s (alleged) ‘loathsome’ comments about s-hole countries, but her righteous indignation at his lack of compassion for foreigners.

“Why would we want to admit people into the U.S. from these countries? Because, Mr. Trump, those people are most in need of a better way of life—they, not citizens of relatively affluent and safe countries like Norway, are the “tired,” the “poor,” the “huddled masses” for whom our nation is a true beacon. Our immigration policies should serve those whose famine-stricken, war-torn and impoverished countries render them most desperate to immigrate. The fact that our president doesn’t understand this strikes me as a far bigger problem for our country and the rest of the world than his disgraceful language.

This moral preening looks honorable, but doesn’t fit when applied to personal values.  I wonder how many poor, huddles masses Ms. Cross is currently accommodating in her home?   Even a superficial glance at American society exposes hundreds of thousands – if not millions – in need of even basic life necessities like food and clothing.  If helping those less fortunate is the real goal, we need not look internationally to find opportunity.

Or perhaps Ms Cross simply can’t understand the America First foundation of Trump’s presidency.  Eight years of apologizing for America’s success by the previous administration has created a warped sense of American guilt, as if our prosperity has come at the expense of others.

Such penance demand is a fallacy.

I don’t know if Ms Cross has kids, but if so I’m guessing she – like any good mother – makes sure they have food to eat, clothes to wear, a safe and sound education and healthcare.  Does she not care about kids in Somalia?  Why do her kids get to come first?   Put this argument a nationwide context and America First becomes more understandable, and in fact honorable.  Are the slums of Baltimore less worthy of attention than the slums of Haiti?

I also scratch my head at the cognitive dissonance that leads Ms. Cross to be outraged at the loathsome and vulgar categorization of ‘s-hole countries’ but in the next breath call them impoverished, war torn and famine stricken.  To-MAY-to or To-MAH-to?  What should we call a country that allows – in fact causes – its citizens to wallow in poverty for generations?  A question rarely asked is why more people aren’t outraged at the Mexican or Haitian leaders for fostering an environment people are so eager to flee?

Yet America pays more guilt tax than any other country. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, $13.5B was donated and pledged for relief, over $4B of which came from private donations.  My daughter even took up the cause, soliciting contributions from friends and family to send away.  We feel good about ourselves for showing compassion, and rightly so. But 7 years later, where are Haiti’s schools, hospitals, infrastructure, electricity, sanitation and jobs?  Do we think another $20B will solve the problem?   Or is the best way to help Haitians while preserving their culture and heritage to tell them to give up and become Americans?  Perhaps a real solution is more complex than can fit on a poster, a tweet, or a 2 minute celebrity rant at an awards show.

But even posing such discussion topics elicits venomous accusations of heartlessness and xenophobia, which further hinders reform that can help people.  Immigrant championing is the vogue bandwagon for virtue signalers, especially for those who defer the solution to a ‘Rich Uncle Sam’, as if he is a real person responsible for solving the problems they can’t be bothered with.

How refreshing it would be if Trump bashers would offer some tangible, constructive ideas to solve real problems instead of hijacking public discourse to vent their abject yet unsophisticated hatred.