Although the battle for the presidential seat began a long time ago, many members of the Polish community in New York remain apolitical.
It is true that it doesn’t seem important for Polish immigrants to take a stand on several issues that do not directly affect them, such as the war on Iraq or relations with China, but there are truly other important issues that should matter to them: the economy, immigration, education and healthcare.
However, many Polish-American community leaders believe that taxes, economy and education are issues of a general nature, and should not be the subject of debate in ethnic communities.
Following this line of thinking, we are removing ourselves from the most important governmental and societal discussions. If we don't show any interest in these issues, decisions are going to be made without our participation. It's a greater shame still that we remain tight-lipped when the focus is on immigration or the project of building a missile shield in Poland.
A large number of the New York’s undocumented immigrants are Polish citizens. There is a real [immigration] battle going on right now, which is critical to the fate of undocumented immigrants.
But one Polish-American leader sums it up: "They should not be here illegally in the first place."
Other leaders don't have anything to say at all. This attitude shows lack of sensitivity, and it proves that there is no one [Polish-American leader] who truly has our best interest at heart.
Nowy Dziennik has stressed many times the need for involvement of Polish immigrants in U.S. politics. We’ve stressed the need to register and participate in elections. Appeals for financial support for candidates [from the Polish-American community] seem to be pointless. So far, no Polish organization has responded to such appeals. Everyone looks at others to take action and, in the end, what is left is only a wall of indifference.
Seeing the lack of responsibility and imagination presented by Polish community leaders, we cannot really expect any different from the average person. Regardless of who wins this election, we are going to be the losers; no one will take us seriously.
Delight and outrage
We get all excited when a mayor, a governor or a congress member makes a minute-long appearance at the Pulaski Parade once a year. We get outraged when Hillary Clinton does not make this small gesture. Considering the current state, what can we expect if she moves into the White House? Complaining about politicians will not be very productive until we realize that their indifference is mainly our fault.
