Yes, and why do they turn into flame wars? Because some group think totalitarians get on them and start with the racist, xenophobe, nazi type name calling. I don't include you in that group. I haven't read every post you've made, but the ones you do make appear reasoned. However, there are some alleged conservatives on this site who put the lefties to shame with their emotional hate spewing diatribes that totally ignore all facts.
"I saw and heard what Tom Ridge said, but I am still waiting for that ever illusive White house proposal, we can speculate all day long, but I'll wait until I see the actual proposal before I condemn it"
When you look at the number of amnesty proposals in congress right now, in combination with the coordinated media campaign to show the suffering of the undocumented workers, I believe it is better to take preemptive action than sit back and see what happens. If you are right, no biggie, a bunch of people have contacted the politicians to say they don't support an amnesty. Where's the harm in that? If OTOH, they are trying to gauge public reaction, then the more people contacting them the better.
I believe there is more to being a good citizen than voting every few years. That is the absolute bare minimum of citizenship. It is our duty, our responsibilty, to know what the politicians are doing, and to inform them of what we want them to do.