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The London Sunday Times quotes Herman Martinez, a prominent Florida activists: "'We have people who've been here since the 1980s with no papers,' he said. 'They have built a future in America and Bush is now telling them that they can stay for three years, then go home.' He called Bush's plan a trap."

My Congressman's office had no details on the Administration's "guest worker" plan the last time I asked them about this situation.

I hate to direct this to the one guest worker supporter who stuck around and presented substantive arguments while the other supporters littered the thread with invective and drove on. (No, I didn't read the entire thread so maybe there were some other respectable comments but I did read about five hundred replies and found no others.)

So knowing that it's near closing time and lights are starting to come up on this thread I'll just ask anyone, What about those who do own homes and businesses, have good jobs, families? Won't the guest worker plan have to make exceptions for them?

And that begs an embarrassing question, doesn't that mean the plan is a failure from the start?

To wit, are Americans going to be asked if they want those jobs the undocumented workers have held for years? I thought Americans had to be asked first then the search for "willing workers" began. There are other questions such as what of undocumented immigrant home owners?

" What about those who do own homes and businesses, have good jobs, families? Won't the guest worker plan have to make exceptions for them?"

Wouldn't we want to make exceptions for them under the present system?

Immigration issues are some of the toughest and there is much room for people of good will to have honest disagreements. But we need to start someplace getting the situation under control.

What about those who do own homes and businesses, have good jobs, families? Won't the guest worker plan have to make exceptions for them?

Why should it?

What do we do with the any criminal that was not caught and made a life for themselves for 20 years? We punish them.

They made a choice and now they have to live with it. Yes it's harsh, but it's true.

If you failed to pay your taxes for 1 year, 20 years ago, what do you think the IRS would do when they found out?