Bush declares war on immigrant cleaning ladies

The Hill ^ | October 29, 2003 | Dick Morris

[paulklenk]

Taking time out from the war on terror and the war on drugs, President Bush, to the purple born, has declared war on cleaning ladies.

The agents of his wrath swooped down on 61 Wal-Mart stores in 21 states where men and women from South America and Eastern Europe toiled at minimum-wage jobs mopping floors and cleaning toilets until Bush closed them down. One wonders if the president remembers the words of the man whom he once cited as his role model: “That which you do to the least of these, you do to me.”

Perhaps the president and all his advisers have forgotten that their ancestors, too, were immigrants who had to struggle to make it in this new land. The fact that their forebears may or may not have come here legally and these plunderers of our national treasure came without sanction of law merely betokens how self-involved we are in our prosperity, narcissistically refusing to share it with those in need.

These men and women now in jail came here seeking work, not welfare. The $11 billion a year Mexican Americans send home to their impoverished nation gives every man, woman and child back home $110 with which to buy food and other necessities. Bush no doubt has no family memories of immigrants who sent money home, but those of us of more recent vintage recall clearly the stories of our fathers and grandfathers. It was that money that allowed our ancestors to survive.

Does Bush seriously contend that, with 6 percent unemployment, there are Americans waiting to take the jobs of those he arrested at Wal-Mart? He knows full well that the alternative to illegal immigrants performing those jobs is to use robots to do it. He has not saved jobs for Americans. He has saved them for robots.

For those in high dudgeon who are reading this column and would intone piously about the rule of law, let me ask if you are sure the toilet you used at the gas station was cleaned by a legal immigrant or a U.S. citizen. How about your garden and lawn? And your housecleaners? And the guy who waits on you at the lunch counter or cleans the dishes after you have eaten? Are those all here legally? I invite you to vindicate your self-righteous views on immigration by mowing your own lawn, cleaning your own toilets and cooking your own food — or do so for $5.25 an hour.

America needs Bush to crack down on illegal immigration, but from nations that harbor terrorists or sponsor them. We need an end to immigrants coming in on student visas from those nations. We must have more aggressive efforts to round up those who have overstayed their visas who hail from lands that wish us no good.

We need an immigration policy along the lines of legislation proposed by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) that would reward with amnesty and citizenship those who pass certain criteria such as English literacy, no arrest record and employment with contributions to Social Security.

The Republican Party can continue its war on Hispanics and its battles against cleaning ladies if it wants, but it does so at the price of its own electability. What message does the Wal-Mart raid send at a time when Bush is attempting to overcome past GOP insistence on cutoff of aid to legal immigrants by adopting pro-Hispanic policies and appointing top level Hispanics to key jobs?

Americans do not confuse hardworking Mexican and Eastern European immigrants, legal and illegal, with those who come to our nation from nations that sponsor or harbor terrorists. We know that the former build our nation and the latter want to tear it down. Bush does himself and his party no good by attacking the good immigrants and letting the bad ones go free.

[y2k_free_radical]

did i not confirm ypur moral high gound in it ?

[dwd1]

Also, in fairness, do you think that I could go to Saudi Arabia, China, or any place like that illegally, work as a dishwasher, and then have a compassionate member of the government advocate that I be given all the rights and privileges of the citizens of that country?

Would I be able to spread and live by my beliefs even if they are not part of the mainstream of that country?

[skeeter]

No, I'm saying that in order to be a good Christian one has to be show mercy when enforcing the law, and that we can have a WIN-WIN situation if we address the lax system with solutions that we can actually get voted into legislation.

I agree totally, except according to you the only acceptable solution is to legitimize those who've snuck in to date. I vehemently disagree.

As for witnessing to illegals, God never promised to exempt anyone, christian or otherwise, from the consequences of their actions. Someone needs to remind the illegals of this while they're being deported.

Which, I believe, would be wildly popular move with an overwhelming percentage of the electorate.

[lady lawyer]

You know, I think cracking down on illegal immigration would be a huge winner with the majority of people. Even those who consider themselves liberal on other matters.

I grew up in Southern California, and I recently visited with a friend who still lives there, but whom I haven't seen for years. She and I couldn't be more different in terms of life experience. She is mostly apolitical, but probably liberal on issues on which she has formed an opinion.

But she and her husband -- also a self-described liberal -- are furious about illegal immigration. She says, "We want our country back."

In Utah, where I live, the nature of some of the small towns is changing because of illegal immigration. Sit in a state or municipal court, or read the crime reports. An enormous percentage of the perps are illegals, far out of proportion to their numbers here. It isn't surprising, if you consider that they are fundamentally scofflaws, or they wouldn't be here in the first place. They are hurting our culture.

I just have a feeling that getting serious about the problem would mean a net gain in votes for anyone with the guts to do it.

[y2k_free_radical]

well stated

[Mo1]

.

[Ima Lurker]

Politics is the reason we are in this mess in the first place. Everybody is so afraid they will lose a vote, whether it's a legal vote or not, that not many are willing to do much about securing our borders. I applaud this recent action and want to see a lot more of it. Don't forget these people have broken the law to get here. The Hispanics I know who have come here legally are every bit as upset about illegal immigration as I am.

[lady lawyer]

With respect to your "Press one for English," statement, I think you are underestimating the importance of that issue. Look at Canada, and the division that continues to grow because of differences in language. Failing to insist on English proficiency has a bigger tendency to Balkanize our country than any other single issue, in my humble opinion.

[y2k_free_radical]

The Apostle Paul often spoke about obeying the law of the land

[Jim Noble]

I don't know why it's so hard for people to understand: I want a legal, lawful, systematic way for people to get here on an expedited basis

Why?

[paulklenk]

We need to deport a vast majority of the illegal immigrants that now live within the borders of the USA.

Okay, Mr. Brain: How are you going to do this, exactly? I mean, in the real world, not the fantasy land you've created in your little head?

How do you identify and round the people up? What do you do about due process? Do you ignore it, and just pull people out of their houses, or do you send them to court? Who is going to work at these courthouses? What sort of appeal system do you set up? What happens to these people while they're appealing their cases? Oh, do you give them each a lawyer? Where will these lawyers come from? How do you get them physically out of the country? By bus, by plane? Who pays for this? What do you do with their property and belongings before they leave? Does the government confiscate it? If so, then what? If not, then what? When you convict thousands upon thousands of people, where do you send them? To their original countries? What if those countries won't accept them, Mr. Brain? Do you send them somewhere else? Do you set up work camps here for them? What about their kids?

Oh, and what about the mayhem that will be caused by protests when you pull this magnificent rabbit out of your hat?

You have got to be a real jack*ss if you think you've come up with a solution that is actually workable.

[TexasRepublic]

The bust at Walmart is too little, too late. I have no sympathy for invaders who disrespect the laws and sovereignty of our country by illegally coming here! Let them apply for emigration, just as my mother-in-law did!

[what's up]

Haven't answered my question yet: What have you done to personally evangelize or ministry to illegal immigrants?

And B: Don't you think our country has shown a lot of mercy to illegals over the years? Don't you think justice is warranted at times?

[rintense]

The also get free education, free government assistance- all at OUR expense.

Worst of all, they take advantage of our freedom.

[paulklenk]

I would still like to see a real political solution that doesn't shoot the Republican party in the foot, and addresses the economic ramifications of this problem. Got one?

[dwd1]

I think you may find that some of the hostility is about the perception of an unwillingness to try to assimilate...

When I was in Germany , I remember how kind people were when I tried to speak German but failed... They would correct me and try to be as helpful as possible...

I try to do this when I see someone who is out of place here but I know that the greater burden is on the one who is a guest... It's that "When in Rome..." thing...

The other thing that will probably not help you is confronting people about something that they may be embarrassed about.... It's like that expression, "Don't curse a farmer when your mouth is full!" Perhaps it may not be fair to hammer on illegal aliens when you are eating in a restaurant that has fresh vegetables picked by illegals, a parking attendant that is working below minimum wage, and wearing clothes that were manufactured in a sweat shop from cotton that was harvested from fields that were tended by migrant labor...

However, if you were to say to a man from Saudi Arabia or Kuwait that they have a double standard in the way they want American Soldiers protecting them from hostile forces but they do not have to show respect to our female military personnel, what do you think would be the reply...

As I said before, that is the way things are in this country.... And on the other side, I do not think that you would want Americans going into Mexico, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Indonesia and buying up land and living behind walls and enjoying a much higher standard of living than the locals or demanding that their rights be the same as the population...

Until the perception that illegal aliens give more than they take (it may or may not be true), you will have trouble advancing your case...

I wish you luck, however...

[JustAnAmerican]

"Haven't answered my question yet: What have you done to personally evangelize or ministry to illegal immigrants?

I sincerely doubt that he/she has done anything in the minister department for anyone let alone illegals, one only has to look at his/her posts to see that he/she is using some pretty un-Christian tactics.

[webstersII]

"What is un-Christian is forgetting to temper justice with mercy, forgetting to temper what is technically legal
with what is decent and humane. One without the other is un-Christian."

The way that you do that is to help them in their own country. You give them all sorts of freebies and no-interest loans that get forgiven instead of paid back, and you support them in any myriad number of ways.

Oops, 'scuse me. We are already doing that.

How about we ask something of them? How about they clean up their corrupt country and learn about how to make free enterprise work instead of just expecting someone else to do it for them.

[dennisw]

And B: Don't you think our country has shown a lot of mercy to illegals over the years? Don't you think justice is warranted at times?

Well said. You cannot only have mercy. You have to have justice and order. Illegal immigration denigrates, devalues, mocks my American citizenship and the citizenship of immigrants who come here legally.

[paulklenk]

I'm still waiting for you to come up with a workable solution to the problem, one that can get enough votes to become law, or a method of enforcing the existing laws to your satisfaction.