Stated with such certitude. But you KNOW this how, exactly? The facts are that Pres. Reagan DID promote and sign the first-ever bona fide amnesty for illegal aliens in American history. He did. You can't run from it. You can't hide from it. Signing the Immigration and Naturalization Reform Act of 1986 was a major blunder by a conservative president. It was the crack that broke the dam and transformed what had been a comparative trickle into a flood. It also set a precedent. The way our system works, once a precedent is set, it can be used as an excuse to do the same thing over and over again. This is one of the negative parts of Pres. Reagan's otherwise sterling legacy.
Despite what those who have been screeching about this issue claim, what Pres. Bush proposed is NOT an amnesty. It is somewhat of a return to the old Bracero program, and an attempt — a flawed one in my opinion, but nevertheless an attempt — to find a way to identify and track the illegals currently in this country. It's flaw, again in my opinion, is that the bill fails to provide for a serious effort to control our borders.
Nevertheless, the President has focused attention on a very difficult and important issue. He did so knowing the screaming he'd get from the right. He also did so knowing the issue has to be confronted because it's a matter of national security. Anyone who has an opinion on this issue has the opportunity to influence any legislation that makes its way through Congress.
I urge anyone opposed to this legislation to use their time more productively than just huffing and puffing all over the internet. Either join or form a coalition to defeat it outright, or to modifiy it so that it becomes a beneficial piece of legislation. Anyone who spouts off passionately about this or any issue on the internet, but who otherwise refuses to get of his or her butt and work on influencing the legislation, is a phony warrior.
Some of us are working all the time on this issue. See my previous post.