THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE A Critique of President Bush's `New Temporary Worker Program' Proposal

When I read the transcript of President Bush's speech on immigration policy (see [1]), I thought I was dreaming. Here comes a duly elected leader of the most advanced country in history of Western civilization and he mindlessly repeats all the debunked myths, refuted lies, and discredited half-truths that the open-border lobbyists were feeding American citizens with for a decade or so. Mr. Bush, like a "D" student (who, I suppose, was collecting the gentleman's "C"s as a son of an affluent parents), has obviously failed with this non-trivial assignment to fix the immigration mess his and his predecessors' administrations have brought on our heads.

This article comprises of my critical comments on Mr. Bush's `New Temporary Worker Program' proposal, and consists of three parts. The first part, Introduction, outlines the major flaws and misconceptions of the proposal. The second part, The Critique, contains detailed comments made on the transcript of Mr. Bush's speech that justify in detail a grade "F" that I gave him for his proposal. The third part, Conclusions, indicates some of the most serious implications of Mr. Bush's proposal as well as fundamental issues that he hasn't addressed in his speech. It is my sincere belief that if Bush's `New Temporary Worker Program' is implemented then it will cause irreparable damage to American nation. But even if the U.S. Congress does not pass the "reform" bill Mr. Bush is calling for, some of the damage has been already done by the mere fact of him siding with the open border lobby, apparently in an attempt to gain their votes in this election year.

Mr. Bush's main line of thought may be characterized as follows. After the amnesty for about 2.5 illegal aliens was granted in 1986, "we" (mostly the government and corporate elites, that is) have failed miserably in enforcing America's border and her immigration laws and policies. This failure has resulted in an unmanageable mess consisting of eight to 11 million illegal aliens that fuel "underground economy", and are subject to hardship and exploitation as well as to inconvenience of illegally crossing the American-Mexican border. So, let's give them a chance to legalize themselves and their illegal employment in this country, with a future possibility of applying for citizenship and bringing their families (which is likely to award legal U.S. residency to about 25 million aliens). Right after that "legalization" is done, and don't you dare to call it an "amnesty", the government will begin strict enforcement of the American border and the immigration laws (which the administration somehow couldn't do without a "reform"), deport all those who don't follow the rules, and sternly punish the employers that continue hire "undocumented" workers.

There is a number of misconceptions and fatal flaws in Mr. Bush's proposal that I indicated in my critique, perhaps the most striking one of which is the apparent misunderstanding, by the authors of the proposal, of the relationship between the law, its enforcement, and the crime. Criminal acts are prohibited by the law because they are socially undesirable and not vice versa, that is, they are not undesirable merely because they are prohibited the law. For instance, theft is illegal because our society doesn't accept nor allow stealing. It is not true, though, that stealing is unacceptable just because it's illegal. In particular, legalizing theft would not make us welcoming a prospect of being ripped off by the thieves, even if it were just the poor and the needy who are granted the right to somebody else's property. In general, a mere legalizing of a criminal activity does not make it socially acceptable, contrary to what the above-described misunderstanding might suggest.

Having noticed that, we can address the first major misconception of Mr. Bush's proposal. Illegal aliens are illegal in the sense of the U.S. immigration laws because their presence in the U.S. has some serious damaging effects on this country, and not the other way around, that is, it is not the case that their presence here is damaging merely because they are illegal. They depress wages and working conditions of American workers. Many of them profit from criminal activities like drug trafficking, forging documents, and evading taxes, many others bring with them violence, crime, and diseases. They overpopulate the most desirable parts of the U.S. (like Southern California), overcrowd our schools, our emergency rooms, our highways, and our cities. They pollute air, trash the environment, and often stimulate social tensions between their "undocumented communities" and other residents. Legalizing them would not remedy the negative effects of their mass "migration" into the U.S. anymore than legalizing theft would remedy the negative effects of stealing. Mr. Bush does not m to realize that, or at least he purports so. His main idea to relax the immigration law in order to turn a bad thing (he used the word "wrong") into a good thing may be best characterized as "utopian" and have no chance to work.

The second major misconception of Mr. Bush's program is a derivative of the first one. He criticizes the current (immigration) laws as the "system [that] is not working". In other words, he de facto blames these laws for his and his predecessors' administration not enforcing them. Using the previous analogy, it's like blaming the growing theft rate on the law that prohibits it and not on a lack of adequate prosecution and punishment of the thieves. This bizarre idea of laws that somehow enforce themselves (and if they don't then they need to be reformed) is particularly dangerous in that it shifts the responsibility of obeying the law from government to the violators, most of them, quite obviously, having no desire to treat this responsibility seriously. I can imagine Mr. Bush watching from his Ivory Tower the million man illegal traffic going freely through the American border that his administration refuses to protect and saying emphatically "Look, it doesn't work!"

The third major misconception, closely related to the first two, is a result of Mr. Bush's apparent belief that the commonality of crime makes the law "unreasonable" or even "inhumane". Although it's a widely accepted legal doctrine that one cannot, or should not, enforce the law that is rejected by a sound majority of citizens (which clearly is not the case here), it doesn't follow that mass violations of a law by foreign perpetrators is a valid premise for legislative changes that would make these violations legal. That would go against the idea of sovereignty that allows nations to follow and enforce their constitutions and laws even if a vast majority of world's population disrespects their articles. In particular, the fact that tens of millions (there eight to 12 millions currently in the U.S.; about as many had left or got deported) of illegal aliens violated our border and broke our laws is no excuse for opening the border and repealing the laws they broke. As a matter of fact, it would be inexcusable to doing so; a sound majority of Americans, as numerous results of polls clearly demonstrate (see [3]), is decidedly opposed to "legalization" of illegal aliens and wants a dramatically better enforcement of America's border and her current immigration laws, instead.

(Here is an illustration. If you have water leaks in your home, the best way to deal with the problem is to seal the pipe. If you have a flood, you may need to shut the master valve down as well. Few would argue that the best you can do is to let the water flow freely and accept the flood as a fact of life. Even fewer would be naive enough to believe that whoever gave you such a stupid advice is going to take the broken irrigation system under control.)

The above misconception seems to be a proverbial tip of the iceberg of Mr. Bush's loyalties. His suggestion that the Americans have a duty to adjust our immigration laws and policies in order to better assist other nations with sending their surplus citizens to America in "search for a better life" even if done at the expense of American citizens (he said "We must make our immigration laws more rational, and more humane.") is indicative of his departure from his earlier "America first" stance. How different this current position is from the one that he took in his "State of the Union Address" (see [2]) on January 28, 2003, when a few weeks before eruption of the war on Iraq he said: "Yet the course of this nation does not depend on the decisions of others". Well, millions of "others" made a decision to violate the border of a sovereign country (the U.S., that is) and to change the course of this nation, but Mr. Bush doesn't seem to be nearly as resolute about this as he was during his preparations to the war with Iraq.

The mentioned above iceberg of Mr. Bush's shifting loyalties shows another tip in his statement that "If an American employer is offering a job that American citizens are not willing to take, we ought to welcome into our country a person who will fill that job". What about welcoming in our country the jobs (or not letting them go overseas in hundreds of thousands, as it's happening right now) that American citizens are willing to fill? What about making the "unwanted" job easier, more efficient (and profitable), and more enjoyable, so that American citizens will be willing again to take it? What about investing in a technology that would replace this job with a machine?

By importing millions of unassimilating aliens, most of them with no talents or skills, many of them unwilling or unable to complete high school education or even learn the English language, just because some "entrepreneurs" want to handsomely profit from their "cheap" labor, the government and corporate elites will thwart social and economic progress this nation had experienced in the 20-th century. Your proposal, if implemented, will push our country backwards, if not wreck it, Mr. President, and no "compassionate" or "good-for-the-economy" rhetoric will ever change this fact.

[1] President Bush Proposes New Temporary Worker Program Remarks by the President on Immigration Policy http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040107-3.html

[2] Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/bushtext_012803.html

This article is the second part of my critical comments on Mr. Bush's `New Temporary Worker Program' proposal (see [1] for a complete transcript), and consists of three parts. The first part, Introduction, outlined the major flaws and misconceptions of the proposal. The second part (current), The Critique, contains detailed comments made on the transcript of Mr. Bush's speech that justify in detail a grade "F" that I gave him for his proposal. The forthcoming third part, Conclusions, indicates some of the most serious implications of Mr. Bush's proposal as well as fundamental issues that he hasn't addressed in his speech.

Below is an annotated text of Mr. Bush's address. The original text is typed in italics, while my comments are typed in a straight font. Pronoun "you" refers to Mr. Bush. Markers [...] indicate the less relevant fragments of his speech (like welcome, greetings, etc.) that I deleted in an attempt to make this article a little shorter. However, I decided to comment briefly on selection of guests Mr. Bush invited to attend his speech, as he acknowledged their presence in his opening remarks; this selection is very indicative of Mr. Bush's apparent belief as to who is the primary subject of protection by the American border and the immigration laws.

In addition to other deficiencies (like a lack of sincerity or deceitful rhetoric) the speech has a substantial number of errors and omissions that I addressed in my comments. Some sentences have several errors each; this is why I have to place some of my comments in the middle of Mr. Bush's statements.

Several erroneous or misleading statements are being repeated in the speech over and over again. The first thing that comes to my mind when I see such repetitions is "mantra". Mr. Bush apparently believes that by repeating the same false statement time and again, he will turn it into truth (or at least make the American public accept it as truth). Whatever his reasons were, I commented on each of repeated occurrences of such statements. Also, some of the counter-arguments I used applied to several Mr. Bush's theses each; I repeated these counter-arguments whenever applicable without implying that they were more valid because of the repetitions. I extend my apologies to all those who find it annoying.

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming, thanks for the warm welcome, thanks for joining me as I make this important announcement -- an announcement that I believe will make America a more compassionate and more humane and stronger country.

Compassionate? Perhaps. Not for working Americans, though. Humane? We already are the most humane country on Earth. Stronger? I don't think so. The program, if implemented, may well become a nail to coffin of America as we know her.

They look more like ethnic identity groups than a balanced representation of American citizenry to me. As a matter of fact, I don't see any "citizen groups" that represent those who are supposed to be protected by the American border and the immigration law, that is, Americans who pledge allegiance to this country and not to foreign nations or trans-national alliances.

Chairman of the Hispanic Alliance for Progress, Manny Lujan. Gil Moreno, the President and CEO of the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans. Roberto De Posada, the President of the Latino Coalition.

Is this the same LULAC that was involved in a mass scale immigration fraud after the previous amnesty was passed in 1986?

[...] And over the generations we have received energetic, ambitious, optimistic people from every part of the world.

This is only a part of truth. We also received vicious criminals, dangerous terrorists, ruthless gangsters, would-be revolutionaries, and those who become a burden for American society, among them, illegal aliens. Roughly one in four inmates in federal persons are foreign born; about twice the rate of native born population. Per Bill O'Reilly (see [4]), 34% of illegal Mexican aliens are on welfare and 25% of all illegals are getting one kind of government assistance or another. Also, some nations sent us their best sons and daughters (like Virginia Dare, Casimir Pulaski, or Albert Einstein) while others threw on our backs disproportionately many misfits and lawbreakers (even terrorists). And the distribution of talents between the immigrants from "every part of the world" has been less then even. For instance, according to 2002 U.S. Census Data (see [5]), 34% of high school dropouts are "Hispanic". Mexico, the main feeder of Americans immigration (roughly 50% of legal and illegal combined) has an average IQ of 87 versus U.S. average of 98 (see [6], p. 61), and we are not getting even average Mexicans in the recent wave of mass "migration".

Yes, but only to those whom we invite and not to those who gave themselves a permission to invade our country (however peacefully) against our will and with violation of America's border and her immigration laws. And, certainly, not millions of those who are going to become a burden for our society with not even as much gratitude for a chance to participate in American dream as a simple "Thank you".

America is a stronger and better nation because of the hard work and the faith and entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants.

Half-truth, again. Most of current "migrants" are anything but "entrepreneurial", with a notable exception of those Mexican aliens who manufacture and distribute illegal drugs. Today's immigrants, due to a lack of enforcement of American border and immigration laws, are about twice as likely as the native born to live below poverty level and end up on welfare or other form of "free" public assistance program.

Every generation of immigrants has reaffirmed the wisdom of remaining open to the talents and dreams of the world.

Being open to the talents is very wise, indeed. This is how America became the most technologically advanced nation of the world. But to other nations' dreams? I don't think so. Mexican migrants seem to dream chiefly about taking over the Southwestern part of the U.S. in order to expand the breeding grounds for their exploding population that doubles every 24 years or so, never mind that the talents we are getting with from their mass migration still remain to be seen. Why would we, Americans, be "open" to such a dream?

And every generation of immigrants has reaffirmed our ability to assimilate newcomers -- which is one of the defining strengths of our country.

Assimilation? You don't know what you are talking about. There is hardly any assimilation these days. It was replaced with multiculturalism and politics of ethnic identity. "Melting pot" became a "salad bowl", prevailing language of choice between foreign-born is Spanish not English (or - more and more often - Spanglish) - a tendency reinforced by bi-lingual education in public schools and proliferation of Chicano Studies at public universities. We are quickly becoming a balkanized Tower of Babel. And how this is supposed to make us stronger?

During one great period of immigration -- between 1891 and 1920 -- our nation received some 18 million men, women and children from other nations. The hard work of these immigrants helped make our economy the largest in the world.

These 18 million immigrants received no welfare, no special privileges, no bi-lingual education, and no victimhood status. Those less fit who didn't make it here ended up back where they came from and not on the U.S. taxpayers' dole. Besides, America became the strongest economy of the world AFTER the "great immigration wave" of the beginning of 20th Century was put on hold.

The children of immigrants put on the uniform and helped to liberate the lands of their ancestors.

Is drafting foreign nationals to the U.S. army in order to liberate lands thousands miles away on your agenda? It's beginning to look like it is.

One of the primary reasons America became a great power in the 20th century is because we welcomed the talent and the character and the patriotism of immigrant families.

Talent and American patriotism is what is largely missing among those you want to legalize or invite as "guest workers". There is NOTHING in your proposal that even remotely suggest that these characteristics have any impact on who is in and who out. Just step down from your ivory tower and look around. Instead of talented individuals, you will see millions of peasants with their peasant mentality who desperately need space and subsistence for their numerous children.

The contributions of immigrants to America continue. About 14 percent of our nation's civilian workforce is foreign-born.

Most begin their working lives in America by taking hard jobs and clocking long hours in important industries.

How can you know that? Most of them come here illegally, and the government has no fuzziest idea what they are doing.

Many immigrants also start businesses, taking the familiar path from hired labor to ownership.

In a group of eight to 11 million illegals you are likely to find at least two (that's the bottom line of the meaning of what "many") that have virtually any conceivable characteristics. That's just a law of statistics and not a proof of their virtues as a group.

As a Texan, I have known many immigrant families, mainly from Mexico, and I have seen what they add to our country.

What I have seen is quite different. Let's face it. Millions of illegal aliens, mainly from Mexico, depress wages and working conditions of American workers. The value of their work generally reflects the low wages they are being paid. Many of them profit from criminal activities like drug trafficking, forging documents, and evading taxes. They bring with them crime and diseases. They overcrowd our schools, our emergency rooms, our highways, and our cities. They pollute air, trash the environment, and stimulate social tensions between their "communities" and others. They make America to look and function more and more like a Third World country. Just go to any area infested with illegal Mexican aliens, like Los Angeles, and see for yourself what kind of "paradise on Earth" have they created.

They bring to America the values of faith in God, love of family, hard work and self reliance -- the values that made us a great nation to begin with.

You must be kidding. Teen pregnancy among Mexican-born women is the highest among all ethnic groups. Mexican-born men are notorious for being harsh to their wives. Many of them abandoned their families they left in Mexico and re-married (often without bothering with divorce) in America. Their substance abuse, as well as drunk driving, is proverbial. They are twice as likely to require public assistance, and you call it "self-reliance"?

We do value immigration, appropriately selected and measured in appropriate numbers, but not an invasion, however peaceful, of millions of illegal aliens whose ability to contribute to America's wealth and freedom is doubtful as they haven't submitted themselves to any admissibility verification.

Where did you get this from? In years 1920 - 1964 there were almost no immigration and this country prospered as never before (nor, perhaps, after). It is your proposal that will make this great nation dependent on unlimited supply of "cheap" foreign labor.

Our immigration laws did work until Mexican migrants begun breaking them blatantly and the federal government refused to enforce these laws. The notion of a law that works by itself is a nonsense (or a science fiction, if you will). Similarly, you could instruct FBI to not enforce federal criminal laws and, after the murder and robbery rates have skyrocketed, blame it on "laws that [don't] work".

And that's the federal government failure that has all appearances of a deliberate neglect.

You put it very mildly ("turning to", that is); they are breaking the law. We also see many school kids "turning to" illegal drugs market, and many businessmen "turning to" illegally copied software market. Does it mean we need to legalize use of drugs in schools and software piracy?

I wish you saw tens of millions of hard-working Americans who have to work even harder because the migrants that you refer to as "hard-working men and women" demand much above average public "free" services while paying much below average taxes. I wish you saw billions of hard-working men and women around the world who have no hope for immigrating to America yet they have chosen to not break the law and to violate a border of a sovereign country. I wish you saw the children of these hard-working men and women in countries like the Philippines or Bangla Desh who don't have toys, nice clothes, medical care, and decent shelter (that the kids of your Mexican migrants enjoy in the U.S.), and suffer from hunger just because their parents have chosen to play by the rules. Your proposal that rewards those who cut in line makes suckers out of those who did not.

If they are, which I believe is a gross exaggeration as their openly and fearlessly protesting on the streets, and their demands for driver's licenses, public services, and even the right to vote strongly suggest, then it's a result of their breaking of our laws and not of their work. Would you have any compassion for fugitives from justice or al-Qaida sleeper cell terrorists who feel fearful and insecure every day they have to go out to earn money?

This "undocumented" economy causes wages of American workers and their working conditions to go down. It drives many "documented" business owners out of business (because they cannot compete with the lawbreakers who cheaply hire "undocumented" workers, with not benefits or taxes paid on their behalf) and leaves their "documented" employees without jobs. It floods our markets with low quality products and services and impedes progress of technology. And it exists mostly because the federal government does not enforce the law that makes it illegal to hire an illegal alien. The law that - we were told - would be strictly enforced after the previous amnesty in 1986.

Illegal entry across our borders makes more difficult the urgent task of securing the homeland.

You and your administration are the ones who are responsible for not enforcing the American border and you have a nerve to complain?

(The same nonsense, again.) It is not "the system" that is supposed to work, but the federal government that deliberately fails to enforce it. You just look from your ivory tower on an unprotected border that illegal entrants cross as they please and you say" "Look, it's not working!"

No, what out our nation needs is a president and a government that upholds the law of the land and enforces the American border.

Don't make us servants of the economy, please, it's supposed to be the other way around. Not everything has to yield to $$. The immigration system must serve this nation, protecting its identity and integrity, and not the economy. I can only compare the absurdity of your statement to Clinton's attempt to reduce Second Amendment (The right to Keep and Bear Arms) to "sporting purposes".

Whose dream? Immigrants' dream? Are you claiming that we have the immigration laws to make other nation's dreams come true? I thought you were elected to put America's interest, and not that of other nations, first.

Reform must begin by confronting a basic fact of life and economics: some of the jobs being generated in America's growing economy are jobs American citizens are not filling.

This is not a basic fact. It is a result of failed economic policy that the federal government and corporate America unilaterally imposed on this nation. The basic fact is that this country gives away the fruits of ingenuity of its engineers and scientists to the rest of the world, including our sworn enemies. The basic fact is that American corporations are sending offshore hi-tech jobs that offer high wages and job stability. The basic fact is that instead of investing in new technologies that would make the "unfilled" jobs easier, nicer, or would replace them by machines, they chose to import "cheap" foreign labor and profit from this labor's near slavery work, and your administration does nothing to prevent it.

Yet these jobs represent a tremendous opportunity for workers from abroad who want to work and fulfill their duties as a husband or a wife, a son or a daughter.

Once again, you show more compassion for "workers abroad" than for Americans who are being ripped off by the greedy. Why don't you talk about the American workers, many of them with advanced professional degrees, who want to fill the jobs that are being sent to other countries? Why don't you offer a plan that would protect their living standards and those they love?

Their search for a better life is one of the most basic desires of human beings.

So, the borders, the laws, and the rules don't matter if one desires a better life? Does it apply to all lawbreakers or only to illegal aliens? Besides, there are billions of people around the world who "search for a better life". Do you want to bring them all here so that they can improve their lives? How about a desire of American people to not worsen theirs? Americans are already voting with legs when they live the areas that are most infested with migrants, like, for instance, California. Isn't it worth of your concern?

Many undocumented workers have walked mile after mile, through the heat of the day and the cold of the night. Some have risked their lives in dangerous desert border crossings,

You and your administration, as well as all those who lure these "undocumented workers" with "undocumented" employment opportunities and "undocumented" welfare, are chiefly responsible for this. Should you choose to enforce the American border, nothing of that sort would have ever happened.

They did not "entrust" anything. They hired hardened criminals to help them break in to our country. Now, you want to make us cry because of that. Do you have similar compassion for all those who bribe, forge, and lie in order to "improve their lives"? How about illegal drug manufacturers who were forced to entrust their merchandise to ruthless drug smugglers because FDA would not let them take advantage of free trade? Are they to be absolved and comforted, too?

"Only"? Can't you see that millions of them are doing it at our expense? If you are so merciful then why don't you contribute to their well being with your own money instead of making us all pay for your generosity? Besides, if they only seek to earn living then why their population grows so fast? It is obvious that populating in a geometric rate is their primary mission, not earning. They are invading our country (I doesn't comfort me that the invasion is "peaceful") against our will in order to carry on that mission.

As if someone brought them forcefully to America. If they really thought that their lives here are worse than in their native countries, do you think they would come and stay here in millions? They are incomparably better off then their countrymen who have chosen to play by the rules. Now, you are sorry about the lawbreakers (that you see) but not about the actual victims of their cutting in line (prospective immigrants in other countries that you don't), never mind those law-abiding would-be immigrants who did not break in to our country.

When they are victimized by crime, they are afraid to call the police, or seek recourse in the legal system.

So are the fugitive from justice, al-Qaida sleeper cell terrorists, and other common criminals. The reason of their fear is not the law we have but the fact that they broke it.

As if someone cut them off. Your logic resembles one of a juror who pleaded mercy for a boy that killed his both parents on the grounds of him being an orphan.

fearing if they leave our country to visit relatives back home, they might never be able to return to their jobs.

What about those jobless abroad who will never have a chance to work in the U.S. although they did not break our law not violate out border? What about runaway prison inmates who fear to visit their relatives as they might get caught and send back to prison?

And it's your and your government's fault. So, don't blame the immigration laws for that.

If you mean the leftist organization calling itself "American Way" then, perhaps, you are right.

Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs that Americans have are not filling.

Using your logic, our laws should allow willing merchants to enter our country and distribute sought after drugs that American stores are not selling, right?

Where did this idea come from? Our immigration laws, that favor the law abiding, the highly skilled, the well educated, and the willing to assimilate, ARE rational and humane for us, Americans. They are on the books to protect us from he rest of the world, big part of which is really dangerous. What's so irrational with not allowing all the workers of the world to jump the American border as they please? What's so inhumane with expecting that all foreigners respect out law and be removed from our country if they don't? It looks like, in your opinion, commonality of a crime makes the law irrational and inhumane, which is a very dangerous notion, indeed.

And I believe we can do so without jeopardizing the livelihoods of American citizens.

What you propose here jeopardizes not just "the livelihoods of American citizens". It poses a threat to the very survival of this nation and to its integrity.

Our reforms should be guided by a few basic principles. First, America must control its borders.

What a revolutionary idea! (I am being sarcastic.) We don't need any "reform" to control our borders. Just follow scrupulously what the U.S. Constitution says and stop the invasion of "migrants" now. Your "reform" will not make it any easier to enforce the American border. To the contrary, it does about everything possible to assure that we never regain the control of it.

Following the attacks of September the 11th, 2001, this duty of the federal government has become even more urgent. And we're fulfilling that duty.

I don't think so. You are miserably failing it. Million+ people, many of them armed criminals, jump the American order each year as they please, and you call it "control"?

For the first time in our history, we have consolidated all border agencies under one roof to make sure they share information and the work is more effective.

Is this because of this increased "effectiveness" that the population of illegal aliens in America grows almost a million a year?

We're matching all visa applicants against an expanded screening list to identify terrorists and criminals and immigration violators.

Are you kidding? Aren't illegal aliens "immigration violators"? Your government does almost nothing to identify them, never mind several police department, like LAPD. or NYPD that clearly prohibit any such identification.

This month, we have begun using advanced technology to better record and track aliens who enter our country -- and to make sure they leave as scheduled.

You photograph and fingerprint legal visitors with valid passports and visas. And yet, more than a million of illegal entrants a year, the identity of which you don't have an idea of, cross the American-Mexican border uninspected. That's about the same kind of phony "security" that has been institutionalized at the airports, with uniformed agents armed with assault weaponry (as if al-Qaida were planning to take our airports by storm) and American grandmothers strip searched (as if they were likely to hijack an aircraft). Some may call this kind of "security" a gimmick. I call it a bull.

We have deployed new gamma and x-ray systems to scan cargo and containers and shipments at ports of entry to America.

It's a pity that you did not expand these scanning procedures over the tunnels beneath the America-Mexican border. It's like installing expensive locks on the front door awhile the back door is not even closed (or watched).

We have significantly expanded the Border Patrol -- with more than a thousand new agents on the borders, and 40 percent greater funding over the last two years.

If you did such a great job, then why over a million entrants a year can skip the American border undisturbed?

We're working closely with the Canadian and Mexican governments to increase border security.

Is this why Mexican President Fox and his administration openly encourage illegal immigration and don't even pretend that they try to stop their citizens from violating of the American-Mexican border?

America is acting on a basic belief: our borders should be open to legal travel and honest trade; our borders should be shut and barred tight to criminals, to drug traders, to drug traffickers and to criminals, and to terrorists.

Like if you had a fuzziest idea who is which. I guess, you assume that the Mexicans illegally crossing the border are good people who are engaged in "travel and honest trade". Except for naïveté, there is no reason to assume that.

No, immigration laws are on the books to protect Americans. National survival and integrity takes precedence before the economy. You did not hesitate to send the U.S. troops to Iraq, although it had visibly adverse effect on American economy, arguably, because out national interest required it. Also, you seem to confuse the needs of the country with the needs of some businessmen who handsomely profit from imported "cheap" labor. There is a difference, though. Opening the border to free movement of labor, particularly, under the circumstances of heavy taxation for welfare and "free" public services serves about as much the economic need of our country as disabling one's immune system would improve the health of that person.

If an American employer is offering a job that American citizens are not willing to take, we ought to welcome into our country a person who will fill that job.

You keep repeating your mantra time and again. How about welcoming in our country a job (or not letting it go overseas) that an American citizen is willing to fill? How about making that job easier or more efficient (and profitable) so that American citizens will be willing, again, to take it? How about investing in a technology that would replace this job with technology and machines? You are pushing our country backward with your proposal, Mr. President.

Third, we should not give unfair rewards to illegal immigrants in the citizenship process or disadvantage those who came here lawfully, or hope to do so.

This sounds like Machiavellian (or Karl Rovean) rhetoric. I say, not only should we abstain from giving "unfair" rewards to illegal aliens, but also we should not give them ANY rewards at all. If we just don't punish them, that's already an amnesty. If an illegal alien is allowed to apply for the citizenship as a result of his/her presence in the U.S., it's a reward for breaking the law.

Fourth, new laws should provide incentives for temporary, foreign workers to return permanently to their home countries after their period of work in the United States has expired.

Incentives? That's it? Do you just plan on providing "incentives" for tourists to return to their countries after their visas expired? For foreign diplomats after completion of their diplomatic mission? For crewmen of foreign vessels after they unloaded their cargo? How about "incentives" for thieves to not steal, robber to not rob, and rapists to not rape?

Today, I ask the Congress to join me in passing new immigration laws that reflect these principles, that meet America's economic needs, and live up to our highest ideals.

Our highest ideal is that we are a nation of laws. Our highest ideal is that we elect governments that are supposed to uphold the constitution and the law, as well as the American border. Our highest ideal is that these governments will follow legitimate will of those who elected them. You are not pursuing any of these ideals in your proposal, Mr. President.

I propose a new temporary worker program that will match willing foreign workers with willing American employers,

How about matching willing spies with willing traitors. Willing drug addicts with willing drug traffickers. Willing smugglers with willing contraband consumers?

Do you realize that, in addition to other defects, what you propose is an instance of a pyramid scheme? More imported labor will create "a need" for even more imported labor as soon as the "temporary workers" and their families entrench themselves in America and contribute to demand on basic goods and services? Also, do you believe they stay with their low-paying labor-intensive jobs indefinitely? I don't think so. Labor unions, Liberal utopists, and civil rights organizations will make sure that they move upwards leaving behind even bigger demand for the imported "cheap" labor.

This program will offer legal status, as temporary workers, to the millions of undocumented men and women now employed in the United States,

And you insist it's not amnesty? Didn't you just say we should not reward "illegal immigrants".

and to those in foreign countries who seek to participate in the program and have been offered employment here.

So that any strawberry grower who doesn't want to pay decent wages can hire workers a dime a dozen and avoid investing in advanced technologies that would replace human hard work with advanced technology and machines?

This new system should be clear and efficient, so employers are able to find workers quickly and simply.

So that there is absolutely positively no need for any progress nor for offering competitive wages and decent working conditions.

All who participate in the temporary worker program must have a job, or, if not living in the United States, a job offer.

Hundreds of thousand of people entered into phony marriage contracts just to get their green cards right under the nose of the IRS. Now, do you expect us to believe that THIS will work? Have you forgotten about notorious fraud under the article 245(i) of the immigration bill, with hundreds of companies issuing phony statements of employment for those seeking easy "legalization"?

The legal status granted by this program will last three years and will be renewable -- but it will have an end.

Really? We were told that the amnesty of 1986 would end illegal immigration once for all. Why should we trust that this time the promise is going to be kept?

Participants who do not remain employed, who do not follow the rules of the program, or who break the law will not be eligible for continued participation and will be required to return to their home.

Why don't you show us if and how can you accomplish that, first. Your "Homeland Security" secretary Tom Ridge just told us a few weeks ago that it's impossible to deport them. Do you expect that once you have your program, those illegals that don't have jobs will see how bad they are and just go back where they came from?

Yeah, right. Tell us more about how did they fulfill their responsibility of not hiring illegal aliens. (Sarcasm.)

Employers who extend job offers must first make every reasonable effort to find an American worker for the job at hand.

Our government will develop a quick and simple system for employers to search for American workers.

Do you have to wait with that until after the U.S. Congress passes your "temporary workers" bill? Or, are you negotiating with us so that we agree on YOUR proposal? You would better use your negotiating skills while talking to Presidente Fox who managed to get something for nothing from you.

Employers must not hire undocumented aliens or temporary workers whose legal status has expired.

I'm sure that after you said so they will understand that you mean business and stop hiring illegal aliens right away. (Sarcasm.)

They must report to the government the temporary workers they hire, and who leave their employ, so that we can keep track of people in the program, and better enforce immigration laws.

Your administration is already impotent with enforcing the current laws. Do you expect us to believe that right after you throw on their head a pleiad of new duties that will make a dramatic improvement? Besides, "better enforce" is an insult to our intelligence; the "enforcement" is next to none for all practical purposes.

There must be strong workplace enforcement with tough penalties for anyone, for any employer violating these laws.

That's what was mandated by the immigration reform bill in 1996. It turned out to be just another gimmick to deceive American public. And so is, most likely, this one.

Undocumented workers now here will be required to pay a one-time fee to register for the temporary worker program.

Here you go. That's what it takes to get of the hook for (peacefully) invading one's country and violating the law. Are you planning on extending this "fee bargain" on thieves and shoplifters so that they keep the property they stole after the fee is paid?

[...] All participants will be issued a temporary worker card that will allow them to travel back and forth between their home and the United States without fear of being denied re-entry into our country.

This is a "privilege" that, in general, the law-abiding holders of work visas (H, J, etc.) do not enjoy under the current law. Where did you get this God-given right of a "temporary worker" to re-enter the U.S. from? One of the main doctrines of the U.S. immigration law is that any non-citizen who is entering the U.S. is a subject of inspection and may be denied the entry by an immigration officer, and that this denial decision cannot be appealed in court. According to the law, the only effect of the green card is that the traveler does not have to seek and obtain visa before the intended entry. But, I guess, you believe that the Mexicans deserve something better than that. After all, there are about five millions of them illegally in the U.S.

This program expects temporary workers to return permanently to their home countries after their period of work in the United States has expired.

I see you mean business, again. And those who don't return will be admonished in a harshest language possible.

Bribe them to go back and have the U.S. taxpayers (particularly, those who pay Social Security tax) to pick up the tab?

I will work with foreign governments on a plan to give temporary workers credit, when they enter their own nation's retirement system, for the time they have worked in America.

Taking into account your astonishing "success" in negotiating mutually beneficial, balanced immigration accords with Presidente Fox, I am optimistically expecting that you will succeed with this as well. (I am being sarcastic, again.)

I also support making it easier for temporary workers to contribute a portion of their earnings to tax-preferred savings accounts, money they can collect as they return to their native countries.

How are they supposed to pay the income tax after they left the U.S.? Or you just want to spare them some taxes?

So, why do you call them "temporary"? It looks like another gimmick to deceive American public. Also, "some" will most likely mean "almost all" and will include their countless families, many of them dreaming about getting on the American taxpayers' dole.

So, all illegals and their numerous families will, eventually, be allowed to apply for citizenship. How is it not an amnesty and not a reward?

They will not be given unfair advantage over people who have followed legal procedures from the start.

This statement proves (again) that, despite your insincere assurances, it has been your intention, from the very beginning, to make it possible for illegal aliens to become citizens, eventually; your provision has a null effect on legal residents (they did follow the legal procedures from the start).

I oppose amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship.

Yeah, right. Meaning twister Bill Clinton would not have put it better. "I oppose infringements of people's constitutional right to keep and bear arms for sporting purposes". Where does this preposterous idea that "amnesty" is offering the "automatic path to citizenship". In your sense of the word "amnesty", an amnesty for thieves not only would let them keep the property they stole but would also put them on the automatic path government issued title to that stolen property.

Granting amnesty encourages the violation of our laws, and perpetuates illegal immigration.

That's right. And that will be the most visible effect of your proposal. So, please, don't tell us years later that you didn't know what you were doing. (History will judge you harshly, Mr. President.)

America is a welcoming country, but citizenship must not be the automatic reward for violating the laws of America.

Here goes this "automatic" nonsense again. So, you are telling us that it's OK to reward someone who violate these laws, as long as it's not "automatic"? Do you think we are but a bunch of idiots?

The citizenship line, however, is too long, and our current limits on legal immigration are too low.

The immigration numbers are the highest since Columbus discovered America but you claim that "long, and our current limits on legal immigration are too low". How about issuing citizenship certificates via the Internet. Would it shorten the "citizenship line" enough for you? (Sarcasm.)

My administration will work with the Congress to increase the annual number of green cards that can lead to citizenship.

Over million green cards were issued in 2002. Over million were issued in 2001. But you still don't think it's enough. If the ("peacefully") invading Mexican "migrants" were looking for a fifth column in America to make their job of taking over this country easier, they couldn't find anybody more helpful than you.

Those willing to take the difficult path of citizenship -- the path of work, and patience, and assimilation -- should be welcome in America, like generations of immigrants before them.

Like there were any resemblance between the immigrants of the past, particularly those of the great wave of immigration around he turn of 19-th century, and millions of border-skipping unassimilaing masses, dependent on government subsidies and ethnicity-based "affirmative action" today. Yeah, right, c'mon everybody and his all family. We are collecting three trillion dollars a year in federal taxes in order to extend a warm welcome to you.

In the process of immigration reform, we must also set high expectations for what new citizens should know.

The expectation ARE high. You are the one who wants to lower them. Your and your predecessors' administrations have not enforced these "expectations".

An understanding of what it means to be an American is not a formality in the naturalization process, it is essential to full participation in our democracy.

Yeah, right. With all that brouhaha about multiculturalism, diversity, bi-lingual education, ethnic identity, and American school teachers calling for "returning" American Midwest to Mexico, these immigrants will truly understand "what it means to be an American". (Sarcasm.)

My administration will examine the standard of knowledge in the current citizenship test.

We must ensure that new citizens know not only the facts of our history, but the ideals that have shaped our history.

And for that you need the "temporary workers" program? Besides, these were the requirements for the citizenship, but the INS didn't treat them seriously nor enforce them. Why should we believe that that is going to change now?

Every citizen of America has an obligation to learn the values that make us one nation: liberty and civic responsibility, equality under God, and tolerance for others.

What the Mexican migrants learn in American schools is this. That the U.S. has been a traditional oppressor of Hispanic people. That Americans, notorious for their racism, have always discriminated against Latinos while greedily exploiting their cheap labor. That American imperialists stole a big part of Mexican territory, known under the name of Aztlan, and that this stolen part should be liberated from American occupation and returned to its rightful owners (Mexican people, that is). That Mexicans should stick together, cherish their culture and language, and avoid getting Americanized at all cost. That, instead assimilating, they should spread their culture and language across the U.S. and demand that they are accepted on par with American culture and English language. That they should join MEChA, follow the leadership of LULAC, MALDEF and La Raza in their fight for the rights of growing Latino community, and protest all attempts of the INS to enforce the U.S. immigration laws and American border that crosses the Mexican nation. That, once given a chance, they should vote in blocks for Latino politicians and not just for Spanish speaking gringos who will never strive for safe border crossing nor for rights of undocumented citizens. And that it has been mostly their menial work, along with the menial work of tens of millions of migrant workers from Mexico and other undocumented Latino laborers that made America what she is today (the strongest economy of the world, that is), so that nothing is really to much for them to demand, or to be grateful for. And your plan, certainly, is not going to change that.

This new temporary worker program will bring more than economic benefits to America.

Well, it doesn't seem like it's bringing net economic benefits in first place. According to Prof. George Borjas, a world-renowned economist from Harvard, Average immigrant is a net liability for American society and costs this nation about $86,000 in his lifetime. This is not to say that some businessmen will not profit handsomely from his "cheap" labor. If you add to this the devastating effects that recent wave of mass "immigration" have had on schools, healthcare, overpopulation, and pollution (after all, we are talking about moving millions from the low consumption countries that have relatively low emissions per capita, to the country (U.S.A., that is) with the highest consumption and emissions per capita), the picture isn't rosy.

Our homeland will be more secure when we can better account for those who enter our country, instead of the current situation in which millions of people are unknown, unknown to the law.

This is just an outright bull. When it comes to public access to local, state, federal government and court buildings, you and your administration don't content yourselves with just issuing badges to the visitors so that you "can better account for those who enter" the building. Now it doesn't matter anymore that a vast majority, if not all, of visitors are good, hard-working and law-abiding citizens. They are all automatically subjected to searches and post-9/11 airport-type scrutiny, although court bombings and government official killings are as rare as the total eclipses of the Moon. No one of your cabinet have even suggested that an amnesty or a "guest bomber" program is all that is need for the security of the federal institutions. Pretty duplicitous, isn't it?

Law enforcement will face fewer problems with undocumented workers, and will be better able to focus on the true threats to our nation from criminals and terrorists.

As if millions of unassimilating and prolific aliens that are wrecking this country and claiming the political power wasn't a "true" threat.

And when temporary workers can travel legally and freely, there will be more efficient management of our borders and more effective enforcement against those who pose a danger to our country.

This is pure absurdity. A statement like this would earn its author an instant "F" in Logic 101 class. Claiming that free travel would make the "management of our borders" more efficient is like insisting that abolishing the borders altogether will make it easier to stop drug smuggling. Someone who wrote this speech needs to be sent for training in logical reasoning.

The purpose of the immigration law, like the purpose of armed forces, is not "compassion" but it's the protecting of this nation from the external world. How come you don't postulate total disarmament of American Army to make it more "compassionate"? I will tell you why. Because it would be irresponsible and the most stupid think to do. The same can be said about this part of your proposal.

You have no way of knowing who they are, and based on several errors and omissions you made in your speech, I have a very limited confidence in your judgment. The only think you know about them is that they have willfully and deliberately violated the American border and/or broken the immigration law. Many of them had hired criminals to accomplish that. Many of them have bought forged documents to obtain the jobs and public benefits that are legally reserved to legal residents. They avoid paying taxes as much as they can and openly label those who pay their taxes as "stupid". Many of them drive without a license, often under the influence, and flee the scene after the accident. Interestingly enough, these "decent, hard-working people" are staunchly opposed to any efforts that would reveal how the illegal aliens are doing in this respect.

will now be protected by labor laws, with the right to change jobs, earn fair wages, and enjoy the same working conditions that the law requires for American workers.

The labor laws are on the books to protect American workers and not everybody and his brother who managed to skip the border or overstay his visa. Billions of foreign laborers don't have any God given "right" to jobs, wages, and conditions. They are here ILLEGALLY and the only right they have is the right to be humanely repatriated to their countries of origin (I will be more than happy to pay for their one-way ticket home). That's our country and we don't welcome your selling us out to international proletariat (regardless whether you are sincere with your "compassion" for them or not).

Temporary workers will be able to establish their identities by obtaining the legal documents we all take for granted.

Obviously, you are talking about illegal aliens here, because the legal ones do have the necessary documents. What we take for granted is that people in the U.S. are not supposed to break the law, an if they do then they get punished and not rewarded for that. How about the right to vote in elections that "we all take for granted"? Are you going to reward the illegals with this one, too?

And they will be able to talk openly to authorities, to report crimes when they are harmed, without the fear of being deported.

Or "to report crimes" that they and their compatriots brought to America because of the federal government not enforcing the American border. (Horse's feather.) Again, are you going to show this kind of leniency to fugitives from justice or to al Qaida sleeper cell terrorists so that they can report these crimes as well? How about not enforcing the law and not chasing criminals at all so that they, too, can feel free to report the crimes they and their accomplices did commit? This "argument" of yours is one of the most notorious absurdities that the "open border" lobby have ever came up with.

The best way, in the long run, to reduce the pressures that create illegal immigration in the first place is to expand economic opportunity among the countries in our neighborhood.

WRONG! The best way is to, first, enforce the border and, second, discourage their explosive population growth. Big part of American help (be it in a form of wages for "migrant" worker, be it in a form of humanitarian assistance) is used to fuel their unprecedented population growth. Your administration record in this respect is particularly disappointing.

In a few days I will go to Mexico for the Special Summit of the Americas, where we will discuss ways to advance free trade, and to fight corruption, and encourage the reforms that lead to prosperity.

You "negotiated" a deal with Presidente Fox that in turn for our "legalizing" their law-breaking citizens gave them the privilege of sending to America their surplus jobless population. It's like if you stole my car and I, in order to smoothen our stained relationship, not only forgave you your stealing and let you keep my property, but also offered to pay for gas you used while driving my car. You would get and "F" grade in Negotiating 101 class as well.

Real growth and real hope in the nations of our hemisphere will lessen the flow of new immigrants to America when more citizens of other countries are able to achieve their dreams at their own home.

The gap between the Third World countries and America is widening and not shrinking. (You may wish to read [6] if you want to know why.) So, where does your optimism come from?

Yet our country has always benefited from the dreams that others have brought here.

Yeah, right, "always". Like we benefited from the organized crime, drugs, violence, and rebelliousness. What is for us in Mexican's dream to extend their nation beyond the Mexico's borders? What's in us for their "reclaiming" our Southwest as "their historic land" (which they never had under their control)? What is for us in helping them to maintain, indefinitely, their population growth that doubles about every 24 years (so that we will become a small minority in out country in the lifetimes of our children)? Their dream is to have 6+ kids per family, and they expect us, Americans, to make it come true (and to pay for it).

By working hard for a better life, immigrants contribute to the life of our nation.

There is no logical implication here. They, almost certainly, contribute to THEIR lives. But as a whole, they are a liability and not an asset. Besides, referring to "illegal aliens" as "immigrants" is an insult for all those who, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, immigrated to America following the rules and respecting our borders and laws.

The temporary worker program I am proposing today represents the best tradition of our society,

Did you mean the failed amnesty of 1986 that carried a never materialized promise of curtailing the illegal immigration? Or you are trying to say that yielding to foreign invasion (peaceful or otherwise) is in our "tradition"?

This sounds a little bit hypocritical to me. You are just proposing to reward those who broke the law.

This is an unwarranted generalization. We may welcome some "newcomers" but certainly not all of them across the board. And welcoming a few does not oblige us to welcome millions.

Immigration laws are on the books to protect Americans and not to pay "fairness" to other nations, particularly to such self-serving ones like Mexico.

You would better honor our values by enforcing the laws that are already on the books and not reward the lawbreakers.

For their trashing our laws and invading ("peacefully") our country? You must be kidding.

How do you know what their "ideals of America" are? Judging from what their separatist organizations are pushing for (among which are the ones that you invited to your speech), their "ideal" is quite different from what most Americans would like to leave for future generations. We have seen it on an example of Mexifornia. Or, maybe you are right. Maybe they share YOUR ideals of America.

[1] "President Bush Proposes New Temporary Worker Program: Remarks by the President on Immigration Policy"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/bushtext_012803.html

[6] R. Lynn and T. Vanhanen: "IQ and the Wealth of Nations", Praeger Publishers, 2002

This article is the third (and last) part of my critical comments on Mr. Bush's `New Temporary Worker Program' proposal (see [1] for a complete transcript). The first part, Introduction, outlined the major flaws and misconceptions of the proposal. The second part, The Critique, contained detailed comments made on the transcript of Mr. Bush's speech that justified in detail a grade "F" that I gave him for his proposal. The third part (current), Conclusions, indicates some of the most serious implications of Mr. Bush's proposal as well as fundamental issues that he hasn't addressed in his speech.

It must have been clear for an observant reader, familiar with the subject of illegal "immigration", that Bush's "temporary worker program" proposal, filled with euphemistic rhetoric, lacks coherence and perspective, and is based on repeated myths, half-truths, hearsay, and misconceptions, rather than on documented facts and on fair analysis of feasible solutions and their impact on lives of American people. Its tautological rationale (like the migrants' "search for better lives", or their "love of family") points out to common attributes of 95% of world population, including those who are our sworn enemies, and can hardly be conceived as valid justification to further weaken the existing mechanisms of national self-preservation and survival. The proposal, when seen in the context of President Bush's recent trip to Mexico and his "immigration talks" with Mexican Presidente Fox, doesn't testify well about Mr. Bush's qualifications for the country's top executive job he holds. Indeed, Mr. Bush is emerging from this controversy as a mediocre leader with no great vision or sense of priority, a poor negotiator, and an unwilling defender of American nation and its border.

Mr. Bush is not only not on the top of things, but is clearly unaware of what's going on and what are the consequences of his regrettable proposal. His administration is already impotent with enforcing the current laws but he wants us to believe that things will improve dramatically once millions more of "temporary workers" (a.k.a. "migrants") are brought from Mexico and other Third World countries to America. He paints a rosy picture of the benefits (mostly for those who profit from foreign "cheap" labor and for the "migrants" themselves) while completely ignoring the proposal's costs and its severely negative effects on American society.

Like a bad war plan, the proposal he presented earlier this month, and referred to in his "State of the Union Address" (see [7]), has no valid objectives (except for such flimsy excuses as "respect" for the uninvited "guests" and providing some employers with unlimited supply of "cheap" labor), nor has it any indication of how can we figure out that we've got enough of what we asked for once we did. (If it's never too much of a "good thing" then why not bring right away all 3.5 billions of world's poor into America?) Like in a one-way dead-end street, there is no outline of any exit strategy from the open ended "temporary" program, either. And that in itself is a proven way of inviting monstrous disaster that may put a heavy toll on this nation like the Vietnam War did.

Some of the likely consequences of Bush's proposal are grave, indeed. Particularly frightening is a perspective of what a free flow of lowly skilled but highly rebellious labor from Mexico and other Latin American countries, notorious for Marxist revolutionary movements, may bring to America. In addition to creation of a new class of peasantry that this country never had, it may result in a mass importation of new proletariat that is not likely to accept its lower class status as a political reality and will demand some kind of "redistribution of wealth", instead. Needless to say, a series of social disturbances that shook the political structures of mid-18th century Europe and led to the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 was a direct result of an emergence of free movement of labor orchestrated by those who desperately wanted to profit from exploiting it. Sounds familiar? It does to me. Just look below, what's happening in Mexico today. For you will, most likely, see it in America tomorrow.

Here are some fairly basic questions that Mr. Bush's proposal did not address. (It is not to say that answering any of these would make the proposal any better; to the contrary, truthful and complete answers to these questions are very likely to reveal the devastating effects the "temporary worker program" will have on working Americans and their living standards.)

1. What is the likely cost of welfare, unemployment benefits, and "free" public services (education, health care, subsidized housing, incarceration of criminals) expended on "temporary workers" and their families, and who is going to pay for it?

2. What are the health risks for Americans that result from a high volume of unchecked travel of (tens of) millions of "temporary workers" back and forth between their native countries and America, and how the government is prepared to cope with these risks?

3. What is the impact of mass influx of low wage workers with much below average tax paying potential on the taxes paid by the Americans, and how an increased demand for more schools, more roads, more hospitals, more police, more jails, and more immigration bureaucracy will affect it (the taxes paid, that is)?

4. How will the increase of border traffic that results from the "temporary worker program" and "legalization" of eight to 11 millions of illegal aliens contribute to current crime rates (remember that 25% of federal inmates are foreign born, and so seems a vast majority of street gang members caught in commission of violent acts; there are estimated Latino 600 gangs in L.A. County alone), illegal drugs proliferation, infiltration of America by foreign organized crime and the terrorists? (See [8] for a chilly account of the illegal "immigrant" crime and impotence of the law enforcement to deal with it.)

5. What is the number of the workers that the economy actually needs, why the American born population does not meet these needs, and what is the maximum (never mind optimum) number of aliens this country can accept given the limitations of current infrastructure, water and power supply, waste management capabilities, and environmental constrains? (For those unfamiliar with the subject, an article [9] describes how Orange County is running out of space to dump trash and how it affects the residents that find themselves living in proximity of humongous and growing landfills.)

6. What will be the environmental impact of displacing (tens of) millions of "temporary" workers from countries of low per capita consumption and, therefore, low pollution (like Mexico) to a country of highest levels of per capita consumption and, therefore, high pollution (America) and how it will affect the world's emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that may have a detrimental ecological effects?

7. What will happen to the second generation of (tens of) millions of "temporary workers" that maintain the fertility rates about twice the national average, with their soaring high school dropout rates and alarming crime rates? Will they be awarded an automatic citizenship? (I guess so.) Will they create a new permanent underclass or they will be awarded some kind of "affirmative action" push upward that will further erode American academic and hiring standards as well as white collar job productivity while creating even bigger demand for low-end jobs that only foreign labor can satisfy? (An attempt of an answer to this question and explain the mechanism of self-propelled immigration may be found in [10].)

8. Will the increased immigration levels of uneducated workers with no verifiable talents or skills further dumb American nation down and lower national IQ (as indicated in [11], pages 341 and 360-361)?

9. Will "temporary workers" have the same constitutional rights as Americans enjoy now? Will they have the right to organize (against American status quo, I suppose), the right to arm themselves (to better protect themselves for possible deportation), to sue for millions in punitive damages, or even to vote in elections? (For those who think that the "immigrant voting" concern is far fetched, see [12]).

10. How will this dramatic increase of lawful residents of Mexican ancestry, taking into account their proverbial reluctance to assimilate, their strong national and political ties with Mexico and its nationalist organizations, and their historic contempt of American authority over the Southwest, will increase the already visible pressure to yield to their political demands of open borders, bi-lingual system, representation of Mexicans in American government, and even the "liberation" of Southwestern United States?

11. And finally, how the dramatically understaffed and underfunded Immigration authorities that are unable to enforce the American border (see [13] for a most recent example) and the current immigration laws are going to deal with an increased workload that results from the "temporary workers program", "legalization" of millions of illegal aliens, and a steep hike in border traffic?

Many Americans called on Mr. Bush to withdraw or modify his de facto amnesty proposal (see [14]). But whether he yields to the demands of his constituency or not, the damage to this nation has already been done. Under the pressure of Mexican "peaceful" invaders (some call them "migrants"), he blinked and they saw it. Now, knowing that he is on their side, they are going to pressure more than ever; in fact, the illegal traffic through the border has already increased (see [15]) as a result of the de facto amnesty promise hidden in Bush's "temporary worker program" proposal. I am afraid that this damage may have been intentional. After Mr. Bush blinked it may be really difficult to stop people from coming, never mind deporting them, and he knows about it damn well.

[1] "President Bush Proposes New Temporary Worker Program: Remarks by the President on Immigration Policy"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/bushtext_012803.html

[6] R. Lynn and T. Vanhanen: "IQ and the Wealth of Nations", Praeger Publishers, 2002

[11] Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray, "The Bell Curve", Simon and Shuster, 2nd Edition, 1996.

[12] UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Calls for Examining New Policies to Include 4.6 Million Noncitizens in the Voting Process

When Mr. Bush begun his presidency, the number of illegal aliens was estimated between 4 and 8 millions. As of today, it's estimated between 12 and 20 millions. So, the number of illegal aliens in the U.S. most likely doubled during Mr. Bush's tenure. This fact indicates how impotent his administration has been, and how serious a problem, now requiring extraordinary measures, illegal immigration is. The administration is not going to listen to their core constituencies. It will blindly follow devastating ideas of opening America's borders to hordes of unassimilating "migrants" from Mexico and other Third World countries against clear will of vast majority of American people that it is supposed to serve.

While a lot of us don't agree with Bush on his immigration policies, I can honestly say we don't agree with some of the things you've said. Since I don't have 3 hours to read through the whole post, I'll simply respond to what you said.

When Mr. Bush begun his presidency, the number of illegal aliens was estimated between 4 and 8 millions. As of today, it's estimated between 12 and 20 millions.
No kidding. Blame lawyers, Civil rights activists, special interest groups, senators in California, and Mr. Fox for this. I won't bother posting proof as it's all over the place.

So, the number of illegal aliens in the U.S. most likely doubled during Mr. Bush's tenure. This fact indicates how impotent his administration has been,
The simple fact that he's transformed 2 countries into democracies doesn't phase you in the slightest does it. It's our fault that people are running across our borders illegally right? I agree something drastic should be done, but prioritization is a necessary component to leadership.

Youch! Long read.

Nothing is going to change right now. What I suggest is that after Kerry's burial in November, we start an email, phone, and letter writing campaign to President Bush, and every single influencial person to express our displeasure and concerns. We should also pay close attention to who expects to be the GOP nominee for the run in 2008.

What does it profit the average middle class American to bring the putative virtues of parliamentary venality versus the usual clique tyranny venality to some distant land when large areas of the United States are being primed to be a gigantic Bosnia. The importation of pluralities of unassimilated third world and especially Mexicans into the US means their political and cultural attitudes are imported as well. Life in third world countries is hell on earth by the standards of the US. Politicians are a corrupt lot in general but we here have short of the Tweed ring never endured anything like Mexicanized police departments and municipal governments. Police in active collaboration with huge armed criminal groups, home invasion and property theft on a scale that defies belief and brazen broad daylight abductions for either ransom or for impressment into the white slave trade. These are some of the realities of daily life coming to the SW Us if the borders are not secured and sealed.

It will blindly follow devastating ideas of opening America's borders to hordes of unassimilating "migrants" from Mexico and other Third World countries against clear will of vast majority of American people that it is supposed to serve.

I ask this, not to be argumentative but to be informed. Why aren't those, in the states that are currently most adversely impacted by illegal immigration, electing people to Congress who can make this a national priority? It may be against the clear will of the American people but it is not a clear priority across the country.

The administration is not going to listen to their core constituencies. It will blindly follow devastating ideas of opening America's borders to hordes of unassimilating "migrants" from Mexico and other Third World countries against clear will of vast majority of American people that it is supposed to serve.

The elites who run both parties don't care that the majority of US citizens (from both parties)don't want more immigration. Democrats and Republicans have agreed to not discuss important issues like immigration and trade, but to fight it out on fringe issues like gay marriage and stem cell research. When your government no longer listens to you, it is a tyranny!

Why aren't those, in the states that are currently most adversely impacted by illegal immigration, electing people to Congress who can make this a national priority?

The problem is that the campaign donations are to be made from those who benefit from cheap labor - corporations & the elite classes who hire nannies, maids, gardeners. Therefore, it behooves politicians to not bite the hand that feeds them. Someone who tries to be an anti-immigration candidate faces an uphill struggle - no money and the media labels you a racist.

Americans have been subjected to such an endless barrage of political correctness on the subject that many don't dare strongly object less they be called 'racists'. Middle class Americans spend little time thinking of the long term implications of current events. They have to many other pressing things to do. The effective co-option of real debate on the immigration and border control issue by both parties makes thinking about the issue clearly and trying to take a stand very difficult. The choices offered at election time are simply of the tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber sort. That is why the White House reacted in such a floridly rageful manner to Rep Tancredo's activities. he was violating the implicit agreement by both parties to never really discuss the immigration issue.

Not just GW Bush, but John Kerry and their respective political parties are pushing to reward these criminals. That's right, criminals! They broke the law. Nothing will ever change what they've done to get here. It is a criminal element with an equally criminal mentality.

Nearly 30% of the federal prison population is comprised of non-citizens. That's remarkable considering they comprise a mere 2-4% of the overall population. Even more remarkable is that most of the non-citizens are in prison for committing violent crimes. Very few are in prison for violating immigration laws.

Illegal immigrants must be sent packing. For every illegal immigrant we ship off there is a law abiding non citizen trying to use the legal process to enter our country. These law abiding potential immigrants should be given priority, not criminals.

I'll not mask my feelings on the importance of this issue. I am voting for Peroutka of the Constitution Party as he would deport all illegal immigrants.

REF: Federal Bureau of Prisons: Inmates by Citizenship: http://www.bop.gov/fact0598.html#Citizenship

I can use big words too? Good God.

What does it profit the average middle class American to bring the putative virtues of parliamentary venality versus the usual clique tyranny venality to some distant land when large areas of the United States are being primed to be a gigantic Bosnia.
Now you're changing the subject, again. You've departed completely from your original point, changed writing styles, and started using a much more advanced terminology. I'm tempted to respond to a flip-flop, but won't.

The importation of pluralities of unassimilated third world and especially Mexicans into the US means their political and cultural attitudes are imported as well.
That's right. I have no problems, nor do most people, with a multi-cultural society. Our problem is with people being here illegally yet still wanting licenses, free speech and the right to vote - things they are not entitled to by any means.

Life in third world countries is hell on earth by the standards of the US. ...etc...
That doesn't make it right. That doesn't make it acceptable. I don't care about another country's activites and internal workings unless they're needlessly killing people, causing me some sort of harm, or are threaghtening to cause me some sort of harm. Your theories of how the activites inherant in Mexican society will/are bleeding into the southwestern US are unfounded as you're not taking local law enforcement and other governing bodies into account.

Thanks for the responses. I live in Michigan where the problem is clearly not what it is for other states.

There is a real worker shortage for larger agricultural operations here. I know of two, family owned but large farms that must head to Texas every spring to recruit workers. They don't go to recruit illegals but inevitably end up with some whose phony paperwork is spit back after they submit payroll taxes. (By this time, the season is over.) They would prefer to hire locally but, if they are to be competitive, can only pay so much. The wage might be attractive to a high school kid but OSHA regulations make them ineligible for most of the work they have.

My point is that this entire issue is complex and I'm not settled on where I come down on the need for the labor. (This country was in a large part built on the cheap labor of immigrants, pitting the newest wave against the previous.) But what I am positive about is that I am passionately opposed to the parallel culture that is being formed. We are blowing up the very thing that had America once called the melting pot.

Many have been waiting for him to shut the flood gates, but it appears he is intent on flooding the entire country

No kidding. Blame lawyers, Civil rights activists, special interest groups, senators in California, and Mr. Fox for this. I won't bother posting proof as it's all over the place.

So they're to blame for Bush's lack of cojones on the illegal alien issue?

The simple fact that he's transformed 2 countries into democracies doesn't phase you in the slightest does it.

Strawman argument - freeing Iraq and Afghanistan doesn't have anything to do with protecting our borders.

It's our fault that people are running across our borders illegally right?

Yes, it is. Politicians from both parties refuse to do something about the out-of-control borders.

I agree something drastic should be done, but prioritization is a necessary component to leadership

9/11 gave Bush all the priority he needed. Shortly after the attacks, illegal immigration slowed to a trickle. When the illegals realized that nothing was going to be done they continued to stream into the country, along with Middle Easterners.

Look, I'm not stupid. I support Bush and I'll definetly be voting for him on Nov 2nd. But I'm telling you, this issue is a thorn in conservative's side. My biggest fear is that Bush, after safely winning election, will aggressively push his amnesty plan, since he doesn't have to face another reelection campaign. Think of this as a national security crisis, which it really is.

No kidding. Blame lawyers, Civil rights activists, special interest groups, senators in California, and Mr. Fox for this. I won't bother posting proof as it's all over the place.

Huh?

The people of Cal voted 3 to 1 to end this chaotic invasion. (Prop 187) The fedgov stepped in, working in concert with the state government conspirators burned our ballots and declared our free election illegal..

They are all in this together. Don't be fooled.

The fish stinks from the head!

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