It's impossible to seal the borders. Look at the failure of the 66 mile Tijuana sector with double fences, flood lights, patrol roads, UAVs, helicopters, dogs, ATVs, etc...
The beauty of the guest worker program is that it's self-enforcing.
Illegal immigrants will want to become legal guest workers and employers will want their employees to become legal guest workers.
If guest worker status is available, there is no incentive for anyone to be an illegal border jumper or any employer to hire an illegal.
Everyone wins (except the racists and Bush-haters)
The beauty of the guestworker program is that it will dump one to two million more each year into this nation on top of the illegal immigration already taking place. You think two million worker permits per year will stop it, but four, six, ten million want to come. Then there's those who already have a record up here. They'll just bop up here anyway.
Unless we close the border there will be no sanity to any program.
Then there's the problem of proven racism. Worker permits can't just be given to Mexicans. We have to provide equal access to every nation of the world, per capita, or we've set up a preferential situation. That is racist.
If two million Mexicans can come across in addition to normal immigration, then Panama should be able to send up an equal percentage of their populace. China, Vietnam, Russia, England, India, Malaysia, Palestine... you name it, it's a free-for-all for everyone. Otherwise, the people who support the program are by definition racists.
I note you support it.
I notice one thing --- you seem extremely pro-Mexican government --- anything they tell us must be done? How about them fixing up a problem or two?
Anything is possible in my America.
BS. Where does Bush address the American taxpayers who are paying thru the teeth to subsidize your workers, Rod? What about us? Are we to continue to fork out $1000 per household per year so you can pocket the difference?
I refuse to.
Where's that "Compassionate Conservatism" towards the taxpayers who have to deal with all the problems these third worlders dump on us?
I really wish that you would quit throwing around the "racist" tag on these immigration threads. If you have a good argument, you can make it without accusing people of being racists just because they want our immigration laws enforced, our borders secured, or because they are opposed to a guest worker program.
Once these newly-legalized "guest workers" become part of the formal economy, and have to be paid minimum wage plus benefits, a whole new wave of illegals will be willing to undercut them, and work for less informally. And employers will still have the same incentive to hire the new illegals as they do now -- cost savings.
PING. Great post.
Always aware of course, that many govt. proposals in final form bear little resemblance to the promises made during speeches.
'Twill be interesting to see--how it turns out, and if you are right or wrong, and how much wiggle room your supporters and detractors on this matter insist on, as events unfold.
Cheers!
"It's impossible to seal the borders."
Maybe impossible to seal 100% of the borders, I'll concede that to you....but we SURE can do a better job than this laughable "homeland security" crapola now.
GWB has no damned right to parade our troops around the world and let them get the crap shot out of them while leaving our own borders vunerable.
That's pure common sense, something in which you seem to be in short supply of.