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Bordering on Fraud (Thomas Sowell)
Townhall.com ^ | May 23, 2006 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 05/23/2006 8:25:20 AM PDT by Gordongekko909

The immigration bill before Congress has some of the most serious consequences for the future of this country. Yet it is not being discussed seriously by most politicians or most of the media. Instead, it is being discussed in a series of glib talking points that insult our intelligence.

Some of the most momentous consequences -- a major increase in the number of immigrants admitted legally -- are not even being discussed at all by those who wrote the Senate bill, though Senator Jeff Sessions has uncovered those provisions in the bill and brought them out into the light of day.

How many times have we heard that illegal aliens are taking "jobs that Americans won't do"? Just what specifically are those jobs?

Even in occupations where illegals are concentrated, such as agriculture, cleaning, construction, and food preparation, the great majority of the work is still being done by people who are not illegal aliens.

The highest concentration of illegals is in agriculture, where they are 24 percent of the people employed. That means three-quarters of the people are not illegal aliens. But when will the glib phrase-mongers stop telling us that the illegals are simply taking "jobs that Americans won't do"?

Another insult to our intelligence is that amnesty is not amnesty if you call it something else. The fact that illegals will have to fulfill certain requirements to become American citizens is supposed to mean that this is not amnesty.

But let's do what the spinmeisters hope we will never do -- stop and think. Amnesty is overlooking ("forgetting," as in amnesia) the violation of the law committed by those who have crossed our borders illegally.

The fact that there are requirements for getting American citizenship is a separate issue entirely. Illegal aliens who do not choose to seek American citizenship are under no more jeopardy than before. They have de facto amnesty.

Yet another insult to our intelligence is saying that, since we cannot find and deport 12 million people, the only choice left is to find some way to make them legal.

There is probably no category of law-breakers -- from counterfeiters to burglars or from jay-walkers to murderers -- who can all be found and arrested. But no one suggests that we must therefore make what they have done legal.

Such an argument would suggest that there is nothing in between 100 percent effective law enforcement and zero percent effective law enforcement.

The reverse twist on this argument is that suddenly taking 12 million people out of the labor force would disrupt the economy. No one has ever said -- or probably even dreamed -- that we could suddenly find all 12 million illegal immigrants at once and send them all home immediately. This is another straw man argument.

The real question is what we do with whatever illegal aliens we do find. Right now, there are various communities around the country where local officials have a policy of forbidding the police from reporting illegal immigrants to federal authorities.

Why are people who are so gung ho for punishing employers so utterly silent about needing to punish government officials who openly and deliberately violate federal laws?

Employers, after all, are not in the business of law enforcement.

If some guy who runs a hardware store or a dry cleaning business hires someone who shows some forged documents, why should the employer be fined for not being able to tell the difference, when government officials who can tell the difference are not doing anything -- or are even actively obstructing federal laws?

Putting unarmed national guardsmen on the border is another cosmetic move, a placebo instead of real medicine. The excuse is that it is not possible to train more than 1,500 border patrol agents a year. Meanwhile, we have trained well over 200,000 Iraqi security forces while guerilla warfare raged around them.

You can put a million people on the border and it will mean nothing if those who are caught are simply turned loose and sent back to try again tomorrow -- or perhaps later the same day.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; bushamnesty; fence; invasionusa; mdm; sowell; thomassowell
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To: Gordongekko909

""Even in occupations where illegals are concentrated, such as agriculture, cleaning, construction, and food preparation, the great majority of the work is still being done by people who are not illegal aliens.""

Why are people who are so gung ho for punishing employers so utterly silent about needing to punish government officials who openly and deliberately violate federal laws? ""
Putting unarmed national guardsmen on the border is another cosmetic move, a placebo instead of real medicine. The excuse is that it is not possible to train more than 1,500 border patrol agents a year. Meanwhile, we have trained well over 200,000 Iraqi security forces while guerilla warfare raged around them.

You can put a million people on the border and it will mean nothing if those who are caught are simply turned loose and sent back to try again tomorrow -- or perhaps later the same day.""

Thank you................ Tom Sowell(FOR PRESIDENT)



""


""


41 posted on 05/23/2006 9:33:42 AM PDT by stephenjohnbanker
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To: EternalVigilance

Ok, so for you it's the potential social impact, not really the "law breaking," per se. Just wanted to clarify.


42 posted on 05/23/2006 9:34:19 AM PDT by zook
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To: Gordongekko909

I am going to take the time to send a copy of this article to my Senators and Congressman. They somehow have to understand that we understand what is happening here.


43 posted on 05/23/2006 9:34:39 AM PDT by maxter
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To: trubluolyguy

Oh, well now you're just being an ass. Or a "Sowell-bot."


44 posted on 05/23/2006 9:35:40 AM PDT by zook
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To: from occupied ga
Thank you for providing the Democrat Virtual Talking Points. As usual the pseudo Conservative DNC mouthpieces are rabidly ignorant of any political sense or grasp of reality.

Judges, Judges Judges. Sorry but your Moveon.org direct Democrat Party lies about "Betrayed Conservatives" is nuked by the difference in Judges appointed by the GOP vrs Democrat Judges. Only a complete political idiot or liar would talk about "Screwed Conservatives". GW Bush has done MORE for the Conservative movement in the Judges he appointed then all the Democrat mouthpieces pretending to be "Betrayed Conservatives" have or ever with with their Perpetual Bitching. Adults understand 60% of something is better then 100% of nothing. Only spoiled brat children throw tmpertantrums because they do not get only 100% of only what THEY personally want. Wander back to DU now, your DNC direct propaganda fools no one here.

45 posted on 05/23/2006 9:37:07 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Conservative, The simple fact about DC is this . "There is more work to do"...)
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To: Gordongekko909

Keep up the fight Tom!


46 posted on 05/23/2006 9:39:00 AM PDT by Aquinasfan (When you find "Sola Scriptura" in the Bible, let me know)
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To: Gordongekko909
There is probably no category of law-breakers -- from counterfeiters to burglars or from jay-walkers to murderers -- who can all be found and arrested. But no one suggests that we must therefore make what they have done legal.

Precisely.

47 posted on 05/23/2006 9:39:58 AM PDT by Gritty (Technically, 'amnesty' is only pardoning a crime rather than also giving a cash bonus-Mark Steyn)
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To: MNJohnnie
Do you believe Thomas Sowell to be a "pseudo Conservative DNC mouthpiece"?
48 posted on 05/23/2006 9:41:09 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: facedown
Bordering? Very punny but there's nothing borderline about the fraud being perpetrated by this Senate.

Except one would think it was being created by Senators suffering from Borderline Psychosis.

49 posted on 05/23/2006 9:44:20 AM PDT by tertiary01 ( And don't waste your snide remarks on me: history will be your judge.)
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To: Gordongekko909
Thomas Sowell makes good comments. I wish he were in the Senate - we have too many Senators who are flirting with treason.
50 posted on 05/23/2006 9:46:39 AM PDT by Dante3
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Comment #51 Removed by Moderator

To: MNJohnnie

Johnnie, I really do appreciate your service to our country, but you need to cut back on the caffeine a little...


52 posted on 05/23/2006 9:49:18 AM PDT by Edgar3 (Constitutional Republic, or die)
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To: griswold3
One solution that has been offered is the "Nuclear Option" at the polls for the House for 2006. (Save the Senate for judicial nominees) Allow the Dems to take the House for the next two years as a message if this passes.

They had it for 60 years and they never spent anywhere near what the Republicans have in the last 10

53 posted on 05/23/2006 9:49:53 AM PDT by from occupied ga (Your most dangerous enemy is your own government)
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To: Dante3

I wrote to Dr. Sowell first thing this morning and thanked him for his clarity on this issue.


54 posted on 05/23/2006 9:50:45 AM PDT by Edgar3 (Constitutional Republic, or die)
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To: zook
Oh, well now you're just being an ass. Or a "Sowell-bot."

Aren't you the one who told me he was a monarchist? Just to set the record straight with all the name calling. Do you normally teach your students by using this intimidation tactic?

55 posted on 05/23/2006 9:57:17 AM PDT by tertiary01 ( And don't waste your snide remarks on me: history will be your judge.)
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To: Edgar3; Mr. Mojo; from occupied ga
Suggestion for the political fools. Turn off that old Leftist Con man Mike Savage and try thinking for yourselves for once. Just because he endlessly scream at you how "brilliant" he is doesn't mean he in fact has a clue. He is a Leftist con man pretending to be "Conservative" because he know that the ONLY way anyone would listen to his lunatic ranting.

I thought the self proclaimed "Ronald Reagan fans" understood the brilliance of his politics of incrementalism. I see that they are not actually fans of Reagan style political at all. Reagan understood the value of wining what he could. The 100%ers merely whine and bitch because they do not ONLY get 100% of ONLY what they want. The Perpetual Whiners are merely the same spoiled brat pseudo Conservatives who spent the late 1980s bitching about Reagan talking to the Commies, passing an Illegals Amnesty and raising taxes twice.

NO ONE gets only 100% of what they want the second they want it in politics. Adults understand this and understand why 60% of something is better then 100% of nothing. Only political frauds lying about their real agenda or spoiled children throw a temper tantrum about it.

So which is it, bratty fools or lying frauds?

56 posted on 05/23/2006 10:00:12 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Conservative, The simple fact about DC is this . "There is more work to do"...)
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To: tertiary01

I think what I told you is that I'd rather be a "monarchist" than a "wuss" or something like that. And no, I don't usually use intimidation when I teach. But ain't it peculiar that you didn't make the same criticism of the guy who compared me to Michael Moore because I took issue with Sowell's logic? I guess this stuff only works one way for you.


57 posted on 05/23/2006 10:00:32 AM PDT by zook
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To: MNJohnnie

You need to up your medication


58 posted on 05/23/2006 10:01:40 AM PDT by from occupied ga (Your most dangerous enemy is your own government)
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To: zook

The comparison was very apt, is that name calling to you?


59 posted on 05/23/2006 10:03:41 AM PDT by tertiary01 ( And don't waste your snide remarks on me: history will be your judge.)
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To: griswold3

Only if the House caves and accepts amnesty will I choose the "nuclear option" and not vote.


60 posted on 05/23/2006 10:07:04 AM PDT by tabsternager
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