Posted on 12/16/2006 2:51:38 PM PST by Jeff Fuller
Right on, Romney!
By Patrick J. Buchanan
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Gov. Mitt Romney, leaving office, has just taken a modest step to protect the people of Massachusetts.
Romney signed an agreement with the feds to empower 30 state troopers - to be trained by the feds for five weeks - to determine if crime suspects are illegal aliens. If so, the troopers could hold them on immigration violations.
If an MS-13 gang member were arrested for assault and battery, and the victim was too terrified to testify, the state troopers could hold the alleged assailant, call in immigration authorities and have him deported. Troopers would also be empowered to detain illegal aliens leaving prison, to ensure their deportation by the feds.
But never underestimate the suicidal bent of a Bay State liberal. Recall: This is the commonwealth whose governor used to grant weekend prison furloughs to the likes of Willie Horton.
Deval Patrick, the incoming Democratic governor, thinks Romney has a “bad idea” because state troopers have “enough to do.”
But Romney’s plan does not force troopers to do anything. It empowers them. And what is more important for police to do than assure that felons, who do not belong in this country, do not return to Boston, or that gang members are sent back where they came from, rather than set loose in Springfield?
What the Romney plan challenges is the “sanctuary” policy many cities have adopted under pressure from ethnic lobbies. Under New York’s policy, backed by Rudy Giuliani, five illegal aliens, several with long rap sheets, were still in the city in 2002 and able to gang-rape a woman in the shadow of Shea Stadium.
Nine states have adopted versions of the Romney plan.Resistance to this common-sense idea reveals how ingrained is the ideological hostility to any idea that might halt the flow of illegals into our country. For open-borders champions, the real criminals are those who wish to reduce immigration.
Anger has also surfaced over the raids on six meatpacking plants of Swift & Co. Of the 7,250 workers at the plants, 1,271 - nearly 18 percent - are suspected illegal aliens.
According to The Washington Post, 100 have already been charged with various crimes, including identity theft. Federal and company officials estimate up to 40 percent of all plant workers may have stolen or falsified identity documents.
In recent weeks, Swift discovered false or stolen documents for some 400 workers, who either quit or were fired. The folks at Swift apparently knew something was coming down. But while there has been a slowdown in production, Swift says it anticipates “no adverse long-term impacts.” What does this tell us?
First, that the Bush propaganda that illegal aliens only take jobs Americans won’t do is patently false. There is probably no industry in which illegal aliens are more heavily concentrated than meatpacking. Yet even at Swift, we are told, 60 percent to 70 percent of the workers are neither illegal aliens nor do they have phony IDs.
Stepping back, consider the rampant criminality the feds unearthed by turning over a few rocks at Swift & Co.
These illegal aliens had to break the law to get into our country. Many were probably assisted by human traffickers who rob the men of money and the women of much else. The illegal aliens then paid for forged or stolen documents provided by organized crime. They then are hired by firms that know they are here in violation of federal law.
These companies are triple cheats. They cheat competitors by hiring illegal labor. They cheat the government of taxes. They cheat the community by passing on to citizens the costs in higher taxes of schools and social services.
What we have here is a chain of corruption. A society that passes laws its leaders refuse to enforce, the violation of which is condoned by its corporate and media elites, is a society on the way down and on the way out.
Patrick J. Buchanan is a syndicated columnist.
What do you mean arguably? Mitt turned the 2002 Olympics from a scandal-ridden event swirling down the johnny flusher to the most successful winter olympics in history and is a self-made multi-millionaire.
I yet haven't decided whether he is the best candidate out there, but he's certainly better than the front runners mentioned so far-- McCain, Guilani and Gingrich. He's the only one of the quartet who's managed to control his zipper; the only polygamist who doesn't polyg among a group of monogamists who don't monog.
Romney's pre-elective office resume is almost as long as George Bush Sr. Obama's resume has two such entries-- community activist and clever lawyer . . . of course the shortfall is more than made up in the minds of the enemedia because his sperm donor was a black Muslim.
And you are 'right on the mark' about Rudy wimping out on taking on Hillary. He could have done the country, his party, and his state a GREAT SERVICE by taking on Hillary's during her recent reelection. He could have kept control of the senate for the Republicans by removing her from her throne--severly damaged her Presidential ambitions, and actually furthered his--but he chose not to. And that is in the state that knows him best, loves him, and is more in tune with his strong liberal leanings. He can spare us his efforts now.
Romney (while not my ideal choice) would get my vote now.
Well stated.
LOL --- about Obama.
....just another typical bash PJB thread here on FR.
Ignore what he wrote...just attack him personally....LOL
".....all the fences and laws in the world will ultimately fail..."
Strange remark. The areas where fences are erected have noticed a measurable decline in illegal crossings.
Yep, we sure can't have anybody talking about the problems that illegal immigration is bringing to this country....that would be a travesty.
"He's the fusion candidate, everybody (will) loves Romney, paleos, libertarians, fundies, women, etc."
I'm tired of being "fused" by politicians.
I'm voting for the most conservative candidate. I'm hopefull another candidate will show up on the radar before too long.
My wife wonders if Obama might turn out to be the antichrist.
All I know is, if he becomes president, this will surely become the Obama-nation of desolation!
Please put me on your pro-Romney ping list.
?? There were no Japanese cars in the 1950's. American cars were built to fall apart, but we loved them, and because of low tax burdens, our stay-at-home moms and wives could have a new one every three-four years. That's the side of the story your social science teachers forgot to tell you about.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.