Posted on 06/11/2007 9:05:04 PM PDT by jazusamo
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
With immigration, as with other issues, the most important decision is: Who is to make the decision?
It should be too obvious for words that decisions about who is to come into the United States and live among Americans should be made in the United States by Americans.
In reality, however, for years that decision has been made in Mexico by Mexicans and by others who chose to cross the border from Mexico into the United States with impunity, knowing that even if they were caught, they would at worst be turned back -- and could try again.
Many would not even have to face that. They would be released within the United States, with instructions to report back to the authorities for legal proceedings. But why should they be expected to obey that legal requirement when they did not obey the law against crossing the border in the first place?
None of these facts is news. Nor is it rocket science to figure out what the consequences have been and will be.
Both political parties know what is going on and both parties choose to see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. Neither wants to risk losing the Hispanic vote, though it is doubtful whether all Hispanics are in favor of open borders.
The net result has been empty promises about controlling the border, paired with various schemes to legalize the illegal immigrants, and washed down with fraudulent statements that insult our intelligence.
The first of these frauds is the argument that the economy "needs" illegal immigrants to fill "jobs that Americans won't take." Both parts of this argument ignore the most obvious three-letter word that is left out: Pay.
Virtually any job is a job that Americans will not take, if the pay is low enough. Nor is there any reason for pay to rise if illegal immigrants are available at low pay.
Then there is the "family reunification" fraud which claims that we cannot in good conscience keep out the families of illegal immigrants who are living in the United States but must let those families reunite.
With all the nations on the face of the earth, why is the United States of America the only country in which someone can be united with his family? Illegal immigrants can reunite with their families back where they came from.
The grand fraud of all is the claim that we must have "comprehensive" immigration reform -- that is, simultaneously deal with border control and the legal status of illegal immigrants already here.
There is no logical reason why these two issues must be dealt with together, though there are political reasons why elected officials want to do so. Passing border laws described as "tough" gives Congress political cover when they legalize the illegals.
It allows Congress to be on both sides of the issue, which is where most politicians want to be on most issues.
From the standpoint of the country, however, it is urgently important that the two issues be taken up separately, with border control being proven to be established first.
Otherwise, the American people get promises from politicians with a long track record of broken promises, especially on immigration, while illegal immigrants get their benefits up front and irrevocably for themselves and for the additional millions more who will cross the border.
Last year, the sop to the American people was the promise of a fence on the border. This year, the big question is: "Where is the fence?"
That will still be the question ten years from now, if we let the politicians soothe us with words.
The one encouraging aspect of the immigration issue is that the combined efforts of the White House and both Houses of Congress, together with most of the media, have thus far failed to turn the immigration fraud into the law of the land.
It is a disgrace that they have tried but a healthy sign of the commonsense of the people that they have still not succeeded.
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute and author of Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy.
That’s the truth!
Just say NO to Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!
U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121
U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121
White House comments: (202) 456-1111
Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep
Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Thanks for posting the numbers and links.
Sowell stated it better than I’ve seen from anyone thus far.
But will we force their downfall before we face our own?
Right. It's not a $1000 fine either. It is in fact a sale price.
Exactly. The Constitution wouldn’t even need to be changed, just policy. You could say that, OK, the kid is a legal citizen, and can stay here (such as with relatives legally residing here, or given up for adoption) but his citizenship confers no preferential treatment on his illegal parents now, and they will NEVER qualify for any preference accorded to foreign family members of citizens. Period. And if they don’t like it, they always have the choice to return to their country of origin with the kid, family intact.
After rereading my last post, I think my intent wasn’t entirely clear. The parents get deported whether they choose to have the kid stay or not.
I would state a higher compliment for him, if I could think of one.
Congressman Billybob
bttt
Agreed. At the very least, a member of the Cabinet.
I just finished talking to a LIVE...(well, that's debatable) young woman in Mel Martinez office.....Her name is MICHELLE, in case you run into her!
She started out with the talking points...(regardless of the questions I asked her)...and keep repeating the mantra throughout the conversation....
She told me I had misconceptions of this bill...
..I told her I had no misconceptions of this bill, I knew exactly what it was and what it would do!
She told me this bill is for 'border security'...
I said if they were so concerned with border security why wasn't the 700 miles of fence UP!
She told me the fence bill was only passed in November, and it takes time, and this 'amnesty bill' will fix that!
I told her to put the 700 miles of fence up and then we can talk about a bill.
She started telling me that 350 miles of fence will immediately be constructed if this bill passes, and I said why not all 700 miles if you're so concerned about security.....
..She started talking about the triggers in the bill, and I felt like telling her what to do with her triggers, but didn't.
somewhere in my soul, I'm still a lady)
She said a lot of junk I already know and then had the nerve to insinuate I wasn't as informed as her.
I told her she was only mouthing the talking points she had been given and would repeat them all day.
She told me Mel cared about his constituents, even though some may disagree with him.
SOME!?...SOME?.....I told her the majority of US Citizens don't agree with Mel or George W.!...that we're deeply upset because no one is listening....and they continue to PUSH this down our throats.
I told her I voted for Mel because I TRUSTED my President and he wanted me to vote for Mel and I trusted him enough to think he knew what was best....:^(
I also told her I was heartsick that the Republican Party, the President et al....have turned their backs on us.
I said I would never vote for Mel again....I may never vote Republican again...
..and I also said WHY is Mel and the President and the Senator 'minions' promoting Mexico OVER the citizens of the United States...
She said that wasn't true...
Finally, I simply got fed up with her...!
Virtually any job is a job that Americans will not take, if the pay is low enough. Nor is there any reason for pay to rise if illegal immigrants are available at low pay.
Sowell rules!
I understood what you meant. And most will take their children with them.
Which is exactly what happened when Eisenhower had the braceros deported in the 1950s.
Many had citizen children, who went back to Mexico with their parents. Some came back as adults, as they had birth certificates to prove their American citizenship.
I met one such citizen years ago during the Prop 87 campaign in 1993 in California. He was FOR it, and felt that Immigrants should come here LEGALLY.
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