Posted on 06/24/2007 4:00:47 PM PDT by GFritsch
There is little doubt that a heated debate is taking place over the issue of immigration reform.
The alarming aspect of this debate is less the where, when and why it is taking place and more about who the debate is between. With an overwhelming majority of Americans from every political party in opposition to the current proposal being floated by select senators and the White House, it appears – incredibly – that the debate is actually between the people and our government.
Our nation is a Democratic Republic, a Representative Democracy. The electorate casts ballots to elect individuals to represent them in Washington DC. In turn, these elected officials are bestowed the authority to place votes representative of their constituents. In theory, these elected officials are charged with learning about and debating the issues so that the concerns of their constituents can be heard and the best interests of their constituents safeguarded. In the end, they cast their votes on pieces of legislation as representatives of their constituencies.
This is how it is supposed to work.
Most everyone has heard the expression, “inside the beltway mentality.” It alludes to the attitude many elected officials develop once they are elected and acclimated to office. It is a kind way of saying that the pure motives they once had for wanting to serve their constituency have faded, replaced by the seduction of power. It is a gentle way of saying that they have forgotten from whence they came and for whom they work and are now drunken with a greed for political capital, addicted to the political game like crack-whores to the debilitating white rock which they crave.
“...power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – Lord Acton
The fact that a select group of senators hunkered down with members of the Bush Administration in secret to hammer out the provisions of anything should make every one of us suspect of their intentions and their motives. With the exception of intelligence gathering and select law enforcement operations, and war strategy and planning, our government should be as transparent as Paris Hilton’s religious epiphany.
There are two things that can be stated today that few will argue with: 1) If someone is toting an AK-47 and is wearing a black mask adorned with Arabic he is usually a terrorist, and 2) If anyone in American government is contemplating legislation clandestinely they more often than not don’t have their constituency’s best interest in mind.
The piece of legislation currently being foisted upon the American people by Harry Reid, Lindsay Graham, John McCain, John Kyl, Ted Kennedy and President Bush does not best serve the interests of our citizenry or the well-being of our nation. It is a political tool crafted by those who place politics before good government and politicians worried more about their political longevity than honestly serving their constituents.
On the one side of the aisle we have Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid literally drooling over the prospect of legalizing a voting block they have had to pretend wasn’t voting in national elections, a voting block courted by their party to do so regardless of its illegality. Arguments that lend to validating this notion come in the form of identifying the laughable motor-voter registration requirements and the bleating protests over legislation requiring a photo ID to access a ballot. Democrats see a new “underclass” they can legislate into existence just in time to save their sorry behinds in light of the exodus of American Blacks from the ranks of their party.
On the other side of the aisle we have the spineless who routinely find themselves dancing on the end of special interest puppet strings. They believe that legislating a new working-class into existence will ingratiate “big business” into filling their campaign coffers allowing them to once again outspend their political rivals in their march toward re-election.
The losers in this pathetically transparent game of political opportunism are not only the American people, but those composing the ranks of this proposed new working-class/voting block.
I have stated in the past that I am all for meaningful immigration reform. Our country is still reeling from the last attempt at immigration reform – a complete amnesty and failure in border enforcement, ironically crafted, yet again, by Teddy “Hey! There’s saltwater in my scotch” Kennedy. It is well past time that this subject be given honest consideration by those interested in preserving our American heritage. This requires a measured and thoughtful contemplation of the issue in a 21st Century context so that the best interests of the American people – not those banging at the door to get in – are held in the highest regard and so that our country isn’t sold to the highest bidder.
We, the American people, also need to demand that the issues of border security and immigration reform be separated and addressed as stand-alone issues. In a post-9/11 world – and as ABC News is reporting that al Qaeda and the Taliban have dispatched legions of newly trained suicide bombers to the US, Britain, Canada and Germany – we can ill afford to wait for inside the beltway elitists to dislodge their craniums from their sphincters so that they can see the seriousness of the matter.
Those elected to office need to prove to the American people that they are at least “on our side.” A good way to do that is to immediately and successfully secure the borders. Then, and only then, will we be inclined to believe that proposals for immigration reform are genuine and not politically self-serving.
This issue exposes one more thing that is worth mentioning here.
Many among us say that our system of government is broken, citing partisan obstructionism, corruption and pandering to special interests as proof of this assertion. The truth be told, our system of government isn’t even close to being the problem. The problem is an under-informed, unengaged, apathetic populace that keeps sending charlatans to Washington DC because they are too pre-occupied with their own lives to give a damn about our country!
If you want change, stop electing people who make promises they never keep. If you want change, change the only person you have control over; yourself. Read-up – honestly – on the issues, engage your government and hold your elected officials accountable for their words and actions. Until that change takes place the status quo will remain, our country an over-populated and Balkanized place for your apathy.
I’m sure Teddy, Harry, Lindsay the Johns and George – and all the rest of the political creatures whom apathy feeds – will appreciate you for it.
And we can't afford to lose this one.
Americans have three enemies encircling their freedom and their constituion: (1) Islam (2) Illegal immigrants...who MUST be deported after our borders are closed, and (3) Our EPC (Elite Political Class).
We need to clarify this a little. Tighten it up a tad. We elected our representatives, so it is actually ourselves we are debating. We ought to find out who is on the other end of the discussion, and so far it seems to be the illegal migrants and their accomplices. Probably few in Congress or the White House or the Courts are accomplices except through inaction or misinterpretation. Perhaps if we somehow get our representatives in FedGov to understand that something is to be done and what that is, and let them lay it out the solutions in public rather than behind bipartisan closed doors we might begin to end this problem.
“Illegal immigrants have broken our healthcare system, they have broken our education system, they have broken our jail system, they have broken our criminal justice system, and Washington just doesn’t get it.
Why? Because those idiots in their little bubble in Washington have a perfect healthcare system, a prefect educational system, a perfect jail system, and a perfect criminal justice system. Unlike the majority of the American people, they are never inconvenienced by hordes of illegals penetrating our borders every day”.
________________________________
Ain’t it the truth!
Trent Lott and Diane Feinstein were on FNS this morning repeating the line that this bill is “complicated” and implying that us peasants are too stupid to understand all of the intricate nuances of the bill. Far be it from us to be able to comprehend such brilliant legislation.
“Oh, give ‘em 700 miles of a border fence, that should shut ‘em up.” As if we know they won’t know the border is three times that long.
Our representatives, of which some of us have voted for, are mainly traitorous dogs who have traded their souls for free haircuts and elaborate taxpayer subsidized lunches and retirement plans.
They work overtime spending, eating, drinking, and acting like Roman senators in the last days of the empire.
Whenever I see our president and other so-called Republicans hugging and laughing with the Democrats it makes me want to puke.
The only out for America is to look off in the distance to see if a Francisco Franco-type will come riding to the rescue. We have allowed these liberal pansies over the past 90 years to denigrate this nation and shred our constitution to the point where all the Scotch tape can't piece it together.
We're in deep crap and the Elite Political Class has placed us there....willingly!
1. EPC
2. illegal immigrants
3. radical islam
Well, now that I got that list infront of my eyes, I gotta disagree some more with you. None of those three items would amount to much more than a pesky mosquito if it weren’t for liberalism. Liberalism is our number one enemy.
That’s that ‘bipartisan’ stuff. When they start with the ‘bipartisan’ stuff it is time to recheck the Y2K stash.
Willingly my a$$. It was by design.
Yes, it has to be deliberate, and yes, it is too late.
Well, they are ROYALTY, what do you expect?
this is correct. it is a argument between a few people in the US government and the american people. why?
the agenda behind the illegals is the north american union.
bush wants to turn the de facto free flow of people into a de jure free flow of people.
he cannot be turned out of office too soon. perhaps the next place he can run for office is mexico.
As far as I am concerned today after all the selling out of America has materialized, I would donate as much to a Bush Library as I have to the Clinton Library and Massage Parlor.
DiFi said twice that the public doesn’t understand. She likes the Fairness Doctrine to fix that. LOL I hope everyone smart enough to dial a phone tells her off.
Too much DC tap water has crossed their lips. THROW THE BUMS OUT !!!!!
No argument with you.
“Americans have three enemies...(3) our elite political class...
I agree 100%. Congressional traitors, who meet in secret to hide their actions from their constituents and who place their interests above the nation, must be voted out of office. These in-your-face arrogant elitists need to be sent packing.
Move Congress to the UP of Michigan, and house it in log cabins. That should discourage the political class a little.
Unfortunately the only way we’ll be able to send these weasels packing is to find a Franco or Pinochet to run things for a decade until the system is cleansed of leeches.
Pinochet? Why him when we have Hitlery all groomed and waiting?
Franco...Pinochet.....you gotta be kidding right?
A centralized right wing dictatorship is no better than a centralized left wing dictatorship. No, instead, what we in this country need to do is follow the advice of John C. Calhoun.
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.