I would have to respectfully disagree with your analysis, especially your suggestion we are “foul” in our ignorance. New Deal entitlements certainly merit attention and subsequent action; Yet if they were gone tomorrow, illegals would continue to pour across the borders. If you believe this would prompt Congress to then secure the borders, then perhaps you have a fundamental misunderstanding of liberals and American-hating leftists. You have also miscalculated the thirst for slave labor on both sides of the political fence. I Like that you have a different approach, but I don’t see as it would solve anything. Using the basic premise of your argument, one could suggest the 50 million murders since Roe vs Wade was as culpable, if not more so, than entitlements. I certainly can agree pro-abortion laws and entitlements both warrant not only change, but complete termination. I am just not sure either would be as crucial in solving border security as you seem to think.
Excellent commentary.
The supposition that entitlements are the driver for these politicos to avoid border security measures may have some shred of truth, for the most corrupt among them. But, the real truth is that defunding entitlements for illegals would not stop the flood across the border. There is much more money going back to Mexico, I believe, than is going to Washington. And, both need to be stopped.
The most sensible steps, IMO:
1. Finish the fence, as described in the enabling legislation; double layer with added elements in selected high-traffic areas. My recommendation is to extend the fence the full length of the border save for the few spots where human/animal access may be impossible.
2. Defund ALL entitlements for illegals (and everyone else, in a perfect world); and cut federal funds to sanctuary cities.
3. Redefine “citizen” to include babies born to immigrants who are in the US LEGALLY.
4. Fill the Border Patrol staff as legislated in 2005. In the meantime, use the National Guard in an enforcement capacity until that staff comes on-line.
5. Penalize employers utilizing illegals in their workforce, using a one step warning program. Find ‘em, warn ‘em. Find ‘em, again; fine/jail those responsible for the staffing/approval of hire. We already have the I-9 form. I know things can be forged, but bouncing an SSN against a list of valid SSN’s should be pretty straightforward, I’d think.
It’s time for the elected elite to act on the people’s wishes. I hear some of them carping about the cost of the fence, and there are cheaper ways to accomplish the same thing, yadda yadda yadda. Being the masters of wasteful spending that they are, I’m sure they are right. However, we have watched them fritter away trillions of dollars on snail darters, earthworm farms, bovine methane reclamation projects, other BS regulations, and feel-good programs that have accomplished nothing of note. It’s our turn. And, I think we can do better. We stumped for a fence, we supported a fence, and they passed a fence. Now, build the damn fence, already...
Using the basic premise of your argument, one could suggest the 50 million murders since Roe vs Wade was as culpable, if not more so, than entitlements.
Just remember, though, I am not making the point that the entitlement are what's bringing the immigrants here directly. What my argument is, is that it's the demographic problems ahead that are going to plague the entitlement programs if there's not some kind of patchwork to sustain and/or increase the population and, by extension, the future workforce who is having (and will have) their FICA taxes deducted from their earnings. The patchwork, in this case, is allowing immigrants to fill the demographic void and this is why a blind eye [by our representatives] is on limiting immigrants -- legal and otherwise -- into our country.