Posted on 06/25/2007 8:06:35 AM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
The Senates latest immigration proposal is another sad sign that Washington needs some remedial math classes. Not only does the amnesty bill defy common sense, but its numbers just dont add up.
Lets start with the bills pretense that the government can conduct background checks on some 12-million amnesty applicants within the 24-hour turnaround time guaranteed for each applicant. This is the same federal bureaucracy that cant meet a three-month deadline for processing passports for its own citizens. The Senate bill would have us believe that the governments already-overworked immigration processors would be able to review and clear 12 million applications in a years time thats 48,000 every workday !
The bills sponsors also played fast and loose with figures when Senator Ted Kennedy and others called a Capitol Hill press conference to show off 310 boxes that they claimed were filled with letters from a million amnesty supporters. While the Senators posed for their photo-op, one photographer actually looked inside the boxes - -and found that almost all were empty.
Funny numbers arent always so funny. After the Heritage Foundation reported that the amnesty bill would cost the country $2.6 trillion, the White House issued a report from its Council of Economic Advisers claiming that modern immigration is a net economic boost in the long run. Whats the long run to them? Only 300 years! (A somewhat longer time than what Heritage considered.) To reach their Pollyanna conclusion, the CEA had to intermix the benefits of legal immigration to offset the detrimental impact of illegal immigration.
Trying to make us think that theyre serious about scofflaws, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency last week reported progress in tracking down the 630,000 illegals who remain in this country despite court orders requiring them to leave. Its a huge number, ICE admitted, but dont fret. The agency has the situation in hand because (drum roll please) its beefed-up enforcement effort has reduced the number of absconders at-large by 500 in the last couple of months. Only 625,500 to go! At a rate of 500 each month, theyll finish the job in only 105 years more!
Then theres the border fence. As Congressman Duncan Hunter (R., Calif.) described the already-existing dictate: 854 miles of double border fence was mandated to be constructed. Homeland Security has a billion bucks, cash on hand. It's been six months, and they've done 11 miles. The proposed bill would shorten the fence to only 370 miles. Whether its the fence or beefing up the border patrol and detention facilities, the new bill mostly reiterates the requirements and funding already passed in last years Secure Fence Act, but pretends that its something new.
Amnesty supporters claim the bill will solve the problem of illegal immigration. But the numbers dont back them up. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will reduce the flow of illegal immigrants by only a quarter, at best. Moreover, the CBO analysis found the bills guest-worker program would quickly attract another one million illegal aliens within a decade half of them right away.
Numbers games and charades are no substitute for commitment and thats been the problem.
We havent been serious enough for long enough. For years, while some in Congress pushed for the border fence, employer enforcement, more border agents, and more heartland agents, others in Washington were pushing to expand multilingual election ballots, sanctuary cities that dont report illegals, non-reporting by schools dominated by students who dont know English, plus food stamps, public housing, and other benefits for illegals.
Only when those here illegally can get neither jobs nor public benefits will they decide on their own that its time to leave (perhaps helped by some privately funded return programs). But those who have been encouraging illegal immigration want the rest of us to concede the fight, declare amnesty and make sure no one goes home.
It would be fuzzy thinking, indeed, if we trusted those who created this mess to solve it. Their goal never has been improved national security. Rather, they pursue a utopian vision of the U.S. as a no-borders, globalist nation.
The bill fails other subjects than math especially English. Behind a facade of honoring English as our national language, the details bolster multilingualism, not only perpetuating multilingual ballots, but also forcing businesses to provide translators at their own expense.
The good news is that most Americans havent been fooled. They see right through the false claims that this bill isnt amnesty. At least were getting a passing grade in vocabulary.
You dont have to be smarter than a fifth grader to oppose this bill.
Ernest Istook, a former congressman who served on the Select Committee on Homeland Security, is a distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Immigration ping.
My new tag line.
I love correcting fuzzy math. These numbers don't add up. This bill would be a disaster. Build a fence, fine employers, send them back.
Glad I could help!
Is this verified?
Great post!
“...the White House issued a report from its Council of Economic Advisers claiming that modern immigration is a net economic boost in the long run. Whats the long run to them? Only 300 years!...” Snort. Here’s why the’y don’t give a rip about the immediate, near-term and middle-term consequences of this horrible bill. Our country will be ruined, unrecognizable, but they won’t be around to see it.
Istook...Should’t he be Gov of Oklahoma or something.
I really wish that Steve Largent would have been!!!
The way I heard it, someone accidentally nudged a stack of them, and several fell over—and the cat was out of the bag.
South Carolina goober math, how many are added to this number annually.
Istook can count ping!
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but IIRC, only two miles of new fencing are actually what's been constructed under the Secure Fence Act of 2006, the other nine are repairs to and completion of fencing provided for under other legislation passed in 2004 that was never completed.
So while they claim of having 11 miles of fencing down, strictly limiting discussion to what was enacted about eight months ago, we have a 1/3 of 1% completion rate. If I had an employee providing me with that rate of effectiveness, I'd fire him/her pronto.
I had heard this a week ago but it was in Sacramento at the California Statehouse. The amnesty supporters claimed the reason the boxes were empty was because of security issues. John and Ken were talking about it on their broadcast.
That must have been funny. Security of the boxes--screw National Security of the border.
Ok, thats about 39 years. They will be wrapping it up about the same time the first anchor babies are retiring.
ping
Call Senators toll-free to ask them to vote against cloture:
1-800-417-7666. (English number)
1-800-882-2005. (Spanish number)
Math plays no role...
These are Democrats, so I would strongly suggest taking a pro-union/anti-illegal alien stance (i.e. they are taking our jobs) rather than using the conservative national security angle.
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