Posted by
Mark Harris on Thursday, May 17, 2007 4:17:47 PM
Immigration: Welcome to Bonkers, USA
Been there, didn’t do that
by Mark Harris, NationalPoliticalDigest.com
In 1986, Congress enacted and President Reagan signed
The Act to Amend the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Everything was all well and good except for one thing,
enforcement. The Act (or Re-Act) took care of a couple
of million illegal aliens. It basically stopped the
train within the United States, let all the illegal
aliens board (unless they were carrying running
chainsaws or bloody axes) . They were shuffled through
the various and numerous geegees (government
giveaways) food stamps; housing; medical; you know the
drill. Everything was Kumbaya, but the people weren’t
listening to the sounds of the other revving train. I
call it the holistic approach, for the border between
Mexico and the U.S. was one big hole! Millions of
dollars were appropriated for more border control and
lots and lots and lots of bureaucrats to handle the
myriad of paperwork to begin the many layers and
processes of legalizing the existing aliens.
North of the border was becoming sweeter than ever.
South of the border was still entrenched with the same
endless poverty. The Mexican government didn’t then
and doesn’t now care a hoot about the substandard
plight of any of their people, unless they are already
wealthy. The symbiotic relationship between the jobs
north and the futility south became osmosis. That Ross
Perot “sucking sound” was poor Latinos coming to the
economy of the north with businesses’ hands wide open.
As the numbers have steadily climbed the system has
given away to overburdened and under funded border
control. This has become an added worry because of
drug traffickers and God only knows the number of
terrorists and sundry gang members who have entered
our country. The blind eye of several U.S.
administrations and Congresses have allowed the
situation to get out of control. Now, twenty years
later, we have in some estimates as high as 14
millions of newly implanted illegal aliens.
We might need to do some “illegal alien 101” at this
point. We have some communities that have declared
themselves “safe havens” for illegal aliens. They say
they will refuse to enforce immigration law. Now,
maybe I’m wrong, but that seems very close to
harboring a fugitive. I thought that was against the
law. We have another instance of a judge performing a
wedding ceremony for a particular couple, one being an
illegal alien. I’m all for marriage, but for a judge
on taxpayer dollars to wed an illegal alien seems like
aiding and abetting. I thought that was against the
law.
Babies are often used as an asylum ploy. Illegal alien
mothers dash though all kinds of danger to give birth
in the United States. In this way, the child
automatically becomes a U.S. citizen. This is one of
the most cynical approaches used. It should be on the
short list of reconsiderations “to fix“. One only
needs to look at a quite similar situation. Let us say
that a legal U.S. citizen, a mother, gives birth just
before she is sentenced to 5 years for drug offenses.
She broke the law just as the illegal alien did. Let
the tears fall, but the law is the law. Many, too many
Americans, are willing to cover over the law at times
of “emotional inconvenience”. As Homeland Security
Chief Michael Chertoff said, “We’re sympathetic, but
you have to understand it was the parents’ choice to
break the law.”
It is hard to imagine, but we actually have volunteers
helping to guard our border with Mexico. Now somewhere
in the Constitution it says something about the
Federal Government is supposed to secure our borders.
We do deficit spending all the time. Let’s put a guard
every 5 feet if it takes it. This is post 9/11 season.
Remember!
We also have a particular type of cancer in the
interior of the southwest of our country. It is
basically the “Nation of Aztlan” theory, stating that
huge tracts of U.S. territory belong to the
descendants of Mexicans. It is backed by “La Reza”, a
pro-Mexican and anti-American group. I believe
somewhere along history there was a war. Uh, we won
it! There have been calls for an “economic boycott” by
illegal workers in the United States. No doubt, this
would hurt. Sounds a little like “biting the hand” to
me. You know the ones; us; the ones who provide the
jobs, medical assistance, homes, etc.
Does all this seem somewhat like “Bonkers, USA”. It
truly has gotten out of control, but we’ve let it
happen. Maybe it happened too slowly. The citizens in
the southwest have been seeing it for years. Now, the
spread of illegal aliens is effecting most of the
states. Mexicans and other Latinos have become more
integral to the economy. You’ll find them in the
nurseries, fields, factories and meat processing
plants of Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee and dozens of
other states. As our economy produces more college
educated people, the less desirable and lower scale
jobs have to be filled by someone. So the less
educated, if at all, will be taking that open hand of
businesses more and more as our economy continues to
grow.
In the 1990’s almost all industrial sectors of our
economy grew rapidly. This has continued through most
of 2000 and onward. The agricultural, construction
industry, non-durable goods, hotel and food jobs have
mushroomed. This became a magnet and overwhelmed
government on all levels.
Prior to the events of 9/11, President Bush and
policymakers were in the process of devoting
substantial resources toward a multi-pronged approach
to the obvious problem of immigration. The War on
Terrorism has interrupted this for awhile. Now, with
no attacks on the mainland in six years, the subject
is coming front in center. We’ve seen where we were in
1986. We see where we are today. It’s the same
problem, just many times bigger. Now, what do we do?
What do you think of the idea of a “tamper-proof
Social Security Card”? Wait a minute! I read that
somewhere. Yes, it was in the “1986 Immigration Act”.
Twenty-one years ago the federal government offered up
millions of dollars to use all available technology to
do just that. I don’t know about you, but I’m still
carrying around my old, tattered paper card.
Do you think some punishments may be in order for a
business that breaks the law when it comes to hiring
illegal aliens? What do you say about a little device
that they slide the job applicant’s card though? It
would tell the status of the immigrant. You can’t be
to nosey and intrusive on his rights, now. Why not
make every employee do the same thing. Maybe that
wouldn’t be quite so discriminatory. You know I’ve
seen the same sort of things in use now. I believe
they’re called credit/debit cards. And those laws;
they’ve been on the books for 21 years!
What do you say we round them all up and deport them.
At first glance, that might be satisfying to some. You
might change your mind: however, when you’re on the
that “carb thing diet” and don’t have any bacon or red
meat. And if you’re a vegetarian; where are my
tomatoes and lettuce? It is just not a feasible
proposition. Now, twenty years later, we still have
newspapers (written in Spanish), radio programs
(spoken in Spanish), television (spoken in Spanish),
and now we even have blogs (written in Spanish). Dear
Illegal Alien: You have 30 days, 60 days or whatever
to register at your closest immigration office. You
will be able to get certified, if your not a criminal,
except for illegally coming into our country. You will
be able to start making amends like community service,
pay a substantial fine, and your time starts now to
try for citizenship. Not three, five, ten years or
whatever, ago. You will work and live at the same
place you are right now. Any infractions of the above
rules and you will be allowed one call before you are
summarily deported back to whence you came. The
definition of amnesty is the granting of a pardon by
an authority to a large number of people. It does not
apply here.
So, back to that pesky “holistic border”. I haven’t
changed my mind. Whatever it takes. Armed guards every
5, 10, 30 feet. Whatever! And by the way, free trade
is going to be a little slower. Those trucks from the
south are not going to drive willy-nilly to the north.
Complete and thorough inspections!
I don’t feel there is anything wrong with a “guest
worker program”. It simply needs to be a stringently
enforced system. It's purpose is only for the foreign
worker to be employed and follow all the rules. It
should not be a hand out from the troughs of taxpayer
dollars. No food stamps. No housing allowance. Above
all, automatic citizenship for children born here of
foreigners should be abolished post haste. Foreign
women should be required to go home after three months
of pregnancy. Not closing this ploy is a Pandora’s Box
of mighty proportions.
So, basically I propose we stop everything in its
tracks. Register all workers in a matter of months.
Keep track of them accordingly, at their own peril.
Put some dough in that hole in the border.