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May 24, 2007 at 07:50:24

The Immigration Reform Act Puzzle

by Sherwin Steffin     Page 1 of 3 page(s)

www.opednews.com

 

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For years, I have watched the debate on attempts to develop a rational policy to encompass the problem of illegal immigration. Given the proposition that no politician votes for anything unless it meets the test of personal self interest, the proposed Senate proffered legislation would appear to violate this “Natural Law” of political behavior.

That this beleaguered President has been able to achieve, in the face of substantial opposition from legitimate legal citizens of the United States, agreement, uniting congressional forces which are otherwise locked in a political war missing only lethal weapons, is among the most puzzling of societal mysteries.

Far beyond this mystery is the genuine risk to national security, and to an end of an American culture which has evolved over the last quarter millennium. An OpEdNews.com contributor, Donna Poisl, has written a four part Article, titled Everyone will benefit from immigration reform. These writings frankly are very, very scary. Why? Because the naiveté demonstrated by the writer, is the same dangerous naiveté shown by people of goodwill and compassion as they join with special interest groups in advocating what amounts to total amnesty for illegal aliens.

What is even stranger is that the members of the House and the Senate who are trying to push through an Immigration Reform Act, are quite possibly committing political suicide, since the proposed legislation is in total opposition to the electorate. Look at some of the polls collected by FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform, as it mounts the battle against the currently proposed Act.

Here are the results of just one of several polls found on that site:

89% of Americans think illegal immigration into the U.S. is a problem (30% "extremely serious," 33% "very serious," and 26% "somewhat serious." (Time Magazine, Jan. 2006)

82% think that not enough is being done along the borders to keep illegal immigrants from crossing into the country. (Time Magazine, Mar. 2006)

68% feel that the number of immigrants who cross the border, whether legal or illegal is “too high”. (Polling Company, Sept. 2006)

62% oppose making it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens of America. (Quinnipiac Univ., Feb. 2006)

Leaving aside the Hispanic and special interest groups spearheading the call for amnesty, there appear to be three elements being employed, all irrational and factually unsupported by those who support the Guest Worker element of the act.

1. Finding and deporting illegal aliens cannot be achieved: Poisl quotes George Bush asserting, “… the idea of finding and deporting all illegal immigrants might sound good, but it won't happen,” during a recent Arizona speech. It is unclear whether her personal view is that she agrees with Bush, or that she believes that he has made a personal determination not to enforce the laws of the United States.

As we have seen with the Iraq war, the last thing this President attends to is rational analysis of issues. It is he who has decided that adherence and enforcement of this country’s laws are simply a matter of his personal choice. From his intractable stubbornness in holding to his Iraq war prosecution against all evidence, despite universal advice to the contrary, to his disregard for and manipulation of NSA wiretap law, there is ample proof that this is a President responding only to his own inner voices, regardless of external reality.

2. The Guilt Trip: Poisl asserts, “Most people admit that we are all responsible: whether we hire the workers; buy what they produce; vote for the people who passed the laws that allowed it to get this far or if we didn’t vote at all. And since we are responsible for the problem, we should be responsible and try to fix it.

Sorry! I had nothing to do with allowing any illegal to enter this country, nor have I hired any, nor knowingly purchase any goods or services from any of these people. Nor did I vote for the incompetent President who actively thwarts enforcement of existing law – so please take your ridiculous guilt trip and dump it somewhere else.

3. Integrating illegals will economically benefit the United States: This assertion flies in the face of every economic and security study bearing on the subject, of which I am aware:

“The people who are against this should consider that legalizing these people will benefit the whole country; the military, Social Security, our economy, our future economy, education, even our national security.”

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Sherwin Steffin is a retired educator, and research analyst. His working career ranged from classroom teacher, university administrator, founder and CEO of two software companies, independent consultant, ending as a research statistician for a large Internet Service Provider.

Although he has some mobility problems, his life continues to be productive and enjoyable. He spends his time doing online tutoring, reading writing entries in his blog, operating an online store, and dabbling a bit in the Foreign Exchange trading markets.

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6 comments

In progress
Samuel BryanIn progress

A rational policy?

A review of the Democrat's history on laws and enforcement about slavery in the early 1800's might offer insights into the complexities of your puzzle. In fairness, I must point out that a large elephant has been sitting on the enforcement services of the IRS, the INS, and Social Security since the adoption of Simpson-Mazzoli. One piece of the solution to your puzzle would consist of transferring the full cost of immigrant health care and public education to those corporations reaping any economic benefit.

by Samuel Bryan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 111 comments) on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 11:53:59 AM
 


Sherwin Steffin is a retired educator, and research analyst. His working career ranged from classroom teacher, university administrator, founder and CEO of two software companies, independent consultant, ending as a research statistician for a large Internet Service Provider. Although he has some mobility problems, his life continues to be productive and enjoyable. He spends his time doing online tutoring, reading writing entries in his blog, operating an online store, and dabbling a bit in ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Sherwin SteffinSherwin Steffin is a retired educator, and research analyst. His working career ranged from classroom teacher, university administrator, founder and CEO of two software companies, independent consultant, ending as a research statistician for a large Internet Service Provider. Although he has some mobility problems, his life continues to be productive and enjoyable. He spends his time doing online tutoring, reading writing entries in his blog, operating an online store, and dabbling a bit in ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Still a puzzle

There is some evidence that the usually apathetic public has been sufficiently aroused to communicate their anger to Congress. Hopefully, this will reverse passage of the Immigration Reform Act.

Still, the puzzle I referenced related to congressional willingness to even consider such evidently dangerous and destructive legislation in the face of all of the evidence of the error in passing it.

The partial solution you suggest is nice, but if Congress is corrupt enough to pass this legislation, they sure are not going to bite the hands the very corporate hands that are feeding them.

by Sherwin Steffin (14 articles, 24 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 82 comments) on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 5:13:27 PM
 


I am a 47 years old,married and have a 17 year old daughter.My hobbies are bicyling, weight training and off road motorcycling.I have lived in a midwestern red state my entire 46 years.Now that I have reached middle age I have become interested in politics and its related fields of study.I dont often think of things being either liberal or conservative,I like to veiw political events in an objective manner and find the agenda or reason that a bill or policy is brought to bear.Simply put seeking ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Gary DensonI am a 47 years old,married and have a 17 year old daughter.My hobbies are bicyling, weight training and off road motorcycling.I have lived in a midwestern red state my entire 46 years.Now that I have reached middle age I have become interested in politics and its related fields of study.I dont often think of things being either liberal or conservative,I like to veiw political events in an objective manner and find the agenda or reason that a bill or policy is brought to bear.Simply put seeking ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

simple answer to puzzle

The simple reason that Bush and a good number of senators want to push Thru comprehensive immigration reform is that their corporate masters want a way to drastically drive down the cost of labor in the United States and shift the cost of health care, food , housing, education and even wages to our country's tax base or social security fund. They call this externalizing labor costs.

Big business and the traitors we have in office want to put together a ridiculous bill that is so  full of loopholes and unenforceable penalties that our illegal immigration problem will become much worse and the corporate special interests will have even more cheap labor.

As for committing political suicide Bush and other Amnesty supporters don't care about their parties future or the demands of their constituents. They eat sleep and breath corporate bottom line philosophy and believe that two percent really should control all wealth and power.

To fix illegal immigration all that needs to be done is enforce the laws all ready on the books. Especially laws pertaining to the hiring of illegal immigrants. If this is done many will return to their home countries by themselves.

Since our elected officials feel that they are above the law and have the audacity to dictate what laws our country needs to enforce I say that any elected official who supports ignoring our countries immigration laws should be arrested charged with treason and deported if found guilty. This even goes for the president.

by Gary Denson (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 208 comments) on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 7:11:46 PM
 


Sherwin Steffin is a retired educator, and research analyst. His working career ranged from classroom teacher, university administrator, founder and CEO of two software companies, independent consultant, ending as a research statistician for a large Internet Service Provider. Although he has some mobility problems, his life continues to be productive and enjoyable. He spends his time doing online tutoring, reading writing entries in his blog, operating an online store, and dabbling a bit in ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Sherwin SteffinSherwin Steffin is a retired educator, and research analyst. His working career ranged from classroom teacher, university administrator, founder and CEO of two software companies, independent consultant, ending as a research statistician for a large Internet Service Provider. Although he has some mobility problems, his life continues to be productive and enjoyable. He spends his time doing online tutoring, reading writing entries in his blog, operating an online store, and dabbling a bit in ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Not so simple, after all.

It seems to me you are still a ways from an explanation for congressional support for this legislation. In the Senate, the impetus for this extreme legislation comes from the most left-leaning Senator – Ted Kennedy.

In reviewing the vote on S.B. 2611, which , when passed by the Senate in 206, was heavily tilted to support by the Democrats then members of the 109th Congress. An analysis of the Roll Call Vote on this Bill shows that it was supported by 90% of incumbent Democrats while 58% of the then incumbent Republicans opposed the provisions of the Act. If your view of allegiance to corporate interests as the defining element was valid, it seems likely that the reverse to this Roll Call vote would have occurred.

Beyond congressional support there is the very real resistance to supporting existing law by state and local authorities. In many cities, for example, police are specifically directed to NOT inquire or react to the immigrant status of those held for criminal investigations; attempts to limit illegal employment of non-citizens are overlooked; schools are required to provide by lingual education. In he end, Federal limitations on illegal immigrants s totally disregarded. Thus, it seems highly likely that support for sanctuary being given to the illegal is driven by far more complex factors then mere homage being paid to corporate interests.

I would be remiss in failing to react to your final paragraph, in which you suggest that, “… any elected official who supports ignoring our countries immigration laws should be arrested charged with treason.” Our country was founded, and has remained unique, based on the right to hold and express all political views, not only those agreed to by the majority. For those officials whose views and actions we find repugnant, we have a mechanism for replacing them. It’s called the ballot box.

I would remind you that of all the harm that George Bush has caused, the greatest damage he has caused comes not from the lies he has told, the war he is prosecuting, or the incompetence he demonstrated during a time of natural disaster. Instead, it stems from efforts to stifle dissent and protest, coupled with his total disregard for the privacy of the individual. All of this has been done in the name of “keeping the country safe!”

by Sherwin Steffin (14 articles, 24 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 82 comments) on Friday, May 25, 2007 at 10:09:37 AM
 


A growth control advocate
Bob FireovidA growth control advocate

Hear! hear!

Thank you for a great article

 

by Bob Fireovid (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 18 comments) on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 10:11:48 PM
 


I am a 47 years old,married and have a 17 year old daughter.My hobbies are bicyling, weight training and off road motorcycling.I have lived in a midwestern red state my entire 46 years.Now that I have reached middle age I have become interested in politics and its related fields of study.I dont often think of things being either liberal or conservative,I like to veiw political events in an objective manner and find the agenda or reason that a bill or policy is brought to bear.Simply put seeking ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Gary DensonI am a 47 years old,married and have a 17 year old daughter.My hobbies are bicyling, weight training and off road motorcycling.I have lived in a midwestern red state my entire 46 years.Now that I have reached middle age I have become interested in politics and its related fields of study.I dont often think of things being either liberal or conservative,I like to veiw political events in an objective manner and find the agenda or reason that a bill or policy is brought to bear.Simply put seeking ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

More answers for the simple puzzle

The iceman believes that Democrats would never support corporate interests, The simple answer is the are just as bad as republicans when it comes to receiving corporate campaign contributions. Remember NAFTA it was a Bush, Clinton project. One more thing Democrats find appealing about amnesty for illegals is more Democratic voters.

And for charging our elected officials with treason and deporting them, I feel this has nothing to do with freedom of speech and everything to do with not doing the job you were sworn in to do. Just because you find yourself president of the United States it doesnt give you the power to decide which of our countries laws should be ignored and which should be enforced. Making policy decisions to blatantly ignore our nations laws is criminal. 

Freedom of speech is what the above paragraphs are about along with all articles and comments on Oped news. Some people say money is also freedom of speech and that's why Washington is full of lobbyists and special interest groups. Their job is to drown out the voice of everyday American citizens and also write bills for their bought and payed for puppets.

by Gary Denson (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 208 comments) on Friday, May 25, 2007 at 8:12:39 PM
 

 

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