Illegal Immigration is a hot button issue in America, and two days after decisive wins that saw Democrats taking back both the House and the Senate, it is rapidly moving back onto the front burner of HOT political issues after Mexican President Elect Calderon met with President Bush at the White House. Again, the White House is hinting at comprehensive immigration reform, which, in its current format, means AMNESTY under the guise of such labels as Guest Worker programs, and earned citizenship. It's Amnesty, and it's UNFAIR to every American Worker in the lower 30 percent of our economy.
First, lets be honest...the Democrats can very easily fall into a trap which will see them lose the 2008 elections if they approach immigration reform from the perspective of granting Amnesty for 12-20 million illegal aliens, and enacting into law licensed depression of American Wages through a liberal guest worker program. Almost every poll showed the House Bill was what most working Americans favored, while the Senate Amnesty Bill was opposed. In short, it is time to deport illegals, and severely punish anyone hiring or aiding and abetting illegals in being here in America.
Simply put, illegal aliens are criminals who are guilty of no less than FOUR CRIMES, and in most cases more. We need laws and rules enacted and enforced that will see MOST illegal aliens self deport themselves. We need the laws and funding to fence in our Southern Border with Mexico, and put armed military personnel on said border to provide us with adequate National Security, and to protect the wage base of America's hard working lower and middle class LEGAL CITIZENS.
Compromise...sadly, it does not exist, as Big Business and those supporting illegal aliens have a all or nothing mentality. Chose any segment of the argument, and you'll find illegal aliens and their supporters (such as La Raza) have shown a steadfast refusal to settle for anything less than everything they are asking for. Amnesty itself. There were efforts afoot to discuss some limited Amnesty, such as allowing those here longer than five years a pathway to citizenship. This proposal would have provided a pathway to citizenship for some seven million illegal aliens now living here in America illegally, while those here less than five years would have been deported. That middle ground was instantly rejected as racist and unfair by La Raza and other groups supporting illegal aliens.
The Guest Worker Program...illegal aliens rejected it, found it inadequate to their desires. For example, a Guest Worker Program for Agricultural Workers was labeled as unfair, as it kept illegals from freely moving into other sectors of our job market. Further, any number put on the board as far as the number of workers allowed to enter America Legally as Guest Workers was also deemed inadequate...we were told there could be NO LIMITS on the number of Mexican Workers, that if they wanted to work and/or live here, they should be allowed, end of the discussion. It's been a perfect example of giving someone an inch and them trying to take a mile, and cannot be tolerated any longer.
We need to shut off the magnets that draw illegal aliens to America. First and foremost, we need strong work place enforcement laws, and the funding and staff to enforce them at all levels of government. You begin convicting employers of crimes and sending them to prison, and illegal employees will be terminated, and it is that simple. Landlords who are renting to illegal aliens need to be held to the same standards. Once beautiful neighborhoods are being ruined. Single family homes have become flop houses for 20,30 even 40 illegals and with that over crowding, come problems and crimes for communities. Meanwhile, most local police departments have a hands off policy where illegals are concerned, and local governmental agencies such as city building departments find hundreds of reasons NOT to enforce building codes meant to protect homeowners and our property values.
For those of us living under these unfortunate situations, we find ourselves caught in the middle of tense situations...our complaints to city governments and local law enforcement fall on deaf ears, yet when our tempers and anger begin to escalate, we are warned to SETTLE DOWN, told we cannot take the law into our own hands. So, illegal aliens, landlords, employers and even the Catholic Church can break laws, but we cannot? What happened to our constitutional right to take whatever steps are necessary to protect our private property? If 30 people are living in a house, and that action is destroying the equity of our home, should be not be allowed to use force if necessary to correct the problem, especially if the police are unwilling to get involved? If illegal aliens, churches, employers and landlords can pick and choose which laws they wish to abide by, then why shouldn't we have the same rights of selection?
Radical thoughts I know, but hopefully posed in such a way as to make people think. Equal rights UNDER THE LAW has to apply to everyone, and further means all people must be held to the exact same standards when it comes to enforcement of our laws if we are to remain a civilized law abiding society. It's a crime to be in America illegally. It's a crime to remain in American illegally. It's a crime to purchase or attain an illegal ID, and it is a crime to work in America as an illegal. It's a crime to avoid paying your taxes in America. It's a crime to drive without a license, or without adequate insurance. All fo the above examples are crimes now being committed by illegals, yet nothing is being done and we have a government actually considering an Amnesty that would absolve them of their crimes. What kind of signal is that sending to the rest of America? Should we grant Amnesty to every drug dealer now sitting in prison? How about murderers or rapist? If someone is selling drugs to feed their family, are they any different than an illegal sneaking into our country unlawfully?
I am an American citizen, born and raised here. I have suffered in numerous ways because of our governments refusal to deal adequately with these criminals. Don't tell me illegals are not hurting us, as I know from first hand experience it is not true. There are two houses on my own block that I know for sure house illegal aliens. One of these houses (a duplex) has 14 cars associated with it. We have parking problems where none existed before. We've witnessed things that we should not have to witness here in America, such as people thinking nothing of urinating in the front yard of these houses because the bathrooms are occupied, or not working. We have experienced and uptick in crime, and a depreciation of our property value as a result of this situation. I've lost landscaping work, because I cannot compete as a tax paying American with the wage scales being brought to the industry by workers being paid under the table at a cheaper rate...commonsense tells you, that someone working under the table can afford to work for a lower daily wage rate than someone who is having taxes taken out of their pay....does the Federal Government suggest I and millions of Americans stop paying our taxes so that we can financially compete with Illegal Aliens?
The other sides will tell you that illegal aliens are not bad people, that they are not criminals, that they just want a better life for themselves and their families. Some of that might be true, but is is fair for them to STEAL that better life from a legalized American Citizen? Should they be allowed to break certain of our laws because they are inconvenient? Should companies be allowed to hire illegals because they can get away with it? Should a landlord be allowed to rent to illegals because he can put more of them into a house than is legal, simply because he can get away with it, and in doing so make a large profit at the expense of surrounding property owners?
The issue of immigration reform is a hot button issue...the problem is, both the Congress and the Senate have not given most Stakeholders in this a voice. The Chamber of Commerce claims they need these workers, that these workers keep wage costs down, thus improving bottom line profits. The Ag industry makes the same basic claim, and tells us that illegal aliens keep our grocery prices down. Mexico tells us they need those remittances, and that it would be criminal for America to secure its border. Yet, where is the voice of people such as myself in the mix? Do we not count? Is it fair to ask those of us who can afford it the least to absorb the costs of absorbing a never ending flood of illegal aliens into our work force, and into our middle class communities?
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