Electoral result: We'll enact a guest worker program next year
1. The House is now run by people who want it. 2. The Senate, whichever way it goes (it is 5 AM on 11/8) is even more liking it, and 3. Bush wants it. But especially, the Dems want it to court the Hispanic vote in 2008. Count on it happening next year.
Comments
It's true that immigration legislation will pass in 2007. It's also true that Democrats see Hispanics as new voters, just as you say. Is this true because many of these new residents are ill-educated and will most likely be recipients of various types of federal and state entitlement programs? If so, this kind of policy is a dangerous basis on which to build a base of voters. Inevitably, this kind of "thinking"---or lack thereof---causes friction, if not outright conflict, between those who pay for those benefits and those who receive them.
Republicans also favor "reform" because many Republican business owners want "cheap" labor. This, too is flawed "thinking" in that once legalized, new residents will be able to come out from the shadows of an underground economy. Inevitably, their wages will go up. But not to worry, there's a ready supply of even more people in Mexico, what with 70% of all Mexicans polled on the issue stating they would immigrate to the USA, given the chance.
The truth of the matter is that any new "reforms" will most likely fail to secure our southern border. This is a nod to the Democrats who will want to continue the expansion of their voter base. Any new legislation will also forget all about any kind of meaningful and severe penalities against businesses that hire illegal workers---which will be the silver lining for the Republicans. Everyone wins! Everyone in Congress and everyone who has political connections that allow them to benefit from passing essentially meaningless legislation, that is. In the meantime, the rest of us are left with coping with the mess and expense that is created by politicians who are more concerned with the narrow interest of their own parties than they are the future of our republic.
The American public will be suckerpunched yet again by 536 people elected to federal office. The Democratic imperative for new voters is as insatiable the Republican need for more "cheap" labor. Therefore, as soon as the present crop of illegals is given amnesty, a new one will come across our borders.
In 1986, the Simpson-Mazzoli legislation was supposed to bring in 2.7 million new residents. Because of "chain immigration," within 10 years, the actual number was more than 5 million. Since that time, five other less expansive amensty programs have been made into law---all resulting in twice the originally-projected number of new immigrants. If history is predictive of the future, the new laws that will be passed will result in not 10-15 million new people, but 20-30 million new residents, coming to this country. Are we really prepared for that kind of change in demographics? Are we really going to be able to afford the demands on our entitlement programs that will inevitably result? I doubt it. Fully informed, the voters would never give their permission to the kind of law that will surely be passed in 2007. The voters took their eye off the ball. The bill will be in the mail. The taxpayers of the future will thank us for this, I am sure.
Posted by: Darrell Schapmire | November 26, 2006 1:02 PM