Federal inaction on immigration lets issue fester
Georgia legislators sponsoring anti-immigrant bills say they have been forced to act by frustration with the federal government, which they believe has been unwilling to address illegal immigration issues.
Unfortunately, those legislators have a point, at least about the federal government’s failure to act. In fact, they have every right to be frustrated, even if the solutions they propose to fill the void left by federal inaction are unworkable.
Thanks to a combination of cowardice and political opportunism, Congress has indeed abdicated its duty to deal with tough immigration issues. The few steps it has taken in recent years — such as efforts to tighten border security — have been little more than useless if expensive window dressing.
Certainly, our border with Mexico needs to be tightened as much as possible. In practical terms, however, a boundary more than 2,000 miles long through mainly undeveloped areas can never be made secure against people sufficiently motivated to cross it. That’s a fact.
It’s also a fact that at least 10 million illegal immigrants already live here, and at this point, most have every intention of staying. According to the 2010 Census, roughly 850,000 Hispanics live in Georgia, and by some estimates as many as half may be here illegally.
So what do we do about them?
That’s the question that elected officials at the federal level refuse to address. That’s the vacuum that state legislators such as Rep. Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City, and Sen. Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, claim to be trying to fill. And it is really the crux of the whole illegal immigration debate. With the economy in the tank and the flow of illegal immigrants greatly reduced, the real issue is how to deal with those already here.
There are two basic options: Either make those people go back where they came from, or they stay. Ramsey, Murphy and other conservative legislators prefer that they go back where they came from, and are trying to pass laws so punitive that they will leave on their own. (The option of tracking down, arresting and removing 10 million people, using law enforcement and the judicial system to sift the illegal from the legal, is understood by almost everybody to be hopeless.)
Personally, I have no faith that a policy of discouragement can work. Illegal immigrants have already proved themselves willing to endure great risk, sacrifice and hard work.
No matter how difficult we make things, no matter how inhumane or punitive we make our laws, most illegal immigrants are going to conclude that things are better for them and their children here than they would be back home. And if you think about it from their point of view, they’re right.
Changing that calculation would be very, very difficult.
The alternative, then, is to acknowledge the continuing presence of illegal immigrants while providing an avenue for them to leave the shadows and join the mainstream. That’s a step that only Congress can take — a step that it has so far refused to take, and that it shows no signs of taking in the foreseeable future.
Back in the ’80s, President Ronald Reagan supported legalization, explaining in a 1984 presidential debate that “I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally.” Thanks to his backing, Congress agreed.
A few years ago, President George W. Bush tried to convince members of his party to follow Reagan’s lead, but the effort failed. President Barack Obama has also expressed support for such a change, but with chances of passage almost non-existent, he has expended no political capital on its behalf.
As a result, we’re stuck with a choice between bad solutions and no solutions at all.
– Jay Bookman
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710 comments Add your comment
ragnar danneskjold
March 29th, 2011
9:49 am
Good morning all. This issue seems to cut across party lines. I am a free immigrationist. I think the “illegals” are an unmitigated blessing to the country, albeit they are a threat to the welfare state. I can think of no “problem” arising from the presence of these hard-working, religious, family-oriented people that is not actually a problem of government mis-allocation of resources.
I would abolish immigration quotas, allow the free market to determine the number who should enter, and eliminate all Federal laws that create financial incentives for people to immigrate.
I broadly agree with my conservative friends that awarding citizenship and the vote should require some proof that it is deserved – perhaps English language-competency, perhaps some general awareness of the contents of the Constitution (although most democrat-appointed Federal judges would probably fail that portion of the test.)
deegee
March 29th, 2011
9:49 am
Calderon has to say that he is unhappy about Americans flying drones in Mexican airspace. He, too is a politician. Calderon has risked his life and that of his family by working with the U.S. on the interdiction of drugs and weapons across the border. When Calderon leaves office he and his family will be marked for life. The Mexican Mafia will hunt them down like dogs.
Calderon is either the bravest man in Mexican history by taking on organized crime, or he is the most foolish U.S. puppet. He thought he was exchanging a tough stance on drug trafficking for comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S. He was duped by Bush and now by Obama. Upwards of 30,000 Mexicans have died since Calderon took office. We are still sucking up the drugs as fast as they can get them here. Sad.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
March 29th, 2011
9:49 am
A cancer left alone will eventually kill you.
A nation without borders will lose its sovereignty
We sent Gen. Pershing 100 years ago to punish Mexico for killiing U.S. citizens across the border.
This has been festering since then !!
jm
March 29th, 2011
9:49 am
Granny Godzilla. Clearly a credible kind of person.
pat
March 29th, 2011
9:49 am
You want to get rid of the illegals, get rid of thier jobs and they will leave.
Oh yeah, take a serious role against street gangs, that will get rid of the rest.
MarkV
March 29th, 2011
9:49 am
Jay Bookman uses demagoguery I would not expect from him in his blaming the federal government. Does he suggest a solution? He admits that “efforts to tighten border security — have been little more than useless if expensive window dressing, “ and that “a boundary more than 2,000 miles long through mainly undeveloped areas can never be made secure against people sufficiently motivated to cross it.” What is then the solution? To eliminate the motivation? How could that be done in a historically short time? Jay apparently favors some form of normalization for many of those already present, which necessarily would include some form of amnesty and which inevitably would strengthen the motivation. Another idea, favored by those whose financial interests it would not harm, is to substantially strengthen the laws against employing illegal immigrants. We have seen how much resistance to this is on the state level – is it right to blame the federal government for not making more effort to outlaw what so many citizens find advantageous?
Rafe Hollister
March 29th, 2011
9:50 am
The sad part is that the continuation of this foolishness serves as a vent, that allows the pressure for reform in Mexico to never to come to a head. You would think that if the 7th Century Muslim world in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, and Libya have had enough with their governments, the Mexican people would get the hint. Rise up and demand a corrupt free government dedicated to law and order and prosperity for its people.
But, with all the disaffected potential leaders of the revolt moving to the US, the peasants are left to suffer with no recourse. Mexico is one of the richest countries in the world with natural resources, however, corruption siphons off the income.
We need to seal the borders, deport those here illegally, and watch the pressure rise on the government of Mexico to reform.
Aquagirl
March 29th, 2011
9:51 am
seabeau, you’re going to shoot 12 year olds? Grandmothers? Pregnant women?
I’m gonna be charitable and think you’re proposing this simply because you haven’t thought it out, and want to save face. Otherwise, that’s a psychopath’s approach.
@@
March 29th, 2011
9:51 am
But the neo-cons went batshiite crazy and wrecked any and all progress on the matter.
Guess I’m not a neo-con. Over the years, I’ve seen several conservatives who were in favor of Bush’s immigration reform, but to here AmVet tell it, ALL are neo-cons.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
poison pen
March 29th, 2011
9:51 am
Granny,….Thank God! When my ancestor left Sweden during the time of the Great Northern War…..he didn’t do it exactly legally….I admit it…I am an anchor great great great great grandbaby….course we are mostly blonde haired and blue eyed….so I guess it does not matter too much
Do you know what they say about Blondes? Darn, couldn’t resist that.
ty webb
March 29th, 2011
9:52 am
Granny,
“breed faster”…I like it, but if it means the more you breed, the more power you have. How can you advocate any policy that takes power and a political voice away from gays and lesbians.
@@
March 29th, 2011
9:52 am
Oops! “here”…”hear”
Del
March 29th, 2011
9:52 am
“No matter how difficult we make things, no matter how inhumane or punitive we make our laws, most illegal immigrants are going to conclude that things are better for them and their children here than they would be back home. And if you think about it from their point of view, they’re right.”
First of all I disagree with the above statement in Jay’s commentary. We’ve made it far too hospitable for illegal immigrants for many years and over this time they’ve learned how to get what they can’t get through our generous hospitality by gaming our system. They’ve been costing this country billions of dollars that we can ill afford, much of it in health care. I do agree with Jay when he points out that sending them all back or effectively sealing the Southern border isn’t a workable solution but making it extremely inhospitable for them being here is a workable solution and we should being doing exactly that at every level of government, federal , state and local.
Secondly, we have many who have been going through the immigration process legally it costs them a good deal of money and the process takes several years due to a backlog of applicants. The immigration backlog is over 10 years behind for many classifications. It would be unfair indeed to move those who’re here illegally to the front of this process. The day’s when immigrants truly wanted to come here and become Americans has long since passed. The motive today for too many is all about what they can gain for themselves. Unfortunately, for politicians in both parties their motive is all about politics and not what’s in the American best interest.
poison pen
March 29th, 2011
9:53 am
Doggone, for your information we have guest worker programs for immigrants.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
March 29th, 2011
9:53 am
Using your “eyes” to determine immigration status? Is that x-ray vision to check papers or are you just picking out certain groups. Sorry, I often hear people when I walk who are not speaking english and who are obviously of asian descent or european or other…..I cannot look at a single person and tell that they are “illegal” based only on looking at them. Impossible.
jm
March 29th, 2011
9:54 am
Granny Godzilla envisions a future along the lines of Palestine and Israel. A fight based on who has more babies. That’s a brilliant way to look at things.
poison pen
March 29th, 2011
9:54 am
Jay, while it’s true that a lot of illegals are hard working and honest, there are also a lot of them who have criminal records, not just a few but a lot.
jm
March 29th, 2011
9:55 am
Rubio: ‘I’m not running’ in 2012
Good to see a Republican recognizes it takes more than 24 months in the Senate to qualify one to run the United States of America.
jm
March 29th, 2011
9:57 am
Dick Durbin is schlep for retailers. Good news, for Home Depot, Durbin’s banking law will add $650 million to the bottom line.
Even the Fed thinks Durbin’s banking rule doesn’t make a lot of sense as crafted. Another liberal retarded scheme.
getalife
March 29th, 2011
9:58 am
cons hated my people too when we arrived in NYC.
So we whacked them and took over.
Moral of the story, the Latinos will take over this country too because will be the majority.
Do onto others as they do unto you.
DebbieDoRight
March 29th, 2011
9:58 am
kayaker: As Hispanics become a more powerful political force in this country, they will determine much of our future. Is that what you want?
AND? That’s the way of (most of) the world, majority rules.
jm
March 29th, 2011
9:58 am
Evil republicans.
A mural depicting vignettes of state and national labor history was removed over the weekend from Maine’s Labor Department headquarters in Augusta, Gov. Paul LePage’s office said Monday morning.
The 11-panel mural that includes images of worker strikes and “Rosie the Riveter” was moved into a storage facility over the weekend, said Dan Demeritt, the governor’s director of communications and legislative affairs. It will be kept in storage until it can be “transfer[red] to a more appropriate venue,” he confirmed to POLITICO.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/52050.html#ixzz1HzrwY0lv
Keep Up the Good Fight!
March 29th, 2011
9:59 am
Jay, while it’s true that a lot of illegals are hard working and honest, there are also a lot of them who have criminal records, not just a few but a lot
There are also a lot of citizens who have criminal records…….that factor alone is meaningless.
Deep Throat
March 29th, 2011
9:59 am
jm, just a mere few weeks ago on this same blog all the pablum puking Liberals were attacking John McCAIN for proposing a no fly zone, everyone of these pathetic hypepocrits were telling us why it would not work and how we would have to declare war on Libya. They praise Obama when he goes to the bathroom. They call people who have a different opinion names ( chicken hawk, neo-con,bat whatever ) really makes one just wander who they really are. Are they the people that greet you at walmart ? Perhaps they are AJC employees, or maybe they work for the DNC.
I am glad there is a lot people who who can see thru their bs.
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
9:59 am
Jay, there is a thing in this country known as law enforcement. If they were given the mandate, I believe they could find and deport most of the illegals here. Naturally, I hope you don’t think our law enforcement agencies are too incompentent to do this. As for cost, make the countries they originally came from pay by witholding their foreign aid if they don’t.
The law enforcement agencies who are responsible for those tasks you describe don’t need a mandate to do that. It’s already their job task and mission. You’re talking about maybe 18,000 agents trying to round up multiple millions of illegal immigrants. Even with CBP and Border Patrol, you have a total of about 40,000 officers (and that’s stretching it) protecting land borders, sea ports, international airports, and any other points of entry into this country. The question you should be asking is, “Do Americans want to pay the money to get what they’re asking for?”
getalife
March 29th, 2011
10:00 am
Sweet karma coming for you cons.
Mr_B
March 29th, 2011
10:00 am
jm: Hate to point this out, but the Iraqis never ASKED for us to invade their country. A very significant portion of the Lybian population asked for air support, not “boots on the ground,” which we provided along with others. I seem to remember some indepence movement asking France for help once…..
Granny Godzilla
March 29th, 2011
10:00 am
jm
March 29th, 2011
9:49 am
Granny Godzilla. Clearly a credible kind of person.
Thanks
jm
March 29th, 2011
9:54 am
Granny Godzilla envisions a future along the lines of Palestine and Israel. A fight based on who has more babies. That’s a brilliant way to look at things.
OH MY! That’s the problem between those two? Babies? Don’t tell BeBe….
ragnar danneskjold
March 29th, 2011
10:02 am
Dear Keep @ 9:59, mark it down as a rare day, we are in full agreement on your post. Too many laws, too much government.
kayaker 71
March 29th, 2011
10:02 am
So, Granny, you claim to be a descendant of blond haired, blue eyed Swedes. Maybe I should collect on my debt after all.
Paul
March 29th, 2011
10:03 am
Deep Throat
“Does anybody know what our goal in Libya is ?”
Sure.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10200.doc.htm
Chris
“The old Soviet Union had NO PROBLEMS sufficiently securing their borders from incursions by illegal aliens. Shoot onsite anyone aliens attempting to cross the border illegally. That will stop the flow immediately ”
Soviet military was about four times the size of our military today. You prepared to pay for all the troops necessary to do that?
Plus…. No way are American troops going to shoot women carrying toddlers. You strike me as either living in a tough-guy fantasy or are morally bankrupt. Or both.
Not a personal attack. Just an honest assessment.
Granny Godzilla
March 29th, 2011
10:03 am
ty webb
March 29th, 2011
9:52 am
Granny,
“breed faster”…I like it, but if it means the more you breed, the more power you have. How can you advocate any policy that takes power and a political voice away from gays and lesbians.
Rosie O’Donnell, Elton John, Neal Patrick Harris, Melissa Etherridge….
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:03 am
Mr B 10:00 am – that’s complete bunk. I suppose in a sense its true. The several hundred thousand people killed after their uprising in Iraq couldn’t still call for us and the rest of the people that were too scared to speak up after George the First ditched them, yeah I guess you’re right….
Dude, you’re logic is so inconsistent you should work for the IRS.
poison pen
March 29th, 2011
10:04 am
Doggone/GA
March 29th, 2011
9:35 am
“Term limits anyone?”
We already have them. They’re called ELECTIONS
Doggone, this is the funniest post of the day, thanks for the laugh, as soon as I get 10 or 20 Million I’ll run for office. Term limits are the best thing that could happen to our country.
Please explain why the President has term limits, DUH!
Granny Godzilla
March 29th, 2011
10:04 am
kayaker 71
March 29th, 2011
10:02 am
So, Granny, you claim to be a descendant of blond haired, blue eyed Swedes. Maybe I should collect on my debt after all.
Oh? Details please?
getalife
March 29th, 2011
10:04 am
After our cons supported daffy, lets deport them to Libya.
Fair is fair.
MikeR
March 29th, 2011
10:04 am
The solution is simple. No border fences are needed. If someone hires an illegal, be it a corporation or private company/ individual, the company must pay a $1 million fine per incident and the person(s) doing the hiring must spend 1 year in federal prison per incident. No jobs would stop the illegal flow.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:05 am
But increasingly, the Illinois Democrat is squeezed between his own leadership team and the center of his caucus — and the choice he makes will say as much about the state of deficit talks as it will about Durbin himself.
As talks intensify over a sweeping deficit deal, the Senate majority whip is facing two competing choices: stick to his ideological roots by resisting changes to Social Security and other Democratic priorities — or cut a deal that could alienate some of his closest allies.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/52079.html#ixzz1Hztaz1IV
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
10:05 am
Guard towers(with armed guards) every 500 yards apart would prevent climbing the wall and ground sensors would identify underground intrusions. I also think that we would need to withdraw aprox.250 behind the existing border, mine the interval. In built up area we would need to level all existing structures for a clear field of fire. These steps would prevent all but the most determined incrusions.
How are you going to pay for the construction and staffing? By my estimations, you’d need about 7000 guard towers to cover the complete Southern border. That means that you’d need at least 21,000 officers to staff those towers. That would give you coverage for 8hr shifts 24 hours a day, but that does not include days off. That 21,000 would only cover the Southern border as well. You’ll still have to staff the northern border, sea ports, and international airports.
bleeding liberal heart
March 29th, 2011
10:05 am
I say we open our borders and allow anyone who wants to be citizens become citizens. Let them have full citizenship right away, let them take full advantage of our great social safety net. How do we do this, raise taxes on the rich and the corporations, they are evil and they exploit us. Corporations shouldn’t be allowed to make a profit! Profits are evil, full of greed, Instead we should be distributing wealth. I’m entitled to your wealth, give me more of it, if you don’t, you are mean-spirited.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:05 am
West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller bluntly said Durbin would get “substantial” pushback from much of the 53-member Democratic Caucus if Social Security reform ends up in a deficit reduction package.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/52079.html#ixzz1HztiV51K
cause social security is just fine. harhar.
vomit
Doggone/GA
March 29th, 2011
10:06 am
“These steps would prevent all but the most determined incrusions.”
and how much of an increase in taxes are you willing to accept to pay for all of that?
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:06 am
dirtbags
Democrats in the leadership and White House are extremely concerned about losing the senior vote in 2012 — and have made that case to Durbin in private meetings.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/52079.html#ixzz1Hztvhu9N
let’s not worry about the country, just our constituency
Paul
March 29th, 2011
10:06 am
Morning, Ragnar
“allow the free market to determine the number who should enter”
I notice none of our “Free Market Rules All” conservatives came on to agree with you on that!
Thanks – this blog needed a bit of levity!
Gator Joe
March 29th, 2011
10:07 am
Jay,
The bigots, mostly white, mostly not descendents of native Americans, and mostly not descendents of Africans brought here against their will in slavery, do not have any standing in this argument. Their ansectors were the first “illegals.” Produce humane, reasonable, and workable solutions to this issue, or shut up.
TaxPayer
March 29th, 2011
10:07 am
Well, I pulled up the most recent data I could find on the web for my county here in Georgia, 2009, and crunched a few numbers so I could call it like it really is. Drum roll please:
95% white, 2.5% Hispanic.
17% of county population received service from county health department.
6% of those receiving service paid nothing.
5% of those receiving service were covered by Medicaid.
Most of the remaining 6% that received service paid a reduced fee.
poison pen
March 29th, 2011
10:08 am
Keepup, do you really think being a criminal is meaningless? really? thanks for letting everyone know how that.
ty webb
March 29th, 2011
10:08 am
Granny,
now now…you didn’t say “adopt faster”. And wouldn’t the high costs of in vitro fertilization, on top of the costs of having a baby, be considered a “poll tax” in your proposed utopia.
Del
March 29th, 2011
10:08 am
MikeR@10:04, No quarrel with that approach. It would certainly and significantly reduce the illegal flow.
kayaker 71
March 29th, 2011
10:08 am
Debbie,
You are about as bright today as Granny. So a country should open their borders, take in all who want to live here and then rejoice in the fact that they can potentially take over the country politically because they produce more offspring. Man, that’s liberal logic of the first degree.
Libertarian
March 29th, 2011
10:08 am
I agree that no matter what we do to make their lives difficult here, it is still better than the alternative (Mexico in most cases). Here we give them free emergency health care and let their children go to our schools for free, while most of them don’t pay taxes (income). I think the only rational solution is amnesty. If they are going to be here, I at least want them to contribute financially. I’m tired of half the country carrying the load for the other half.
Aquagirl
March 29th, 2011
10:09 am
I’m still wondering what we’d do with all the crazy border guards. Anyone who would shoot unarmed civilians over politics shouldn’t have a gun. What do you think they’d be doing in their off-time? Playing canasta?
Mr_B
March 29th, 2011
10:09 am
jm: pardon me, where is the inconsistancy? That fact that you don’t agree with me doesn’t make me inconsistant.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:09 am
Liberals. Fair weather Hawks.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:10 am
Mr B – you don’t have the facts jack. you’re a make it up as you go kind of person.
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
10:10 am
One more thing on illegal immigration…
People want to make it seem like 10-12 million people walked into this country through the Southern border. I’ll be the first one to laugh at you or anyone who believes that bs. We have millions who simply enter legally and never leave. Our immigration problem isn’t just a Mexican problem. It’s Brazilian, European, Russian, African, and any other area where people travel from. People are so focused on the “Hispanic” element of immigration, that they miss the rest of the spectrum. Most people that are assumed to be Mexican are not even Mexican. They are usually from El Salvador, Honduras, or some other Cent. American country. To the average person though, they all look alike, so it’s hard to tell them apart.
Paul
March 29th, 2011
10:11 am
kayaker 71
Don’t you advocate a free market, not government, as a solution to problems?
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:11 am
Mr B – you’re inconsistEnt because you don’t have your facts correct.
ragnar danneskjold
March 29th, 2011
10:11 am
Good morning Paul @ 10:06, “I notice none of our “Free Market Rules All” conservatives came on to agree with you on that!” I thought I was the only one?
Jonas
March 29th, 2011
10:11 am
100% fully agree. Illegal immigration reform should have been done pari passu with healthcare reform as the two are inextricably linked. A complete failure.
Cobb Woman of Color
March 29th, 2011
10:12 am
During the march on the Georgia State Capitol protesting the immigration bills, there were a few Blacks in the crowd. However, they do not speak for the masses. The so-called Black leaders in the crowd do not speak for us.
The majority of people of color in America are opposed to illegal immigration. To compare their cause to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s is a slap in the face.
If there is anything illegal immigrants should take from the Civil Rights struggle is this…fight for change in your country.
I feel sorry their families may be separated but they chose to put their families in this situation. All Americans ask is for them to process through the system properly so that we may know who is in our country.
==========
On immigration, who is considering black workers?
http://www.austinweeklynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=3&ArticleID=3167&TM=80433.92
Mr_B
March 29th, 2011
10:13 am
jm: to exactly which facts are you referring? I’m waiting.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:14 am
Oh its complex. But at its core, Obama is a hypocrite.
Why a double standard in U.S. foreign policy?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2011-03-29-column29_ST1_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
But when it comes to using America’s military might to protect innocents, the Obama administration needs to explain why it has chosen to do so in the North African nation of Libya, while disavowing it in the Ivory Coast, a sub-Sahara African nation where a greater “potential humanitarian crisis” is unfolding.
Nearly 500 people have been killed by forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the Ivory Coast president who lost a re-election bid in November but refuses to give up control. Many more people have been wounded in the fighting spawned by Gbagbo’s refusal to leave office. An estimated 500,000 have been displaced, and 90,000 more have fled the West African country, according to the Associated Press.
Recently, Gbagbo’s forces began attacking immigrants from neighboring African countries whose governments have refused to recognize his illegitimate regime. Some have been the victims of necklacing — a brutal practice in which a car tire filled with gasoline is forced over a person’s body and then ignited. When a group of unarmed women marched to protest Gbagbo’s power grab, an army tank fired upon them.
The violence in the Ivory Coast, a nation of nearly 22 million people, threatens to become a far bigger humanitarian crisis than the one the U.S. and its allies went to war to prevent in Libya, which has slightly less than 7 million people. But instead of threatening to use its military might to end the butchery in the Ivory Coast, the Obama administration says it “remains committed to finding a peaceful resolution” to that crisis.
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
10:15 am
I agree that no matter what we do to make their lives difficult here, it is still better than the alternative (Mexico in most cases). Here we give them free emergency health care and let their children go to our schools for free, while most of them don’t pay taxes (income).
It’s not even that. Have you ever seen an entire village made from cardboard? That’s how some people in Central America live. The mere fact that they can come here, work, and have a solid roof over their head is enough. It doesn’t matter about schools or emergency rooms. Try living in a cardboard house for a month or so and tell me how it works out.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:16 am
Mr. B the facts that many Iraqis wanted Saddam pulled down by the US, so many that they rose up against him and without US air support, were subsequently squashed just like the Libya rebels would have been without US intervention.
Dude, you’re such a hypocrite, either out of ignorance or out of deliberate partisanship. Either way, its equally despicable.
George W
March 29th, 2011
10:16 am
Wow Jay something we can agree about!
Bosch
March 29th, 2011
10:16 am
I would just like to say this:
Microsoft Word 2010 sucks.
Aquagirl
March 29th, 2011
10:16 am
Sheesh, another African-American clutching “civil rights” in their tight little fists like it’s the last cookie in the jar.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:16 am
Mr B – further research you will have to do on your own. Go take a history lesson. Go use the web. Its not my job to educate the ignorant and biased.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:17 am
Bosch 10:16 – agreed!
Mr_B
March 29th, 2011
10:17 am
jm@10:14 in other words, you can’t show an inconsistancy on my part. Glad we got that cleared up.
George W
March 29th, 2011
10:17 am
Aqua….hahahaha
Paul
March 29th, 2011
10:17 am
SoCom
Excellent point on the composition of illegals. I once cited the number of illegal Irish in Massachusetts. Funny how just substituting one country for another changes the emotions, isn’t it?
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:18 am
If preventing a humanitarian crisis is the tripwire for American intervention, then U.S. Tomahawk missiles and war planes should have pummeled targets in the Ivory Coast long before they entered Libyan airspace.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2011-03-29-column29_ST1_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
George W
March 29th, 2011
10:18 am
Paul…..illegal irish!!! hahahahaha Now THAT is funny!
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
10:18 am
Jay
I could almost take offense at your title. It could suggest that my co-workers and I are not doing anything too. I know you mean Congress and other elected officials, however, there are some people on the federal level who do something about immigration on a daily basis. Many have even given their lives doing something.
Obama is over
March 29th, 2011
10:19 am
Right or wrong, at least your column expresses opinions on an important issue. The problem is that nothing is going to come out of the White House for the next two years that may be controversial. Obama does not care about all U. S. citizens or illegal immigrants. He is only concerned about getting re-elected. If an immigration bill will benefit him personally, then he will create one. This is yet another example that Obama is over his head and is an ineffective leader because he only knows how to react rather than create. Thus when his pollsters tell him that there are potential votes from Hispanics, he will start acting on immigration. Until then, while the rest of the world is mired in chaos, we are going to get more basketball brackets and speaches on school bullying.
Paul
March 29th, 2011
10:19 am
Bosch
One reason I stuck with the 2007 version.
Newer isn’t always better. Particularly when it comes to Microsoft.
kayaker 71
March 29th, 2011
10:19 am
Paul,
Free markets do not enforce our laws. I think we should start with that. Most free markets work within a framework of laws to protect the participants. Meantime, who is going to pay all of the bills while the free market levels itself and we come to some sort of equilibrium? There are much better solutions to the problem than just opening up all of our borders, allowing anyone to enter and then see what happens. Try entering Switzerland with that type of scenario. Takes years to obtain Swiss citizenship and then only if you have a skill that they need, which is not too often. They protect their country against an onslaught of illegal immigration which would bankrupt them if they handled it the way we are doing.
George W
March 29th, 2011
10:19 am
Southern…..too bad it was in vein!
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:20 am
And while we’re on the topic of Iraq and historical revisionism, it’s worth pointing out that the attempts at diplomacy with Saddam Hussein lasted through 12 years, 17 UN Resolutions, and two administrations, including the Clinton administration (which went so far as to bomb Iraq in 1998 without UN or NATO approval). It ranks among history’s longer diplomatic efforts to avoid war. And under President Bush, five separate Iraq-related UN Security Council Resolutions were passed unanimously, including 1441, which found Iraq in material breach of its obligations and warned Iraq of “serious consequences” (which all parties understood to mean war) for continued violations. For four-and-a-half months, the United States and its allies worked within the Security Council to enforce that Council’s long-standing demands. Yet, some permanent members of the Security Council publicly announced they would veto any resolution that compelled the disarmament of Iraq. These governments shared America’s assessment of the danger but did not share America’s resolve to meet it. More than three dozen nations, however, did have the resolve to act against Saddam Hussein.
As for Iraq and Congress: On October 10-11, 2002, the House voted 296-133 in favor of the Use of Force Resolution, while the vote in the Senate was 77-23. All told, 110 Democrats in the House and Senate voted in favor of going to war – including then-Senator Hillary Clinton who, in speaking about the United Nations (whose support in the war she, like President Bush, preferred), said,
It often lacks the cohesion to enforce its own mandates. And when Security Council members use the veto, on occasion, for reasons of narrow-minded interests, it cannot act. In Kosovo, the Russians did not approve NATO military action because of political, ethnic, and religious ties to the Serbs. The United States therefore could not obtain a Security Council resolution in favor of the action necessary to stop the dislocation and ethnic cleansing of more than a million of Kosovar Albanians… In the case of Iraq, recent comments indicate that one or two Security Council members might never approve force against Saddam Hussein until he has actually used chemical, biological, or God forbid, nuclear weapons.
Which brings us back to Mrs. Clinton’s comments yesterday about “unilateral action.” Since the idea of a Clinton knowingly spreading untruths is inconceivable, we’ll simply assume that her charges of unilateralism are the product of extraordinary sloppiness and an unusual memory lapse.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/03/28/hillary-clinton%E2%80%99s-falsehoods/
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:20 am
Mr B 10:17 – I just did. Glad you choose to remain ignorant.
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
10:21 am
Paul
Yep. Those who don’t know, don’t have a clue.
George
Take a look at these…
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/22/mccain-irish/
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-rodriguez8apr08,0,1081193.column
Libertarian
March 29th, 2011
10:21 am
“Try living in a cardboard house for a month or so and tell me how it works out.”
No thanks, I’m good.
Bosch
March 29th, 2011
10:21 am
Paul,
I’ve always said that if the anti-illegals crowd had someone like this living next door to them who they knew to be illegal:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1065454/
who cuts the grass in her bikini, they wouldn’t be all that quick to complain.
Cobb Woman of Color
March 29th, 2011
10:21 am
@Call it like it is
You are correct. I would put it more at 90%. The Health department on County Services Road looks as if one stepped into Central or South America.
Our government has let us down and of course pandering to big business and those who they feel are future voters.
It is causing a lot of resentment. Americans need to designate a day and march on the Capitol against Amnesty. Let’s step up to the plate and organize and let our voices be heard visually as they have done.
AmVet
March 29th, 2011
10:21 am
Aquagirl, you know the cons have gone Dr. Demento when they advocate becoming exactly like the murderous Russians in dealing with the issue.
@@, the damn RINO’s! Seriously though, I was incorrect. I’ll do some more checking but according to the one source I saw (ABC News), the act was initially approved by 43% of Repubs, while 53% opposed it. But that was at the very beginning of the debate. I presume it dropped precipitously.
Oops, that didn’t lst very long. The duplicitous Mr. Thin Skin/Talk Out of Both Sides of his Mouth has joined the dark side!
Pablum pukers.
LOL…
Paul
March 29th, 2011
10:21 am
George W
Glad you liked it. You may also like this column:
“Illegal? Better if You’re Irish”
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-rodriguez8apr08,0,1081193.column
I wonder if Chris and seawhat’shisname want to shoot them, too?
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
10:22 am
Southern…..too bad it was in vein!
You doing drugs this early in the am?
George W
March 29th, 2011
10:22 am
So CO…..Yep those darn Irish…such a drain on our economy and filling up or prisons!! hahaha
Mr_B
March 29th, 2011
10:22 am
By the way, JM, I will agree that if you could make a difference in the Ivory Coast, short of occupying the country, we should do it.
Bosch
March 29th, 2011
10:22 am
Paul,
I’ve been trying to learn how to “mail merge” this morning, and I think I’m just going to slit my wrist instead.
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:22 am
Black And Blue 2: Blacks Flee Blue States in Droves
http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2011/03/27/black-and-blue-2-blacks-flee-blue-states-in-droves/
Moral of the story. Democrats, dumb, bad government. Republicans, smaller, good government that helps create growth and jobs. Vote Red.
George W
March 29th, 2011
10:22 am
So Co……Think about it….if they gave their lives…did it help?
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
10:23 am
Paul
Beat ya to it!!!!!
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:24 am
Mr B 10:22 – I’m not arguing we should or shouldn’t. I don’t really have a dog in this fight. I’m just enjoying point out the complete hypocrisy.
If Americans have their heads screwed on straight, they’d be most worried about the federal deficit and debt….
Paul
March 29th, 2011
10:24 am
kayaker 71
Your first few sentences are fair enough. But really, my impression is, on this blog, many, if not most, of the free marketers couch their arguments in the form of market forces make regulation (laws) unnecessary. That laws/regulations should be eliminated or not enacted to allow free market principles to work.
I may have misinterpreted that, but that’s how I recollect it.
deegee
March 29th, 2011
10:25 am
My experience at the Hall County health department is that illegal immigrants pay up front for their health care. The health department doesn’t turn them away. If you can’t prove legal residence then you have to pay – up front.
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
March 29th, 2011
10:25 am
Think about it….if they gave their lives…did it help?
Do you even have to ask such a fu*ked up thing???? You’re damned right it helped. At least those men/women died doing something other than sitting on a damned computer bitching about it on a blog. What have you done?
jm
March 29th, 2011
10:26 am
Immigrants. People have lived on this continent since 15,000 years before Christ popped out of his womb. Whatever. People migrate.
I’m about ready to emigrate.