Whatever your view of our entry into the war in Iraq our presidential candidates must stop looking back to the past and playing the blame game, we are there and should focus our energies on the future. 

   First, Americans should understand that this conflict is not about saving the Iraq's from themselves. The impact of our retreat from Iraq must be viewed on a much larger scale. It will signal Iran, Israel, Al Qaeda, and our allies around the world that we lack the stomach to stay the fight and will not be there when the going gets tough. In the vacuum we leave behind an emboldened and nuclear Iran will rapidly move to take control of the entire Middle East and threaten the annihilation of Israel.

    The implications are sobering. Saudi, Egypt, Jordan, and all of the lesser Arab nations will face the choice of war with Iran or compliance with their political control, lacking the military force to resist Iran’s powerful and modern armed force they will have little choice but that of surrender. Israel will be forced to launch a nuclear strike against Iran or face extinction.

   A radical anti-western Iran will control both the worlds’ primary source of petroleum and the shipping routes through the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf. An emboldened radical Islamic terrorist movement will exploit this opportunity and acting in concert with, and supported by, Iran spread violence across the western world. The United States held hostage to the Iranian’s control of Persian Gulf oil, threatened by escalating terrorist attacks at home, and anticipating the inevitable nuclear war between Israel and Iran will be drawn into a conflict which makes the human and financial cost of the war in Iraq look quite insignificant.”

 Both Al Qaeda and Iran are there because they fully understand the outcome as one that is pivotal in their quest of victory or a failure of unacceptable consequences. Americans who oppose this conflict should set their emotions aside, ignore the political hyperbole’ and reflect seriously on the critical alternatives in play.

   Does Senator McCain's actions support his mantra as a Washington maverick, a fierce enemy of big spending, and one who tells it like it is? A review of the Kennedy / McCain Comprehensive Reform bill calls  to question the character of the real John McCain.

  This bill, which McCain championed, bears all the characteristics of the classic beltway insider. This bill was brokered in the back room by McCain and thirteen other powerful powerful Senators. Their influence was used to by-pass the normal committee review of the bill which was carefully crafted to reward special interest groups and pander for the Hispanic vote. All serious attempts correct its serious and enumerable flaws through amendment on the Senate floor were severely chastised. So much for John McCain's self professed image of a maverick! 

  The bill, as proposed, would provide a permanent track to citizenship for most of the estimated 12 million illegals currently in country and was estimated to cost the U.S. taxpayer 2.9 trillion dollars over its first ten years. No fiscal conservativism here! These cost escalate rapidly over the subsequent  ten years as the 40-80- million additional immigrants are admitted under the bills chain migration provisions. In view of this bill Senator McCain might  find it very difficult to defend his image as the fierce enemy of big government spending.

  When the American public voiced an overwhelming outcry in opposition to this bill Senator McCain became the principal lobbyist who carried the bills water to the National television networks in an attempt to defend the bill. His defense was a litany of untruths, half truths, misinformation, and artful dodging. This continues to typify his position as he campaigns for nomination as a presidential candidate. He now claims that "he has heard the people' and adopted a position of border security first. He has not however denounced his continued intention to move forward on the underlying concept of granting citizenship to the illegals currently in country. Nothing has changed but the rhetoric.  

  Over the course of the presidential primary campaign Senator McCain has struggled mightily to put the best possible face on his immigration reform plan and while he has carefully avoided any discussion of the more indefensible provisions of this bill he distorts the facts adressing the most  simplistic issues.

  He indicates that all criminal aliens would be deported but thats not quite true. Only certain classes of criminal offenders would be deported under the bill, and even those are extended a provision to appeal their deportation if they can demonstrate that it would create a "hardship. Criminal gang members would not be deported if they pledge to sever their participation in the gang.
  He argues that "its not really an amnesty bill" as applicants would be required to pay a very significant fine, demonstrate proficiency in English, and prove that they had been in the U.S. for a minimum of four years. Again, these claims are a little misleading: 
  The "very significant fines" imposed by this bill are approximately equal to the cost experienced by those who enter the country through the legal system for obtaining citizenship and unlike the legal applicants the illegals are given ten years to pay such fines.
  Neither is English proficiency a requirement as applicants are merely required to provide documentation that they have enrolled in an English learning program. 

  While a requirement in the Kennedy / McCain bill exist that only those applicants who had resided in the U.S. four years or more would be eligible to apply for citizenship status the bill stipulates that a note signed by four non relatives would be acceptable evidence of their prior presence. This provision when coupled with the stipulated eighteen to thirty month enrollment period presents an open invitation to additional illegal entrants who will stream across our borders with such a fraudulent note in hand. The probability that they will slip through the system and gain permanent residence is predictably quite high as the bill further imposes a time limit of one day to complete the required back ground checks for criminal history and duration of residency.

  While these issues represent only a small sample of a myriad of the the unfair, unworkable, and unaffordable, aspects of the bill they should serve to warrant your concern. A more thorough examination of the Kennedy McCain Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill clearly suggest that every loophole, waiver, and favor, has been extended to the benefit of the illegal entrants and their special interest at the expense of the American taxpayer and legal applicants who have stood in line for years pending their admission to citizenship. Some might argue that they merely represent oversights, incompetence, or misdirected compassion on behalf of those who crafted the language but the discerning may conclude that a more sinister agenda gave birth to this legislation and that it says a lot about the duplicity of John McCain and the Washington cabal who wrote it.
  
 

  
  
  

 

  Those who continue to demand a firm date for the withdrawal of our military forces from Iraq have lost some impetus as the recent troop surge is achieving many positive results. The proponents of a date certain for removal of our forces are now re-tooling  to justify their position on the perceived failure of the Iraqi government to meet their goals. 
  They should not overlook the fact that  Maliki's failures are at least in part the direct result of these very critics who by fueling the prospect of a premature withdrawal create an environment which predictably incentivizes both he and his cabinet to seek some middle ground which does not irrevocably alienate Iran, Al Qaeda, or powerful Iraqi militias in the event of our retreat.
  A united American commitment  to finsh the job would clearly embolden the Iraqi government to take a more aggressive stand against those resisting the actions required to stabilize their nation.
  
 

Dear President Bush,

 

  Wake up Mr. President, we are on the cusp of loosing the war in Iraq and the 2008 elections because you continue to avoid delivery of a candid message regarding America’s critical stake in winning the fight for Iraq.

 

 “Americans should understand that this war is not about saving the Iraqi’s from themselves. The impact of our retreat from Iraq must be viewed on a much larger scale. It will signal Iran, Israel, Al Qaeda, and our allies around the world that we lack the stomach to stay the fight and will not be there when the going gets tough. In the vacuum we leave behind an emboldened and nuclear Iran will rapidly move to take control of the entire Middle East and threaten the annihilation of Israel.

 

    The implications are sobering. Saudi, Egypt, Jordan, and all of the lesser Arab nations will face the choice of war with Iran or compliance with their political control, lacking the military force to resist Iran’s powerful and modern armed force they will have little choice but that of surrender. Israel will be forced to launch a nuclear strike against Iran or face extinction.

 

   A radical anti-western Iran will control both the worlds’ primary source of petroleum and the shipping routes through the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf. An emboldened radical Islamic terrorist movement will exploit this opportunity and acting in concert with, and supported by, Iran spread violence across the western world. The United States held hostage to the Iranian’s control of Persian Gulf oil, threatened by escalating terrorist attacks at home, and anticipating the inevitable nuclear war between Israel and Iran will be drawn into a conflict which makes the human and financial cost of the war in Iraq look quite insignificant.”

 

 Absent this message the security of America’s future  appears both doubtful and foreboding.

 

 
  After two weeks of hyperbole, debate, and emotion the fate of the McCain/Kennedy/Bush comprehensive immigration reform bill hangs in the balance. Unfortunately while most  would expect a bill which places the interest of American voters and taxpayers first, the rights of legal applicants second, and accommodation of illegal entrants third this is clearly not the case as our elected representatives, with few exceptions, pander to the illegals and the special interest groups which support them. This is unfortunate as fair, compassionate, and workable solutions exist, two of which will be summarized herein.

  We are now at a very critical crossroad as the advocates of this fundamentally flawed and unworkable bill are again at work behind closed doors and will exert extreme efforts in an attempt to formulate another coalition, launch another public relations campaign as cover for this bills support, and re-introduce it with the hope they can achieve its approval with limited debate and without further exposing its treachery to the American people. Americans should carefully consider what we are told this bill achieves versus what it really does, and does not do: 

While significantly enhanced border security, rigorous employer sanctions, a tamper proof identification system, and expanded detention facilities are emphasized by the proponents of this bill it fails to fund, or assure the funding, of any of these provisions. The inference that nothing will happen until the border security "triggers" are met is misleading as this applies only to the temporary worker provisions of the bill and has no impact on the  twelve to twenty million "Z" visa applicants who will be placed on an immediate path to citizenship.

 

A six month implementation period followed by a twelve month registration period is stipulated for the "Z" visa applicant program. Over this eighteen month period (with the provision that it may be extended an additional twelve months if required) a moratorium against arrest or detention of illegal residents will be in effect. As the minimum standard of proof that they were present in the U.S. prior to the January 1, 2007 registration deadline is a note signed by four non relatives the bill effectively assures that millions of additional illegals will cross the border during this moratorium period, obtain a fraudulent note from four non relatives and be issued a "Z' visa. This de-facto open border window both facilitates and encourages a massive flood of additional illegal entrants who will gain a legal path to citizenship. The current bill addresses no plan to deal with this critical loophole.

  After two weeks of effort to improve the bill through the amendment process little has been achieved, the underlying bill as amended still permits certain classes of convicted criminals, child molesters, repeat drunk drivers, known criminal gang members, those with ties to terrorist organizations, and those who have violated deportation orders to be eligible for a "Z" visa.   

  Although forty percent of the current twelve to twenty million illegals in country are temporary visa overstays the Senate has refused to implement an exit visa program which would alert authorities to the violators. Absent this system we have no visibility as to the identity or number of these violators. Those entering our country on temporary visas will continue to overstay, remain undetected, and add to the current illegal immigrant population.

  "Z" visas will be issued contingent upon the applicants passing a twenty four hour background check. We should severely question this almost useless process. While the Government is unable to issue a passport to a U.S. citizen in less than four months they propose to vette an illegal alien in one day. This process is little more than disingenuous political cover intended to make us feel like something responsible was done.

  Only after a heated debate were the temporary workers exempted from eligibility for earned income tax credits and "Z" visa holders remain eligible for these benefits.

 

  The Temporary Worker program is structured so that annual spousal visitation rights will ensure that their children may be born in the U.S. at taxpayer expense, become U.S. citizens, and petition for permanent admission of their parents under the chain migration provisions of the current immigration laws. 

 

 While supporters of the bill would like you to believe that chain migration will be significantly truncated in favor of a skill based admission policy they fail to add that this provision does not take place for eight years during which the rate of chain migration admissions processed will be increased fourfold when compared to current levels. Even after this eight year period expires only an approximate thirty percent of visa applications approved will be based on skills.

  A proposed amendment which would require all "Z" via holders and temporary workers to be covered by a high deductible health insurance plan which would cover catastrophic health care cost was rejected. Even though the illegals export billion of dollars annually to their relatives in Mexico it was concluded that neither they, or their employers could afford the $65 - $100 monthly for such coverage. The American taxpayer will therefore continue to bear the full burden of their health care cost.

    Even the assumption that "America needs these workers" is somewhat suspect. When Walmart receives 25,000 applicants for 500 low paying, unskilled, jobs every time they open a new store it would seem to infer that an adequate supply of labor exist. Conversely it is very clear that adding millions of temporary workers to the labor pool will suppress wages for American workers and burden American taxpayers. Might we prefer to pay a few cents more for a head of lettuce while employing Americans at a livable wage? The increased cost of goods and services would be insignificant when compared to the hidden cost the illegal alien population has imposed on our schools, health care system, automobile insurance rates, justice system, and social services.   

  While these represent only a few of the more onerous provisions of the Senate bill they should serve to characterize the flavor of this legislation, the disdain of our legislators for the rule of law, the disregard of the legal applicants for admission to the U.S. and the arrogant disdain for the American voter and taxpayer. This bill will accomplish little more than facilitating immediate amnesty for millions of illegal entrants, provide no workable solution for curtailing the continuing influx of millions more and cost the U.S. taxpayer an estimated $2.2 to $2.5 trillion over the next twenty years.

 

 We should not be duped by the assertion that this bill represents the only solution or the claim that if this bill fails we are forever destined to accept the current situation, there are rational, effective, and fair alternatives available and Americans should demand that they are pursued. Both our cultural and financial survival hang in the balance. America deserves more!

 

Both the fundamental causation and solution are quite clear. Illegal aliens are invading America in the hope of acquiring the benefits of both citizenship and employment. If our elected officials were not driven by pandering for votes, rewarding their special interest groups, and serving their political self interest they might consider the obvious options.

  Without revisiting the nuts and bolts issues discussed above two fundamental alternative approaches would deserve consideration as cornerstones for a fair and workable baseline from which to construct a comprehensive plan. Both would eliminate the two principle incentives which create illegal immigration. Absent these incentives illegal alien traffic should be expected to be reduced by over ninety five percent which would significantly lower expenditures for additional security measures and allow the Border Patrol to focus on the remaining five percent who would be high risk entrants, typically terrorist or drug traffickers. The disincentives to crossing the border could be further enhanced by making future illegal entry a felony offense disqualifying violators from future consideration as temporary workers or citizenship gained through our existing immigration laws.

   The first option would establish a clear policy of no amnesty and create legislation which would require the Social Security Agency to implement an employer accessible on line instant check system. This system would compare applicant name, date of birth, and social security number to the agency’s existing data base. If the social security number was invalid, did not match the applicants name and date of birth, or duplicated an existing payee or beneficiary, the employee applicant would be deemed ineligible for hire. Employers found in violation of this instant check system would be subject to severe penalties. While these Social Security audits are not foolproof they would identify the great majority of ineligible employees and confirm our intent to enforce employer sanctions. With no prospect for citizenship or legal employment most illegals would self deport and the incentive for continuing illegal immigration would be eliminated. 

 

For those who prefer a more compassionate solution a second option could be considered which would provide accommodation for the illegals presently in country and who have a clean criminal record and work history. This approach would enable qualifying aliens who could prove their presence in the U.S. prior to a specified cut off date, to be granted a permanent resident visa contingent upon maintenance of a clean criminal history and work record but would not be provided any pathway to citizenship and no chain migration rights. They would be permitted to obtain legal social security documentation which would facilitate determinization of eligibility for employment and participation in the Social Security system.                                                 

 

  Over time it would be desirable to upgrade our Social Security system by issuing biometrically based identification cards. This would enhance the initial employment screening procedure described above but is a workable plan only if every eligible worker, including all native born Americans are issued such a card. If the only individuals issued this card are the "Z" visa holders, illegal job applicants will merely claim they are citizens and continue to support their employment applications with fraudulent documentation, native born Americans, primarily Hispanics, would predictably faced with racial profiling and workplace discrimination being denied jobs by employers fearing the risk of hiring an ineligible worker. The current plan is silent on this issue, perhaps they have overlooked the problem or hope we do. Issuing over 300 million such cards will take the government a very long time during which no effective solution to the critical issue of workplace enforcement will exist.  

  To the extent that a temporary worker program is justified it could be structured to augment either of the options above. It should however be structured similar to that which has proven to be very successful in Canada where each employee returns home for a month or more each year and may continue to re apply annually. Spousal visitation rights are not a feature of this plan. This would eliminate the predictable birthing of their children in the U.S. at our expense.

  Americans deserve more, we should demand a fair and workable solution which respects the rule of law, honors the rights of those standing in line to immigrate legally, and which protects America's future. This bill does not, and is so fundamentally flawed that it cannot achieve these common sense objectives. Absent an unprecedented outcry from American voters this bill will become law, the result will be both tragic and irreversible.

 

Tucson, AZ. 85746

 

 

The “New” Immigration Reform Bill – A Trojan Horse

 

  While the President, his cabinet members, and a select group of Senate allies extol the virtues of the “new” immigration reform compromise crafted behind closed doors a one day glimpse behind this shiny new coat of paint will reveal a bill only marginally better than the last, in some instances worse than the last and this will only grow worse as the proposal is exposed to the light of day!

  Supporters have advertised border security, adequate detention facilities, border patrol staffing, and a secure identification system as key components of this new bill, but provide no funding for this effort.

  They tell us that the process will not move forward until the border security triggers are met but this applies only to the temporary worker program, not the twelve to twenty million illegals already here. The bill stipulates that they will be granted a temporary visa twenty four hours subsequent to submission of their application whether or not a background check has been completed.

The compromise proposal has reportedly reduced the impact of chain migration rights by replacing the current provisions with a merit based system but this provision becomes effective eight years subsequent to signing of the bill. Chain migration will actually increase threefold over this eight year period. 

  Eligibility for permanent residency status of illegal entrants previously required that they had been present in the U.S. for a minimum of two years, the current proposal accepts all who were here prior to January 1 of this year, and the proof required remains unchanged…..a letter signed by four non relatives! Upon signing of the bill twelve months are allocated for applicants to apply for permanent residence status .Over this period we should expect a new flood of illegal entrants crossing our borders, all will have such a letter in hand. Surely we can do better than this!

  No provision exist for the deportation of criminal aliens upon their release from prison, they are merely released back into the population. Known criminal gang members will not be deported if they sign an affidavit renouncing their gang affiliation. Those who have made false claims to gain citizenship status, receive benefits, falsify social security cards, or who have ignored court ordered deportation will be forgiven of all such acts. Those with felony records may be exempt from deportation if such action would result in a "hardship".

 Unlike the previous bill illegal aliens will not be required to pay any back taxes.

  The temporary guest worker program now stipulates the admission of up to six hundred thousand workers annually, up from two hundred thousand in the previous Kennedy/McCain bill. As this new guest worker program provides for applicants to work two years, before returning to their country of origin and provides for an annual escalator clause we will could have over 1.2 million temporary workers in the second year of the program. They will also have rights to bring their immediate family with them or for annual family visitation to the U.S. We can expect those of child bearing age to schedule their visits so births will occur in the United States at U.S. taxpayers expense.

  No cost impact study has been requested of the Federal Budget Office, Independent analysis of the net twenty year life cycle cost range between $2.0 trillion and $2.5 trillion. 

   These represent only a few illustrative examples of the rot, deception, and fraud buried in this bill by the bureaucrats and staffers whose priority is not our nation’s survival but that of paying off their special interest and pandering for votes.  

   With Jon Kyl ably playing the role of Sinon these Epeius like artisans of America's “new" Trojan Horse will exert every effort to expedite the bill through the legislative process thus minimizing public exposure to the tragic consequences buried within its bowels. If Americans open the country’s gates to this bill the impact will be similar to that of Troy and America as we know it will perish.

   The elected officials who crafted this bill and those that support it should hang their heads in shame as they have lost sight of who they are intended to represent and lack the principals ,will, integrity, and competence to serve. This compromise proposal should be buried and the American voters should dispatch every one of those who support it to the ranks of the unemployed.

 
IRAQ - OPPORTUNITY LOST?

Was the war in Iraq waged to assure that Sadam Hussien and his Bathist regime did not successfully develop weapons of mass destruction which might be transferred to Al Queda or other anti-American terrorist groups, or to benefit the Iraqi people by freeing them from a brutal regime which has tortured, raped, and murdered tens of thousands Iraqi’s? While the invasion of Iraq was clearly justified on both merits these considerations were secondary to the underlying motives which remain unspoken. The invasion of Iraq should be seen for what it really was, the first step in a larger strategy to defeat the growing movement of radical Islamic terrorism, a fight for the hearts and minds of the Islamic nations.

We should make no mistake, the principal reason for the invasion of Iraq was a well thought out strategic prepositioning of the U.S. war on global terrorism. The radical clerics in Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, and their Governments were the real targets of our actions. Their schools teach five year olds to hate, and ten year olds to kill in the name of their extremist religious beliefs. Their graduates are the recruits in the Al Queda training camps, the battlefields of Afghanistan, the skies of New York, and the streets of Baghdad. They are the ever growing future threat to the U.S. and the free world.

For somewhat different reasons both the Iranian and Saudi Arabian governments sponsor these schools and fund the world wide terrorist movement. The growth of radical Islamic terrorism will not diminish until Iran, Syria, and Saudi move forcefully to disenfranchise the Wahabi teachings, close their schools, and terminate all funding for terrorist operations.

Could we have just taken direct action against Iran and Saudi rather than Iraq? Probably not if you honestly assess the total lack of support which would have been likely from the American public or our allies. Probably not when Iran and Saudi control the Persian Gulf oil resources on which our energy based economy functions.

Some would have chosen to do nothing but the Bush administration chose a bold strategy which envisioned a courageous and long term master plan. Invade Iraq, the threat is real, the merits are justified, their allies and ours will squirm but not intervene. Establish a free democratic nation in the heart if Islam which would place the governments of Iran, Syria, and Saudi under extreme internal pressures for reform thus positioning the U.S. to significantly influence the behavior of Saudi, Iran, and their satellite nations. If successful we could then demand closing of the schools, the terrorist camps, and the funding stream which facilitates the terrorist activities around the world. Given the unrest in their own populations and our military presence on their borders most would predict the required cooperation and the chain which sustains Islamic terrorism would be broken. Only then would our world be a significantly safer place.

While the Persian Gulf nations and the radical islamic terrorist movement fully understood the Bush strategy the American public did not. President Bush has remained unwilling or unable to clearly articulate the real reasons we are in Iraq and the critical significance of winning the fight. The anti-war left including most of the Democratic leadership and the national news media has successfully weakened both the Presidents resolve and capacity to achieve victory through their constant criticism of the war and their failure to grasp the price of retreat. The Iraqi leadership has failed to stand up to the militant Sunni’s, Shiite’s, and growing armed militia’s and death squads subservient to powerful Mullah’s who resist a successful democracy. As a result he radical Islamic terrorist and the nations which sponsor them smell victory and redouble their aggressive behavior while our allies among the more moderate Arab nations are hesitant to support us as they fear we will once again shirk from finishing the job and leave them at the mercy of their more militant neighbors.

The decisions we make over the next few weeks will profoundly influence the world. If we choose to stay the course it will require continuing sacrifice, a tougher stance toward the Iraqi government, the elimination of the armed Iraqi militias, and a hard line with Iran including elimination of their nuclear weapons development. It will also require a united front of the American people and their elected officials. While this may appear as a very tall order the rewards for success are great. Conversely the cost of failure, including one which might be disguised as a negotiated settlement with Iran and Syria, is both frightening and predictable. A nuclear armed, militant, and hostile, Iran will rapidly gain control of the entire Persian Gulf including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, and Kuwait. Their sponsorship of militant Islamic terrorist will explode across the western world plunging humanity into the depths of conflagration. Israel would be quickly annihilated and ultimately the U.S. will be targeted as a nuclear battle ground for the survival of the free world.

 

Border Security- The Obvious left undone!

It is estimated that over ten thousand illegal aliens cross our southern border daily, given the recent government audit report this may be significantly understated. Most are attracted by the opportunity for employment and the hope of being granted some form of permanent residency status in the future. Effectively sealing our borders has appropriately become the first priority in the thrust to comprehensively reform our nation’s immigration policies. Unfortunately the recently approved Border Security bill which provides for 700 miles of border fencing, increased border patrol manpower, and enhanced technology will not materially reduce the flow of illegal aliens as long as the lure of employment and the potential for gaining legal status in the U.S. exist.

Success could be achieved if legislation was passed which would immediately freeze the pool of candidates who would be considered for future inclusion in some form of temporary worker or earned citizenship status coupled with the subsequent imposition of employer sanctions.
Such legislation would require the voluntary registration of those illegal aliens presently in country including fingerprints, photographs, and biometric data. Only those who chose to register would be considered for eligibility for a future temporary guest worker program or pathway to permanent resident status. This registration would also provide for vetting their qualifications and the generation of tamper proof identification cards and/or an on line database of legally eligible workers. Only those included in this pool would be eligible for legal employment and enforceable employer sanctions could then be imposed.

This process would go a long way toward eliminating the incentive to illegally enter the country as the expectation of employment or future permanent resident status would be eliminated for all future illegal entrants. It would also serve to facilitate the early implementation of rigorous employer sanctions. Absent the opportunity for employment illegal immigration would be reduced by over 90% allowing the Border Patrol to focus its resources on the drug traffickers and terrorist threat. If we fail to take such action another twelve million illegal aliens will cross our borders before comprehensive reform is addressed.

 

Immigration Reform – Bush double speaks, Senate bill an embarrassing deception, and House bill leaves back door open

Seldom in the history of our nation have we faced an issue which will shape our future in a more lasting and profound way than the choices we make in defining national policy addressing reform of illegal immigration. The very survival of our nation may rest in the balance and little comfort can be found when assessing the potential for a coherent near term solution. As an estimated twelve to thirteen million illegal immigrants are currently in the United States and some twenty five thousand more enter each day our nation is being rapidly propelled toward both cultural and fiscal suicide. While our elected officials could, and should, act with urgency they remain locked in a struggle between political expediency, powerful lobbies, and real solutions.

The President continues to press for some yet to be defined “comprehensive reform” which he describes as one including a temporary guest worker component. At the same time he voices support for the Senate Bill which goes far beyond this description. President Bush should denounce the Senate bill or confirm that his position includes earned amnesty, a frightening list of loopholes, and unconscionable demands on the treasury of the United States.

The current Senate “Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill” while advertised as a responsible solution to the key issues of border security, temporary workers, and earned citizenship for qualifying illegal immigrants currently present in the U.S. a brief review of the detail provisions of the bill will reveal otherwise. Following is a short list of a few of the many glaring holes in the Senate Bill:

1.The bill is purported to provide a pathway to citizenship for “qualifying” illegal immigrants who can:

  a.Provide evidence of their presence in the U. S. for two years or more
    (Those present for five years or more to be placed immediately on track to   
    citizenship, those withtwo to five years enter the queue of temporary workers) Sounds good 
     but the devil is always in the detail which includes the following caveat “Absent any other 
     documentation an affidavit signed by three non relatives will be accepted as proof of presence in
     the U.S. for the required period of years.” Who are we kidding? Such affidavits are probably
     already in the hands of the next fifty thousand illegal aliens planning to cross our borders. This
     provision can only serve to encourage still greater pressures on our border as immigrants 
     rush over to beat the anticipated registration deadline.

    b. Pass a criminal background check (those with a felony conviction or in violation of a
         deportation order to be deemed ineligible) But the detail text provides for an exemption if 
         deportation can be shown to create a “hardship.” Would you expect any to do less than apply
         for this exemption? 

  c. Demonstrate proficiency in the English language. But the detail text requires only 
       that they can document enrollment in an “English learning class” Would buying a 
       piano make you a qualified musician?

2. The Senate bill also enables a “Temporary Worker” category which is purportedlyintended to meet the needs of our labor market which cannot be filled by American workers. The enabling language however reveals three major provisions which should beg a question.

   a.  A fixed annual quota of “temporary workers” is established without regard to
      the availability of jobs.

  b.Minimum wage compensation for these workers is fixed at hourly rates in 
    excess of that which may be paid to American workers performing the same 
    task.  

  c.These “Temporary Workers” are in fact not temporary at all      
     but are placed on track for permanent citizenship.

3. Under the Senate bill those who entered our country illegally, and their dependents, are also granted rights to the social security they may have paid while here and earn benefits on the basis of a qualifying work history more liberal than that of a U.S. citizen.

4. The Senate bill also implies that illegal immigrants must pay the taxes due on their unreported earnings as a prerequisite to qualification for permanent status. Sounds good but the fine print provides that they pay only a small percentage of the actual taxes owed and they may do so over a ten year period. We should be so lucky!

5. Under the Senate bill documentation for the purpose of determining eligibility for legal employment status may be satisfied by the same data in use today. (Documents readily forged, sold, and used throughout the illegal immigrant community.) As no biometric based, tamper proof identification system or on line data base is imposed employer sanctions will remain unenforceable and illegal immigration therefore will not be effectively curtailed as their access to U.S. jobs is not eliminated.

6. Under the Senate bill all state and local law enforcement agencies are stripped of any power to 
    enforce immigration laws.  

7. Tough border security and enforcement of employer sanctions are talked about but lack substance as implementation will be spread over six to ten years and the U.S. will be required to "advise and consult" with our Mexican counterparts in each instance that a physical barrier is to be erected along our border.

The above represents only a small fraction of the Senate “bill of goods” but should serve to beg a serious question with respect to their competence, their motives, and their integrity. Suffice it to say that the McCain/Kennedy Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill and its marginally revised derivatives would provide for the eligibility of sixty million, poorly educated, non English speaking, new immigrants over the next twenty years at an estimated cost to Federal Government of $126 billon in the first ten year period.

The bill passed by the House is much narrower in scope with the focus being that of border security. Technology, physical barriers, and significantly expanded Border Patrol staffing are stressed. The politically charged issue of earned citizenship (or amnesty) versus a true temporary worker status would be deferred until border enforcement has effectively stopped the continuing flow of illegal immigration. Given where we are today the House bill represents a significantly more realistic approach but fails to deal adequately with stemming the flow of illegal entrants. While we do not need “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” we do need “Comprehensive Border Control.”.

Such legislation would impose a requirement for immediate registration of all immigrants illegally in the country who wish to be considered for legal status as a guest worker or for earned citizenship if such legislation is subsequently signed into law. Only those who choose to register would be considered as potential candidates. Those failing to register become ineligible for consideration under a yet to be defined program, and beginning immediately those apprehended illegally crossing our borders would be permanently banned from eligibility for any future guest worker or earned citizenship program. Several benefits would accrue:

a. The actual number of candidates to be considered would be known prior to addressing future legislation. (Almost twice the number estimated by the U.S. Government applied in the 1986 amnesty program.)

b. Rapidly moving to freeze the pool of candidates who might become eligible for future legal status would significantly reduce the pressure on the border as those continuing to rush here with the hope of slipping under the radar and qualifying as legal permanent residents would no longer harbor this expectation.

c. Early registration, including a requirement for fingerprints and photographs, would provide for the immediate initiation of background checks verification of time in country, and work history. Vetting of candidates and issuance of a biometric based identity card would be required for either a temporary worker permit or permanent resident status depending upon the legislation which might subsequently be passed. This approach would significantly accelerate the cut in date for employer sanctions and provide the tools for enforcement which are now woefully inadequate.

Implementation of employer sanctions is perhaps the single most significant step in effectively curtailing illegal immigration. We cannot afford enough manpower to close the borders if employment opportunities for illegal workers remain available. As the potential for legal employment is eliminated the incidence of illegal border crossing should be reduced by ninety percent or more freeing the Border Patrol to focus their resources on criminal traffickers and terrorist threats.

While none of these provisions are excessively difficult our leaders have not yet found the political will to address responsible solutions. American taxpayers and those who have followed the rule of law to obtain legal status deserve more!

 

To: The Honorable George W. Bush

Subject: Mondays Presidential Address

Dear President Bush,

I am both pleased and encouraged to hear that you have scheduled a nationwide address on Monday, it’s essential that you continue to inform the voting public with respect to the issues which will determine the outcome of both the mid term elections and your success over the remainder of your presidential term.

I would strongly encourage you to be more direct when addressing the critical importance of our ongoing war in Iraq. It is clear to the Islamic terrorist leadership that our victory in Iraq will severely threaten the survival of their movement throughout the Islamic nations. This is the very reason that they have converged on Iraq from around the world, they know this is a fight which must be won if their movement is to survive. The terrorist and those nations which support them must dedicate every available resource and fiercely resist the successful establishment of a free and democratic Iraq. Simply said that is why the war is so painfully difficult and why we must stay the course and win the peace.

While you have obliquely touched upon this message in numerous previous remarks the point has not been clearly made to the American people, and seems lost on the opponents of the war. Surely an old Texan can resort to plain and straight talk on this issue!