I watched President Bush on TV last night. It wasn’t easy but fixing our broken borders is so critical that I forced myself to look at him rather than simply read the transcript.
Bush talked a good game about securing the borders, but the devil will be in the details. His temporary worker program and citizenship proposals will not appease the Republican base or fly with the illegal immigrants lobby.
Republicans are not interested in legalizing millions of illegal immigrants who are flouting American laws and burdening taxpayers with their school, health and other bills. Instead, the GOP base supports a FAIR -- strict enforcement -- solution.
Rep. Tom Tancredo told the Associated Press:
If the president thinks by taking one step forward with enforcement the House will follow with two steps backwards with amnesty, he's confusing us with the Senate.
In the past few weeks, I’ve attended several meetings of illegal immigrant activists. I was stunned by their sense of entitlement that foreign nationals should be able to come to the U.S. because there are no economic opportunities in Mexico, China, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, etc.
Question: When did it become America’s responsibility to provide a better life for the world’s impoverished billions?
The illegal alien lobby talks about an earned path to citizenship when the cameras are rolling, but “regularization” is code for amnesty. When push comes to shove, they are not likely to support legislation that would require illegal immigrants to pay a “meaningful penalty for breaking the law” and back taxes. These are, after all, low wage workers. Where are they going to get the money to earn the right to “wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law.”
Since they get to remain in the country with or without amnesty, illegals will simply stay in the shadows and drain social services. Meanwhile, the employment of illegal immigrants will continue to put downward pressure on the wages of similarly employed Americans.
Bush’s call to debate the issue with a “reasoned and respectful tone” misses the point. It’s reasonable for Americans to want results and to want them now.
The tone was ratcheted up by the in-your-face march of the illegals who have no respect for the rule of law.
