Immigration follies

I don't believe I have ever seen an instance before where the political elites of this country want something very badly and it somehow fails to happen. I'm not referring to elections; if that were the case, we would presently be looking to the end of the Gore Administration and hoping like hell he could keep the country from devolving into complete disaster. No, I am referring to the fact that between big business and big politics, the fix appeared to be in on the immigration bill presently before the Senate. And yet, somehow, it is going down to ignominious defeat. Why? Because no-one, not even the career politicians attempting to pass this abortion of an omnibus bill, truly believe it will do what they claim it will do. Instead, it will simply increase the number of low cost workers in the United States, and give the Democrats a leg up on new voters.

Oh yes. And depress wages for Americans, cost the tax system far more per illegal than they pay in Social Security withholding, and lead to even more immigration than before.

The people have caught onto the shell game that amounts to a pea under every shell, or, perhaps more appropriately, there is poison in any glass we can select.

The claim is that, without the current bill, the borders cannot be secured, the numbers of illegals cannot be counted or deported, and crops will rot in the fields.

These things we know. Fences work. Ask the people of Berlin. Or ask the Mexican nationals near San Diego. You will have to go to Mexico to do it, though, since the fence there has forced migrants to move farther east to sneak into the US.

We do not have to be against the idea that migrant families should be reunited. Workers should be allowed and encouraged to go back home to their families...in Mexico. We are under no obligation to let illegal immigrants bring their families here.

We cannot reasonably find, arrest and deport all 12 million illegal immigrants, but if we make the fence as nonporous as we can manage and insist that employers vouch for the legality of their employees (and fine or close them if they cannot-or will not), illegal immigrants will find that the living here is not quite as easy as it once was. Many will opt to go home. And that is what we want as well.

To this date, the bill is not dead, but it will need to be resurrected if it is to be a continued threat, and that will take sixty votes. Any luck at all, and the senate will not find them.