Wow was that a terrible article. “I don't know what it is that Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has against illegal immigrants is…” Um, maybe the fact that they are ILLEGAL. He doesn’t have anything against immigrants, just illegal ones. “…it seems quite obvious that anyone risking their life by crossing the treacherous southern border can't possibly have the resources to be a terrorist.” Yes, because terrorists would never sneak into a country [read sarcasm]. Also, Hillary Clinton’s comments about criminalizing the Good Samaritan are taken out of context. What she was referring to is a part of the law which aims to make aiding and abetting an illegal immigrant a criminal offense. Such an instance she claims would be churches who offer assistance to illegals. This quite possibly could be the worst article ever written.

“I don't know what it is that Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has against illegal immigrants…”

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that THEY ARE BREAKING THE LAW?

I say bring the troops home - from Germany, Japan and Korea - then put them on the border to protect the country from the on-going invasion.

Hi. I’m a college student who’s creating a presentation on the topic of illegal immigration. I want to show that having illegal immigrants in Americal isn’t as bad as some politicians make it out to be. You seem to have the same opinion on the matter. If at all possible, could you send me any information? my email is sccrboy06@yahoo.com Thanks a lot!

I live in Sensenbrenner’s district and he does embarrass me. This whole thing stinks of racism. The “war on terror” is a red herring, again.

“I can't think of one service industry that is not reliant on the immigrant population. Anywhere you go, from restaurants to hotels, immigrants provide the labor necessary to maintain a cost-effective business.”

Which is the reason that there are so many people on welfare who can’t get an entry level job. BTW, they may not be interested in the jobs because they live better on welfare but that’s another story.

Last time I looked the leaders of Mexico look more like White Europeans than the problem the illegal immigrants working low paying hard labor jobs in the US.

Comparing costs is rather tricky as a cheap labor force decreases innovation in an idustry. Grapes that become raisins in Australia are harvested in a very different manner than they are in the U.S. Australia does not have a cheap labor pool to draw from so they have reduced the amount of labor to produce a raisin by drying them on the vine prior to harvest. In the U.S. we take them off the vine, and then turn them over and over using a cheap illegal immigrant labor. What other advances in farming are being repressed by readily available illegal immigrants?

We need to stop Mexico from exporting the problems in their economy to our country and develop a program that does not harm our own interests. Just like we need to address the fact that our country supports the development of new drugs and medical devices by footing a higher portion of the R&D bill when products come to market.

“Which is the reason that there are so many people on welfare who can’t get an entry level job. BTW, they may not be interested in the jobs because they live better on welfare but that’s another story.”

Way to mask your racism with the welfare myth. The idea that the majority of illegal immigrants “drain” the nation’s resources is a myth. There is documented evidence that illegal immigrants contribute billions of dollars (through different forms of taxes) more to the nation’s economy than the amount that those immigrants who do claim welfare benefits actually cost the U.S. (for example, see Jorge Ramos, “The Other Face of America”).

The person who posted at 1105 is out of their mind. Australia is a stones throw from SE Asia; where do you think our cheaply produced goods come from? Maybe we can innovate a way for hotel beds to be made automatically and for landscapes to be maintained without the use of cheap labor.

Also, our drugs and medical devices cost so much because our goverment is afraid to offend their corporate overlords. Other countries will bargain for lower drug prices, for example.

This country could not function without it’s illegal immigrant labor force. We need an amnesty program and a smoother naturalization process.

Once illegals are made citizens, or at least legitimate guest workers, they will only add to the tax base.

Australia does not have a labor force walking to work from Indonesia last time I checked. The Raisin industry in Australia innovated for exactly that reason. Our process in the U.S. is the same as it was 200 years ago. The economy in Australia is much different than the economy in China, just as the economy in Japan has changed from the first Sony Television sold in the U.S.

Island nations have a much easier time controlling immigration and do not have the burden placed on social welfar systems that Mexico is placing on ours. China by the way spends time and money trying to keep North Koreans from walking to a better situation. But I doubt anybody protesting over the weekend even knows about that situation.

As for the pharma world the threat held over drug companies by Canada, Great Britian, Germany etc is a much bigger problem than the system at work in the U.S. Access to markets and importation of illegal generics from places like Cuba prevent the industry from having a relatively equal selling price across the western world. Our market doesn’t constrain their entry once FDA approved nor set a price for entry into the marketplace like National Health Care systems do in Europe. Meaning the latest improved high blood pressure medicine can only gain access to Germany if the price is right. So who do you think gets to make up the difference? The cost of bringing a new drug to market is very expensive and United States citizens carry a heavier burden of that cost based on the current global model. Making Pharma sell in bulk to our market will just reduce the amount of research done on diseases that do not have enough patients.

The real question is why do we pick lettuce the same way we did before the car was invented? The reason is Cheap Labor which in the United States means Illegal immigrants.

First, I would like to state that I am posting this with my name listed so that anyone who disagrees with me and has an intelligent comment to make can feel free to email me or post on here.

Now…onto the criticism of this article

1) The reason Sensenbrenner wants to treat illegal immigrants this way is because they are ILLEGAL.
Please explain to me why someone who is in this country illegally should not be deported? That is like saying if someone commits murder while driving drunk (cough, cough, Ted Kennedy) we shouldn’t charge them murder. Oh wait, I forgot, that is the way that Democrats like to handle everything. People who support their ideas should be able to get away with things (another example would be Bill Clinton), but if a conservative does something wrong all hell breaks loose. Back to the article…So what is your proposal for what we do about immigrants using fake IDs, have the police give them a fake ID ticket? Shouldn’t the penalties be a little stricter for people who are not only using fake IDs, but also breaking the law by being in this country?

2) The biggest problem with liberals is that you don’t ever offer solutions to a problem, all you do is complain about things that are happening. What do you propose to do about this?
Should we allow all Mexicans to cross the border? Hell, lets just form a common market with Mexico (which means people from both countries would be able to work in the other). I know I would be one of the first people waiting at the California/Mexico border to rush into Mexico to get a job. Before you criticize Sensenbrenner for his policy, think of how you would deal with this situation.

3) Sensenbrenner called it the land of opportunity, not the land of free rides. I think a lot of people in the country are getting the two confused. America was founded as a place where people could escape poverty and make a good living. That is what REPUBLICANS want. That is why Republicans don’t like welfare handouts because those cause people to stay in the lower class and not work and escape poverty. Rich Democrats (celebrities) support welfare because they want to hold the lower class down and not let them escape povery. Sensenbrenner is completely correct when says America will continue to be the land of opportunity. A decent amount of Republicans, including myself, are fine with Mexicans crossing the border legally and making money in the U.S., we just don’t think its right (1) for them to come here illegally and (2) for employers to rip them off by not needing to pay them minimum wage.

I lived in Los Angeles for 2 years, and you see mexicans working everywhere. From doing yard work to making food (there is a great sandwitch place on Gayley Ave. near UCLA run by mexicans). It seems to me that these immigrants are looking for honest work, which is more than can be said about a lot of legal american citizens.

But it is important to regulate, or at least keep track, of who comes into this country. I don’t have a problem with mexicans coming in, but I don’t want them falling through the cracks and ending up on the streets. There should be tighter laws on illegal immigration. But what should we do with them? Put them in prison? Obviously that would be stupid. Snatch them from an honest job and dump them on the other side of the border? Maybe we could just track them down and force them to go through the proper paper work.

My point is, the fact that they are illegal immigrants does not imply that they necessarily are destroying our society. There are plenty of legal citizens that I’d like to see deported.

When they are here illegally, they are limited to only taking the low paying, crappy jobs. By making sure that they go through the proper channels before they come here, they will know they have rights, and can demand a better life in the U.S.

Dah…”I don't know what it is that Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has against illegal immigrants,…” Maybe we could start with it’s illegal.

Why does this one priveledged group get to jump in line from all the people in line trying to do it the LEGAL way?

The reason for the process…

1.To control the numbers from one particular place in the world. I don’t want to live in little Mexico.

2.Americanization. This is where they are going to live. They might want to learn how it works here.

3.To control employment. We are not getting our fair share of engineers, doctors, scientist, teachers etc crossing the river. Probably none in fact.

4.A family (the USA) needs to know if you are going to be expected to feed five people tonight for dinner or five hundred. Tough to budget.

5.It’s illegal. Wouldn’t you think if we have a don’t ask policy for Hispanic deportation then constitutionally we can’t deport anyone from anywhere that’s here illegally.

6.We have to make signs in Spanish for them to know where to go have their babies (immediate US citizens)for you and me to pay for.

7.We have to pay for signs only in this one priveledge language. Constitutional?

8.We have to teach them in Spanish. I thought they already spoke Spanish? Oh that’s so they can learn English.

9.We have to pay for the Spanish speaking teachers for just this one priveledge group. Constitutional?

10.It’s ILLEGAL.

Please feel free to write anytime to discuss this and any other topics. I can be reached at Trouble@PleaseMoveOn.com

“illegal immigrants contribute”

Tell that to the hospitals being driven out of the emergency room business by the illegals who don’t pay their bills. The cost of the immigrants to local govenments is far greater than the “different forms of taxes”.

PS. Way to mask your ignorance with the “immigrants who do claim welfare benefits” canard - it’s the citizens on welfare who are losing the possibility of a job to immigrants willing to undercut them in the labor market that upsets me. Hopefully there will not be any lawbreakers on the dole.

“our drugs and medical devices cost so much because our government is afraid to offend their corporate overlords”

They cost so much because the rest of the world has been successful in sticking the US consumer with the cost of R&D. Then they steal it or the government controls the price to slightly over production cost.

Think of it as foriegn aid and maybe that’ll make you feel better.

I’d love to see the US government do the same thing except that would pretty much choke off any new research.

“This country could not function without it’s illegal immigrant labor force.”

I call BS. Fruits and veggies might cost a bit more until the machinery to do the job is developed. Other things might cost a bit more too but then the higher wages that current unemployed and welfare recipients would demand would increase taxes collected and reduce government outflows. All in all a big win for the taxpayers in general.

Once they’ve broken the law to get into the US what makes you think that they will abide by other laws?

If we just wanted to add to the tax base then we should institute the fair tax. Let’s be honest people on the left want illegal immigrants as voters, otherwise they could care less.

We do need a new program that controls the border, and stops Mexico from exporting their labor and work force problems. As for illegals currently in the country they should be expected to earn the privelege to stay given that they have violated our laws to arrive here. Part of that should require all citizens to speak the common language of english. No more translations at the DMV for spanish speakers while we make Russian immigrants take tests in English.

“If we just wanted to add to the tax base then we should institute the fair tax.”

Good idea. We can’t tax their incomes because they don’t report it. At least we can tax what they spend…before they go backhome to Mexico, that is.

Another thing pro-immigrant ranters should think about: illegals are using our Social Security numbers to get jobs. Know what that means? It means YOU will pay taxes on income you did not earn, because some illegal somewhere used your SSN to get a job. Know what else? The IRS will still try to shake YOU down for the money, not them!

Why don’t we all just admit that Mexicans aren’t really humans and that the rest of the world hates our success and freedoms. When we think like that, life gets much easier, and we don’t have to question Bush’s policies.

Immigrants do more honest work in one day than Bush and Sensenbrenner have done in their lives. And let us not forget the reason why there is so much immigration—we’ve completely destroyed the economy in northern Mexico. We’ve mandated lower wages in Juarez and Puebla so that we can get our tshirts for 50 cents less, and destroyed the agriculture in that part of the country as well. People are flooding into this country because we’ve terminated the jobs in their own, and they would rather try to get into this country and face the constant struggles than to watch their children starve. We love this globalized liberal economy so much, but we blame the negative side-effects on the poor. Instead of realizing that our policies are destroying the lives of human beings south of Texas, we’re trying to turn America, the great melting pot, into a gated white community.

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

~Theodore Roosevelt - 1907~

The motto for liberals is “if it feels good do it.” There is nothing good about ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, yes the word ILLEGAL is the key word. These people don’t belong here. The world without Latinos would be a great one. I wouldn’t have to worry anymore about them not being able to speak English and they wouldn’t be draining our resources anymore. All they are good for is filling the jobs that nobody wants to do (i.e. Mcdonalds). I’d say more but many have already hit this issue right on the head. The liberals who want Illegal Immigrants to stay here, like this columnist, are a bunch of ignorant idiots.

http://upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060327-123033-1230r

Clinton’s driver is an illegal…wonder why the left loves illegals now?

The previous poster mentioned the language barrier. Does it go unspoken that many of the white settlers here did not speak English, even after the Revolution? You know, French fur traders who discovered the western part of the country, or Spaniards and Portuguese who discovered the entire continent in the first place. Jews, Germans, Poles, Scandinavians, Dutch, Africans, etc. who came here to seek a better life but were relegated to working low-wage jobs and forced to live in slums and ghettos. Does this sound familiar?

Get over your brown-hating, and realize that it takes more than 5 minutes for people to assimilate. Also realize that some native English-speakers cannot speak as well as some immigrants. Once they become comfortable with the new language, they will speak it. But they will not feel comfortable if you constantly scrutinize them and call them worthless non-humans.

I posted comments about this topic earlier and invite you to checkout my new website, http://badgersays.blogspot.com/ for my response to this article in the Herald, and to continue to check it out as I would like to start-up a political debate there.

to the March 27 6:16 poster, Illegal immigration has been a problem from Mexico long before NAFTA, Long before Bush and long before Sensenbrenner. The fact that you actually believe that the issue is based on skin color highlights the problem of discussing issues with socialist wackos. You start from a misguided premise and cling to lies in order to continue believing the first lie you heard from some person who would like us all to live like Cubans in Cuba.

The first Amnesty occured under Reagan prior to NAFTA which was signed under Clinton. No additional enforcement was added and as it is obvious amnesty did not stop the uncontrolled immigration of people hoping for a better life in the U.S. than the White European government from Mexico is able to provide. As a conservative I see it as impractical to send somewhere around 11 million illegals back to their own countries. However, that does not mean that we should bury our head in the sand regarding our southern border. We should not be expected to keep solving the problems that Mexico has with it’s workforce. Mexico is modeled after European countries not the United States and as should be expected has a unemployment rate that has more in common with France than here. Blame the Socialized system that retards economic expansion instead of the country you call home. We, the United States, are not what is wrong with mankind or the world.

“you see corporations do corporation things and….you are worthless Alec Baldwin”

Illegals are breaking the law. They are cutting in line. They are taking jobs from legal citzens and depressing their wages. They are overunning our hospitals , schools, etc. If they are caught here illegally, fingerprint and send them home and they sshould FORFEIT FOREVER any chance of entering the US.That may get them to go home on their own. That and enforcing laws on jobs and that should make bunch go home. Close the border (fence) and the problem should go away. Also enforce correctly the constitution about being born here and automatically being a citizen. That was not meant to apply to this situation. It was applied after the Civil War for a different purpose. Sesenbrenner , keep up the good work!!!!