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Sensenbrenner bill flawed

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Also by Bassey Etim:

Religion: Does it benefit society? (November 29, 2007)
Do Democrats take minority votes for granted? (November 15, 2007)
It's the media, stupid: Political coverage misleads (November 8, 2007)

by Bassey Etim

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner thinks 700 miles of fencing will help solve our nation's illegal immigration crisis. As we all know, there is no bigger crisis in Menomonee Falls, Wis., than the flood of illegal immigrants. Mr. Sensenbrenner earnestly hopes to represent the best interests of his district by cracking down on the scourge of illegal workers. This is about fairness above all. And it has absolutely nothing to do with politics.

There is no denying the proposed legislation is nothing more than a political power play by a representative with no knowledge of the issue of illegal immigration. Except, of course, that it might get him a pat on the head from neoconservative groups. Mr. Sensenbrenner blindly ignores the stark reality that this country will have 154 million workers for 161 million jobs by 2008, according to a Bureau of Labor statistics study.

With this proposal, he continues the trend of Republicans scapegoating the fringes of American society for their own shoddy leadership. Instead of personal accountability, they blame illegals for high health care costs. The traditional American family is falling apart, not because of economic policies favoring the wealthiest 10 percent, making maintaining middle class status while raising a family increasingly difficult, but because gay people want to get married.

Does Mr. Sensenbrenner really expect to deport 12 million people with this plan? Has he considered the possibility that taking away drivers' licenses for millions who work to support their families will only lead to more untrained drivers on the road? Will putting a 10 percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegals really discourage them from coming here to work in the first place, or will it just mean less food for a family in southern Mexico?

I wonder if Mr. Sensenbrenner knows how archaic it is to charge those who help illegal immigrants with a crime. I wonder whether the moral values he cares for so deeply are truly served by manufacturing a class of lepers. Are our tax dollars better spent investigating and prosecuting Americans who help an illegal immigrant find a warm bed or paying for a child's emergency room visit? Finally, how will we be judged in the annals of history? Will 2007 be remembered as the dawn of an underground railroad, where good Samaritans risked steep fines and jail for assisting their fellow man?

For a crowd that claims to love Jesus so much, they really seem to hate his teachings. But that's okay, right? Jesus never had a chance to experience God's greatest gift: America.

This is a values issue, make no mistake about it. To some, values stop at the beginning of their checkbook. And the only godly deeds are those that won't cause a slight inconvenience. Doing what is right is never easy. It is easy to build a wall, take their rights and kick them out. The problem with this strategy is that it is not a strategy. It would mark the beginning of another drug war, an endless costly struggle to identify illegals, imprison and ship them back to Mexico. The time has come for the country to deal with this issue of simple economics: they wouldn't be here if we didn't need them, and they would not come here if they did not need us. This could easily be the thesis for our country's expansion.

In response to Thursday's massive demonstration in Milwaukee, Mr. Sensenbrenner released a statement reaffirming his views.

"America is a compassionate nation that should continue to be the land of opportunity. But the best way to help illegal aliens is by stopping illegal immigration."

Mr. Sensenbrenner truly believes that denying health care and drivers' licenses, then building a wall and making assistance a crime, is the best way to provide the impoverished masses an opportunity to help themselves. His idea of compassion is persecution and fines. He believes in the economic benefit of removing 12 million workers from the economy and that investing the massive resources needed to carry out this whimsical plan will make us a stronger nation.

I suspect some think tank decided the American people needed another scapegoat for our nation's incompetent leadership while right-wing ventriloquist dummies like Mr. Sensenbrenner act as vultures. He's a mindless political drone more than happy to spend his life picking at whatever carcass his masters offer.

If our country should extract a lesson from the past six years, it is that the Karl Rove approach to politics does not work in governance. At this point, however, it seems things will have to get much worse before they any get better.

Bassey Etim (etim@badgerherald.com) is a junior majoring in political science and journalism.

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Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 8:26am):

The Senate panel led by Kennedy and McCain totally ripped his bill apart and made a much more acceptable one which is now going to the floor. All of the Democracts and half of the Republicans are for it so expect to see a 75-25ish vote with Bush signing it in to legislature.

love,
dny
ycmb

Brian Pierce (March 29, 2006 @ 9:18am):

I like the point about having too many jobs for our workers. Sounds like a pat on the back for George W for passing some bills to improve job creation. I am sure you didn't mean to do that, so you might want to publish a correction to our article stating that "In no way did I mean to congratulation George Bush on a job well done, it just inadvertantly slipped out"

Check out http://badgersays.blogspot.com/
for curent political debate

Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 9:38am):

You're brilliant. Another fantastic piece.

Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 10:25am):

"With this proposal, he continues the trend of Republicans scapegoating the fringes of American society..."

Illegal aliens are not part of American society, they are members of an invasion force sent by the Mexican government to re-conquer lands lost in previous wars.

"As Mickey Kaus points out, the reporters at the Los Angeles Times (and all other major media, for that matter) have downplayed the radical ethnic separatism that characterized the pro-illegal immigration rallies over the weekend. While the Times misleadingly asserted that the Los Angeles rally "featured more American flags than those from any other country," its reporters conveniently ignored marchers with extremist signs and banners advocating America-undermining concepts of reconquista and Aztlan:"

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004848.htm

Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 10:51am):

I think the border between the United States and Mexico is the wrong location for the fence. Think about how wealthy, successful, educated, and powerful our country would be if the fence was placed on the Mason-Dixon line.

Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 11:21am):

Here's the part that I don't get: Why do illegal aliens believe that they are so far above the rest of the population that they are just not bound by laws that bind everyone else? Just who exactly do they think they are, and by dint of what special logic do they feel they are somehow exempt from basic legal principles that bind society?

I surely hope that their arrogance and abuse backfire on them emphatically and result in serious immigration reform.

Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 11:45am):

Undocumented immigrants: This phrase is designed to avoid implying guilt for those who enter the US illegally but haven't been convicted of the crime. It's similar to describing speeding drivers as "undocumented speeders" or taxpayers who cheat the government as "undocumented tax cheats." Yes, in a courtroom, there should be a presumption of innocence. But in writing laws and setting policy, let's characterize this group for who they are: illegal immigrants.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0329/p08s02-comv.html?s=itm

Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 12:21pm):

Reagan is gone but Teddy is ready and willing to screw things up - AGAIN. Reagan's plan might have worked, if not for Teddy.

***
What has happened to the nation's immigration policy since the historic immigration reforms Reagan signed into law in 1986. As well-intentioned and rational as they were, the 1986 immigration reforms--and what has happened since they became law--show just how damaging another illegal immigration amnesty would be to our country.

In 1986, there were about 2.5 million illegal aliens in the U.S. who Congress and the Reagan administration regarded as being "safe" -- that is, not having committed serious crimes or otherwise being dangerous, and having sufficient ties to American life to be allowed to remain here. Many members of Congress, chiefly Democratic members, regarded the amnesty of these illegal aliens a sine qua non of any attempt to reform our immigration laws. Reagan recognized this, and, being the optimist that he was, saw something humane and profitable in affording this relatively small group of illegal aliens legal status.

While Reagan's 1986 immigration reforms can at least be called rational, they were a failure. Today, there are between 8 million and 11 million illegal aliens in the United States. The majority of them crossed our southern border and has found employment -- illegal employment, but employment nonetheless. This is attributed to Sen. Ted Kennedy's eventual gutting of the enforcement mechanism for Reagan's employer sanctions, and successive administrations refusing to give our Border Patrol the resources it needs to achieve its mission.

Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 11:19pm):

Note a few facts: illegal immigrants compete for the lowest level jobs and thus depress entry level wages by a lot; and while they pay sales taxes they also send a lot of money home, while consuming public resources on which they pay no income tax.

In other words, were they not here, to the extent that the work they do is now done legally and on the books, the money stays in the country; entry level wages rise; and perhaps more overweight middle class people would do some of their own gardening thus reducing in weight and becoming healthier and reducing the strain on medical care facilities.

Meanwhile illegals have caused the shutdown of many emergency rooms in Southern California and other border area hospitals by using the emergency rooms as a substitute for health insurance. This is a serious situation.

I once whimsically said we should offer a $2000 bounty on each illegal delivered to the authorities at the border. I am not sure that's whimsy.

http://www.jerrypournelle.com/view/view407.html#Wednesday

Anonymous (March 30, 2006 @ 12:06am):

The Ted Kennedy Amnesty Bill is effectively offering US citizenship for $3,000. But the offer is only open to illegal immigrants. You can only buy US citizenship if you've broken America's laws.For an illustration of how absurd this is, consider the case of a British businessman who's been doing business in the US legally:

There is no line to citizenship that I, an educated Brit, can even get to the back of... I've already spent my $10,000s. I've already put in my thousands of pages of paper work. I've already invested greatly in your economy. I am using my education directly to benefit hundreds of thousands of Americans who are using the service I provide (for free, by the way), and yet American law requires me to state an intent not to stay permanently. May I humbly ask this country for at least the same rights as an illegal Latino?

http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/006231.php

Anonymous (March 30, 2006 @ 12:17am):

They come to conquer USA territory for their own purposes. Surrender if you wish, but I don't care to.

***

The protestors put up the Mexican flag over the American flag flying upside down at Montebello High.

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004869.htm

Anonymous (March 31, 2006 @ 2:35am):

It's good to know then that those people from Montebllo High, have such a deep sense of humanity to help their fellow mankind, by showing just how wrong and backwards so many in the US are over this issue

Pete G (May 15, 2006 @ 1:36pm):

Looks like a Liberal, Hate all Conservatives blog. Never mind facts let's just get all emotional rant.

Emotional outbursts have always been the way of the Liberals so let them rant on with very little substance, much rage and tears.
I do believe I hear some whimpering in the background also.
Yes fencing the border will work, yes send the illegals back at any cost as it will be much less than the constant bleeding from the economy that is growing every day.
I'll be glad to pay for a while in order to get this country secure against the flood.

Wail at the wall all you want. It's going to happen. If nothing this state will have it's border locked in a few months.
The success of it will cause others to follow suit.
All you representatives, "Republican and Democrats" get off your collective asses and do your job.
You stood up and swore an oath to defend this country.
Shut up the babbling and do it.
While your running you political mouths the lake is filling up with muddy water.
Stop the leak.