The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Amnesty Amok

1.12.04 @ 12:01AM

THINKING ALOUD
Re: Lawrence Henry's Thinking About That "Amnesty":

Exactly!

I employ Latino workers. I'm not blind to the fact that they work for me for one reason and one reason only -- $$. I love them because they outwork any American I've ever had 3 to 1. So I treat them with the utmost respect and expect nothing in return -- except production. But it also bothers me to see some Latinos become "Americanized." In other words, learn how to get something for nothing, and start believing the Democratic Party line. I can't blame them for using our healthcare system for free. Wouldn't you, in their situation, if you or your child were in pain?

I see this immigration idea as a stroke of genius. Ties that bind. Mano en mano: You want to improve your family's welfare? Then come here, work and seek the American Dream. And if you want healthcare and have no plans to retire or stay here, fine, just present your temporary visa health card and pay for it with your family's accumulated work points. Need to leave and come back? No problem, just present your card with at least 1,000 points at the border for re-entry. Pay to play, or work.
-- unsigned

Lawrence Henry is delusional. Presidente Bush's idea is just another invitation to disaster. If we really want to help the situation, we should send aid to Mexico with strings attached so that their people don't feel compelled to cross the border. Better yet, threaten to get rid of NAFTA and let the Mexicans keep their ... green onions, etc.
-- Susannah Faria
Pittsburg, California

I'm a Republican and I consider myself to be fairly conservative on most issues. To me, the illegal immigration is a "black and white" issue; people who are in this country illegally are criminals and should (at the very least) deported back to their country of origin. You argue that deporting ten million illegal aliens won't work. That can't be proven because it has never been tried. I say let's give it a try and the place to start is here in California. We are either a nation of laws or we are not.

The mass deportation of criminals from this country is not the business of the UN or the Europeans. It is simply a matter of enforcing our laws.
-- Tillman Jeffrey
Manteca, California

Conservatives are supposed to deal with the world as it is, and to understand that it is dangerous to make policy based on ideals absent of surveying circumstances. So why do so many on our side us refuse to deal with reality when it comes to the issue of illegal aliens?

Sure, it's all well and good to say we should do nothing that rewards people for breaking our immigration laws. But what then is the policy to go along with that? Rounding up and deporting millions of illegals is neither practical nor responsible, and those who insist on nothing less are, therefore, in essence, arguing for the status quo. Lawrence Henry has it right when he advises "imagine you have some administrative responsibility for the actual running of the United States." If the big problem with Bush's proposal is that it allows some of the millions of people who are working here illegally to get temporary legal status, then we need to ask ourselves, what is a more palatable solution. I've yet to hear one.

President Bush's plan can't be fully appraised without a lot more detail, and it only addresses a part of the problem. But it is a practicable suggestion for coming to grips with the issue, and for focusing law enforcement and immigration resources more effectively. It will, inevitably, to some extent "reward" those who are already in the country illegally, but, as some have already suggested, that can at least be partially resolved by imposing some moderate fine on working illegals who want to trade in their illegal status for the security of a legal one. Instead of indicating that their support is beyond reach, conservative lawmakers should be working on influencing the all-important details.

I don't know when the Democrats will be running the show again in Washington. But I know they will be sometime. So do we want to start working on this problem now with a reasonable guest worker program along the lines suggested by the President, combined with stricter enforcement of our immigration laws, or do we want to continue to ignore the problem and let the Democrats deal with it down the road by granting all illegals citizenship?
-- Brandon Crocker
San Diego, California

Apropos "Thinking about That 'Amnesty,'" by Lawrence Henry:

Out of context, it may seem mad for GWB to encourage tens of millions of Latin Americans, Chinese et al. to flood into the U.S. In view of GWB's pending announcement of America's return to the moon and travel to Mars, however, it makes perfect sense: He's simply ensuring that we legal Americans have somewhere to go after we become outnumbered by aliens, as it were.
-- David Govett
Davis, California

Well if it is an "ethnic group" that consistently ignores the laws of our country and parasitically sucks the resources from its host (the U.S.A.), then a "cleansing" is very nearly necessary! Is the obvious so clouded in political rhetoric as to be unseen, unknown and even disbelieved? Lets refer to the discussion of the method El-Al uses to screen terrorists.

In our media it is referred to as "racial profiling" For El-Al, whose intolerance of terrorism is known world-wide, it is called "terrorist profiling" Why? Because there is a profile for the common terrorist -- and a large percentage terrorists are from a small group of world culture. No apologies for a strong policy that protects their customers. In the eyes of most Americans, this is a desirous policy- and one that has taken a backseat to attempting to please everyone.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Foreign Policy, Education, Trade, Economics, Business, Law, Military, Iraq, Africa, Immigration