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My letter to Tancredo:

Dear Congressman Tancredo:

I admire you and your courage in standing up to people like Karl Rove, the worst insider in President Bush's White House. I voted for Bush but he is really upsetting me with his blanket amnesty plan. Why do the President ignore up to 60% of the population who vehemently OPPOSE amnesty year after year. Yet, both parties want to turn the other way and ignore the situation. Your web site states: "America is a welcoming nation, and the hard work and strength of our immigrants have made our Nation prosperous." That is a nice line and warm and fuzzy, but most of the people here came as LEGAL immigrants, as my Italian and Canadian families did (I have their naturalization papers to prove it!) did and President Bush's Mayflower ancestors. He and McCain are rewarding the breaking of Federal Law, which INSULTS my ancestors as well as yours. Karl Rove is giving him horrible advice, for the sake of the imaginary smacking of their chops over the growing Hispanic vote. Is it worth alienating 65-70% of the population who opposes this measure in order to butter up a group who goes usually goes Democratic anyway? Why not revamp the INS, and get the long needed deportation of these illegals going? It will cost millions, surely, and the liberal press will print "sob stories" of the illegals that were only trying to assist their dying sister in Guadalajara, but the American people will stand by you...and Bush if he reconsiders. He may lose some of the Hispanic vote (many Hispanics that I personally know are actually opposed to his amnesty program), but will pick up the votes of those disgusted with the blanket amnesty programs that date back to Reagan.

It is disconcerting enough to have these illegals refuse to assimilate into our culture as my ancestors did, but the extra costs of dealing with these people have made welfare and health care costs go through the roof and nearly belly up from the abuse and bloated rolls. It is a dirty secret why health care is so expensive --one of the many reasons is the fact that hospitals are giving many illegals free health care because by law they CANNOT refuse to treat them even with no insurance or means to pay.

They say the illegals do the work no one else will do. Fine enough, but I am certain that those already on welfare or social services could be given incentives to take these jobs instead of stay on the rolls. Developing a sane a guest worker program and incentives for future citizenship is a priority, but the need to deport the offenders and seal the boarder is now. Mexico's Vincente Fox is taking advantage of our generosity, and he is merely using this as a way to not deal with his own nation's poverty and throw the burden of poor Mexicans on us. That modi operati is unfair and grossly abusive of Fox.

I am also urging my congressman, Amo Houghton, and Senators Clinton and Schumer to vote no on this bill, and will not support them if they vote for the amnesty.

I say to Bush "I am sorry Mr. President, but you are wrong on this and Karl Rove should treat the legal immigrants and the descendants of legal immigrants with more respect than has been lately given." I say you to you, Congressman Tancredo, "right on! You have most of the country on your side! Fight the good fight and the dangerous pro-amnesty elements in the GOP (Kyle, McCain, Orrin Hatch et. al.)

Good luck and God bless, Mike

Rochester NY