My letters to my Senators and the President regarding immigration legislation

JEFFHEAD.COM ^ | 27 March 2006 | Jeff Head

[mathluv]

I for one do not have a problem with a guest worker program. Limits: Come here legally. Don't try to feed off gov't programs. Work, and go home, or assimilate and work.

[WhiteGuy]

Well written, I appreciate your words.

I suspect that, unless you sent some "abramoff-sized" checks that your letters will be ineffective.

That's just the way it is today.

[hedgetrimmer]

I suspect that, unless you sent some "abramoff-sized" checks that your letters will be ineffective

Not true. Loyal american citizens can create their own pressure groups. Can you get 3 or 4 other people to go to your congressman's office with you to discuss this?

Do you belong to a community organization that you can represent in presenting your concerns to your congressman?

[Jeff Head]

Until they fix the pourous and totally sieve of a border...I do have a problem with a guest worker program. Particularly one that says, in essence, "if you are already here, even if you came illegally, we will make a legal guest worker out of you. Just pay a fine and go to the front of the line."

That will only invite another tidal wave to stream in.

We must fix the broken system of them getting here illegally first...then, and only then, for me can we discuss a guest worker program. Otherwise we simply add one more huge administrative and enforcement nightmare to a system that is already broken.

[Arizona]

Your letters are excellent. I always appreciate your good work.

I write to the President with ccs to my Senators on an almost-daily basis. They are emails so I know they never read them, but perhaps they get "counted" somehow. Who knows.

I get form letters back from Senator Kyl (my GOOD Senator - what a joke!) and whenever I hear back from McCain it never even pertains to the subject I wrote about!! LOL

So anyway I don't delude myself into thinking that any of them actually care, but it makes me feel better to drop them a short note on a regular basis. I can't even write to my Congressman without going through all the crap on his website, so I know he doesn't *really* want to hear from us, his direct email address is unknown.

I think our country is lost. Our leaders are in position only to sustain their own lifestyle/ego/whatever.

The illegals (criminals, law breakers) get preferential treatment, and we the tax-paying citizens get crapped on. I'm a bit down tonight, but still so thankful that I grew up in the 50s when right was right and wrong was wrong. There were many good years.

az

[mathluv]

I agree. Fix the border first.

[humblegunner]

But illegal immigration has nothing to do with that in my estimation, from the get go when they violate those laws to get here.

I could not possibly agree more but I think we may be past the letter-writing stage.

I'm stocking up.

[RightWinger]

Sounds a lot like my letter.

I emphasized securing the border immediately and working out the other points after wards.

[Polybius]

Do you promise to protect them when they go out in the fields? Because people who do not belong to certain villages or tribes have been attacked when they show up to work on the crews.

Attacked by other Americans?

If Americans were ready and willing to do their own stoop labor, there would be no room on the fields for other "villages or tribes" from Mexico.

The bottom line is the citizens of modern-day First World countries are not willing to do their own stoop labor. In the case of Israel, the Israelis even risk allowing thousands of Palestinians through the Israeli border crossing each day to do that type of labor in Israel rather than do it themselves.

Right now, both extremes in this debate are in, pardon the pun, a Mexican standoff.

The side that does not want a single Mexican to enter the country with a Guest Worker Visa that allows him to travel back and forth between Mexico and the U.S. between tomato picking jobs is threatening the vital interests of the multi-billion dollar American agribusiness economic sectors that can buy Congressmen like you and I buy potato chips.

The side that wants things to stay as they are right now so that they can have a flood of cheap labor is threatening the vital interests of America itself.

As I have written several times before, my solution is:

1. Identify the LEGITIMATE needs of American business for foreign low-skill labor.

2. Meet that need by issuing Guest Worker Visas that allow passage in and out of the U.S. to perform such work. As with Israeli Guest Worker Visas, that does not include any promise of Green Cards or citizenship. If they want that, they need to take a number and wait in line like any other potential immigrant.

3. Once there is no excuse for illegality, target EMPLOYERS who violate the law. Have frequent and random raids and fine illegal employers $10,000 (ten thousand dollars) for each foreign worker without a Guest Worker Visa. It is much easier and much more effective to close the lid of your garbage can that is full of rotting food than to chase 20 million flies around your property with a fly swatter.

4. Once employers won't risk offering jobs to illegal foreign worker, there will be no incentive to cross the desert to get to the U.S. No rotting food in an open garbage can = No flies.

5. Dry up the welfare money that States give to illegal aliens. If California politicians are too stupid to do that and California voters are too stupid to stop electing such politicians, then California deserves whatever it gets.

In order to work, such a comprehensive solution has to be a PACKAGE DEAL. If not, the Mexican standoff will continue, Congress will be paralyzed into inaction and the flood of illegal aliens across the border will continue.

[Kenny Bunk]

In re The Polybius Program 1-5:

OK, I'll buy it. However, never one to leave well enough alone, I want to tweak your # 1: i.e. Identify the LEGITIMATE needs of American business for foreign low-skill labor.

I know from personal experience in the LA labor market that the temptation is to hire illegals immediately, simply because they are there and simply show up. To begin with, they certainly accept less ...I think of it as a "Training Wage"..... although in my experience, as they gain experience they get paid the same as everyone else.

However, while they are doing so, about 40% of the male population of Watts is sitting around, somewhat sketchily supported, directly or indirectly, by various programs like AFDC, SSI for drug problems, Section 8, Straight Welfare, Food Stamps, Medical Programs, etc. Another huge component are guests of the Correctional Department.

How shall we motivate our fellow citizens who are in these circumstances to pull their thumbs from their glass and come on down for work? What I fear is that the presence of massive numbers of illegals is helping create a permanent underclass among our fellow citizens, and coincidentally feeding the "LEGITIMATE" need for Guest Workers.

As I have written around here before, I do not think that illegal immigration will be corrected until the Congressional Black Caucus recognizes it as a problem. Lately they have been stirring fitfully, but as of yet have not awakened to smell the coffee.

I also think the present debate is just a cheap politician's trick to delay working on the problem effectively. The laws needed are already in place ... but not enforced ... or here's the key ...funded.

[Kenny Bunk]

Pinguitilla

[Travis McGee]

Only REALLY stupid RINOS believe that if these guys are appeased with 6 year guest worker amnesty citizenship, they are going to assimilate, learn English, and vote Republican.

[Travis McGee]

BLOAT.

[Kenny Bunk]

Carlos Rove and Jorge Arbusto really really believe that the Latinos, particularly the Mexicans, are the Republicans of the future, legitimate generations.

Even if this shaky proposition were true, with 14% of the overall population already identifiable as "Hispanic," and uncounted millions of illegals establishing citizen-families as we speak, Carlos and Jorge already have their dream. It's here. Now.

So, why not enforce the law on the border? If the secret Republican Plan was to come up with enough voters to offset the Democrat stranglehold on the African-American vote, they have already done it. So, why not enforce the law on the border?

The bad news? About 65% of legally registered Hispanics vote Democrat. Apparently, Carlos and Jorge seem to think that allowing more illegals will correct that imbalance. Eventually. Right now, 100% of the illegally registered are voted Democrat quite consistently.

This debate is a shabby trick to prolong the status quo. Even shabbier is the fact that Janet Napoletano and Richardson are looking like heroes, by merely listening to their constituents and pretending to take the stern action everyone knows is needed.

It is their party that will benefit from this situation in the long term, because the republicans will not fix the border, nor will they address vote fraud.

[Polybius]

In re The Polybius Program 1-5:............... OK, I'll buy it. However, never one to leave well enough alone, I want to tweak your # 1: i.e. Identify the LEGITIMATE needs of American business for foreign low-skill labor. I know from personal experience in the LA labor market that the temptation is to hire illegals immediately, simply because they are there and simply show up. To begin with, they certainly accept less ...I think of it as a "Training Wage"..... although in my experience, as they gain experience they get paid the same as everyone else. However, while they are doing so, about 40% of the male population of Watts is sitting around, somewhat sketchily supported, directly or indirectly, by various programs like AFDC, SSI for drug problems, Section 8, Straight Welfare, Food Stamps, Medical Programs, etc. Another huge component are guests of the Correctional Department. How shall we motivate our fellow citizens who are in these circumstances to pull their thumbs from their glass and come on down for work? What I fear is that the presence of massive numbers of illegals is helping create a permanent underclass among our fellow citizens, and coincidentally feeding the "LEGITIMATE" need for Guest Workers.

I totally agree with and share your concern.

In my book, enabling the lifestyle of welfare parasites is NOT a "legitimate" need although a sizable percentage of the Democrat base would claim otherwise.

This entire issue, which, as you have illustrated has complexities far beyond the illegal alien himself, must be dealt with as a whole. Addressing one aspect (the "legitimate" labor needs of American business) without addressing inter-related aspects (the perpetual welfare dependency of the underclass) is simply a recipe for continued failure.

However, I have reached the point in my life where I have finally realized that concepts such as honor and integrity are simply too much to expect from the great majority of politicians, both Democrat and Republican. Most politicians will do and say whatever it takes to get them reelected. That requires the ability to raise money from lobbyists to buy TV air time to allow the throwing of whatever red meat appeals to the voters that make up 51% of their district regardless of whether or not their actions are detrimental to the United States of America as a whole.

If your clones and my clones populated Congress, we could have the illegal alien mess and the perpetual welfare situation fixed within the year and the fix would be fair and just. With the quality of politicians we have nowadays, however, I will wager that the final product will be a joke.