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Thomas Sowell: The Senate's 'Tough' Immigration Bill
Creator's Syndicate ^ | May 26, 2006 | Dr. Thomas Sowell

Posted on 05/26/2006 4:04:19 PM PDT by RWR8189

Some people are worried that amnesty will give illegal aliens the same rights that American citizens have. In reality, it will give the illegals more rights than the average American citizen.

Since most of the illegals are Mexican, that makes them a minority. Under affirmative action, combined with amnesty, they would have preferences in jobs and other benefits.

Those who set up their own businesses would be entitled to preferences in getting government contracts. Their children would be able to get into college ahead of the children of American citizens with better academic qualifications.

Illegals who graduate from a high school in California can already attend the University of California, paying lower tuition that an American citizen from neighboring Oregon.

Under the supposedly "tough" immigration bill in the U.S. Senate, illegals don't have to pay all the back taxes they owe. An American citizen gets no such break from the government and can end up in federal prison, like Al Capone.

If an American citizen gets stopped by the police for a traffic violation and the cops discover that he is wanted for some other violation of the law, they can arrest him for whatever else he has done.

But if an illegal alien gets stopped for going through a red light and the police discovers that he is in the country illegally, in many communities the cop is forbidden to arrest him for that -- or even to report him to the feds.

If an American citizen forges a Social Security card in order to get a job, he can be arrested. Under a provision recently passed by the Senate, illegal aliens who forged Social Security cards not only get a pass, they get to collect Social Security benefits.

The great majority of Senators who voted for that provision were Democrats, and they prevailed because they were joined by a small minority of Republicans, led by -- surprise! -- Senator John McCain. After similar defections on judges and free speech, Senator McCain may give opportunism a bad name.

What the immigration bill in the Senate has become is just another attempt to pander to another special interest, in disregard of how that affects the country as a whole.

Much is made of the fact that there are supposedly 12 million illegals in the country already. The last time illegal aliens were given amnesty, back in 1986, that led to even more illegal aliens coming in afterwards.

Do we want 20 million or 30 million more illegal aliens in the future? Do we want to change the very composition of the American population, and with it the values of the country?

There was a time when immigrants came here to become Americans. But there are powerful pressure groups in this country, extending far beyond the immigrant community, doing their best to keep foreigners foreign and force Americans to accommodate their foreign language and culture in the name of "multiculturalism."

We have seen what havoc such notions and practices have created after mass immigration under "guest worker" programs in Europe, especially after the Muslim riots in France. Do we want that in the United States?

Most of the first generation of immigrants may want nothing more than a chance to work and will be happy to be here instead of in Mexico. But second generations born in this country compare their situation not with the situation in Mexico but with what other Americans around them have.

There are plenty of people, both inside and outside the immigrant community, who will fan their sense of grievance and exploit their resentments. This is not peculiar to people from Mexico. Europe has already experienced this.

Both the facts of the past and the dangers of the future are being ignored in the rush to give immediate benefits to illegal aliens, washed down with much talk about border control but no requirement that the border actually be controlled before these benefits go into effect.

The political strategy of this package deal legislation is to give immediate and irrevocable special benefits to some and make pious promises about the future to get all this past the others.

 

Copyright 2006 Creators Syndicate



TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 109th; aliens; amnesty; illegalaliens; immigration; senate; senatebill; sowell; thomassowell
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1 posted on 05/26/2006 4:04:22 PM PDT by RWR8189
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To: RWR8189

I say this often- Sure, many of the first generation immigrants are just happy to be here making more than they could in Mexico, but do you think their children will be happy to pick lettuce and eke out a living? I don't think so! Then you have to start all over getting more fresh immigrants willing to do the work- for one generation while the kids 'demand' a better life. And so the cycle will continue.


2 posted on 05/26/2006 4:08:23 PM PDT by usmom
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To: RWR8189
If there is a need for immigrant labor, how about the following: anyone who has applied for residency prior to 1-1-2001 and is not otherwise disqualified may enter. Anyone who is in this country illegally and did not apply to enter prior to that date will be deported. If that cutoff date doesn't let in enough people to meet labor requirements, people who applied between 1-1-2001 and 1-1-2002 may enter as well, etc.

It is obscene that people who flout the rules should be treated better than those who follow them.

3 posted on 05/26/2006 4:10:49 PM PDT by supercat (Sony delenda est.)
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To: RWR8189
If the senate gets its way, America as we know it is dead.
4 posted on 05/26/2006 4:11:13 PM PDT by HuntsvilleTxVeteran ("Remember the Alamo, Goliad and WACO, It is Time for a new San Jacinto")
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To: HuntsvilleTxVeteran

They will get their way. They're the Senate after all. We're just annoying, loud peasants that think we have some right to influence our rulers.


5 posted on 05/26/2006 4:14:30 PM PDT by Hardastarboard (Why isn't there an "NRA" for the rest of my rights?)
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To: RWR8189

The Sinning Schuysters in the Senate are Slowly boiling us frogs to death...


6 posted on 05/26/2006 4:20:12 PM PDT by Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin
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To: RWR8189
This country suffers grievously at the hand of the foul criminal Senate - those jokers deserve our derision, and need to be kicked mightily out of office!
7 posted on 05/26/2006 4:21:54 PM PDT by GregoryFul
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To: RWR8189

8 posted on 05/26/2006 4:25:28 PM PDT by heights
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To: RWR8189
Thomas Sowell is a racist DU plant who's been plotting for decades against President Bush. He hated him waaaay back when he owned the Texas Rangers, and he hates him now.

(/sarc)

L

9 posted on 05/26/2006 4:26:50 PM PDT by Lurker (Real conservatives oppose the Presidents amnesty proposal. Help make sure it dies in the House.)
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To: HuntsvilleTxVeteran
If the senate gets its way, America as we know it is dead.

Lenin was right after all. Except it wasn't communists to whom capitalists would be selling rope.

10 posted on 05/26/2006 4:31:46 PM PDT by lemura
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To: RWR8189

We who are infuriated at GWB & the senate should take up the cry that GWB is a LAME DUCK & so will be congressmen who follow his lead on immigration.

Message for Jeb: Don't even think about it. The Bush family have shown themselves to be Back Stabbers. Twice.


11 posted on 05/26/2006 4:35:19 PM PDT by Mister Da (The mark of a wise man is not what he knows, but what he knows he doesn't know!)
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To: Gordongekko909

Dr. Sowell Ping.


12 posted on 05/26/2006 4:38:26 PM PDT by jazusamo (DIANA IREY for Congress, PA 12th District: Retire murtha.)
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To: Lurker; RWR8189

bump


13 posted on 05/26/2006 4:39:41 PM PDT by bwteim (If the root cause of illegal immigration is employment, help move Lindsey Graham to Mexico.)
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To: HuntsvilleTxVeteran; RWR8189
Do we want to change the very composition of the American population, and with it the values of the country?

That's the crux and it is not talked much about. Are US senators willing to take a huge risk like that with the future?

The other thing I don't get, the Republican senators up for reelection are voting against the bill. Great.

What are the others getting out of a 'yes' vote? Currying favor with Bush?? Getting campaign money from big biz??

14 posted on 05/26/2006 4:41:36 PM PDT by beckaz (Deport, deport. deport.)
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To: RWR8189
MESSAGE TO U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

HOLD STEADFAST!
FILIBUSTER IF YOU MUST!

MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE:

SUPPORT THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS!
THEY NEED AND DESERVE ALL OUR SUPPORT!

15 posted on 05/26/2006 5:11:55 PM PDT by Savage Beast (The Spirit of Flight 93 is the Spirit of America!)
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To: supercat

It is obscene that people who flout the rules should be treated better than those who follow them.


second that.


16 posted on 05/26/2006 5:14:22 PM PDT by Canedawg (In God We Trust)
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To: beckaz

A famous founder once wrote about how migrants escaping the corrupting bad habits of their origin could feasibly not recognize their own practices that caused their discontent that led to exodus,and therefore, ironically could be prone to introducing some of the same corrupting failed bad habits and customs to bespoil the very country that offered a better living.

Am I currently talking about the Mexican's Illegals' flight to the USA?; No, I'm talking about all the Massachusetts expatriots that escaped from Kennedyland to seek a better life in New Hampshire.
They unconsciously brought along the same ills that had made Massachusetts un-liveable for them. New Hampshire is becoming "Massachusetts North" for this very reason, and may explain a corrupting influence on Judd Gregg, one of those Senators we lament as a sell-out.


17 posted on 05/26/2006 5:15:21 PM PDT by So Circumstanced
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To: Hardastarboard
They will get their way. They're the Senate after all. We're just annoying, loud peasants that think we have some right to influence our rulers.

Not while there are Americans and patriots willing to do what it takes to stop this madness dead in its tracks

The mexican menace is stoppable. Get off the bench and help stop it

To hell with the so called "senate"

18 posted on 05/26/2006 5:41:06 PM PDT by Rooivalk
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To: beckaz
What are the others getting out of a 'yes' vote? Currying favor with Bush?? Getting campaign money from big biz??

RINOs are more reliant upon Democrat election fraud than even the Democrats themselves.

19 posted on 05/26/2006 6:00:46 PM PDT by supercat (Sony delenda est.)
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To: 2ndreconmarine; Alissa; balrog666; beyond the sea; BraveMan; brf1; Capriole; CarolinaGOP; ...
Thomas Sowell *PING*

FRmail me if you want on or off the Thomas Sowell Ping List.

20 posted on 05/26/2006 7:17:38 PM PDT by Gordongekko909 (I know. Let's cut his WHOLE BODY off.)
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