Being as I am smarter then the entire congress, it falls upon me to solve the immigration crisis.

OK, not really.  What I have is my own opinion.  And since this is my blog, and you are reading it, then you get to hear it.

I love that part of blogging.

Seriously though, there is so much pissing and moaning about Immigration, that I figure my opinion is no better then anyone else's.

As I see it, the relevant issues are:

1. Border security.  First and foremost, the border needs to be secured.  After 911 this *should* have been one of our first priorities.  Granted that the 911 attackers were here legally, the fact is we have an essentially open border and whether from Canada or Mexico, a person will ill intentions could make it in and do harm to us.
   
   The thing that is hardest to understand is why no one has, to our knowledge.
   
   But we have to look at the border security issues realistically.  No wall can stop the incursions.  They have shown  they can go around, go over and even go under any barrier we have used.  They will again.
   
   The wall is to make it as hard as possible sure, but let us not lose our sense of realism in false security.
   
2. Stopping employers from hiring illegals:  I regard this as the second most important issue, and it MUST be done in conjunction with step 1.  The sad reality is that no border is totally secure and we have two sides of our country open to the ocean, so no matter how high the fence or wall, or how deep the moat, there will be people who can enter illegally.  You also have to contend with the people who entered legally but have overstayed their visas. 
   
   One of the chief draws is the ability to work.  We hear daily about the jobs Americans won't do.  While this is false, as many Americans do them already, the truth is there IS a cheap labor market, and it caters to the illegal immigrant market.  The recent raid in Portland is proof of concept.  600 workers.  48 had legal Social Security cards.   How scary is that?  552 people were committing a Federal Crime called Social Security Fraud.  The million dollar question is why only 165 were cuffed and stuffed.
   
   The irony is that hiring illegals is already illegal,  It is a lack of honest enforcement that is a major component of the problem.
   
   To fix it you need a solid ID system where an employees eligibility to work can be proven and verified.  And you need stiff penalties to deal with businesses who violate the law.
   
   Why is this so important?  Well as I noted, you will never fully shut off the flow of illegals.  So you need to do the next best thing, and that is take away their incentive to come here at all by doing everything possible to prevent them from earning a living.  This makes step 3 more likely to succeed.
   
3. Design a guest worker program that makes it possible for more people to come here temporarily, and encourages them to participate.  By that I mean making the system attractive enough that they want to use it.  You do that by making the alternative unthinkable (step 2) and by making a realistic program that gets us the workers we need, particularly the skilled workers we have shortages of.
   
4. Start dealing with the illegals here.  Let's be realistic.  Some kind of amnesty type program is going to occur.  We screwed up after the Reagan program by not enforcing our laws and we left the gates open far too long.  We cannot realistically deport 12-20 million people.
   
   But we do not have to make it easy for them either.  It needs to have a penalty and restrictions that make it fair to the people who have participated legally.
   
   I'll be honest, I cannot envision how to balance it, but somehow we need to find that balance. 
   
   But I also have to admit that we have no assurance all the illegals will participate, which is why we need to cut off all but life essential services to illegals.  Period.  Shut down the drain on local economies that are a result of them being able to get taxpayer funded programs and services.  It is cold hearted, and you may think me the bastard, but as long as they have this don't ask level of service, why should they become legal.  We again have to make it so being legal is more attractive then being illegal.

I am just talking off the cuff, but thats how I see the most important issues.

Switching back to congress, maybe their bloated bill does this.  I don't think it does.  But assuming it does, it does it badly.  We are replacing bad law with worse law.

So the first thing that needs to happen is the chicken hearted Republicans need to shut the bill down.  Permanently.   President Bush needs to abandon this as a bad idea and start over.  The Republicans have a chance to make a principled stand for REAL reform, which this is not.  They cannot make their stand by making themselves look like mini Democrats.

The Republicans have blown this issue, and they are losing the trust of their base, and they need to act quickly or be prepared to see Hillary or Obama in the Whitehouse.

As it is right now, they are so badly fractured they cannot win, or even make a good showing.

The Republicans need to Cowboy up and do the right thing.

 Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Right Pundits, Perri Nelson's Website, The Random Yak, Azamatterofact, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam's Blog, Maggie's Notebook, Right Truth, Webloggin, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, Pet's Garden Blog, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Allie Is Wired, third world county, stikNstein... has no mercy, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, OTB Sports, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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