How To Give A Straight Answer

If you watched the Democratic debate in Las Vegas on Nov. 15, you probably got a few laughs out of it like I did.

This was one of my favorite segments

Illegal Immigration

Congress is tossing around a bill that would, in effect, be a grant of amnesty for illegal aliens in the U.S. Any politician voting for that will probably find it to be a career-altering event.

Let's get a few things straight right off the bat.

1. No one has an inherent right to enter any country in which he is not a citizen....for any reason.

2. What people may have done hundreds or thousands of years ago during periods of human migration into sparsely settled areas of the Earth is irrelevant.

3. The reality of today is that nations exist and have established immigration laws designed to preserve and protect the societies that make up those nations.

4. We don't actually need anyone from another country to come here.....we have enough people already.

5. If your country is so screwed up that you want to leave, fix it......it's your responsibility. We sympathize with you, and we have probably already given you billions of dollars to help solve your problems. If your government has squandered our aid money and continues to oppress you.......well, that's what revolutions are for.

Immigration and Rationalization

Linda Campbell, one of the more liberal contributors to the Star-Telegram, wrote this article in Wednesday's edition....."We immigrate because we have to."

Yeah, Right!

Her commentary should be titled "We have to break the law, because that's the only way we can get what we want." How many crimes do you think are committed using this rationale?

It reminds me of the actual statement by a driver who ran over a pedestrian...."I had to hit him....he wouldn't get out of my way."

How can anyone justify committing a crime just because it achieves his desired goal?

"We immigrate because we have to, not because we want to, and because we dream of doing something we cannot do back in our country," Flores told about 30 editorial writers last week at a seminar sponsored by the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Look, I have sympathy for people who have no hope of rising above the wretched conditions of the two-bit country they were unfortunate enough to be born in. But isn't it their responsibility to do something about their country instead of sneaking into another country illegally where their dreams can be realized more easily?

Oh, the Humanity!

Jose Miguel Layva, in today's Star-Telegram, laments the holiday woes of illegal immigrants. According to Layva, the increased security along our southern border is forcing illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. and preventing them from being with their families in Mexico.

"For many Mexican immigrants living in the United States, the holidays have come to represent a time of sadness."

He conveniently omits the fact that he is referring to illegal immigrants.

"...undocumented workers -- many of whom just want to work and send money back home -- are finding it more difficult to cross back."

Only when it comes to crossing back into the U.S. ... illegally.

"Because of the proposed fence and increased security measures, those who are already in the United States have little choice but to remain."

Let's see.....go back to Mexico where I belong or stay in the U.S. illegally?......little choice, indeed.

"Some Americans think the fence will lead toward a more secure homeland. But many don't realize that 40 percent of the 12 million undocumented immigrants now in this country came here legally and then overstayed their visas."

Only 31 percent of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were in the U.S. illegally.

"These workers put more into our economy than they take out."

There is no way Leyva, or anyone else, can know this, and there is no reason to believe that it is true......unless, of course, you believe something simply because you want it to be true.

"This holiday, as we sit down to eat our feast with family, it would behoove us as a nation to remember that some of the food on our table was put there by immigrant workers who cannot go home."

Now where did I put that violin?....I can never seem to find it.

More Greed Plus an Insult

The City of Farmers Branch is being sued by Guillermo Ramos over the recently enacted city ordinances that are intended to discourage illegal aliens from residing within the city limits. The article in the Star-Telegram is the latest in the on-going saga of life in the small town north of Dallas. I've commented on this controversy in a previous post.

Ramos, a resident of Farmers Branch, claims in his suit that "...the ordinances were approved after discussions in closed-door meetings, a violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act." If that is true, and I don't know that it is, the ordinances should be withheld until all legal requirements can be met.

The real purpose of the suit, however, appears to be that the ordinances will be bad for Ramos' real estate business.

He reported that his real estate business "like other businesses in Farmers Branch will suffer from the negative impacts likely to result from the ordinances."

In the print edition of the newspaper, but not the online edition, the suit is reported to challenge "...a second "divisive" ordinance that targets property maintenance" by banning "...empty flowerpots and dirty garage doors" that, according to the article, "...is unmistakably and improperly directed toward a definable ethnic group - Hispanics - in Farmers Branch."

I know what you're thinking.....what do "empty flowerpots and dirty garage doors" have to do with Hispanics? Ramos apparently thinks this is a valid method of determining whether someone is Hispanic or not.

If I were "Hispanic," whatever that really means, I would sue Ramos for defamation of character and demand punitive damages for hurting my feelings.

Empty flower pots?..........Sheesh.....

Greed vs. Doing the Right Thing

If crime didn't pay, there wouldn't be so much of it.

It's not just the criminals who profit from their crimes. Those who tacitly abet the criminals often benefit from the crimes committed as well.

Case in point: Employers who hire illegal aliens benefit by avoiding having to pay higher wages and contributing to Social Security. They benefit financially in many ways that are not enjoyed by employers who abide the laws governing their businesses.

Mitchell Schnurman, in today's Star-Telegram, laments the economic downside of the decision by the City of Farmers Branch to support U.S. immigrations laws by prohibiting the housing and employment, within the city's limits, of "criminal aliens." Note the sneer quotes used by Schnurman in his commentary in the paper's Business section.

According to Schnurman, the city's economic development goals should outweigh its responsibility to uphold the law ... unless I'm completely misreading his words ... and I'm not. In fact, Mr. Schnurman comes across as a Gordon Gekko type of capitalist whose only concern is bigger and bigger profits.

In the movie Wall Street, Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, spouted this famous line:

"The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works."

Gekko may be right about greed in some respects, but when it comes to a choice between greed and doing what's right, I think most of us would at least resist selling out our values for a few pieces of silver.

Illegal Immigrantion

HEY, CONGRESS!

Yeah, you politicians who are supposed to be serving your country instead of lining your own pockets. Can't solve the problem of illegal immigration?

Here's a solution:

Use the National Guard from the border states to secure the border, under the command of their respective Governors and funded by the Federal Government until the U.S. Border Patrol is staffed to take over the job completely. No need for an expensive ugly fence.

Give notice that anyone in the country illegally has 60 days to apply for a temporary Visa, good for up to 1 year unless sooner rejected for cause. The application fees for temporary Visas will be calculated to cover the cost of the program.

After the 60 days is up, those who are caught in the country illegally will be subject to a fine and imprisonment prior to mandatory deportation to their home countries.

Holders of temporary Visas must apply for and be granted a student or work Visa before their year is up or leave the country.

Quotas for work Visas will be increased for Mexican nationals who can prove that they have a job or job offer from an employer in the U.S. Quotas for permanent residency will be eliminated to accommodate the increased number of work visas. We have enough permanent residents already.

Employers who hire illegal aliens will face fines and imprisonment = starting with the CEO and working down the chain of authority as far as is determined appropriate. This applies to independent contractors, too.

Employers of LEGAL immigrants must immediately report the termination of any foreign employee, or if the employee fails to report for work without a valid, and documented, reason.

Schools at which foreign students are enrolled must immediately report the graduation, termination, or unauthorized absence of any foreign student. Such students will be given 30 days to leave the country or face fines and imprisonment prior to deportation.

School administrators will be held criminally liable for failure to comply.

Amend the Constitution (again) to eliminate automatic citizenship to everyone born in the U.S. unless at least one parent is a U.S. citizen.

Got a better solution to the problem of illegal immigration?

Well, let's hear it then. And let's hear it NOW!

Weight-Watchers Advertisment

Imagine the chagrin. Getting stuck in a tunnel while trying to enter the country illegally.

The San Diego Union-Tribune brings us this explanation of why thin is "in."

Think about it next time you find yourself in line behind El Gordo.

Voter ID

Is there any reasonable argument against requiring voters to show some evidence that they are who they say they are and that they are actually entitled to vote in U.S. elections, that is, be American citizens?

An editorial in today's Star-Telegram seems to argue against such a requirement, citing Democrat claims that it would disenfranchise "the country's poorest, oldest and least-educated citizens." Specifically, "those black Americans for whom no birth certificate was ever issued" and "those who cannot take time off of work for fear of dismissal to visit a public office to acquire a government-issued ID."

Do black Americans not get to have birth certificates that whites and others are allowed to have? If you "cannot take time off of work" to get a government-issued ID, can you get one on your own time?

I think the argument that too many good, upstanding citizens would be prevented from voting is bogus. You almost have to have a government-issued ID in order to survive nowadays.

In my experience, without an "official" ID, I can't cash a check or, in many cases, even use a credit card. I can't buy or rent a place to live, open a bank account, fly commercially, or drive a car. So are there really a lot of Americans who don't have or can't get a photo ID from their state? I doubt it.

People in this country illegally naturally have a problem getting a valid ID, and I suspect that is what the Democrats are really worried about. The editorial claims that the Democrats believe that requiring an ID would affect those least likely to vote Republican.

The Democrats seem to want illegal aliens to provide the votes that Americans won't.

That would explain why the Democrats aren't serious about eliminating illegal immigration, but why is it that the Republicans aren't serious about it either?