Democratic candidates did some heavy pandering to the Hispanic crowd they faced on Saturday. The Democrats fell over each other demonizing the opponents of the Senate’s failed immigration bill. The rhetoric was thick:
“I want my daughters to be raised in a community in which all people, and not just some, are considered part of the American family,” Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black president, told the conference at Walt Disney World.
I have the same goal for my children, Sen. Obama. That is the goal for most Americans. But I understand what TR meant when he said there is no room for 50-50 Americanism in America. There is only room for 100%. The Bible reinforces it: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. (Matthew 6:24, KJV).” True, the Bible was referring to trying to serve God and wealth, but the comparison works equally well here. There is only room for allegiance to America. Legal immigrants understand that idea and are proud to be Americans. However, many illegal immigrants are not interested in becoming American. They are interested in making money to send back to Mexico, and taking advantage of our social welfare programs. Where is their allegiance?
“Many of us had relatives who came to this country without skills but have made a great contribution to themselves and their families and we’re proud of them and we want to give more people that chance going forward,” Clinton said.
Many also came into the country legally, Sen. Clinton. Many underwent medical screenings and took tests and studied American history and took pride in American citizenship. No one is faulting immigrants who come to the country legally. We are faulting the gate crashers and the invaders. Maybe instead of pandering to the illegal vote, you could talk about reforming the immigration process.
Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut characterized the recent immigration debate as a race to see “who out there can be the most anti-Hispanic.”
Chris who?
John Edwards, the Democrats’ 2004 vice presidential nominee, called the border fence “crazy” and said he did not want to live in an “America that is made up of first class citizens and second class workers.”
John Edwards thinks it is crazy to define and defend the borders of America from invasion. This is not about class warfare, Johnny Hair-cut. This is about protecting America’s borders, language and culture. No one is advocating a system of first class citizens and second class workers, except those promoting the socialist agenda. The opposition against this immigration reform was about amnesty and the respect for America’s law and borders.
Is it too much to ask that our laws be respected by those who are causing increases in local, state and federal taxes due to the abuse of our welfare state?
Where is the candidate that understands that this issue is a matter of government inefficiency? According to About.com:
Backlog has been going on for years at the INS (now the USCIS). It has gotten better, then worse, in cycles over the years. 2002 was one of the worst years, when additional security checks were required for some applications. Employment-based immigrants and citizenship applicants will wait one to two years and more. Some people haven’t seen their spouses, children or parents for years. There are family members of green card holders who have been waiting for 17 years.
The USCIS receives approximately 6 million applications each year.
USCIS backlog at the end of FY 2003 (September 2002) was 3.7 million cases, however, backlog since then has been reduced by 212,000.
As I have said before, there is no shortage of people trying to get into the country legally. The issue is the inability of the government to process them in a timely manner. So, what has the government done to combat the problem? The same thing it always does in the spirit of efficiency. It threw money at the problem.
Bush says he is committed to reducing backlog and improving all USCIS functions. Since 2000, he has pledged $500 million in new spending to help meet this goal. “We will bring to the INS a new standard of service and a culture of respect.”
How about this solution? USCIS, you’re fired. You can’t produce the result we want and your performance is terrible. Certainly there is a company out there that can perform a background check and approve admission to the country in under six months. Best Buy can approve my credit card application in under a minute. While not as detailed as an application for citizenship, I have confidence that the same principles can be applied. Turn the problem loose on the free market and let the private sector solve it. Competition breeds efficiency. Government monopoly stifles it. And we get the problem we face today. Big problems require bold solutions. Unfortunately, bold solutions are often sacrificed at the alter of politics.
