Why conservatives should back immigration reform
Absurdities abound in the commentary so far. We have always heard from the two opposites of the political spectrum: nativists and zero-growth environmental radicals. The truth is that the far left has poured far more resources to lobby against immigration reform than anyone else, ignoring our shrinking population, the fact that almost 5 percent of our current work force consists of unauthorized immigrants, and the shifting demographics that are taking place regardless of what actions, if any, we take on immigration reform.
Lastly, for those whose emphasis for or against this proposal are the political ramifications, transport yourselves back in history to the time when Congress debated the admission of our 49th and 50th states into the Union. At that time, in order for there to be bipartisan support for Hawaiian and Alaskan statehood, it was essential to admit both states simultaneously since political “experts” deemed that Hawaii would be largely Republican given our history in the Pacific wars and the residence of many military retirees in the islands. Alaska, on the other hand, was deemed to go to the Democrats given the risk takers and adventurers in its midst. Well, those political estimates were totally off the mark.
The truth is that no one can accurately predict the predilections and voting patterns of our future citizens.
Blowback
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As sad as it is to say, enforcing the laws on the books would be a significant reformation of current immigration policy, and one that is sorely needed.
The next step ought to be streamlining the legal immigration process. If you’re a law-abiding citizen of your own country and have a plan to pursue productive employment in the U.S. even if it’s just working on a farm, and you’re willing to pay reasonable taxes on what you earn, I don’t see why it should take more than six months for you to come over here.
Atlas on February 7, 2013 at 3:11 PM
If they do, or don’t, it’s futile.
NO votes will go their way due to the illegal disaster it all is.
Illegal is now the rule of the land.
AmeriKa is now like Mexico, a charlatanic land, full of thugs, form Obama on down.
Schadenfreude on February 7, 2013 at 3:11 PM
No… it used to be this way but Sierra Club was bought off by Democratic party activists… because Democratic party activists want political power.
ninjapirate on February 7, 2013 at 3:12 PM
That is the dumbest thing I ever read.
Is he actually comparing the admission of two of the wealthiest states to the admission of tens of millions of 3rd world poor who have a higher than 60% of govt. dependence…?
Nobody can predict their future voting patterns?
Nobody?
NeoKong on February 7, 2013 at 3:13 PM
First we secure the border THEN we talk.
GardenGnome on February 7, 2013 at 3:16 PM
Sure:
Reform plan item 1:
FINISH THE DARN FENCE!
Reform plan item 2:
Treat those from other countries as they would treat our citizens. You know, that “reciprocal agreement” kind of thing.
Reform plan item 3:
Those that are illegally here have X months to turn themselves in and face various civil/criminal penalties, as per (2) above. Then they can get in the back of the line, so to speak, after they’ve paid those penalties.
You had kids here? Fine. YOU still have to pay the penalties or go home. They get to stay as immigrants, not legal citizens, until they serve in the Military or some other specific activity.
Then if caught, captured and one way ticket home if no other crime pending.
How hard is that?
ProfShadow on February 7, 2013 at 3:16 PM
I’ve always been curious as to why the RIGHT crawled into bed with “Big Labor” on stifling immigration reform.
HondaV65 on February 7, 2013 at 3:18 PM
Cardenas? Sounds Austrian or Maldivian.
/
Christien on February 7, 2013 at 3:18 PM
I’ve always wondered why the RIGHT has worshiped money changers who will sell out their country for a little more profit while imposing the social costs on everyone else.
ninjapirate on February 7, 2013 at 3:21 PM
This is not “immigration reform”. There is nothing wrong with our immigration policies if they would simply be enforced.
darwin on February 7, 2013 at 3:25 PM
There’s a number of reasons.
The first and most obvious is that businesses want illegal immigrant labor because it helps drive down wages. Minimum wage laws and labor unions are a major contributor to this problem.
The second is that illegal immigration activists have convinced some social conservatives that as fellow Christians, Hispanics and social conservatives should be natural allies.
The third is that our population is falling, and the elites seem to think we can simply import a large group of poor and uneducated migrants with no political or social ramifications.
The fourth is that the GOP fantasizes about having a “captive ethnic voting bloc” that votes for them 90%-95% every election the same way blacks do for the Democrats. Any criticism of this idea is, ironically, lazily derided by its proponents as “racism.”
There’s probably other reasons I haven’t thought of but I think I covered most of them.
Doomberg on February 7, 2013 at 3:25 PM
Al, etal,
Tell me why it is U.S. taxpayers, U.S. citizens responsibility to deal with the problems caused by the corupt and inept Goverment of Mexico.
Tell U.S. why we the people who are the U.S.A. (not our elite in Washington D.C.) should be paying for all this due to the lies and fraud of our Goverment in its total failure to secure the U.S. Borders aginst unlimited illegal immigration.
We understand the need of the Mexican corupt Goverment to push off on U.S. tax payers their huge population problem that they themselves refused to deal with responsibly.
We understand the lust for wage/vote slave by the evil elite in our Washington D.C..
Understanding does not make it ok or acceptable nor ever able to be sustained without total force of arms by both Goverments to sudue U.S..
Get it?
APACHEWHOKNOWS on February 7, 2013 at 3:30 PM
I’m in favor of REAL immigration reform. Amnesty and more laws promising to secure the border are not reforms.
The GOP establishment knows amnesty will push the electorate even further to the left where the squishes won’t have to worry about getting squished.
Wigglesworth on February 7, 2013 at 3:31 PM
Well, there IS a lot of racism in SOME of the comments here on HA on this topic. Not all the opposition is based in race though – I’ll give you that.
BUT – In EVERY case – Conservatives who oppose immigration reform oppose based on a very lazy arguement – that somehow Hispanics are programmed at birth to be Dimmocrits and there is no way that conservatives could EVER possibly make them become conservatives.
And – that’s the key here. Forget making them Republicans, hell – the Republican part has already LOST most of us out here. The GOP is simply an old party on Hospice care now.
You don’t want to make them Republican – you want to convince them to become CONSERVATIVE.
But this notion that Hispanics can’t be sold conservatism also betrays something else – that conservatives feel their ideology REALLY IS inferior. Why do I say that? Hell, if we all thought that conservatism was the SUPERIOR philosophy, we’d all be fired up to sell it to EVERYBODY. Instead … we just check people off the list … Blacks … check ‘em off. Hispanics … check ‘em off. Northeasterners … check ‘em off and give ‘em some RINOS.
LOL
You’re LOSING because you’re running away from things – not running toward them.
HondaV65 on February 7, 2013 at 3:36 PM
No, this is definitely not true. However, the current state of the illegal immigrant community guarantees the current generation will always vote for Dems.
The way the melting pot is supposed to work is that you move here legally, you learn the language and basic civics, you get a good education, and you go on to become a productive citizen. These are the immigrants Republicans have a real chance at reaching out to (Asian immigrants who do this are ripe for pickup and I never understood why we aren’t targeting them).
The way the system is ACTUALLY working is that an illegal crosses the border, and they typically have no money or resources or education, can’t speak English, and can only get low wage jobs that are nearly slave labor. In order to supplement their income (if they have any), they get into various welfare programs (illegally). We also aren’t allowed to the deport them, ever. The Democrats are the party of welfare, and thus the Hispanics are naturally going to turn to them.
The GOP plan seems to be to legalize them and put them on welfare before the Democrats do, thus ensuring a permanent captive voting bloc. I think this plan is infantile and stupid, and completely ignores history.
Doomberg on February 7, 2013 at 3:47 PM
Al yet again ignores the most popular, just, fair, efficient, and economical solution – attrition — IF IT IS TRIED!!!! See the Georgia TV news video below.
Any special consideration for illegal aliens (ANY consideration at all!) other than following existing laws is a form of amnesty, reward, benefit, and/or accommodation for illegal behavior.
As such, it will be a giant magnet for more illegal behavior.
This is simple human nature.
I resent all these GOP mouthpieces ASSUMING that we have to accept these 12 to 20 million illegals staying here — why not try enforcing the damn laws and getting them to go home??? As Georgia did (and see how it works here.)
The 1996 federal law against sanctuary cities is unenforced. LA’s Special Order 40 is a travesty. In-state tuition for illegal aliens mocks federal law.
Our federal government, both donkeys and elephants, is a joke, enforcement-wise.
Heath Shuler’s SAVE Act died in the House twice. Lamar Smith’s HR 2885 mandatory E-Verify died in Dave Camp’s Ways and Means, with Boehner’s consent. The GOP establishment is PART OF THE PROBLEM.
All the while, attrition through enforcement is the most economical, just, humane, fair, and POPULAR policy.
Anyone who thinks any form of accommodation is a solution would also advocate that, if a ship is sinking, declaring the incoming seawater to be cargo is also a “solution’.
fred5678 on February 7, 2013 at 4:00 PM
I hadn’t realized that Hawaii and Alaska had illegal Congressmen and Senators who were voting on legislation for twenty years and the only way to solve that problem was to admit them as states since they wouldn’t self deport themselves back to their territories.
I wonder if this Cuban American would be talking like this if the vast majority of those 10 million illegals were Chinese. I suspect he wouldn’t. Which brings me to the nativist slur he bandied there. Seems to me he’s guilty of tribal exclusivity just as much as anyone else we’ve heard from.
Dusty on February 7, 2013 at 4:20 PM
Call me old fashioned but I back immigration law. You know, the existing ones, that can’t secure a vote for anyone.
fogw on February 7, 2013 at 4:21 PM
Funny that. I thought I’d look to find corroboration of that (and Alaska leanings). Guess what? I never thought it would be that easy.
Now I’ll look for Alaska.
Dusty on February 7, 2013 at 4:27 PM
HondaV65,
Do you obey the laws of the U.S.?
If you do then why do you wish to allow citizens of another nation to disobey the laws of the U.S. and in fact get rewarded with U.S. Citizenship due to in part the orginal crime?
APACHEWHOKNOWS on February 7, 2013 at 4:27 PM
Now I’ll look for Alaska.
[Dusty on February 7, 2013 at 4:27 PM]
Alaska appears to be more a mixed issue. Both sides opposed Alaska, but for different reasons. Dems, mostly southern, opposed it because it would be more pro-civil rights, while Repubs were against it because out fear it would be a welfare case.
It sounds to me like Cardenas’ view is based mostly on the fleeting attitudes in 1954 and before not what they were when they were actually allowed to join the Union, which matched up more closely with what they are now.
Dusty on February 7, 2013 at 4:45 PM
Hmm, where have I seen the name Cardenas before? Oh I know, he’s another one of Rubio’s puppet masters, besides Jeb.
In 1996, an unknown Rubio offered to help Bob Dole’s campaign and Dole’s Florida director, Al Cardenas, was immediately impressed with Rubio’s potential and hired him. Rubio availed himself well, and two years later, he decided to get into campaigning for real and ran to become a commissioner in West Miami — a position that doesn’t sound like much of a position.
Rubio won, and on election night got a call from Jeb Bush, who by this time was aware of Rubio and his electoral potential no matter how inchoate.
TxAnn56 on February 7, 2013 at 5:37 PM
Al Cardenas, just another Bush crime family corrupt crony capitalist!
http://www.floridapoliticalpress.com/2011/02/10/head-of-hsr-coalition-al-cardenas-named-new-chairman-of-acu-9877
High-speed rail opponents here in Florida may recognize Cardenas’ name. His firm represents one of the consortiums angling to bid for the high-speed rail contract, and he does lobbying work for Associated Industries of Florida, whose president chairs the recently formed High-Speed Rail Coalition.
Which begs the question, can the chairman of ACU, an organization that promotes ‘limited government and fiscal responsibility‘, also head an effort to promote high speed rail using federal dollars at the same time? Is there a conflict of interest going on here?
Amid the grumblings that Cardenas is not ‘committed to conservative values’, is his willingness to spend money that this nation does not have, which only adds to the national debt further solidify those concerns?
Congresswoman Sandy Adams (FL-D24) referred to the rail initiative as “a misguided attempt to expand the reach of the federal government and spend limited taxpayer dollars on projects that our nation cannot afford.”
The full court press is so on to shove Jeb Bush’s lapdog, balding Marco down our throats.
The corruptocrats are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO transparent, duh!
Jayrae on February 7, 2013 at 6:03 PM