My thoughts on Illegal Immigrants

There are 11-20 million illegal immigrants in this country. Not "undocumented persons" but illegal immigrants. There is no changing their status using word magic. They are trespassers on American soil.

However, there is no way of putting 11-20 million more people in American jails which are already overcrowded by an overly anal legislative and law enforcement society. So the idea of making 11-20 million more felons to arrest is ridiculous. What is not ridiculous is making and ENFORCING laws that penalize those businesses and companies which hire those illegal immigrants and those who aid and abet these activities by supplying fake identities and who smuggle people across our borders. Penalizing the companies (and unions) that hire and exploit illegal immigrant workers will eventually reduce the number of illegals to a managable size AFTER WHICH we can explore in a rational manner the necessity for temporary and seasonal workers.

There is no doubt that we need those workers. We have always used them - as long as I can remember back to my first political argument with my sister over a TV program about what was then called migrant workers in the south and west. Even then (back in the 50's) vegetable and fruit crops were picked and packed by workers from Mexico and points south. My sister and I argued over whether migrant workers should get education and benefits and other services. I won't tell you which side I took but I can say that I believe now that anyone who is liable to pay taxes in this country (including those who can't, such as children) should get the benefits of services available to natural born and naturalized americans.

However, WHEN they come back, as they will, laws should be in place to see that they get an AMERICAN living wage, that they pay local, state and federal taxes and that they receive the benefits they pay for. I see nothing wrong in a group of people coming from another country legally entering this country, doing work most Americans won't do or can't do, paying their share of taxes while they are here, obeying our laws and then returning to their homes with money well earned.

As for the President of Mexico? What the hell! He can't control his own country much less make demands of ours. I am reliably informed by an old friend of mine who married a Mexican woman and who lives in Mexico part of the time that Mexican schools teach their children that we "stole" Texas, Arizona and California from Mexico and several Mexican leaders insist that Mexicans have "native" rights in those states. Others are more radical and wish to reconquer those parts of the US gained from Mexico in ancient wars.

Screw all of them I say. Nothing pissed me off more than a video I saw of underarmed American Border Patrol running from what appeared to be Mexican military vehicles heavily armed with mounted machine guns. Some said they were drug runners, not army but who cares? Our people had to run for their lives while this country was being invaded. WTF? Our border guards get PROSECUTED for doing their jobs while those criminals continue to violate our borders. And our "beloved", "god-appointed" Resident does nothing about it? Why is that?

Because it would hurt business. With Bush as Resident, everything, our Constitution, our Bill of Rights and our Borders are up for sale. Influence is all. When a mexican mother complains that her drug running son was shot in the ass while running back to mexico for safety and two border guards are convicted while the drug running son of a bitch is a protected witness, something is very wrong. The most that should have happened to them is that they recieved more pistol training to correct their aim. A dead drug runner can't come back with his mamma and become a witness.