No Immigration Amnesty

This is the content of the letter on immigration reform that I have sent to my representatives in Congress and submitted as a Letter to the Editor to my local newspapers.

The President has made immigration reform one of the hallmark pieces of his new term agenda, and we've seen multiple new proposals presented this week. As you are gathering feedback from the people you represent, it is important to note that this is a topic about which people have very strong feelings.

There are approximately 1 million people here in the United States who have come to through legal channels but about 11 million who are here illegally.  The 1 million here legally have waited their turn, prepared the appropriate documentation, and are following the rules we have prescribed for those wishing to live and work here.  The 11 million here illegally have sneaked into the country through various dangerous and potentially costly mean while not having completed any paperwork, or checks of any kind.  Now most of these people are here to work in jobs that Americans will not perform or for wages that Americans will not accept, however some portion of them are costing the states and local communities in which they reside millions of dollars and security by participating in violent criminal activity, driving without licenses or insurance, or by utilizing government programs and services they haven't paid into.  Others may well include potential terrorists who wish to do us harm.

President Obama has proposed an immigration plan that includes amnesty for those illegal immigrants already here, which essentially means automatic citizenship.  What does that say to all the people who came to this country and played by the rules? Certainly not a level playing field.  The United States should not be providing amnesty in any form, including a special "path to citizenship". Rather than containing the flood across our borders, amnesty would be like opening the dam to all those contemplating coming to the US illegally in the future - don't worry, just come and you'll be taken care of - and would penalize the people who came here through the proper channels.  

Is it feasible to deport 11 million people?  Of course not, and multiple industries would be harmed by the loss of workers.  There is no way that the American people would be willing to pay for the significantly more expensive agricultural products that would result from raising wages high enough to make those seasonal jobs worthwhile to citizens.  We need those workers.  Let's create a Guest Worker program for which every person here illegally that wants to work would need to apply and register.  Let's restrict access to all federal, state, and local welfare benefits so as not to incentivize people to come here to take advantage of these programs.  Let's deport those we know have engaged in criminal activity.  And lastly, if those guest workers would like the opportunity to become citizens down the line after proving they are productive members of society, let's offer the opportunity to get in line and follow the same process as everyone else.  

Congress is all about compromise

I think some folks out there are not too clear on how the founding fathers intended our government to work.  There are three branches and 2 houses within the legislative branch for a reason.  The founders knew that pure democracy and majority rule was a death sentence for the liberties of the minority, so to protect individual freedoms, they planned for multiple counterbalancing forces.  They knew that it would be unlikely for all branches to be controlled by the same party, so that extreme ideological action would be harder to pass and be put into effect.

Within the system today, Democrats have control of the Senate and the White House, and Republicans have control of the House.  In order for Congress to  accomplish anything at all, the two parties HAVE to negotiate and compromise.  Democrats will have to give in on things they want, and Republicans will have to give in on some things they want.  The fact is: the legislation that will come as a result of these rounds of compromise will not be all that Republicans would hope.  Nor will it match the Democratic wish list.  Minority Senate Republicans are particularly important right now in tempering Democratic proposals enough so that they can be supported by their counterparts in the House.  

Sure people want THEIR desires put into practice, but accusing principled legislators of abandoning their principles or selling-out ignores the fact that given the mix of opinions and political ideology we see in America, it would be virtually impossible for strict ideologues to ever get their way all the time.  We sent our representatives to congress to represent our interests and to work together to solve the problems of this country.  We want to see people sharing the same values and priorities we hold to be involved in those negotiations, so that those with the opposite views do not have the final say.  We cannot, however, expect them to achieve 100% of what we would like.  In negotiation, both sides must give up some of what they want so that both sides get most of what they want.  

Obama's Power Grab

Since his reelection, President Obama has been clearly showing the country what he intends his next term to look like.  All of his cabinet picks have been a slap in the face to most Americans and our ally Israeli, he has threatened unilateral action via Executive Orders to get around the lack of Congressional support for his proposals, and he has pointedly refused to negotiate with Congress on the budget.  Not worried about facing another election, he is ready to impose his rule as King Obama.  Are we really going to let this happen?

The election was a travesty.  How did Republicans manage to lose?  I still can't believe that the GOP was not even able to get as many people out to vote for Romney as for McCain!  Obama's first term was a complete mess and he country is in a worse state now than when he took office.  There are fewer people employed today than at the height of the recession and the national debt is well over $16 trillion.  What does it take to get people to sit up and take notice?

Republicans need to do two things: first, they need to take the gloves off and start fighting dirty.  There's no way to win this country back by playing nice when the Democrats have no trouble lying about their records and intentions; second, we all need to come together and press the Republicans in Congress to fight every move Obama makes.  It is much more important for this country that they do not give in.  We have to give up sparring within the party and present a unified front before we reach the point of no return.  The things that tend to divide us, like social issues and illegal immigration need to take a back seat to the far more pressing issues of wasteful spending, entitlement reform and protecting the Constitution.  Look at the Democrats. Obama is appointing a cabinet full of white men.  Do you see women's or minority groups saying a word about it?  Not a peep.  We need to show the same unity, but with a principled cause, and push our party leaders to work together to do the will of the people.

Chuck Hagel is the wrong choice

President Obama is providing us all with a clear indication of his views on the use of military power, our relationship with Israel, and his weak response to the threat Iran poses by nominating former Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense.  

Senator Hagel has repeatedly indicated his unwillingness to put military action on the table when dealing with the threat from Iran, which would continue to demonstrate the US position of weakness to the Iranians. Why should they consider the demands of the US and other nations if they already disregard sanctions and continue to move forward with their nuclear program, unless they know the US is prepared to back up talk with action?  A nuclear Iran is a grave threat to the entire world and we need a Secretary of Defense who understands the gravity of the situation and is ready to do what is required to defend this country from that threat. 

Sen. Hagel may or may not be an anti-semite, but he has demonstrated his disdain for Israel over and over while in Congress, and we cannot afford to further damage the relationship with our one true ally in the Middle East Region. President Obama campaigned on his promise to remain a strong supporter of Israel, and while I did not believe him for a minute based on his actions during his last term, I'm sure many voters bought his message.  This nomination has clearly shown where he loyalties actually lie. Unfortunately many pro-Israel organizations, including AIPAC, have decided to remain quiet on this nomination.  That means the rest of us need to step up and press Congress to act where the President will not.

Although I disagree with many of the positions he has held, I do believe that Sen. Hagel served his country honorably both in war and in Congress, but that does not mean he is the right man for this job. Those of you who agree should write their Senator and ask that they vote No when asked to confirm Chuck Hagel's nomination for Defense Secretary.

But he didn't mean us!

Ok, I will admit that I am deriving some level of enjoyment from the fact that so many Obama supporters are shocked to see a cut in their paychecks as a result of the expired payroll tax cut. I mean gee, what did they think would happen? That he would really only support tax increases for "the rich"? 

Joseph Curl shares a number of amusingly ill-informed comments in his Washington Times article Obama supporters shocked, angry at new tax increases 

So this week, as taxes went up for millions of Americans — which Republicans predicted throughout the campaign would happen — it was fun to watch the agoggery of the left.

“I know to expect between $93 and $94 less in my paycheck on the 15th,” wrote the ironically named “RomneyLies.”

“My boyfriend has had a lot of expenses and is feeling squeezed right now, and having his paycheck shrink really didn’t help,” wrote “DemocratToTheEnd.”

“BlueIndyBlue” added: “Many of my friends didn’t realize it, either. Our payroll department didn’t do a good job of explaining the coming changes"

Part of me wonders how people can be so clueless about the workings of government in Washington - don't they read the news? - but I guess the fact that a majority of people did not even know what the fiscal cliff is, means I shouldn't be surprised.  Maybe this small tax increase will act as a wake up call to what will happen across the board in the not-to-distant future if the current spending track continues.  But I'm not holding my breath.

How long can we keep this up?

All of us should be absolutely terrified by this graph below.  Why?  Because it so clearly illustrates what kind of crazy mess we are already in, and what horrific magnification of this mess we will see in the next four years if President Obama and the rest of the Keynesian redistributionists get their way.

The most pressing question for Americans in 2013 is: are we a nation of free enterprise or of government intervention?  Case in point - almost 75% of the recovery jobs in the past 2 years are with the government or government funded entities (hint: propped up "green energy" companies don't count as private enterprise). We are looking at record levels of revenues but exponentially higher levels of government spending. Obama and most of the democrats are perfectly happy to continue on with this strategy, thinking that they will be able to tax "the rich" into submission, not really caring that even forcibly taking every cent of income from the rich will barely make a dent in the deficit spending and that we are mortgaging away our children's future to China. Ultimately, Obama would like as many people as possible dependent on the government, because that's what makes his redistribution plan possible, but the balance is tipping and soon private sector people won't be able to support everyone in made up government jobs.

How long can we keep going at this rate before there are not enough people to redistribute from?  If the current course is not changed, at some point we'll reach a point where no productive people will work in this country. It will become either Animal Farm or Atlas Shrugged.

And frankly the Republicans are little better than Democrats when it comes to spending.  Fortunately Tea Party Republicans are forcing the conversation in both houses, and now all Republicans are at least giving lip service to reducing spending.  It remains to be seen if they will actually follow through.  The debt ceiling discussions will be the perfect opportunity for Republicans to demonstrate that they are actually serious about massive cuts to spending and aren't just all talk.  They have already been embarrassingly willing to give in to Obama's "I won the election, so we'll do what I want" posturing.  Let's see if they are able to man up and grow a pair.  If not, then in 2014 it will be the rest of us that will be to blame if we don't elect representatives actually willing to stand up for the future of this country.  In the meanwhile, since all our elected representatives have shown themselves incapable of closing the checkbook (with the notable exception of Newt Gingrich's Contract with America congress under Clinton), American's need to actively lobby for a balanced budget amendment.