In [TS] Throwing Hawks a Bone, John Tierney is so honest...
President Bush promised tonight to regain "full control" of the border with Mexico. He won't, but that's beside the point.
His job last night was not to secure the border but to pretend he could. Like Ava Gardner tending to the germphobic Howard Hughes in his isolation chamber, Bush had to reassure the Minuteman Republicans that they were safely sealed from the perils outside.
Mohamed Atta did not have to hire a coyote or swim across the Rio Grande. He and the other hijackers all entered the country legally. The 500,000 or so people who manage to sneak in from Mexico each year are a minuscule fraction — about 1 percent — of the tourists and students and other visitors who enter America legally.
Mexico is not the preferred route of the suspected terrorists caught so far because they prefer more convenient options, like coming in from Canada
...that I believe his head actually exploded.
Distrusting foreigners made evolutionary sense when outside clans threatened to bring in disease and encroach on hunting grounds. It made sense during the thousands of years when towns built walls to stop invaders from plundering their wealth and enslaving their inhabitants.
But the immigrants now coming across the Mexican border do not want to sack our cities. They're not about to pillage our granaries or march home with Americans in chains. They just want to mow our lawns and clean our offices.
Back to this morning's theme of reading between the lines, Mr. Tierney missed a coded message. Mr. Bush's bone had a bit of red meat on it.
Once here, illegal immigrants live in the shadows of our society. Many use forged documents to get jobs, and that makes it difficult for employers to verify that the workers they hire are legal. Illegal immigration puts pressure on public schools and hospitals, it strains state and local budgets, and brings crime to our communities. These are real problems. Yet we must remember that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their faith, and lead responsible lives. They are a part of American life, but they are beyond the reach and protection of American law.
That's the Unitary Executive, the Decider the guy who says which laws are enforced, talking.
That's the Unitary Executive, the Decider the guy who says which laws are enforced, throwing human beings to the dogs.
The guest worker idea could work if done as follows:
1. U.S. employers find a suitable employee abroad.
2. Employer submits application complete with finger prints and a fee of $5,000 or 20% of a years wages whichever is greater.
3. U.S. issues special visa with fool-proof identification good for 6-12 months with a specific end date.
4. Worker returns visa when leaving country along with proof of tax payment. Employer gets rebate of 90% of entrance fee.
5. If worker does not leave by deadline, U.S. has $5,000 to pay for tracking worker down. Maybe a bounty hunter business develops. Employer learns to be more careful in selecting guest workers.
6. To eliminate loopholes and simplify program, H1B and similar programs are folded into this program.
7. Congress sets an initial limit on the annual number of special visas. The limit increases depending on a decrease in reliable estimates of illegal immigrants.