One error I frequently make is to judge an issue to be partisan when its proponents are of one political persuasion, and its opponents the other. Of course, I have never met a person who admits to embracing issues because they are dictated by party lines.
One issue I continue to consider to be partisan is illegal immigration. I’ve been avoiding this issue because it reeks of hype. It is difficult, as long as people are going to be stealing from and shooting each other, to ask law enforcement to attend more diligently to running folks down because they cross a man-made line without paying a lawyer exorbitant fees for pieces of paper.
To be racist, most Hispanics I have encountered have a much better work ethic than Americans in the same types of jobs. I maintain that the tremendous influx of people from south of the border has done nothing to increase overall unemployment rates. One JLF report tries to examine the numbers which are not being kept, cannot be kept by law, and resist being kept by guilty consciences.
Now, some people do pay illegal immigrants cash to avoid paying taxes. Tax evasion is a crime regardless of the skin color of the perp. Many illegals take advantage of American’s welfare system. American welfare needs to be reformed so it provides only subsistence-level support. It is said that Mexicans can’t drive. People shouldn’t be driving without drivers’ training and a legitimate license. In other words, if we had a sensible government that enforced its laws, there would be no need to appear racist by calling attention to a need for laws to target a particular population, which happens to arrive by violating civil codes.
The problems with some proposed immigration reforms is they are unrealistic. No wall is going to put an end to the economic pressure that is driving Latinos to America. What would any downtrodden person do, in abject poverty, hassled by a corrupt government, and bombarded by hints about amnesty from a president just across the border? Again, hefting accusations of partisanship, Republicans have a reputation for getting tough against the disenfranchised. Should proponents of amnesty have their way, action construed to be anti-Latino will backfire. But, again, no politician is going to admit to being motivated purely by a wish to keep his party in power.
While people opposed to illegal immigration cite the rule of law as cause to remove illegals, leaders support making new laws to legitimize their overriding of legislated balances of power with proposals for deputizing local authorities to act as federal agents.
One recent action, however, is in my opinion beyond reproach – with the exception of weird comments made in the press about it. Henderson and Buncombe counties have finally gotten federal agents to respond to their wish to implement a 287(g) program locally. Accepting that federal agents won’t do their jobs, this program allows local law enforcement to deport criminals. This makes sense.
Asheville Police Chief Bill Hogan has told tales about how people without ID have to be released because they aren’t identifiable, and they can’t build up records because they have a different name each time. Face recognition software is helping to put an end to these problems.
Anyway, while it is wrong to scapegoat people of a particular color for growing government like other Americans do, the American taxpayer shouldn’t be paying to house another country’s criminals in its jails (some of which have been rumored to have legal libraries, gyms, free TV, free meals, AC, etc.)
