I waited in line at the Jewel on Larkin Saturday morning for a chance to share my concerns about immigration with Congressman Bill Foster.
I was impressed with his command of the subject. He talked freely about E-Verify and was planning a trip to the border soon to inspect the “virtual fence” technology. He also understands the impact of immigrants on schools, hospitals, and crime.
I began by telling him I am concerned about the unintended consequences of “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” and cited the 1965 legislation and the 1986 amnesty as two examples.
I told him I was concerned about the lack of the “rule of law”, meaning a general feeling that America is wide open to anyone who wants to come here. Illegals won’t be challenged. They get jobs. They live in crowded conditions. They drive around without insurance.
I told him that as a parent he ought to know that rewarding bad behavior is never a good idea. Legalization is rewarding bad behavior. Future pressure to immigrate from the third world will continue and be worse if we legalize another round of illegals. The 1986 Amnesty led to a significant INCREASE in illegals entering the US.
And I reminded him that the high percentage of illegal aliens in the population leads to unfair discrimination against those who came here as legal immigrants.
Then it was his turn to talk.
He explained that the fence is part of the solution, but that visa over-stayers were about 50% of the problem and the fence will do nothing about that.
He pointed to the need for worksite enforcement.
He is in favor of some sort of legalization where they pay some fees and go to “the back of the line” behind those who came here legally.
He had no answer for me when I asked WHERE that line is located. With at least 12 million illegals here now and the current rate of one million Green Cards a year, they will be waiting at least 12 years. Where will they be waiting? Will they remain here holding their current jobs? He had no answer.
He went on to explain that employers who want to hire immigrants (legal as well as illegal aliens) would be required to pay an impact fee to defray the community costs of these new arrivals. He specifically mentioned the example of a meat packing plant.
Well, my friend Dale analyzed that program and concluded that the math doesn’t work! My own input on it is that government could never get it right. Another bureaucracy to administer the worker impact fee does not appeal to me in the least.
At that point his assistant interrupted and said our time was up; he needed to get to the other people in line.
My take on Bill Foster is that he is intelligent and articulate. He has spent some time understanding this issue.
He is in favor of the fence.
He is in favor of worksite enforcement.
He is in favor of E-Verify.
But despite all that, his legalization plan and impact fees for employers leave more questions than answers. This time last year we had a Senate and the White House gung ho for legalization and they couldn’t come to terms with fees, back taxes, cut-off dates, and penalties for non-compliance.
I was impressed with his command of the subject. He talked freely about E-Verify and was planning a trip to the border soon to inspect the “virtual fence” technology. He also understands the impact of immigrants on schools, hospitals, and crime.
I began by telling him I am concerned about the unintended consequences of “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” and cited the 1965 legislation and the 1986 amnesty as two examples.
I told him I was concerned about the lack of the “rule of law”, meaning a general feeling that America is wide open to anyone who wants to come here. Illegals won’t be challenged. They get jobs. They live in crowded conditions. They drive around without insurance.
I told him that as a parent he ought to know that rewarding bad behavior is never a good idea. Legalization is rewarding bad behavior. Future pressure to immigrate from the third world will continue and be worse if we legalize another round of illegals. The 1986 Amnesty led to a significant INCREASE in illegals entering the US.
And I reminded him that the high percentage of illegal aliens in the population leads to unfair discrimination against those who came here as legal immigrants.
Then it was his turn to talk.
He explained that the fence is part of the solution, but that visa over-stayers were about 50% of the problem and the fence will do nothing about that.
He pointed to the need for worksite enforcement.
He is in favor of some sort of legalization where they pay some fees and go to “the back of the line” behind those who came here legally.
He had no answer for me when I asked WHERE that line is located. With at least 12 million illegals here now and the current rate of one million Green Cards a year, they will be waiting at least 12 years. Where will they be waiting? Will they remain here holding their current jobs? He had no answer.
He went on to explain that employers who want to hire immigrants (legal as well as illegal aliens) would be required to pay an impact fee to defray the community costs of these new arrivals. He specifically mentioned the example of a meat packing plant.
Well, my friend Dale analyzed that program and concluded that the math doesn’t work! My own input on it is that government could never get it right. Another bureaucracy to administer the worker impact fee does not appeal to me in the least.
At that point his assistant interrupted and said our time was up; he needed to get to the other people in line.
My take on Bill Foster is that he is intelligent and articulate. He has spent some time understanding this issue.
He is in favor of the fence.
He is in favor of worksite enforcement.
He is in favor of E-Verify.
But despite all that, his legalization plan and impact fees for employers leave more questions than answers. This time last year we had a Senate and the White House gung ho for legalization and they couldn’t come to terms with fees, back taxes, cut-off dates, and penalties for non-compliance.
And he didn't explain how legalization does anything to deter future generations of people who want to come here illegally.
And we didn’t even begin to discuss the issue of “reform”... as in country quotas, family unification, and a points system to qualify for immigration.
And we didn’t even begin to discuss the issue of “reform”... as in country quotas, family unification, and a points system to qualify for immigration.
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