Illegal immigration hurts us all, mostly Bush

As a follow-up to this recent opinion I wrote, let's take a more in depth look at how the 4,000 illegal immigrants who invade this country every day hurt every single one of us. Currently, there are estimated to be between 8 and 12 million illegals in the country, according to Marcela Sanchez of the Wash. Post. The Center for Immigration Studies has concluded that 8-9 million illegals are here.

Aside from the simple fact that illegal immigrants who receive shortcuts to citizenship (Kerry's plan) or "temporary" worker cards (not amnesty, says George Bush) are being rewarded for breaking federal laws. Recidivism is a real concept, and those who come here illegally should be expected to commit additional crimes. Many illegals come here as drug couriers. Illegal Hispanic immigrants are being blamed for rising gang activity as the turf wars from their home countries don't end at the border, as Angie Morfin testifies to the House Judiciary committee.

Some say that there are jobs that Americans are unwilling to do. It seems that none of the Americans unwilling to wash dishes or work farms have any reservations about cashing welfare checks and collecting food stamps. The illegals who come here are competing for low paying jobs which leads to fewer opportunities for low-income Americans to improve themselves. Worth noting, a disproportionate percentage of low-income American families are minorities, so illegal immigration hurts them the most.

Further, the US government tells us that it would be "unrealistic" to completely eliminate all of the illegal immigrants that are here already. To that I say, fine. How about stiff punishment for the half that we CAN locate? Have these people ever heard of the concept of deterrence as a law enforcement strategy?

What about the problem that faces the American worker of supposed difficulties getting and keeping a "good" job? Not that creating or guaranteeing jobs to individuals is a Constitutionally mandated responsibility of the federal government, but the feds should enforce immigration laws even more vigorously than ever if illegals are stealing jobs from American citizens and legitimate green card holders. Immigrant populations are going up and so are the recipients of government welfare, and we all know who pays THOSE bills.

Michelle Malkin weighs in here about why the War on Terror sounds phony when we refuse to police the border region. 2 things are becoming clear to me and some others. One, conservative American citizens are being taken for granted while "Hispandering" is the newest target for GOP leadership. Second, a civil war is going to erupt in the Republican party, beginning on November 3 between the Bush/Rove neocons and the traditional Goldwater/Buchanan Republicans. Speaking of which, here is Buchanan's endorsement of Bush, which makes this point very well.

National Review says that most of the visa applications by the 9/11 hijackers should have been rejected, but were not. Illegals are a threat to our security, especially those who attempt to gain access to military installations.

This election is about George Bush. Kerry can and often has said or done some of the most ridiculous things any politician could dream of. He can't articulate a policy for Iraq, he won't acknowledge the coming problems with social security, he is promising to raise taxes and expand the government even more than Bush. Nothing Kerry says matters. The people will be voting for or against George Bush by and large.

If Kerry wins this election, it will be because of the immigration issue and the mistakes being made in Iraq. We are fighting a PC war, too concerned with "winning the peace" when we have yet to win the war. Bush, Rumsfeld & co. apparently learned nothing from the debacle that was Vietnam.

If Bush wins, it will be because Americans choose to stand up to the terrorists and confront them head on. Some Bush voters aren't terribly enthused with the events in Iraq of late, many wonder if the Saudis are really friends of America, and a few may even want us to pull out of Iraq all together declaring it a stalemate. In any case, a Bush win is a win for strong national defense and a Kerry win is a victory for the UN and the global test.

I'll be voting for Bush on November 2, but on November 3, the border issue becomes job #1. Reviewing the info at the website for the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee for Immigration, Border Security, and Claims would be a good start. It must be dealt with by whoever wins the Presidency or we shall all pay the price.