I wrote last time about the divide in this country over immigration. We all hoped that over the July 4th holiday break that Congress would decide on a reasonable process to relieve the problem at the border. But, no, they just made the divide wider.
Given the current conditions in this country, I doubt I will sway anyone to change their opinion. Let me give you an example, a contrast in fact.
Suppose you have a problem with ants in your kitchen. Every night, late, you turn on the light and you see ants scrambling all over the kitchen counter. So you buy a few little containers of ant bait and place them at the back of the counter. But each night there are more ants than the night before. That bait is attracting ‘em!
Finally, someone suggests you get a different kind of bait, to be used outside, along the walls of the house. Wow! In a few days, no more ants in the kitchen.
As I said, this is a contrast. We’re not killing ants; we want to save people. Save them the expense, agony, humiliation (and worse) of getting to our border to find that only about a fourth qualify to enter.
A few of the three-fourths who do not have legal status are being deported. Certainly not all of them, but the ones who have had a judge order them to leave the country. They did not leave, so ICE will deport them. Several are gang members, drug dealers, or other criminals.
One news story you can bet on; for every thousand “criminals” arrested for deportation, one person who has committed no crime here will be accidently picked up. It will probably be a single mom with two kids, and most of the TV news media will focus on that one arrest. Don’t blame just the news media. Politicians in many cities are protecting those here illegally, forbidding their police officers to assist ICE.
Now hold on a minute. I’m not against immigrants. We welcome about a million legally every year. And we need a lot of farm workers. Many of those are seasonal to pick vegetables and fruit, but more are needed in permanent jobs, for example, in dairies and meat processing plants. Engineers are working constantly to come up with machines and gadgets to eliminate these jobs. And making it harder to hire immigrant labor will speed up mechanization. Did you know a robot can milk 80 cows a day? You would be amazed how many dairies “employ” robot milkers.
Congress is drooling at the opportunity to interview Robert Mueller. He does not want to appear at all, but has reluctantly agreed to be grilled for 2 hours. If every Congressman who wants 5 minutes of TV time to ask a question got it, Mueller would be tied up till September. Actually what they want is to give a 4-minute speech, and maybe then ask a question if they think of one. My solution is easy: have each member submit his or her questions ahead in writing. By combining duplicates and eliminating questions Mueller answered clearly in his report, he could be out of there in half an hour.
Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“”I am sure that it was only the extreme generosity of the Indians that allowed the Pilgrims to land. Suppose we reversed the case. Do you reckon the Pilgrims would have ever let the Indians land? Not a chance. Not a chance. The Pilgrims wouldn’t even allow the Indians to live after the Indians went to the trouble of letting ‘em land.” Radio broadcast, April 14, 1935
“If we could just send the same bunch of men [and women] to Washington for the good of the nation, and not for political reasons, we could have the most perfect government in the world.” WA #78, June 8, 1924