Thread: Political Posturing Stands in Way of Immigration Reform

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 549559.htm

Political posturing stands in way of immigration reform
By Kevin Horgan
GUEST COMMENTARY
NO SUBSTANTIVE action on immigration reform will be taken by the U.S. Senate and Congress this year. The politics of the November elections will turn on speculation rather than accountability, and both parties will avoid a fight that may alienate their constituents.

You and I could never avoid such an overwhelming responsibility.

When a person is obligated to live up to a high standard, he or she often does so as if carrying a heavy burden. The weight is measured by whether the duty is the product of actions he is responsible for, has tacitly supported, or has forced upon him.

Americans have many obligations. Paying taxes, stopping at red lights, tolerating purportedly harmless behavior, never using the n-word, and living by the Golden Rule, are all examples of responsibilities and obligations, by degree.

Then there are moral obligations. These beg a higher standard. Moral obligations can hurt, but they cannot be denied. They connote sacrifice. Americans see a moral obligation to defend the weak, feed the hungry, accept fatherhood and offer monetary assistance to those sincere but desperate for a chance at self-dignity in our land of plenty.

Americans have a moral obligation to resolve our immigration issue. It is thorny. It is not cut and dried. But resolve it we must.

Our moral obligation to the immigrant has become a heavy burden because we have fostered illegitimacy through political positioning and abrogated it by benign neglect.

Our nation fought a civil war 140 years ago on an idea: All men are created equal, and slavery had to end. We must call ourselves not to war, but to that greater standard, by eschewing the trite excuses of economic forces and embracing the immigrant with dignity, living wages and the responsibility that comes with our way of life.

Every time we save a few dollars using inexpensive, illegal labor, there is a tear shed, somewhere, for a higher ideal that condemns slavish conditions.

We know the causes of the illegal immigration mess we are in, but two are pillars of cultural apathy: a corrupt Mexican government, and a U.S. neglect of adherence to its own laws.

Short of the annexation of Mexico as our 51st state, its people need to hold the government accountable or migrate to make a better life. Mexico is not governed by the rule of law, like the United States and most developed nations. Mexico is a malignancy of poverty.

Our nation is guilty of a listless shrug by allowing our laws to be broken, without true consequence. Our immigration policies are a sham because we have allowed them to be used as political trading cards.

Where there is no consequence for illegal acts, there is no integrity.

Americans have an obligation to resolve the immigration puzzle, through compassionate laws, utilizing stern consequences for failure to comply. Whether the alien, the employer, the border guard, the local cop or someone who needs a little yard work done, everyone has a responsibility to obey the law.

Americans are morally obligated to embrace those who come here legally in search of citizenship and a better life. A solution to segregate the sincere from the charlatan may be administratively onerous, and may appear, anecdotally, to be unfair. But we cannot encourage criminal behavior.

The generation of domiciled illegals with children and grandchildren born as citizens should be respected and partially accommodated, but the emotional claim should not control our actions.

Coyotes and the drug traffickers they escort should all be incarcerated, here, and not released. The cost of the penal system will shrink over time if we deal with abhorrent behavior sternly.

It is not bigotry to ask immigrants and aspiring citizens to know and obey our laws, to acquiesce to local customs and courtesies, to support our educational system, to pay taxes, and certainly, to learn English.

America should consider "fast-tracking" aspirants to citizenship, through several obvious methods, like satisfactory completion of military service, or a long dedicated tax-paying employment to an established legal business.

Guest-worker programs are obvious, but we should also consider allowing local municipalities, counties, and states to establish swift constitutional criteria for citizenship. And unfortunately, we may need a national ID card and the bureaucracy that goes with it.

In the face of complication, emotion and conflicting interests, America should not shirk its moral obligation to immigrants just because the ability to police behavior appears insurmountable.

It is not impossible. Our future depends on an earnest solution that is founded on the rule of law and consequences for illegal actions.

Not every political concern will be fulfilled. Our children's generation will judge our efficacy. Inane sound-bites aside, we must address the legality of the problem dispassionately.

Nothing short of carrying this burden, with a mighty heart, will satisfy our moral obligation to our fellow man. The national sacrifice to do it right will be worth it.

I've read this piece twice and I'm still not exactly sure what he is advocating? Seems to me he is an amnesty guy without trying to sound like one.

I've read this piece twice and I'm still not exactly sure what he is advocating? Seems to me he is an amnesty guy without trying to sound like one.

I agree. He is trying to sound tough while saying those who are here should be allowed to stay.

Americans have a moral obligation to resolve our immigration issue. It is thorny. It is not cut and dried. But resolve it we must.

Americans have an obligation to resolve the immigration puzzle, through compassionate laws, utilizing stern consequences for failure to comply. Whether the alien, the employer, the border guard, the local cop or someone who needs a little yard work done, everyone has a responsibility to obey the law.

Americans are morally obligated to embrace those who come here legally in search of citizenship and a better life. A solution to segregate the sincere from the charlatan may be administratively onerous, and may appear, anecdotally, to be unfair. But we cannot encourage criminal behavior.

Wrong! Our government leaders WERE and ARE obligated, via their oath of office, to protect Americans from this illegal alien invasion. Real Americans now know their only obligation in this matter is to make sure we DEMAND that all future leaders are absolutely dedicated to fixing the huge mess left by their predecessors.

Gawd...I loath these writers who try to use guilt to elicit sympathy for these illegal lawbreakers!