Thread: Addressing the Problem at the Risk of Being Labeled

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Addressing the Problem at the Risk of Being Labeled

Monday December 18, 2006

There are many topics that politicians and writers fear. Some topics will forever label a person, depending on the position they take. Abortion, gun control and illegal immigration fall into this category. How many times did we see a candidate on television in the last election labeled "extremist" simply because he opposed abortion? Illegal immigration is the same way. If one opposes illegal immigration, he is called "mean-spirited" or worse, "racist."

Here 'goes. (Shudder.) I oppose illegal immigration. Please note: I said illegal immigration. I fully support legal immigration. I am a second-generation Sicilian. My grandpa stepped off the boat at Ellis Island and moved to Texas, where he raised a family. Grandma tried to shoot him with a shotgun - but that's a story for another time.

Legal immigration has been a boon to our nation as we collect the best and brightest from around the world, making the American people the best and brightest on the planet.

Illegal immigration does not equal Mexican immigration. This is where the "racist" charge always comes in. I am against any nationality coming here illegally, be it Salvadoran, Mexican, Irish, Ethiopian, Chinese or Canadian (those darn Canucks are always sneaking over the border). I work with many Hispanics and use Spanish nearly every day. No problem. I used to live in Puerto Rico where I was the minority, and it wasn't that bad. I'll shop at a supermercado and buy my tools at a ferreteria. I'll watch Sabado Gigante and laugh at all of Don Francisco's corny jokes.

Will I surrender being an American? Never. Will I ignore our laws and allow our society to become lawless? Nope. I will oppose law breaking, dishonesty, deception and theft whenever possible. Illegal immigration is a form of stealing and lawlessness. That's why I oppose illegal immigration.

How do we fix the problem? Will a fence do it? Contrary to my Republican brethren, I do not believe a fence is the solution.

George Patton once said, "Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man." This "fortified" fence will be easily defeated and circumvented. The same goes for any "virtual" fence. We've tried that several times before, and each time it has failed. We need to address the root cause of illegal immigration: cheap labor for American business.

Poor people come here for work, plain and simple. Business is more than willing to hire this cheap labor, since it lowers their cost structure.

So, some American businesses are complicit in breaking the law. Making matters worse, our government looks the other way, since politicians are so tightly connected with the business community. Both sides of the aisle are guilty - the extreme left for wanting to be "compassionate," and the extreme right for pandering to business interests.

This "triangle of crime" has created the mess we have in California today: overcrowded schools, clogged freeways, gang problems, loss of national identity, rising crime and a growing subpopulation that is not assimilating into the existing culture.

Ted Kennedy's recent proposal to raise the federal minimum wage is a classic example of how our government doesn't get it. Ted is circulating a petition to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 in two years, citing numerous sob stories of how families can't survive on this amount.

I've got news for you, Ted. Many state minimum wages were already far above the $5.15 level. And minimum wage jobs are the purview of students and entry-level folks who are just starting out. Most people are getting educations or gaining job skills to better themselves. These jobs are merely stepping stones to something better.

The free market should set the prevailing minimum wage. But guess what? -A surplus of illegal immigrants artificially lowers the minimum wage by providing a cheap labor pool.

Eliminate the cheap labor, and the market value for these entry level jobs will rise.

So, Ted's proposal looks more like a public relations stunt to endear him and the Democrats to the "little people." Strange, but I recall that his father Joe made the Kennedy family fortune in the 1920s and 1930s by crushing those same "little people." But I digress.

The federal government ignores the fact that thousands of Social Security numbers are stolen and used fraudulently each year. Illegals often purchase valid SSNs and use them for employment verification or to open bank accounts.

One story surfaced recently of a woman who received 200 W-2 forms in the mail. When she asked the IRS and other federal agencies for help, she was told there was nothing they could do. (It is interesting that the IRS will pursue the charitable donations for the five firefighters who died recently but ignore SSN theft).

Another gentleman tried to open a business account at a bank but was told his SSN was already in use with an account in Arizona. He was told that the account holder had her account for more than 10 years, and that she was allowed simply to transfer her funds to another account - no reporting to the government, no penalty.

Identity theft is a crime, but apparently not when you're an illegal immigrant.

What can be done? Here's an idea. Let's start by stopping the theft of SSNs and holding businesses accountable.

The Specter-Leahy Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2005 (S.1789) was intended to address this issue and was much ballyhooed last year. What happened to it? A call to Sen. Leahy's office revealed that it was pigeonholed in November 2005. We need to call our representatives and demand that S.1789 proceed so that:

It will be a federal offense to use someone else's SSN;

Federal agencies will be directed to pursue and fine any individual or business that utilizes a stolen SSN.

I think the following provisions should be added:

All stolen SSN cases should be referred directly to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Direct the SEC and Federal Reserve to audit banks and S&Ls for accounts that use fraudulent SSNs. All accounts using false SSNs should be seized and forfeited. (How about sending the money to families of cops and firemen who have died in the line of duty?)

Isn't it time we addressed the root cause of illegal immigration and created legislation that begins to fix the problem? By stopping SSN theft, we start to address this thorny issue and restore order to our state and nation.

If you've given me a label, I hope it isn't "racist" or "extremist." I'll take "law-abiding" or maybe even "uptight conservative."

However, if we can fix this problem, "American" will do just fine.

Steve Lunetta is a Santa Clarita resident. His column reflects his own views, and not necessarily those of The Signal.

There need to be more articles like that in the media. It would be good for our side. Now that the identity theft part is out in the open, I feel that more people may have changed their minds on this illegal immigration. This is one angle we must keep pursuing and it would be good if the media showed the faces of some of those victims of identity theft.

There should be a website (if there isn't already) up with nothing but the posts and stories of ALL identity theft victims which have been caused by illegals.
I'm sick of hearing the bleeding sob stories from the media about how the illegals are affected by the ICE raid at Swift, how their families are disrupted, blah blah blah...
Everytime I see a picture of the remaining illegal family sobbing and praying in church it makes me want puke!!!
It sickens me to learn the media isn't reporting the victim's side of the story. Once again the victims of the ID theft will spend thousands of dollars, and the next 5 years to clear their credit, and their names while these invaders continue to get pandering.
What in the hell is wrong w/ reporters?

I'd faint if I saw that in the Raleigh paper or any local media.
I have seen some stories out of Charlotte, perhaps because
Charlotte is the largest metro area.

Down on the NC coast, you don't hear a peep. I suspect it's
because the economy out there is driven by building, agri-biz,
& services.

I see most of these op-eds coming out of FL & SW states.

My own governor sends me emails chastising me for assuming
someone is illegal.