http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/147971

Guest Opinion: John Kromko
Demos losing poor Hispanic voters who want effective border security
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.25.2006
In 2004, Arizona voters passed Proposition 200, which cut some social services for illegal aliens. While impacts of this proposition have been frequently debated, one profound aspect has been ignored: the poorer a voter was, the more they supported Prop. 200, regardless of ethnicity.

In heavily Hispanic precincts, about 40 percent to 45 percent of voters voted for Prop. 200, about the same percentage that voted for Bush.
If you're wealthy, an alien probably won't take your job or health-clinic seat. You may even be happy that aliens are paid lower wages at your business. But if you're poor and can't get a construction job or a seat at the clinic, you know why.

Democrats have driven a wedge through their own ranks by alienating poor and middle-class voters of all ethnicities who used to be solid Democrats. Many of these disenfranchised voters turned to the Republicans in the hope that they would enforce immigration laws.

Ironically, Republican politicians talk tough on immigration to pacify their constituents. But they'll never actually do anything because the plutocrats who finance Republican campaigns want Third World competition with American workers. What a joke to see Republican politicians touring the border after having been in power for years and doing nothing.

Even more of a joke is watching Democratic do-gooders unthinkingly working for those same plutocrats. Democrats who would never work to ship jobs to the Third World are doing much worse. Why are Democrats committing suicide with traditional Democratic voters for the sake of people who probably wouldn't vote strongly Democratic if they could vote?

At the core of the Democratic Party are people who really, really believe in fairness and justice for minorities, women, Native Americans and everyone. I agree with them. In 1962, I used my college summer vacation to go on a civil rights freedom ride. I have marched with farmworkers and was a leader in the struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment.

These experiences truly enriched me. But they later caused me to make the error of confusing situations where people were denied what was rightfully theirs and people who were denied what was not rightfully theirs. Many people have made the same mistake.

Two years ago, I needed a medical procedure that would cost $14,000. Desperately, I considered going to Canada and using their national health plan.

Why can people see that it's legally and morally wrong for me to cheat Canadian taxpayers but feel that it's perfectly fine for Mexicans to cheat American taxpayers? Neither Mexico nor Canada gives free service to illegal residents.

Will Democratic candidates seize this moment in history and stand up for the people they used to represent, plus millions of disenfranchised voters? Will Democrats have the courage to merely enforce existing law by saying, "We promise to secure our borders and to aggressively prosecute businesses that hire illegal aliens"? Republicans can't say that because their base won't allow it.

Or is our democracy truly a sham contest between Democratic corporate shills and Republican corporate shills?

Write John Kromko, a Democrat, at jkromko@dakotacom.net.