Thread: MI-Editorial: Plan for screening illegal immigrants is mean-

Editorial: Plan for screening illegal immigrants is mean-spirited and unwise

The Detroit News
Friday, May 15, 2009

Sometimes, when the job market gets tight, there's a temptation to blame the situation on others -- usually on newcomers to the work force. But Oakland County should reject this temptation, embodied in a plan to require county contractors and subcontractors to use the federal government's E-Verify system to screen for workers' immigration status.

County Executive L. Brooks Patterson agrees. His deputy, Gerald Poisson, refers to the proposed ordinance as "laudable but unenforceable."

County Commissioner Jim Runestad, R-White Lake Township, who is sponsoring the resolution, says Oakland County "needs to be an example" for a state with an estimated 150,000 illegal immigrants. Runestad says county residents have called on the commission to lock illegal aliens out of the job market.

E-Verify, Runestad adds, is a "huge deterrent" for illegal workers.

But the few jobs Oakland County residents could gain from making the E-Verify system mandatory are far outweighed by the public image hit Oakland would take by feeding either the idea that illegal workers are at the heart of its troubles or the perception that its leaders are mean-spirited.

Poisson said Patterson is "concerned about imposing any more regulations on businesses in this climate," citing the training required for employers to participate. County vendors are already required to follow all laws, and those who don't are liable to have their contracts revoked.

Dealing with illegal immigrants on a case-by-case basis makes more sense than setting up another hurdle for contractors to jump through.

And pinning Oakland County's unemployment woes on illegal workers is a distraction that neither county government nor Oakland residents can afford.

Deputy Executive Poisson says that if the resolution is passed it shouldn't go into effect until after June 30, when use of the E-Verify system becomes mandatory for federal contractors.

County contractors who voluntarily use the E-Verify system are more than welcome to tout their "all-American" work forces as a selling point, and may find some benefit in doing so.

Runestad believes he has enough votes to pass the E-Verify resolution when the commission takes it up on June 1.

We hope that cooler heads prevail on the commission in the meantime and that the temptation fades in playing the unemployment blame game.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090515 ... and-unwise

What idiocy! The county is usually the one to issue business licenses and they set the requirements to be met.

Poisson said Patterson is "concerned about imposing any more regulations on businesses in this climate," citing the training required for employers to participate.

What intensive training be he talking about? If the business has a computer, they can go to a website, log in and find out if the applicant is qualified, or if Jose's SSN comes back as Greta's. This is worthy of sewer water.

What a load of bull. The economy has nothing to do with this. We wanted E-verify even before the economy went south.

I do believe illegal aliens had alot to do with the economy failing. Very few illegal aliens can support a household with the slave wages they get. They make too little to pay taxes and have to rely on entitlement programs. Who pays for all that? WE do and that's the problem.

The businesses, illegal aliens and those who profit from illegal aliens win. The rest of us lose big time.

We have untold numbers of "unemployed" illegal aliens who are making money collecting welfare on behalf of their jackpot babies. More babies, more money. They're not here to work, they are here to scam.

And another first is to get an entry/exit montioring system of legal immigrants in the country, too. Leave when required immigrants.

County Commissioner Jim Runestad, R-White Lake Township, who is sponsoring the resolution, says Oakland County "needs to be an example" for a state with an estimated 150,000 illegal immigrants. Runestad says county residents have called on the commission to lock illegal aliens out of the job market.

PERFECT! Hope it passes, despite the naysayers.

Another Pro-ILLEGAL editorial, it is good to see most of the comments on the source editorial do not support the editorial.

vortex wrote: "What intensive training be he talking about? If the business has a computer, they can go to a website, log in and find out if the applicant is qualified, or if Jose's SSN comes back as Greta's. This is worthy of sewer water."

LMAO!!! You made my day!!! I laughed so HARD I had tears in my eyes!!! I guess logging on to a computer can get "very intense" and you do have to be trained to know where the on/off power switches are on your monitor and desktop/laptop... I guess if you haven't been properly educated in knowing how to do this, maybe LA RAZA has a four-year class you can enroll in to know how to do this to be able then to access your computer, but then again, you would have to receive further LA RAZA training to know how to find the correct E-VERIFY website URL and then be able to understand in "English" how to read the web-page... WHEW, I'm getting exhausted, this training is TOO INTENSIVE!!!!!!

The idiocy of this whole article is incredible. What is it about "illegal" do these fools not understand? It is beyond lunacy that this whole argument even takes place

We need a mandatory E-verify program nationwide, which is what the SAVE Act. offers.

I am the commissioner named in this article trying to enact I-verify. I need help. There is incredible opposition. Please let me know if you have any contacts in southeastern Michigan. Below is my update.
Thanks Jim


http://www.runwithrunestad.com/email/RW ... 51309.html