citizen-times.com
OPINION
Written by
Carl Mumpower
FROM THE RIGHT
11:18 AM, Jan. 6, 2012

Should we feel sorry for the 12 illegal aliens recently arrested in Asheville by ICE? Absolutely. Just as people of conscience feel sorry for drug abusers, white-collar criminals, child molesters, drunk drivers, shoplifters and anyone else whose personal behavior has created personal consequence.

America has long benefited from a well-managed legal immigration policy. Ronald Reagan began the process of abandoning system sincerity by granting amnesty to those skipping the accountabilities of legal citizenship. Rationality and enforcement enthusiasm have taken a back seat ever since.

Republican power brokers, standing behind red, white and blue camouflage, have persistently supported illegal immigration. Like the Chamber of Commerce, a bias for business over principle makes it easy to prioritize a cheap labor pool over the rule of law.

Democrats are equally self-serving. Donkey Inc. likes the control that comes with making people dependent on politicians. What better potential voter bloc than an uneducated, impoverished and disenfranchised underclass?

The costs of our short-sightedness are high. Jobs that were once a bridge to adulthood for teens no longer exist. We’ve similarly abandoned this generation’s young black males because we don’t need them. Illegal aliens import most illegal drugs and account for a disproportionate percentage of crimes. Contrary to the spin of apologists, the costs associated with education, social and medical services are staggering.

Solutions rarely attend liberal pity parties. Conservative action steps begin with ending support for farmers, contractors, manufacturers and other predatory employers milking our free enterprise system while behaving like opportunistic communists. That’s precisely the role assumed by those supporting governance by special interest, selective enforcement and ineffective central bureaucracy.

Fantasies about busing millions back over our porous borders are just that. An invisible fence of persistent enforcement, E-Verify and serious fines against employers are the real answers. Illegal immigration will reverse naturally when the funding dries up.

Most police administrators, sheriffs and state and local officials are moral cowards when it comes to this issue. Dedication to job security and please-and-appease public service models prevail over allegiance to the rule of law and America’s future. Nothing will change until our citizenry says enough.

Should we support those who violate our borders, illegally assume false identities and then attempt building families, careers and futures on that shaky foundation? No — there is essential difference in enabling and compassion. Awkwardly for most illegal immigration activists, the deepest roots of enabling spring from vanity and self-service, not the needs of their mascots.

Carl Mumpower is a practicing psychologist and a former U.S. congressional candidate and Asheville City Council member. Contact him at drmumpower@thecandidconservative.com

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