YOUR VIEW: Leaders weak on immigration
October 04, 2007 6:00 AM

A disturbing state of affairs has developed in our country in regard to immigration.

A significant amount of our elected officials have become so self-conscious in being politically correct that our national government is kowtowing to the desires of illegal immigrants to the detriment of our whole nation.

At the calculated risk of being called racist, I bring into discussion the following items.

In January of this year, a U.S.-Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement was signed, which would funnel billions of U.S. Social Security funds to Mexican citizens, increasing the number of unauthorized Mexican workers and family members seeking Social Security benefits.

This agreement with Mexico is similar to other totalization agreements, which are also wrong, because workers could qualify for Social Security benefits with just six calendar quarters of work. American workers, however, generally need 40 calendar quarters of coverage to receive retirement benefits. Under totalization agreements, foreign workers are allowed to combine earnings from both countries to qualify for benefits.

On Sept. 28, Mexican President Felipe Calderon demanded that the United States respect "the right to work wherever one can make the greatest contribution." He further claimed his country "doesn't not celebrate migration "¦ our best people are the ones who go."

Is he really serious? His best people?

Apparently, President Calderon believes he can order our country to do what he should be doing for his own people — provide his people jobs. He is against a border fence because he believes "immigration is a natural phenomenon that is economically and socially inevitable." Apparently, he doesn't believe this natural social phenomenon needs to travel a legal path.

On the same day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called a border fence a "terrible idea." (California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also opposes the fence.) In addition, Ms. Pelosi supports the DREAM Act, which will enable illegal immigrants to receive higher education benefits. This act would allow states to provide illegal immigrants with lower in-state college tuition rates.

Evidently, Ms. Pelosi sees nothing wrong with illegal immigrants receiving lower tuition rates than legal American citizens who already pay a higher rate when attending out-of-state colleges.

Legislation is being passed in the U.S. Congress that is counter-productive to our nation as a whole because elected officials like Ms. Pelosi (and Mr. Schwarzenegger) are being politically submissive so they can get minority votes.

Editor's note: Totalization agreements apply to legal U.S. and foreign workers who split their careers between countries. They are not intended to apply to illegal workers.


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