The Scamnesty Chronicles: "Shouting more than just amnesty"


Steven Voigt
May 22, 2007



"This is a political bill written for political purposes. It fits the agenda of the left. And every Republican ought to be opposed to it, and frankly, every common sense Democrat ought to be opposed to it."

— Newt Gingrich[1]


Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina has challenged critics of the amnesty legislation before the Senate to "do more than just shout amnesty."[2]

It took Senator Ted Kennedy a mere 380 pages to draft a bill that would grant immediate pardon and — yes indeed Senator Graham — amnesty to between 12 and 20 million illegal aliens and put tens of millions more on a "path to citizenship" over the next two decades.[3] If this seems overwhelming, bear in mind that as a result of current mass immigration — even before Ted Kennedy's nutty bill — the U.S. will swell by approximately 120 million individuals within the next 40 to 45 years.[4]

Our public servants in Washington D.C. excluded, any common sense American understands that the U.S., with its population presently standing at about 300 million, cannot absorb and assimilate this many individuals in such a short period of time.

If it took Kennedy 380 pages to craft this colossal bill of self-assured destruction, I think one could easily pen with plain-spoken English in five pages or less (1.3% of Kennedy's ink marathon) a bill that actually places America first. Any sensible immigration bill would be limited to:


Protection of our borders with adequate manpower;


Securing our borders with an infrastructure using hardware such as fencing and sensors;


Stiff penalties for businesses that hire illegal workers (and thereby undercut the wages of hard-working Americans); and


The provision of sufficient legal policing power to enforce immigration rules against businesses that refuse to comply.


Hence, the difference between the current 380 page morass before the Senate and a sensible approach is one of priority. The Senate's elitist plan places its priority with rewarding lawbreakers, D.C. lobbyists, and the fat cats who will profit from a permanent underclass. In contrast, a rational plan would have as its priority the rule of law and the American people.

So, Senator Graham, give us a bill that places the rule of law first — which of course would go hand in hand with respect for the American worker — rather than another bill that is amnesty or its ugly cousin, amnesty-in-sheeps' clothing. Then, we would certainly have something to shout other than "Scamnesty!" Perhaps it would even be "thank you."

http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/voigt/070522