Home of Today's Common Sense

Published 7/1/2007

My most recent articles have been focused on the creation of and RULES to fix things that may not be broken or to find new ways to create more power and control over “us folks”. Some of these “rules” are well intended but poorly implemented, such as an attempt at agricultural quarantine being conducted by T.S.A. 

Last week my wife and I flew to New York on a combination business and pleasure trip visiting relatives. Among the goodies we brought to feed the cravings for some of the bounty found here in the “Valley” was a small bag of “calamundum” fruit from the tree in our yard. They are a small citrus fruit that looks like a small orange and has a mildly sour taste that is favored by many Asians in preference to lemons. The TSA officers during the search of our checked bags found the fruit and politely advised that it was prohibited from being transported, citing a requirement for spraying by the Department of Agriculture.  I am in the business of providing guidance related to such things and was not aware that there was any kind of quarantine that would prohibit citrus from being shipped to New York and would certainly have not attempted to, had I known. I would hope that the Federal inspection authorities will clarify and publicize these risks as well as actions to be taken in the near future. 

More often the rules or more likely the way they are written are boondoggles to get and keep power. When Congress actually tries to do what is right, I become even more suspicious. The Immigration Bill was raised from the dead and is now hopefully, moving to passage?  

I wonder why are our legislators so anxious to help folks who cannot vote for the foreseeable future or as demographics have shown do not vote in large percentages?  It is because that they constitute a large part of the “persons” that make up their voting districts, and on which the very existence of the Congressional District is based. Just think how many Congresspersons would loose their jobs when the numbers on which their districts depend on, went home! Perhaps it is more sinister than that these census “numbers” are also the basis on which the public dole is handed out. 

These folks cannot vote against them and because of that, give a bigger voice to the predominant voting majority. In the cities and metropolitan areas around the country these are Democrats and in the areas where fields must be planted it is mostly Republicans. A failure to establish a uniform rule of naturalization and then to enforce the rules is really what is at the bottom of the problem. This has also been severely aggravated by our congresspersons incessant interference in the process, for their own political benefit and a lack of consistent application of the law by the immigration magistrates.
Several “Immigration Web sites” have alluded to an action taken by the Clinton Administration Census Department that requested, in the early 1990’s, that Border Patrol suspend enforcement of the employer violations, because it would skew the demographics for the 2000 census. Perhaps that skewing would have resulted in fewer congressional districts!
Unfortunately that action was preceded by only funding 300 investigator positions for the entire United States to enforce those laws; even worse was not providing an expedient way for employers to verify the status of potential employees who possessed documentation. A business manager I spoke to has repeatedly contacted authorities to assist in the verifying status and has been refused just as consistently, as they don’t have enough time. However, when Border Patrol raided his business they were able to verify the status and social security numbers in seconds.
It would have been a very small thing to authorize the credit reporting companies to access data sufficient to verify the status of the employees. Employers, as a part of the normal verification of employee applications, would be able to have information on which to depend.
This would not have been a total solution but if a large portion of the illegal residents can not get work, less would take the risk to come to the U.S. and the Border Patrol may be able to deal with the reduced numbers.
We currently have a large need for new immigrants and have had for quite some time. Our aging workforce has begun leaving and requires many more services and products resulting in the need for many more jobs. These needs just haven’t been met. The mere fact that there are as many as 12 million illegal migrants working in the U.S. in relative obscurity is absolute proof of the incompetence of our supposed “representatives” or possibly worse, their malfeasance.
What is all this coming to? A common statement is that these folks are “doing jobs that Americans will not do”. That sounds to me like a very “racist and belittling” statement. Could it be translated to mean that these “immigrants” are not really competent to do real jobs – only those that people like me, won’t do?
If, like me, you have watched “these immigrants” work in the construction of malls and offices and have seen the innovation they have developed to do the job better and easier, their competence can not be challenged. Even more, when you see the quality of the work done you will find the craftsmanship exhibited is remarkable. This seems to have been lost in our escalating of wages and titles; they are no longer providing the opportunity for entry level jobs to learn the work by experience or apprenticeship. This has also resulted in many of our manufacturing jobs being exported to areas where there is a larger force of folks willing to take less, while they learn the basics. In today’s America people refuse the entry level jobs or anything else that seems beneath them. What’s more, they can do it, because there are so many jobs available thanks to our raging economy.
Should we make felons out of those that did not secure legal permission to immigrate? We should not!
The whole idea needs to be changed in the direction that it seems to be moving in!
I would suggest that the entire naturalization process be based on a labor needs. 

Also crucial to the process is an efficient process for application and approval. The visa should be temporarily granted within 14 days so long as the worker can communicate in English, demonstrate the qualifications to do the job, and can secure evidence that no felony level or violent crime, has been committed. This approval could be reconsidered in the next 180 days upon assertion of a false representation made in the application. This visa could then be reviewed annually for 3 years based on the needs for a temporary worker in that occupation. The visa should not permit the entry of any dependents or confer any obligations to remain in the US and only entitle such benefits as Congress may specify.
At the end of 3 years perhaps the individual could petition for permanent residency, the approval of which would be based on a clean criminal record, as well as good work and credit records. Permanent residency would allow for the immigration of the petitioners immediate family upon approval, confer U.S, Citizenship on an children born in the U.S. of the petitioner, and allow participation in any benefits normally allowed permanent residents today. 

- Brownsville Herald 7/1/2007