Fences

The failure of the Hispanic vote in 2012 to choose their own best economic self interest was a major factor in the Democratic victory.  This sensitive constituency, again, has proved itself gullible to the max when it swallowed the O’bama rhetoric and illegal actions about immigration policy.  As the Democrats have always done, Hispanics will continue to be played for political purposes.  In 2008 when O’bama had political control in Washington and could have accomplished immigration reform, he chose Healthcare and neglected the doable and needed reform legislation.  The obvious question was, why?  It was and is because political gamesmanship, for Democrats,  is more important than a real solution that is fair to all Americans.

Fairness begins with border enforcement.  This has been the failure of both political parties for the last thirty years.  President Reagan did immigration reform but did nothing to enforce the border, resulting in still more illegal immigration.  The Democrats have avoided fairness for political games and capital, enabling even greater illegal immigration.  The Bush’s and their moderate Republican allies want reform for political expediency but enforcement is politically incorrect.  Any possible solution from this quarter will also result in still more illegal immigration.  Anyone who calls for real enforcement is demonized by both political parties.

In the present political climate, post election, any talk of a border fence and employer sanctions for illegal hires have become foul language.  The fence have become a dirty word not to be spoken.  This may be the political reality but the reality on the border is that the fence is the only way to secure the border short of militarizing the border patrol.  Either option would be preferable to the inevitable result of an eternally porous border.  Someone, anyone, needs to have the gumption to look beyond the next election, the courage to tell the truth, what is our American future if we continue the political stalemate on immigration reform?

The continued dangling of free benefits and goodies will sooner or later make the dollar worth less than the Mexican peso, is that the economic future that we all want?  Do we want to be just like Mexico with a few elitist rich folk and the rest of us in abject poverty?  That is the America around the next corner.  Are we so arrogant to believe that couldn’t happen here?   Does the American Hispanic community want that reality for their children and their grandchildren?  We may argue with this outcome by assuming that the government will always be there to bail us out of such dire circumstances, but will it?  Could it be that the government, that means politicians, may want to control us by controlling our economic circumstances?

That conclusion may sound unduly harsh but judging from past performances by our politicians, it is difficult to make any other assumption.  The truth is that everything negative could happen here, as a country we are not so special that we are immune from tragedy.  It should be the hope of America that all vested interests in a fair immigration policy would someday vote in favor of fairness.  The promise of hope, a trite entity, will regrettably avoid a practical and fair outcome by remaining just a promise.

G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca