I believe Laura Ingrahm made this point the other night on Hannity's show. Elites pretend to be concerned about "average" people but they routinely ignore them or in fact sneer at them. Immigration is a case in point. Every poll shows the public is very concerned about the level of immigration and wants it curtailed. They also want states and cities to stop frustrating federal immigration law, and they want the federal government to start protecting our borders. With this type of public concern, what do the elites give us? California passes a law to give drivers license to illegals, and I suppose that makes them eligible to vote (remember the ill-conceived Motor Voter law?). Other states are accepting mexican consular cards as valid ID, even though they are easy to get fraudulently and really establish nothing about the bearer, except that they are a lawbreaker. The federal governemtn could put a stop to this but instead does nothing, and through lax enforcement encourages illegal immigration. There is an unholy alliance of dirtbag politicians groveling for latino votes, businesses looking for cheap labor and ethnic race hustlers working against the voters and there doesn't appear to be a damn thing the voters can do about it. I'm not against immigration, but I think it is obvious it is out of control. Our policy is totally screwed up. We send courageous Cubans fleeing oppression back to Castro, but pretty much roll out a red carpet for others who cannot speak English, have no skills and even come here to have babies that are automatically american citizens. Meanwhile, those who follow the law face endless waiting lists and huge attorney fees. Changing the basic character of a country through immigration is also something that should not be done without a lot of thought and open debate. We are doing it through stealth and inaction, and one day we will pay the price.
AAA, it is hard to disagree with the core of your complaint. If I could find one thing to disagree with, it would be that relatively few Americans place illegal immigration very high up on the priority list. That is why it is low on the priority list of the elected. On one side of the isle you have men and women spending time and energy on hot button issues that get them votes - things like flag burning amendments, how to fund religious private schools with public money, how to oppose gay marriage - you know the kind of emotional issues that bring in lots of votes. On the other side of the isle we have a bunch of men and women who are clueless and without direction, trying to figure out how to win the hearts of the folks who voted for the other side, without offending what core they have left. So truly important issues, such as illegal immigration, the out of control deficit, etc, go begging. If and when the public really become interested in solutions for these very complex problems, and stop focusing on the "gut issues" that really are not very important, then perhaps one side or the other will respond. A country that can go ape shit for a week over Madona kissing Britny, ain't quite ready to think about the big stuff.
tampa, Well, I guess that is the part that I am having trouble with, since it seems to me that people ARE concerned about immigration. Certainly in California and the southwest it is one of the biggest hot button issues. Maybe the rest of the country is not as concerned, but the polls seem to indicate their is a lot of emotion running against it. Don't you find it a little odd that the two parties both are taking similar positions, ie do nothing to slow it down, when the voters are heavily opposed to it?
My sister is a grade school teacher up in northern Illinois, near the Harvard and McHenry area for those familiar with Illinois. This area has experienced a rapid growth in Mexican families moving to the area over the last 10-15 years. The teachers used to joke that there must be a sign near the Mexican border saying "Come to Harvard for free education and health insuance !!" A few years ago one of the teachers went to Texas on vacation and took a day trip down into Mexico. He was shocked when a few miles south of the border he actually saw a sign telling people to go to the Harvard area !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! True story, I kid you not. I don't know what it is about Harvard or that area in general that is any different from anywhere else in the US, and I don't know the specifics about the health insurance deal, but the teaching staff (they could care less about whom they are teaching) found it hilarious that there was actually a sign like that. I know it's a little off topic, but thought I would share that little story. Vega
Voters are not "heavily opposed" to it (illegal immigration). When you ask specifically, then of course you will get a negative response, but most Americans are not directly effected on a daily basis. What people fail to consider that most of our politicians hold elective office as way of earning a living. Thus they pay attention to what actually gets votes - not necessitously is important. An example would be "gun control". There is no credible movement to abolish gun ownership - but the mer mention of it sends chills down the spine of gun owners. So politicians vow to fight for the rights of gun owners - voting gun owners. I don't mean to single out gun owning Republicans, because the same thing happens on the other side. Abolishing Social Security would be a good example of how Democrats fish for votes. On the Federal level, we have a monumentally dumb group of elected officials...from The White House to the lowest ranking members of Congress. Republicans and Democrats. Men and women who know how to pander to base emotional issues, but are clueless as to how to deal with the real long-terms problems facing the nation. We have acquired this group because we have an electorate who vote for people who will fight for keeping "God" in the Pledge, stone monuments with The Ten Commandments in court houses, for making sure gay marriage remains illegal - or the exact opposite of theses "issues". Meanwhile we have unheard of budget deficits, wide open borders, and a genuine quagmire of a foolish military adventure - just to mention a few. It's the hip thing to do to blame the politicians, but it's really you and I - the voters - who put them there. Until we wise up, they won't get any smarter.