The Right Side Of Immigration

Re: "Advocates for immigration reform say party needs to step up, deliver" (Thursday Front Page), on the occasion of President Obama's re-election, Republicans are once again admonished by the Usual Suspects to cave in to Democrat policies or be doomed to irrelevance.  And not just on immigration: there are seven other articles or opinion pieces in this issue of the Chron that conclude that voters rejected the Republican position on immigration, women's issues, gay marriage, health care and the economy - all on the basis of Obama's 2% victory.

 

Let's focus on immigration.  If you look at this issue strictly based on politics, it makes perfect sense for Democrats to promote Illegal Immigration through America's hyper-generous social welfare programs.  Once Immigrants cross the border, their numbers count in our census and exert a proportionate influence on our Electoral College and the allocation of Congressional districts.  That is why California - to name but one example - is the electoral colossus for Democrats that it is, and will be for generations.

 

Open to question is whether this is good for anybody.  The bulk of our Immigrants come from Mexico, as many as the next eight countries combined.  But why is it that these folks feel the need to flee their own country?  Mexico is as blessed as America with arable land, natural resources and weather, but they are also in thrall to narco-terrorist cartels, and their poisons flow over our borders by the ton every day, much of it carried by Illegal Immigrants. 

 

Isn't it curious that America has devoted so little in resources to helping Mexico solve our collective problems?  You'd think that if we can justify spending a trillion dollars over a dozen years to transform Iraq and Afghanistan, that we could scrape together a fraction of that to transform our next door neighbor.  And surely it is better for Mexicans to live in Mexico, regardless of the consequences for American politics?  Instead of inviting them to live in America, we ought be fighting to make their country one worth living in.

 

Pete Smith

Cypress