No one in government wants to "solve" the immigration problem

[SoCalDem]

It, like other straw-man issues, is just the one they took off the shelf for this particular election.

In past elections, the issue has been gun control, abortion, gay marriage.

Immigration is the issue du jour, but as much as they protest, they do not want to "solve" it.

They need it for future hysteria needed to gin up the fervor of election fever.

If government wanted to solve immigration, they could do it so easily, by putting the hammer down on employers, and making tamper-proof, biometric passports required for ALL citizens. The single ID would prove positively who was a citizen. It would "solve" the voter ID issue, the school eligibility, the job eligibility, pave the way to a national health care system, and would truly be a passport to rising wages, as people ineligible would find their job prospects as dry as the Mojave desert. Employers would then have to go back to hiring citizens,,for higher wages..

Government cannot bring themselves to confiscate businesses and jail employers, because they need those people to keep the money flowing in their direction.. they cannot bring themselves to go ahead with the ID, because they like the voter turmoil every few years, and they need the issue to win over libertarians.

The answer is easy, but the decision to DO it is difficult, and we all know that our politicians always take the easy way out.

[Greyhound]

1. Exactly, it's all about keeping the sheep uncomfortable so they don't notice

what else is being done to them.
:kick: & R

[fasttense]

2. I believe they could stop the illegal immigration problem

without the IDs. Simply hold illegal employers accountable. Heavily fine employers who hire illegals and put the employer in jail. The result will be that illegals will go home like they use to before Raygun gave them amnesty and before the last three presidents stopped enforcing employer sanctions.

No IDs required as they weren't required before Raygun.

[pampango]

3. But if the illegal immigrants go home voluntarily, we can't

"legalize" those who are living here and potentially reap a few million new Democratic voters in the future. And, of course, all politicians would risk losing those business' campaign contributions in the future.

This way we get our new voters and the Repubs get the bulk of the campaign contributions. Sounds like a solution that politicians would dream up. ;)

[gatorboy]

12. See, this is the most obvious answer to the problem.

Illegals don't "hate our freedoms" . And they wouldn't be here if AMERICANS weren't offering them cheap work. Of course the solution is to crack down on businesses that hire illegals but it will never, ever, ever, ever happen. For one, the gov't is essentially a branch of the chamber of commerce already. Politicians rely to much on their support in donations.

[Sapere aude]

4. I believe everything you call for is in the bill. I watched on C-Span

last night and they talked about including employer penalties, an ID card, among other things.

What makes you think employers would raise wages?

[SoCalDem]

5. If your $7 an hour worker base dries up, and you want workers, you

will have to pay more.

As it stands now, the undocumented people can be exploited because they fear being 'turned in'. If they are no longer an option, workers who are legal become the main source again. supply & demand

[Sapere aude]

16. No it won't. Farms will mechanize before they raise wages.

You will never get the employer over a barrel. You will end up paying more for food and the jobs will disappear.

I was the controller of the largest labor contractor in the San Joaquin valley. The farms do not employ the workers they "rent" them. If the labor contractor charges more then the cost of mechanization the farms will rent the machines.

[snappyturtle]

6. I'm so upset by the immigation issue I could cry but I'm

too stuborn to do it...I refuse to give the appearance of defeat. I agree with you that the existing laws, with enforcement, that is, going after the employers would probably solve the illegal immigration problem. I don't know why we think accepting lawbreakers into the country will fulfill a humanitarian need. The number of poor in the world is astronomical and even though we're letting them flood our borders it is only a little drop in a bucket for help. World poverty needs to be solved in situ. I think the U.S. could do more in that department.

My husband is a Texas home builder. It is impossible to be competitive with builders who hire illegals. Amen. Hiring illegals suppresses wages for American construction workers because employers who think nothing of hiring illegals is not going to pay an American worker more...at least that's the case in our area. These employers do not charge their customers less they just pocket more profit....pure greed.

I do not agree with the ID idea. I do not want one....the government already knows enough about us. Just use the existing laws.

[SoCalDem]

7. I know that people have issues with the ID thing, BUT

mark my words.. we CANNOT ever have nationalized health care until we have them. There HAS to be a way to restrict care to people who are citizens.. and a GOOD ID for all of us, would go a long way to preventing the predictable voter-challenges and intimidation.

and having a passport might be a good idea in case we ever have to get out in a hurry :scared:

[snappyturtle]

11. I agree we need passports and lest we forget the Real ID Act is

coming due.

[dave_p]

8. failing the poor

"World poverty needs to be solved in situ. I think the U.S. could do more in that department."

But it doesn't. Every dollar of aid comes with a pricetag of deregulation, privatization, axed social programs and opening to monopoly outsourcing investment. That's when they're not just being tortured for video entertainment.

So what's Ameica doing about that? Nothing. And the poor will come.

[snappyturtle]

10. "And the poor will come" and we will be in the same boat in time

I afraid. I'm well aware at what price our aid takes, it needs to be changed and real solutions for building sustainable economies in third world nations needs to be a priority. I'm not disagreeing with you.

[dave_p]

14. Agreed

It can't be just a domestic solution. Time the US went international, for good.

And real good, this time.

[The2ndWheel]

9. The sad part is that everything you point to will happen

It won't end up solving anything though, just create bigger and more complex problems.

[sandnsea]

13. It's not about immigration

It's about the color of skin of the immigrant. Nobody is complaining about illegal Irish. Anyway, once these people start living in dormitories, where the guest worker program will put them, the "immigration" problem will go away. Those who are complaining loudest don't care if they're here doing the work, they just don't want them living in their neighborhoods.

[Hamlette]

15. you don't even have to go that far

just let us in unemployment offices report phony Social Security numbers. We are forbidden from doing so and we get a huge percentage.

Also, let us report people working under SSNs from children. We have 10s of thousands of those. 5 year olds with 9 jobs? I don't think so.

Problem is, we don't want to go after employers. My state tried to pass 2 bills last year. The first one fined employers $1,000 for employing an illegal. It was a one time fine and if they were caught again with the same illegal? Nothing. The second bill (which may have passed) filed illegals $50,000 PER DAY. Yeah, like they can pay it. No one, not even right wing lunitics are serious about illegal immigration its just racism.