Useful Fools

Once again, Arizona is going for the multicultural fools-gold. This time the legislature is considering providing driver licenses to illegal aliens.

The logic goes something like this: they’re here and they drive, so we should give them licenses. I suppose as long as they are doing this, they will be allowed to register to vote, since you can do both at the same time!

A more logical approach would be for the state to pass laws requiring government officials who encounter illegals to detain them for the INS. This new law (if passed) is simply facilitating law-breaking!

Now, before you think I am hard hearted… I have a lot of sympathy for the illegals who come here and work. Every day outside of Home Depot a group of men from Mexico wait for someone to pick them up and pay them for work. Often the money goes back to support their families in Mexico. These folks often have a bad time of it, at the mercy of the “coyotes” who smuggle them in (and often rob them), and in constant fear that “la migra” will catch them and send them back (hint to “la migra” - try Home Depot!).

But if we are to extend compassion to these folks, or more selfishly to take advantage of their cheap labor, we should do it legally. We need to either enforce the existing laws or (preferably) change them in a constructive manner.

The best way is to set up a guest worker program, as George Bush has suggested. Provide a legal method to give work visas to enough foreigners to fill the positions currently held by illegals.

This has many advantages, including:

• The immigrants can be vetted, reducing the influx of criminals.
• Cross-border immigrant smuggling will be eliminated, removing a terrorist entry method.
• It is more humane to the immigrants, preventing their exploitation due to illegal status
• It reduces cynicism by reducing rampant and routine law-breaking.
• Law enforcement within the US will not be hindered by the silence of victims and witnesses who fear deportation.
• Immigrants who prove themselves under this system will provide a good pool of potential new citizens - people who have a history of hard work and who are already experienced with life in America.

Of course, there is the issue of rewarding those who are already breaking our laws. I would suggest that one should be required to get a visa only in their home country. Returning is their problem. And after a suitable period of time, we should have a major roundup (and to heck with the anti-profiling people) and send back any remaining illegals.