Jan. 11, 2004

Welcome Mat For Alien Workers Stuns Congress

America’s back door will swing open a little wider if Congress goes along with President Bush’s proposal allowing millions of illegal immigrants to apply for legal working status.

“Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs that Americans are not filling,” declared Bush in a high-level White House speech Wednesday.

In attendance were Congressional leaders, cabinet officers and immigrant advocacy groups. All loved it, but had “concerns” – the presidential election being in full swing.

The program would allow aliens now holding jobs to remain in the country for a number of years -- as yet unspecified – and pursue legal citizenship.

New “guest workers” with jobs assured by U.S. employers would have a guaranteed stay of three years – but be eligible for an extension as yet unspecified. Eventually all would return home and receive benefits for payroll taxes deducted.

Advocacy groups cheer but say the program does not go far enough.

Mexican President Vicente Fox is huffy that it took President Bush so long to propose it. The two will have an opportunity to kiss and make up this week at the Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico.

As expected, gung-ho Democrats trash the plan.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee that will act on the plan, says it “falls short of being the serious reform our country needs to fix our broken immigration system.”

John J. Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO says the plan exacerbates “the potential for abuse and exploitation of these workers while undermining wages and labor protections for all workers.”

Howard Dean, currently front-runner in the Democratic primaries, says, “The president’s proposal will help big corporations who currently employ undocumented workers…. and would create a permanent underclass of service workers with second-class status.”

Ultra conservative Republicans object to the Bush proposal on grounds it provides “amnesty” for aliens who sneaked into the United States by breaking the law.

All critics – including skeptic news media types –agree that Bush launched his immigrant work plan in order to win the Hispanic vote.

Yes, indeed. And what else is new? Democrats have their noses askew because Bush is glomming onto their cache of minority victims.

Bush – formerly governor of Texas – scores well with Hispanics. His fluency in the Spanish language is a natural asset. He won 35 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2000 – a huge number for a Republican.

This surprised Democrat strategizers. Republican bean counters expect that with a good economy, Bush will capture 40 percent of Hispanic vote. This could swing California and New Mexico.

It is assumed that Mexican immigrants – being poor – are natural prey (oops! constituencies) for liberal Democrats.

Not so. Mexican immigrants – particularly illegals – are hardworking and frugal. Most expect to take care of themselves and do. They have little regard for born Americans who disdain menial labor in preference to public welfare.

The Sierra Club’s gung-ho environmental enthusiasts side with the labor unions in opposing immigration.

Before we know it, they say, the U.S. will (1) overburden our food production resources, and (2) create a dearth of jobs.

Certainly not.

Census Bureau figures reveal that the U.S. fertility rate dropped to less than replacement level in 1972. However, immigration has kept the nation growing by 2.25 million people a year to the present 290 million – third largest country in the world.

It is expected that the U.S. will double in size this century.

Contrary to labor union and ecological gloom and doom, the dynamic American private enterprise system adjusts to the leapfrog of change and growth.

Immigrants traditionally have rushed here to take advantage of the need for cheap labor. By their more prolific production of children, they enlarge consumerism.

As their children become more educated, employable and prosperous they limit their families to better enjoy their higher standard of living. This trend is noticeable in developing countries.

In the meantime, growth creates new entry-level jobs for new waves of immigrants from third-world countries. We need them.

It’s called the American way. Build it and they will come – thank goodness. Best to control it, lest it controls us.

PARTING SHOTS

Strange. Nine Democrats are fighting each other for the distinction of getting beat by President Bush.

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A medical group in Colorado offers a bottle of beer to anyone donating a pint-of blood. First they appoint a designated donor.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be reached at linwms@lindseywilliams.org