I have flinched and squirmed and kept my mouth shut all day long as the new and improved immigration bill has been "debated". The parenthesis are obviously for an ironic effect, because:
No one likes what has been put forward. There is an absolute consensus of "no way in hell".
Yet people want to blame or attribute or whatever the progressive movement for the bill's contents, good and ill. I have heard claims that the Left has abandoned environmental goals, labor standards, yadda, yadda, yadda. My Latino co-workers claim it would hurt their famlies. My boss claims it would get him off the hook about unpaid taxes. I work in construction. I hear things.
I have reached the only rational conclusion. We must wait until we have a Democrat in office in '09 to agree to any immigration legislation. My analysis is both practical and political.
The Bush Admininstration is hellbent on some kind of signature legislation. Screw them on any level. Unfortunately, our Majority Leader wants to climb aboard that train regardless of what it delivers. And it delivers nothing except to people like my boss.
From everything I gather, chain migration will end. In a nutshell, this means families will remain kept apart. In a nutshell, this means immigrants will be allowed to be guest workers and drive down wages. In a nutshell, this means BushCo can take credit for both abolishing the 13th Amendnent AND making some accomodation for the Latino community. In a nutshell, this allows my boss to be a slavemaster.
This must not happen.
Tonight, Speaker Pelosi had it about right. This legislation should cause "concern." And it should cause concern because it would tear families apart, drive down wages, and most of all give the Bush junta claims on people who belong in our camp.
Unless this legislation is cleaned up and offers higher wages, family reuninfication, and a step toward universal health care, it should be killed. If it is to be now, it must be done in such a way that the wingnuts never get a clue.
People whom I respect, among them Sen. Kennedy, are wrong on this one. People I detest like little swishy-in-the-closet Sen. Graham know they are wrong. Let us wait until another senator takes office.
HE will do the right thing.