Work Together? Yeah Right!
Immigration is an issue that may very well become a Supreme Court issue by the end of this year, but are politicians using the issue to sway voters in the upcoming elections?
During the campaign in 2008 the future president was asked how quickly he would push for new immigration legislation and he said, “…what I can guarantee is that in the first year we will have an immigration bill that I support, and we will be promoting.” But the promise changed in 2009 when the same reporter asked if he still planned to keep his promise he said, “I am absolutely going to keep my promise to push for immigration reform.” Here we are 18 months later and we still have nothing.
The answer for Arizona came in the form of a very controversial law. Senator John McCain has said that, “The law is a direct reflection of what the federal government has not done.” This is true the federal government has done nothing, however the last time I checked the federal government was made up of mostly two parties, and neither side has proposed anything.
Would this even be an issue if the law were made in Idaho on the Canadian boarder? No. On this specific issue, it is a classic case of Republicans vs. Democrats. Republicans from Arizona have put a law in place which they believe protects their citizens from illegal immigrants that make up a significant amount of their crime, because the national government has not. The President and Democrats in Congress are going to ignore the problem, at least until after the November election because the law in Arizona, which allows for racial profiling, has drawn huge waves of protesters that hurt the Republican Party’s chances for House and Senate seats.
It is pathetic that neither party at the national level has done anything, and even more appalling that they won’t do anything except point fingers at each other. Things will only get worse as states try to treat symptoms of a bigger problem, which both parties in congress need to address.
I agree with you completely on this subject. I had not realized that the Republicans nor the Democrats have proposed any legislation on the issue. I am not surprised that Obama has not come through on a campaign promise. Aside from his socialist health care reform, he's not come through on anything thus far in his presidency.
ReplyDeleteYou are completely spot on... If the greater part of the immigration issue was coming from the Canadian border we would not be having this conversation. I think this is a very racially motivated issue.
I think Arizona has taken things into their own hands for the very reasons you have laid out. It is unfortunate, however, that the Arizona law will probably be shot down by the Supreme Court.
You have a very well written article with points drawn on both sides of the issue. Thanks for sharing.
A Call to Action - Well Done!
ReplyDeleteI read Jessica’s Blog 5 Assignment with keen interest, both because I’m very interested in the issue, and it is a very hot topic with many passionate viewpoints. As Jessica is a veteran who has served our country to preserve freedom, I was interested in her perspective. I found her arguments credible and well formulated. Rather than focusing on the question of immigrant rights, or taking a stand for or against immigration, she insightfully discusses the political battle underscoring this issue, and our government’s manipulation of immigration reform for their own advantages.
She points out the hypocrisy in politician’s promises to implement reform, only to back down or do nothing at all once they are elected. I find her arguments mirror what many American’s feel in that they are tired of rhetoric and inaction from elected leaders. We, the people, are well aware that both sides of the isle selfishly position immigration reform more to win votes rather than protect our nation. In her post, she calls out both Republicans and Democrats, and surmises that neither side seems to be truly addressing the problem, which now culminates with the new controversial Arizona law. She also infers that states are reduced to doing what the federal government won't do, and she does so without chastising Arizona.
What I find refreshing about her position, is that she calls both politcial parties to action asking them get together and do something meaningful about immigration, and to stop leveraging this highly volatile issue as a tool to plot against teach other. While she lends credibility to her position by citing Obama’s record on this issue, she doesn’t digress into mud slinging. She also infers that there is much more to this issue that border protection by suggesting that this would not be an issue if it involved the Canadian border. Again, she strikes to the heart of what many people feel, but few pundits or politicians will admit. That this is about race, and the power of their voting pool, and which party can capture their support. It’s not about protecting America – it’s about protecting their political careers.
Her title, “Work Together? Yeah Right!” hits the nail on the head, as far as I’m concerned, and I share her frustration, as I’m sure many American’s, on both sides of this issue, do as well. All we want is for our elected leaders to stop putting themselves first, and do what they were elected for, and with respects to immigration reform, the time to do something has come.