Oct. 23, 2005 - 19:15 MDT

RIGHT HAND / LEFT HAND

Perhaps keeping the wheels turning would be a good thing, if the right side wheels are turning the same direction as the wheels on the left, likewise it would help if the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front spinners.

In essence that seems to be a foreign idea to politicians - - - - from away back, common in history older than I am.

Present day politics seems to be choosing fancy slogans, logos and dubious definitions, at least that is the way it looks to me.

Oh, yes, I forgot, the politicians have to throw in a bunch of caveats as well.

The Denver Post has a columnist in Washington D.C., John Aloysiuis Farrell who has a column in each Sunday's Post. Herewith is today's in full :

"IMMIGRATION LAYS OPEN FAULT LINES IN GOP

In the East Room of the White House on Tuesday, President Bush signed a homeland security bill that will devote $7.5 billion to securing America's borders from crooks, smugglers, terrorists and illegal immigrants."

"We've got to strengthen security along our borders to stop people from entering illegally," Bush said. "In other words, we've got to stop people from coming here."

"To reinforce the message, the administration dispatched two Cabinet secretaries to the Senate Judiciary Committee to call for immigration reform. Committee chairman Arlen Specter, Republican from Pennsylvania, promised prompt consideration."

"Bush raised the issue of illegal immigration in his first term, but let it slide. The administration's efforts to jump start the debate now coincides with the growing concerns of American voters."

"Republican pollster Bill McInturff says that immigration now ranks among the top three issues for conservatives, Republicans and residents of border states. Even in non-border states, it has cracked the top 10."

"In my party it's becoming a central issue," says McInturff, who warns clients that immigrations is a possible "break-out topic for the 2006 mid-term elections. "Across the country you are starting to see this emotional pickup."

"The problem, says McInturff, is that immigration is becoming an issue -- like free trade, federal spending and religious conservativism -- that exacerbates "fault lines" in the Republican Party."

"I know of no issue that is more divisive amoong Republicans today as this one, " agreed GOP strategist Ed Rollins."

"The U. S. Chamber of Commerce and other organizations that represent the GOP's entrepreneurial and business wing are counting on Mexican laborers to plug predicted U.S. labor shortages AND KEEP WAGES LOW."

"Our immigration system is broken, and needs to be fixed," said Thomas Donohue, the chamber president, at a forum on Tuesday. Congress must "make it easier for immigrants to fill jobs in the U.S." because "we face a current and future worker shortage."

"But for many social conservatives, alarmed by the cultural, economic and environmental effects of immigration, "reform" is a euphemism for "amnesty." They want the government to seal the Southwest border, arrest millions of illegal immigrants and ship them home to Mexico and Latin America."

"Thousands of illegal immigrants have been here for years and had children who, by virtue of their birth on American soil, are U.S. citizens, McCain noted. Massive deportations and breaking up families "is not what the lady who holds her lamp beside the golden door is all about."

"As a former Texas governor, Bush has a thorough understanding of the immigration issue and its political heat."

"To his credit, he has not abandoned his belief that America's borders can't be secure without some kind of guest-worker program."

"Enforcement cannot work unless it is part of a larger comprehensive immigration reform program," Bush said."

"And "the fewer people trying to sneak in to work means it's more likely we're going to catch drug smugglers and terrorists and gun runners."

"Bush's proposal requires illegal immigrants to go home to enlist in a guest-worker program, and then return to the U.S. legally. It is tougher than the bill offered by McCain and Kennedy, which would fine illegal immigrants but allow them, if they meet certain conditions, to stay as guest workers."

"There's a danger that Congress won't listen to the White House. A more politically tempting option may be to issue press releases, throw a lot of money at enforcement, and put off dealing with the difficult, underlying economic causes."

"That is a recipe for porous borders. In recent years, said McCain, the United States has tripled the money it spends on border enforcement and doubled the number of guards and agents. Despite such measures, illegal immigration doubled."

"There are now an estimated 8 to 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States."

"And border guards are out chasing busboys," said Kennedy, "when they ought to be looking for terrorists."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My Italics and bolds, and insufficient they are, to deal with the complexities of the subject, I think.

This illegal immigrant bit is not something new. Back in the old days, however they legally got in, Chinese laborers built the west coast railroad, low paid and ill treated. The motley bunch of miners around Ludlow Colorado of varying language and customs were sitting ducks for mine owners, locally in my own state the sugar beet industry was responsible for the vast number of Mexican immigrants, however they got in -- their wages were low and treatment not of the best. In later years the word "bracero" seemed to mean that our government allowed them to come here to work.

Now we have NAFTA with CAFTA looking over its shoulder, which no doubt benefits the companies, corporation and industries of our country, but I fail to see that it makes the citizens of the U.S. more secure in their jobs -- that is if they have any jobs. Mexican rigs with Mexican drivers crossing our borders too.

I guess what I am trying to say is that no matter what is enacted, what rules and laws are made, there will be convenient loopholes built in to them for employers to bring illegals into the country -- or hire them when they get here.

There is one paragraph in Mr. Farrell's column and one partial sentence by Mr. Bush that causes me to guffaw loudly. His speech contained, "We've got to strengthen our borders to stop people from entering illegally," ( if that means anything it might be good), then he went on to say, "In other words, we've got to stop people from coming here." (puffery and meaningless to me it is).

There is another paragraph, loaded to to the max that points up why we have trouble. Quote: "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other organizations that represent the GOP's entrepreneurial and business wing are counting on Mexican laborers to plug predicted U.S. labor shortages and keep wages low." Unquote.

Another sticking point with me is Mr. Donohue, saying, "Congress must "make it easier for immigrants to fill jobs in the U.S.," the south have not died of starvation yet, nor do we intend to. But we do expect the whole country, including ourselves to come to a rational operating method.

Then there is the paragraph of what Mr. Bush also said, Quote: "It mabecause, "we face a current and future worker shortage." Now dammit all, those of us who have become unemployed because of our jobs going overseas and taken by illegal immigrants from kes sense to have a rational plan that says, you can come and work on a temporary basis if an employer can't find an American to do the job."

Yeah right, that is a song that only politicians believe - - they continue sing it and to ignore that the wages paid won't help a citizen live in comfort and safety. (not luxury and fancy)

"I remember reading that GM received money for damages to factories in Germany in World War Two that they had interests in. So it has been going on for a long time. Our big corporations were allowed to have business interests and ensuing profits overseas, thus making them more profit but not for the benefit of the ordinary Joe Citizen. The war cry here in Colorado by the biggies when I was a kid, was, "Anglos won't do stoop labor." which ignored the fact that stoop labor didn't pay what it should have. Of course we all would have had to pay more for our products, so we got caught up in the system of fantasy. What is the answer to the whole problem ? I can't see deporting parents to Mexico who have a child born here, nor can I make sense of a woman eight months and a few weeks sneaking across the border to bear another American citizen.

I have the strange feeling (or dread) that whatever guest worker program is set up will favor to the max the big outfits to the detriment of both the guest worker and the citizen of the U.S. who needs work that will help him pay the rent and buy gasoline, clothing and groceries.

With all the talk going on now -- it seems to me that our politicians on the one hand want to bring in cheap labor and yet pacify folks here who need work. Wording their speeches in a way that tries to lead some folks into believing things like that are possible. There are the hands each saying something they don't mean, neither one wants the other to know what they are aiming for, (that is if they really know what the answer is) So, in cadence RIGHT HAND / LEFT HAND . . . . . . . . .

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