07 December, 2005

http://joshharrisblogson.blogspot.com/ ...and our President

I love reading the editorial page of the newspaper. Often, it is my main source of "news," since I have come to believe that no one can keep their bias out of their writing. Ergo, a news source is often more reliable when the author is declaring their bias, then I as a reader can filter out the interpretations of events that I don't agree with and focus on the real event. Also, opinion writers often find extremely interesting stats or events that usually wouldn't reach the rest of the newspaper.

Today, in the Editorials, I read an article about our President's plan to implement a "guest worker" program for illegal aliens before enforcing our already-established immigrant laws. Of course I agree with most writers I've read who say that Bush's plan is ridiculous. I love our President dearly, but of course, he is only human.

This plan is frivolous for many reasons. However, my main issue with this plan is different than what most opinion writers are focusing on. Allow me to lay out my points.

Our President not only lived in Texas, but was her Governor. His business in the oil industry went quite well. Now, class, where do most of these illegal immigrants come from? From Mexico through the southern border, of course (not that all illegal immigrants are Mexican). Now, if we look at a map of the United States, which state owns a large portion of that border? Texas! Good! Now, considering that, for those businesspeople (like Bush is, or was) who want cheap labor fast, the illegal immigration provides such fast, cheap labor, then wouldn't it make sense that these businesspeople would want to preserve that porous international border? Of course!

My conclusions have no founding on facts, or quotes from the President or his advisors, I am just pointing out a potential congruency. If, in fact, Bush has used cheap immigrant labor and benefited from it, then he would also want to preserve that cheap labor by making it legal. Thus, the "guest worker" program.

I also wonder about our current "drug war" and how much of it would be won by the law if the border was more secure. Hmm...I wonder.

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