With President Obama’s health care reform plan bogged down in committees, there is little chance of any bill reaching his desk by Christmas. 
At present, there are no less than five bills floating in various committees. Four of those five include a public provision and have been priced at over one trillion dollars by the Office of Management and Budget.
Whatever and whenever any solid bill comes to the floor for a vote, it will likely be a ghost of the original idea the president and his supporters hoped for.
But as the nation’s attention has been focused on this ongoing battle in congress, other topics have been festering just below the surface.
The war in Afghanistan is at a turning point. President Obama is responsible for making vitally important strategic decisions as to the war and how involved the country will continue to participate militarily.
Again, the final outcome rests with the president and the bet by Washington insiders is he will increase troop strength in the region and blame his generals if it doesn’t work Thus, he can remain at ease with the far left and appease the right for now.
That leaves the ongoing debate on illegal immigration that will most certainly be addressed in next year’s congress.
Since Obama’s address to the joint session of congress and the “liar” incident, intense focus has been brought on the wording of any health care reform bill pertaining to illegal immigrants. Constitutional scholars reviewing the White House’s reform bill warn that excluding non-citizens from any health care bill will be ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Many opponents to the president’s bill speculate that he insisted on illegal non-participation because he knows as a constitutional lawyer, there is little chance it will survive a fight in the nation’s highest court. In fact, the costs of funding illegal aliens is included in all OMB predictions.
Therefore, for illegal aliens to go unsubsidized by American taxpayers, federal laws will have to be rewritten and survive a host of court challenges.
All this means that if current enforcement of federal immigration laws are to be duly enforced, it is 
imperative that they also be funded to carry any weight. It is one thing to have laws on the books and quite another to fund their enforcement.
Jacob L. Vigdor, a professor of public policy and economics at Duke University states that “immigration has faded as a hot-button issue for the moment overshadowed by health care reform.” He goes on to say, “There continue to be more foreign born American residents (almost 40 million) than at any time in history.”
But the interesting part of his research is that other than the Latin portion of this immigration is largely legal in nature and adapting into our culture at a faster rate than a century ago. It is the illegally established population that continues to hide in the shadows and refuse to obtain legal status.
The professor goes on to say, “It is therefore not surprising to learn that immigrants from Mexico and nearby countries naturalize at a lower rate.” It is easy to forget that most foreign-born individuals living in this country come from countries other than Mexico!
The capacity to integrate immigrants into American society is greater than it has ever been. So why are those who choose to come and remain illegally doing so to begin with?
In some cases, they don’t want to. In other cases, they can’t even if they want to. Would you spend the time and effort to learn the language and acclimate into society if you knew there was a strong change you’d be deported?
As this heats up again in 2010, it is important to present a comprehensive immigration policy completely enforceable and funded.
Within that policy, hard thinking concerning the right for infants born here of illegal immigrants should be studied. Its very nature has enabled millions of illegal aliens a quick and undeserving path to legal status and caused millions to simply “flop” over the border to give birth.
Professor Vigdor continues that “.. a comprehensive immigration policy must consider not only who’s allowed into the country, but also what we’d like them to do once they’re here”.
The United States is the number one country in the world of which the rest of humanity striving for a new life prefers to come.
It is high time we realize what these potential immigrants already know better than we as a nation do! If we don’t begin to think more selectively about our new citizens, we will become the nation many yearn to depart.
That thought should be unthinkable to every American citizen.
Comments
If I could afford, I would leave America. I dont trust our government. As a matter of fact, I see no future here. Our politician care not for the common good of American born citizens, and in my opinion, should all be brought up on charges of treason for gross violations of the constitutional laws they are each and every one sworn to uphold. With poor leadership, they have allowed our schools and lives to deteriorate to the point where, as a whole, americans feel there future is hopeless. It is sad, and making people very angry about it. I fear the future of this country if our elected official dont begin working for the true americans who trusted them
I agree with Runester. Our government cannot be trusted. The government revolves around the basics of lie, cheat and steal. Leaving America may be a good option. We could follow the NAFTA actions and be paid to relocate out of America, like so many of our businesses.
The article did promote some great ideas on actually funding the cost of illegal immigration. That way the American people could see the cost of these actions. I would love to see 300 billion health care and services dollars allocated in the health bill. Obama wants the costs to be hidden. This administration is as transparent as the Mississippi river in Spring.
I hear many young college students, of all races and ethnic groups, talking about leaving this country for greener fields.
We have lost our compasss. We have let the "elite" whether Dem or Repub take over our country for the benefit of special interest groups.
The "elite" has even gone so far as to ignore our democratically passed laws, such as our immigration laws, by their refusal to enforce them. Cheap labor and huge NAFTA profits for the few are more important than the welfare of American citizens.
We need to roar and stop the politicians from subverting the will of the people.
Our Government, past & present, Republican & Democrat, have allowed the invasion of 20 to 30 million criminals and uneducated peons which is the largest invasion of any Nation, at any time, by any means & in direct violation of Article IV, Section IV of our Constitution.
This refusal to abide by our Constitution or enforce our Immigration Laws should be classified as Treason of the most foul kind, & as grounds for impeachment & trials for Treason!
Not only have they allowed the invasion, they force American tax payers to pay Billions on Billions of dollars to provide Welfare, Prison cells, Educate the invaders numerous children, and free medical care, at the same time the invading horde break numerous laws and massive document fraud, & are destroying our schools, hospitals, communities, culture and standard of living while Robbing, Raping, Killing & Assaulting American Citizens WAKE UP PEOPLE!!
American citizens killed by illegal aliens
www.ojjpac.org/memorial.asp
i want to find out when is the president is going to pass something for the mexician to stay and work. im married to mexician for 5 years and ineed to find out how can i help him
if you around the usa not only its illegal aliens its other races here in north carolina we has worried about our own races stealing rapping childrens and everything else ,so wake up america and watch your own people
all those airing their views against the so called illegal immigrants must remember that they are also descendants of illegal aliens who came and occupied and still continue to occupy USA...therefore deportation and all those talk should include you all.....all this anti immigrant talk is 100% racism.... work for your country and serve the country in afganistan to prove your patriotism...cheers!
STOP YOUR LIES. THE TRUTH IS THAT The Undocumented Immigrant don't have a Card that they show which says they're Undocumented and they DON'T PAY TAXES THE SAME AS YOU & ME. Every one pays the same taxes,Clothing, gas, cigarettes,Tolls, Sales tax,and all other taxes.
The Undocumented Immigrants pay the exact same amount of taxes like you and me when they buy Things, rent a house, fill up gas, drink a beer or wine, buy appliances, play the states lottery and mega millions.You can see they are NOT FREELOADERS, THEY PAY TAXES AND TOLLS Exactly the same as you, Now if you take out 10% from your states /city Budget what will your city/state look like financially ?
They pay more taxes than you think, Including FEDERAL INCOME TAX using a ITN Number that is given to them by the IRS, Social Security Taxes and State taxes that are withheld form their paychecks automatically
All illegal aliens are lawbreakers. They overstay visas, steal across our borders, use stolen documents, forged documents or both to break more laws by falsifying their identities to gain illegal occupation, drivers license and other benefits. They drive without insurance and valid licenses as well as stiffing ERs for services rendered. They show no honor, integrity or humanity towards the Americans that they cause suffering and pain to. Instead of being ashamed of taking jobs from Americans that need to feed and shelter their children, these people thumb their noses at our culture and laws and march in the streets waving foreign flags and demanding amnesty. The 1986 amnesty was a heinous failure! Never again. America welcomes Godly people to immigrate here that respect our laws.
The lack of insight characterized by this, "You too are an illegal alien simply by virtue of your being on American soil" argument is empty rhetoric and a dead rational. It is the "system", I/E, capitalism, that grew a society in which normal people the world over long to be a part of. Normal people, as opposed to the wealthy aristocracies and/or oppressive regimes that rule, and have ruled, much of the civilized world. "America", is less a place, than a philosophy based on hard work and individual enterprise, and the belief that those who work and produce have a right to keep the fruits of their labor. And now that we have grown into rich nation because of those beliefs, we have “beggars” as it were, coming here with their hands out, and the money in American wallets is finite. The meager taxes paid into the system by illegal aliens is a pittance compared to what they siphon out of it! Besides schools and other social which are now suffering terribly, (read next post)
because of illegal aliens, their only major contributions are to a quickly deteriorating infrastructure, water shortages, pollution, etc. And I wont even mention the billions in remittances they send OUT of America, while having children which give them direct access to welfare services that add up to tens of billions! No, illegal have nothing to contribute to the average American other than hardship. That is the simple truth.
Who are the Mexicans going to live off of when they become the majority in this country?? They have taken advantage of this country -offering nothing except baby after baby- they are worthless!!
All illegal aliens are lawbreakers??? Well, good observation Mr. common sense, but the real observation is why the government does not want to make them part of our society and charge them taxes? Jose has been 13 years living and working in America and has never paid a cent on taxes to the government because he is not part of this society. Is that fair for the Americans??? Or I should say is that fait for Jose??? Do not force your brain.
Call your Congressional Representative and demand that they support HR 1868. This would require that at the time of birth one parent of the child must to be a US citizen to confer US citizenship. This change would end the so called Anchor Baby route to citizenship. The cost of these Anchor Babies to the taxpayers is staggering.
FVFV
ahh,here we go,the knuckle dragging mouthbreathers have found the answer to the Great American Plight.It is jose-pounding the concrete right out of the damned infrastructure,and lol,polluting!Do You think your insurance company will charge you less if they get rid of Pedro? do you think your food will be cheaper,the government spend less,?will your house(the one you can't afford)be cheper,built by union laborers?Do you think one's lack of marketable skills will be overlooked and he will be hired in that great job if it only weren't for the illegals?come on,you simply can not be that stupid! wake up and see it for what it is:we are screwed so badly immigration is nothing but a political wedge-look at the europeans since the creation of the EU.the euro is stronger than the dollar and they can take 5 weeks vacation every year.Be more selective with your news and stop listening to beck-it is really detrimental to your health.p.s-the kids won't be any smarter or do better in school either..
People are not illegal because they want to be... that has been the US system of cheap labor for all of our lifetimes and each one of you who has ever eaten a grape or a salad has benefited.
Hypocrites... you take $8 BILLION a year in social security every year from undocumented workers to pay for your lazy butts in old age, and the undocumented will never see the benefits of their labor... and then you want to deny them a path to earn legal status! SHAME!!!
STOP YOUR LIES. THE TRUTH IS THAT The Undocumented Immigrant don't have a Card that they show which says they're Undocumented and they DON'T PAY TAXES THE SAME AS YOU & ME. Every one pays the same taxes,Clothing, gas, cigarettes,Tolls, Sales tax,and all other taxes.
The Undocumented Immigrants pay the exact same amount of taxes like you and me when they buy Things, rent a house, fill up gas, drink a beer or wine, buy appliances, play the states lottery and mega millions.You can see they are NOT FREELOADERS, THEY PAY TAXES AND TOLLS Exactly the same as you, Now if you take out 10% from your states /city Budget what will your city/state look like financially ?
They pay more taxes than you think, Including FEDERAL INCOME TAX using a ITN Number that is given to them by the IRS, Social Security Taxes and State taxes that are withheld form their paychecks automatically
The claim that without Illegal Immigrants the USA would have less tax revenue is a statistical misrepresentation perpetrated by those who would have us believe that if currently working Illegal Immigrants departed the USA they would take the jobs with them. But in fact those jobs would still exist and recent history has proven that after job site raids companies fill their open positions with Citizen and Legal Resident workers. With 21 million Citizens and Legal Residents looking for work, most of whom held jobs similar to those currently held by the estimated 7 million working Illegal Immigrants it does not take a rocket scientist to see there would be very little loss in job related tax revenue if Illegal Immigrants departed the USA. Putting 7 million Citizens back to work would save $100 billion in unemployment and welfare payments. The net result is without Illegal Immigrants there would be little change in tax revenues and a big drop in government spending of our tax dollars.
Pernella, please go back to school and learn about grammar and punctuation. Its hurts to read to comments.
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