Oklahoma passes toughest legislation on illegal aliens. (Original link: http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2007/05/02/news/state/news532.txt)
Even if their wishy-washy governor vetos it, they have the veto-overide votes for it. If only the Repubs at the Federal level hadn’t wasted their chance and passed something like this in the first place, they’d probably still be in control of both chambers of Congress.
In any case, the Oklahoma bill seems to be the way the illegal immigration issue needs to be addressed. The reason that businesses want illegals in the country is so they can pay the illegals sub-standard wages thus producing cheaper products and making a bigger profit–hey, wait a second. HOW CAN LIBERALS SUPPORT BIG BUSINESS LIKE THIS?! Buncha lame hypocrites.
I’m all for legal immigration, by the way. I currently work with two legal immigrants in my department: an Indian (for those of you who have been publik skrewled, that’s someone from India, not North Dakota) and a German (also not from North Dakota) who has since become a citizen of America (in the process, she learned more about American civics than 95% of Americans know). I don’t view them as “second class citizens” in the least. They’re here legally, just as I am. They are just as American as I am. The provide an outlook on their culture for me.
It’s not like we need illegal aliens to provide this “cultural benefit”! These legal immigrants get full benefits, a paycheck that is identical to anything that a natural-born American would get, and are treated equally. There is no shafting them, forcing them to work unpaid overtime or be threatened with deportation for being in the country illegally. Sure, that could save the company I work for a few bucks…but thankfully they hold ethics above money.
But those companies that are unethical…well, the Oklahama bill will get them. If it’s not economically feasable for illegals to be here, they will not come. And if the market for illegal aliens goes down, the market for legal immigrants can only improve. See, not only are American jobs being taken by illegals, but so are legal immigrant’s jobs. Immigrants right now have no incentive to become legal citizens. That will change if we enforce the immigration laws like we’re supposed to.
This is why immigration will continue to be a huge issue on the political level. And this doesn’t even address terrorist concerns yet. Congress needs to wake up and realize the actual problem. It does have a solution: enforce the laws.
