Picture this: One thousand men and women show up at Independence Mall to announce publicly that most of them are the recent perpetrators of crimes. And they demand that those crimes be forgiven. And, moreover, they fully intend to go right back and commit them again!
And to top things off, they actually want to be rewarded for breaking the law in the first place!
Sounds loco, yes? It actually happened on Valentine's Day, as illegal immigrants rallied by the Liberty Bell for the rights they feel they deserve. Even though they are neither citizens, nor even in this country legally. Those "undocumented persons" have no official identities, nor social security numbers, so many work "under the table", and pay no taxes. They have no health insurance, and likely have not been screened for tuberculosis, AIDS, and hepatitis. But they use our schools, hospitals, and welfare system. All at the expense of the real taxpayers, some of whom have actually lost jobs to those same illegals they now must support! Or at the expense of those legal aliens who were foolish enough to play by the rules.
And if these invaders are caught, there are no criminal penalties. Not even a $25 fine, like a parking ticket. Nothing. No matter how many times they are pinched. After a few days in lockup (at taxpayer expense) they face a hearing (at taxpayer expense) and, finally, deportation (at taxpayer expense). An all-inclusive trip home. Some persistent illegals have logged enough miles to be Frequent Flee-ers. All booked and paid for by the Uncle Sam Travel Club.
But they demand amnesty. The right to stay, to work, and to be accepted into our society, even though their entry, and employment, have been totally illegal.
Now lets look at the story in a whole different way .
You are from a dust-poor third world country. Social services there are nonexistent, jobs few. Maybe you learned to read and write, but probably not well. Pervasive poverty, illiteracy, drugs, and crime are your State of the Union. Your government allows American companies to outsource low-paying work down there, but good luck if peons like you want to find legal jobs up north.
You are willing to do an honest day's work for, perhaps, somewhat less than an honest day's pay, because it is still far more than anything available at home. So you leave everything you have ever known, and smuggle yourself el norte , hoping that poverty can have a better face in a cold concrete canyon than it does under a warm jacaranda tree.
And though the streets are no longer paved with gold, there is work, and few questions. You don't ask any, either. You probably don't understand English words like green card and inoculations, but a muchacho hooks you up to be a drywaller, grasscutter, harvester, dishwasher, laborer, or maid. The jobs that most Americans don't want.
And, you hope that more of the greenbacks you send home actually get to mamacita than disappear in the postal system. You stay away from hospitals, police, and anyone who might ask you for identification. Occasionally you get food, or medicine, or clothing from a church, or charity group, or social service organization. You will never strike it rich, but you hope that your 80-hour weeks will someday allow your family to escape destitution and despair.
The government pretty much leaves you alone. And restaurants, hotels, and any employers needing cheap manual labor are more than willing to hire you. After all, it is grunts like you that allow those employers to sell food, build houses, rent rooms, and provide a panoply of services as cheaply as they do. What would these things cost if American labor did the job, at American prices???
But now there are bills in both the U.S. House and Senate which would make it a felony to employ, or even provide aid to, illegal immigrants. Including help from those churches, charities, and social service organizations! And the most vocal supporters of these bills are the Minutemen, a nationwide vigilante (or patriot) group, depending on your point of view. The head of the Pennsylvania chapter, retired telephone worker John Ryan, lives in Quakertown.
Ryan was part of the non-sanctioned citizen border patrol that claimed to have prevented 60,000 illegal entries into the U.S. southwest last April. And, even though he was a counterprotester on Valentine's Day, his real argument is with a higher authority. The federal government, which he sees as having sold out to business at the expense of American jobs, and American security:
"Our battle is not with the people streaming across our borders truly seeking a better life. They are as much pawns in this 'Great Game, American Version' as the Americans who cynically refuse to participate in the election process are.
Our fight is with our political leaders, Democrats and Republicans alike, who are selling us out and charging us with the bill. Our fight is with those who responded in our Nations most vulnerable hours by passing laws designed to restrict our liberty. It's time we all stood up again for our Country. This time, though, we'll lead the politicians back to where we want to go. Or else, we vote the bums out. It is that simple."
It is folly to think that this country could even begin to round up our estimated 10 million illegals. The controversial Mexican border fence, and expanded patrols, may be able to slow the influx. But, the burning question will always be - do we really want to? Cheap labor means low prices. And, cost aside, if there were no illegals to do the most backbreaking and disagreeable work, who would do it? You?