Republicans Should Lead Immigration Reform

Bill Bennett's speech on the state of Republicanism is a great speech!

Republicans, like Pogo, have met the enemy and it is us.

We are what we are characterized as, the party of No, because we haven't put together a coherent plan of action, only knee-jerk reaction.

I appalled some Republicans at a fun get-together when I mentioned my plan was basically to throw open our borders to anyone with a clean record and the desire to work, invest, and/or innovate. What we are doing now is the reverse of sensible immigration policy. We can't secure our borders first, then do something, because it's impossible to secure our enormous border with Mexico, and after almost a century of futility, it seems we would know that and not make it a precondition to doing anything substantive about immigration. It just makes us look like all we can do is  employ delaying tactics.

A recent study shows that every 100 new immigrants produce over 250 new jobs. When they are here legally, they also pay more taxes, use less welfare, register their cars, insure their cars, get drivers' licenses, buy more homes, commit fewer crimes, are victims of fewer crimes, &etc. 

When an immigrant with a clean background comes in, they should get a green card if they want one. No questions asked. If they don't commit crimes and stay off welfare, learn English and American government and history, they should be candidates for citizenship after 5 years. Of course, anyone here now illegally would have to start the five years when given a permanent legal status too.

Our system right now cannot be changed to the point where we can control our border with Mexico effectively, so why try? We need their labor, it is good for our economy, even though they are unskilled and uneducated. Get everyone established in a legal status, and open up coming here to other country's best and brightest , to join those already here. Foreigns who are skilled and educated are on very tight quotas and face waiting periods up to 10 years or longer. They can't take the illegal alien approach and sneak in, because the work they are  best qualified to do, and the investments they could bring, can only be accomplished with legal status.

We need to get out of the immigration box, and the Democrats are stuck in one too. They don't want a flood of highly skilled, educated, entrepreneurial people, they want the ones they can control and organize into reliable voting blocks. Success in our free economy hurts the Democrats, and they know it would help Republicans.