RNC Chairman Slams Immigration Bill Opponents

They just won't shut up. They lost, and they should let it go and get on with what's important. But no.

The AP reported yesterday that RNC Chairman Mel Martinez had some unkind things to say about me and many of you.

The Chairman of the Republican Party on Friday lambasted Democrats and Republicans who helped kill an immigration bill in the Senate and challenged them to come up with a solution beyond "just build a fence along the border."

"The voices of negativity now have a responsibility to come up with an answer," RNC Chairman and U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla. said.

"How will you fix the situation to make peoples' lives better? How will you continue to grow the economy? How will we bring people out of the shadows for our national security and for the sake of being a country that is just?" he demanded.

Well this "voice of negativity" has a few things to say to Senator Martinez. For starters, my solution is three-fold:

1. Build the fence. I don't mean build the fence and that's all we need to do. I don't mean build the fence and nobody will be able to get over or around it. I mean build the fence first. Any administration that won't build the fence is not serious about our borders and the security risk they pose.

2. Secure the border. That's where the high-tech stuff comes in. Do what it takes to get a handle on the people coming across the border. Upgrade the computer systems that are used to check the people coming into the country, or get some if they don't have any. Put in the high-tech super detectors the President wants. Hire (actually do it, don't just talk about it) more Border Patrol agents. Get more Border Patrol agents on horses in the areas that call for it. Just do what it takes to get control of our borders.

3. Implement and enforce employer sanctions. Fine and/or arrest employers who knowingly (or claim not to know, when they should know) hire illegal aliens. The database exists for employers to verify Social Security Numbers. All employers should be given access to this database. If the system needs upgrades or expansion, then spend the money to get the work done. We should never need to hear employers giving the lame excuse of, "How was I supposed to know it wasn't a good SSN? Or that it wasn't his?" Put the employer's butt in a sling if he doesn't verify that his employees are authorized to work in this country.

If the Administration or Congress claims there's not enough money for these solutions, they can take the money out of whichever National Endowment for Liberal Causes they like, because getting our borders under control is more important than Humanities and Arts.

Now for Senator Martinez's questions. How will I fix the situation to make people's lives better? First, I'd like to know which "people's lives" he's talking about. Does he mean the people who have lost jobs to illegals, like the American constructions workers in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina who were let go as soon as the illegals arrived? Is that who he's talking about? Or is his only concern to see that the illegal aliens' lives are made better, even if it's at the expense of American workers?

When the fence is built, the border is secure, and employers are not wantonly employing illegal aliens, many of the illegals will just go home. Most people don't stay long where they're not welcome.

A case in point: I heard a guest on a radio talk show last week. It might have been Sean Hannity's show, but I'm not sure. The guest was the mayor of Farmer's Branch, Texas, where the city council passed an ordinance banning the hiring of illegal aliens and banning landlords from renting to illegals. The law was immediately challenged in court and is not yet in effect. And that means it's not being enforced yet. But the town of Farmer's Branch has seen a reduction in hospital emergency room visits, and at one of the grade schools, they lost enough students that they were able to eliminate one classroom. There may be more effects, but those are the only ones I remember.

The lives of the citizens of Farmer's Branch, Texas, are better for having said to illegal aliens, "You're not welcome here."

How will I grow the economy? That's not really my strong suit, but here are a few ideas: Make the tax cuts permanent. Cut taxes some more. Encourage businesses that rely heavily on labor--agriculture in particular--to automate more processes. There's got to be an Eli Whitney around here somewhere who can figure out how to build a strawberry-picker that can detect the right color of red and then pick those, while leaving the little ones or the green ones behind for later. Or make a machine that cuts and grabs lettuce at ground level. We have hay balers that pick up hay from the ground, so why is it so hard to pick lettuce with a machine? Let the government give incentives to the agriculture industry to mechanize, and the prices of produce will come back down again. Without the high labor cost, our food will be affordable, and the illegal aliens won't have a reason to come here looking for harvest work.

"How will we bring people out of the shadows for our national security and for the sake of being a country that is just?" That question really frosts my chaps.

Let's get this straight. National security risks will NOT be coming out of the shadows, no matter what we do. They like the shadows. They want to hide. If we were to instantly legalize every illegal person who wanted it (which the now-dead bill would have done), we would still have national security problems, because the terrorists would not announce themselves.

In order for the United States of America to be a country that is just, we need justice. And that means the rule of law. Right now we have laws that are not enforced. "You're not supposed to be in the country? Oh, stay. Here, rent an apartment. Let me help you get a bank account. If you get sick, just go to the hospital, and they won't ask any questions. Send your kids to our schools, and I'll get you set up for WIC." That's not justice. That's ignoring the rule of law. Justice says that lawbreakers are punished. Justice says that law-abiders are rewarded. Instead, Martinez and his ilk would reward the lawbreakers with legal status and punish the law-abiding people trying to immigrate legally with delay or a flat-out, "No."

But don't listen to me. I'm just a voice of negativity.

Update:

Michelle Malkin is all over this as well. It seems there's a recall effort in Florida now to throw the bum Martinez out.