Tom Kawczynski - Off the Record

I've been enjoying a lengthy respite from politics and my usual business.  I'm still on a limited schedule as far as that goes.  Sometimes, I find that I learn more from sitting back and reflecting about what is happening.  Still, I do read the news, and I feel like writing a little bit tonight about Arizona.

For those not already aware, Arizona has recently passed a controversial immigration law that allows state and local police to check to verify the citizenship of anyone being stopped for some valid reason.  It is important to note that this is not a law as some are reporting that is seeking to locate illegal immigrants directly, but rather to take action against those who commit some other action.  It has become a huge issue as there are accusations of racism flying already.

I tend to think that is crap.  I firmly and fully believe that identity politics, whether they be on the basis of gender, race, or any other category, serve only to engender hatred, mistrust, resentment, and are to the detriment of everyone.  You cannot slap a label on someone, give them a different status than another person, and think that creates equality.  I would fully agree that there are issues and people have racial biased attitudes, but the identity politics never solves these.  So, I will throw out the race card.

But, immigration is a real issue.  It's something that cuts to the center of American tradition, as we are almost all children of immigrants.  People wanting to come here, make money, contribute to society, and seeking a better life for their family are living the American dream.  I respect and honor that, but there has to be laws in place, and there desperately needs to be comprehensive immigration reform.  It needs to address the law enforcement issues and the fairness issues in a way that respects people as individuals.

To this point, neither side has done anything.  My presumption is that Republicans did nothing about the issue of illegal immigrants because they were scared of racial politics and because too many business owners liked using cheap illegal labor.  The Democrats did nothing because having the issue out there was a continuing way to motivate on a class basis, in an effort to make Latino voting patterns mirror that of black voters.  So, the Feds did nothing, and wanted the states to do nothing, because they accepted the status quo.  It's good that Arizona brought this up.

People have different views, of course, but here's my take on immigration.  I think we should be welcoming to workers who want to come here, but that they should have to follow the same rules as all other Americans.  Guest workers should be registered, should be paid the same minimum wages, should pay for the services they use, and should not be given an automatic path to citizenship via amnesty.  I think we should have a separate citizenship process, but one that is fair, inclusive, and gives an opportunity for people who want to move here to do so.  With such a program in place, those who are not registered should be deported back to their nations of origin.

I know that many people worry about illegal immigrants providing cheap labor that takes away jobs.  This solution would put American citizens on even ground.  I also think that states should go after business owners who seek to skirt these requirements.  America is not in the business of sweatshop labor, and we should hold ourselves to a higher standard.

The worry that a law like this one passing in Arizona will be used to execute mass deportations is just, and it will be destructive to certain areas of their economy.  Yet, it is an effort to deal with a law enforcement issue, as drug related violence coming north from Sonora and other Mexican states demands a response.  I wonder how many people know about the ransoms and kidnappings becoming more prevalent on that border, or the growing radical movements within certain Latino communities that seek separation from the United States.  Look up Aztlan if you're curious.

The Federal Government should have solved this issue and still can do so.  The sad thing is they won't, because it's political season always.  Both parties screwed this one up, and I hope someone has the guts to fix it.  But, if they don't, I'm glad to see states looking for their own answers.