The Most Ridiculous Bill Yet

Last week the Senate approved an immigration reform bill that was announced with upbeat fanfare by the media.  Liberal anchors called it a great compromise on the path to citizenship, and conservative anchors called it a much needed border security measure.  Everyone was pleased, except people like me.  I could only describe this bill with one word – ridiculous.

Immigration reform has been promised by Democrats for many years, in the form initially referred to as the Dream Act.  The whole idea is that we should allow the best immigrants – those who work hard, study, graduate school, produce, and assimilate themselves into society - the right to American citizenship.  It makes America stronger, healthier, and more productive.  I wrote about this idea in February.  For the longest time, conservatives would not engage this conversation.  They said a path to citizenship would only encourage more illegals to come running across the border, referring to them in the manner of sub-human pests.  It wasn’t till the election of 2012 that conservatives realized that they were being beaten by and needed to earn more of the Hispanic vote.  Republicans would not dream of immigration reform until they realized they needed do something to earn the favor of minority voters.  So the conversation was begun.

The result is a cobbled mess of legislation that doesn’t reform immigration at all.  Instead, it has turned into a military spending bill.  With the effort of Republicans, so-called immigration reform has been placed on hold until we spend $38 to $58 Billion on increased border security.  Reform kicks in after the money is spent and someone magically announces that the job of border security is complete, although the point of completeness is not defined.  Furthermore, the bill does not define where the billions are supposed to come from.  Didn’t we just fight our way through budget sequestration to save approximately $50 Billion, supposedly shrinking government and staving off certain bankruptcy?  Wasn’t reduction in government spending the absolute most important agenda on the right side of the aisle?  Wait, aren’t those the same guys who decided to spend billions of new funds on border security?  As it turns out, there is another agenda that is stronger than winning minority votes, and it is winning the favor of defense contractors.  Clearly this bill has taken a turn toward big business while ignoring the Hispanic vote that Republicans so badly need.  It’s ridiculous.

For conservatives there is still a bright side.  We don’t need to spend that money at all.  In fact, when the next debt ceiling debate comes to a head, conservatives can use it as leverage to completely kill the Immigration Reform Bill and save us Billions again!  So, for those voters who have absolutely no long term memory, it will appear that the conservatives did just the right thing at the right time by killing expenditures that were brought up by conservatives in the first place.  It’s just brilliant.  In fact, the House has already promised to disassemble the entire bill and throw it out piece by piece.  Do you suspect that they intend to come up with something better?  I certainly don’t.  They most likely will come up with something even more ridiculous. 

So let’s all give a hearty hip, hip, hooray for the bill that does absolutely nothing to improve immigration or the path to citizenship, while first requiring that it cost tens of billions, if the money is ever appropriated, which it most likely will not be.  I guess the most baffling question for me is how the media, who is usually so deliciously inquisitive about these things, bought into this joke of a package.  Do they get a piece of the billions too? Ridiculous.

Tony F.   2013