LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Immigration: Doing Nothing Is Taking a Position
To the Editor:

Doing nothing about immigration and border security is taking a position on the issue. Those who don't want tightened border security or any type of sane, comprehensive immigration policy are in effect saying: "Yes. I want the borders wide open. The profits of agri-business, construction industries, and others that hire undocumented workers are more important than a good solid border that screens, both for security and health concerns. Support for no reform says, "It is a good thing when the wages of American workers are suppressed by workers coming across the borders and working for less than minimum wage." Failure of immigration reform means the status quo is maintained, and that is just fine with many special interests. It means when an undocumented worker is sickened by the poison that is sprayed on our crops, he or she goes to a hospital emergency room, where you and I pay the bill, and is eligible for no workmen's compensation or help of any kind. No politician is going to formally announce he is for any of these issues, but they have to smokescreen the subject. No action on immigration is the smokescreen.

I am not saying I was for this last immigration bill. It stunk. I am for securing the borders, and a sane solution that is fair, humane, and enforces the law is a good start. If they would have got the "guest worker" part of the last bill through, it, too, would have hurt the American worker while putting the "guest worker" in a virtual slave-like status.

No matter where one comes down on this issue or the political spectrum, I think almost all of us can agree that even if they won't come to any conclusion about what to do with the immigrants already here, then for God's sake do something about the border. Using first aid terms, stop the bleeding, apply emergency lifesaving first aid, and we will take care of everything else later. But there are those who don't want to apply emergency first aid and don't want to stop the bleeding. "Business as usual" is profits of the few come before the common good and the American worker. Doing nothing about the border is taking a position about it.

Jim Ramelis

Gould City