Illegal immigration

Recently, Clinton has come out strongly against illegal immigration. This has prompted some of her conservative critics to accuse her of "moving to the right" and attempt to whitewash her earlier, "left-wing" positions.

Actually, it is simply a fact that illegal immigrants are creating huge problems for this country. It makes no difference if one is Republican or Democrat, the immigration laws are there for a purpose! Unlimited immigration is simply impossible. There need to be some limits.

This does not mean we are anti-immigrant. Senator Clinton strongly believes in the symbol of this country as the beacon of freedom and opportunity it has been for generations. She does not mean to put an end to this, but rather it is her hope that many generations to come may come to America and enjoy the benefits of US citizenship.

It also does not mean she doesn't have compassion for the illegal immigrants who are al
eady in this country. It is a human tragedy that people who are desperate for freedom and opportunity and feel they have nothing to lose, so they risk all to come to this great country illegally. Often they are aided and abetted by those with evil ulterior motives who leave them helpless. She has co-sponsored bills such as the Agricultural Job Opportunity Benefits and Security Act of 2003, which give people in such difficult circumstances a chance to stay here and earn resident status if they complete a series of requirements.

Of course, this leaves Senator Clinton vulnerable to arguments that she has changed her position on immigration, which couldn't be further from the truth. It simply means we need to behave with human decency towards the people who desperately want to be part of our great nation. If they are already here, it helps to have a better choice than simply deport them.

The bottom line is, we need better enforcement. Those who are already here illegally, we need to have a process in place to deal with them fairly and consistenly. For those who have yet to breach our borders, we need a better way to stop them. The message we are trying to convey is, you can come here, but you need to follow the process and wait your turn!!! We can only take so many! Coming here illegally is not only ILLEGAL but it hurts those who try to follow the rules, by making it harder for them to gain resident or citizen status.

Sometimes politics makes me laugh! Often issues are so common-sense but the politicians argue and bicker based on pure partisanship, when deep-down they often agree. They spend more time mis-representing the other person/party than they do articulating their own visions. I make no distinction between Democrat or Republican when I say this! They are equally guilty!