The Evansville Courier Journal article doesn’t quite make clear that Hostettler supports deporting the estimated11 million immigrants who have not complied with all of the U.S. naturalization laws, but I don’t think there is any other way to parse his advocacy of a so-called “hard line” on immigration.
He opposes the Bush and Senate immigration proposal which allows, depending on who you talk to, a “path to citizenship,” “a guest worker program,” or “amnesty.” Politically, I guess I’m content to watch the Republicans have a food fight over the issue. Personally, I don’t think it’s really our most pressing problem — but that might just have to do with being an upper-middle class professional in Indiana. I think we have more pressing problems like paying off our debt, getting out of Iraq, developing a sustainable energy policy, combatting global warming, developing a better approach to health care, securing the ports, rehabilitating our reputation as a good world citizen, and fixing trade agreements that benefit owners of capital while screwing workers. Regardless, I don’t think mass deportations are very realistic, nice as it might sound to some constituents.
Not that I agree with him, but the headline could have just as easily read “Hostettler advocated upholding the law.”
Isn’t it going to be tough for a sheriff (Ellsworth) to advocate any policy other than that?
It could have, though it would probably have to be a bit more specific than “the law.” A better headline would probably specify the provisions of the naturalization laws that Hostettler wants to focus on. There are other parts of “the law” that Hostettler doesn’t seem worked up about — the laws requiring the government to get search warrants before spying on its citizens, or the laws prohibiting members of Congress from taking bribes.
As for Ellsworth, I think he’s been taking the “deport ’em all” line as well. I guess he’s moderately better in that he doesn’t seem to be banging the drum quite as loudly on the issue.
Wasn’t “the law” pretty lenient on him when, post 9/11, he carried a loaded gun into an airport terminal?
I think the Sherrif is smoking Hostettler out of his hole.
Brad is a conservative guy, so when he stands to the moderate-right, Hostettler jumps so fast to the right as to make peoples heads spin. It may help his base, but will turn moderates and independents toward Ellsworth.
If Brad inches any more right on this issue, you may see Hostettler advocate the public execution of illegals.
“Personally, I don’t think it’s really our most pressing problem — but that might just have to do with being an upper-middle class professional in Indiana.”
Bingo! That’s exactly it! This illegal immigrant invasion isn’t a problem for you, because it’s precisely *your* class which benefits from illegal labor, at the expense of the working class who see jobs lost to Third Worlders who’ll work for what to an American is a sub-subsistence level wage.
As someone firmly in the middle of the middle class, I’m not yet directly affected. That is, I’m not competing with illegal aliens for jobs. I am affected, though, because illegal aliens consume more government services than they pay out in taxes; they are entitled to “free healthcare” (paid for, that is, by insured Americans); their crime rates are higher than native crime rates, especially drunk driving; their way of life, that is, their propensity for packing in 15 – 20 adults in a house designed for 3 or 4 degrades the quality of life in middle middle-class neighborhoods, etc., ad nuaseam.
“Progressives” have really missed the boat on the immigration issue. Curiously, progressives are allied with the neocon/Big Business wing of the GOP on this issue. Truly the American people will be screwed when “Progs” tag-team with Big Business.
Anyway, you pose a false dichotomoy when you speculate that Hostettler must favor mass deportation of illegal aliens. The plan we have would not require mass deportation with mile after mile of buses. Rather, if we start securing the border; cracking down on employers of illegal aliens (that is, leveling steep fines, and imposing prison sentences on employers of illegal aliens); end “birth right” citizenship; and cut off anything except emergency social welfare benefits to illegal aliens, they will self deport over the next few years. Take those actions and in 5 years time, illegal aliens here in the USA would be negligible.
But sadly, the disgusting “Progressive”/neo-con-Big Business alliance mentioned above will likely forestall the possibility of real reform, and the USA will continue its spiral down deeper into the toilet bowl that is the Third World.
But hey, “enlightened” ones like Masson and others in his economic class will have theirs– cheap landscapers, roofers, nannies, and even people to pick up the dog shit in their back yards. The rest of America can go to Hell, we’re just a bunch of losers.
Bill,
illegal aliens consume more government services than they pay out in taxes; they are entitled to “free healthcareâ€
I’m still not sure about this one. If by free healthcare you mean that if they show up to an emergency room the doctors/nurses save their life first ask for insurance later. Theres just some level of decency in that, and states/hospitals take the bite of plenty of legal US citizens without insurance that show up the the ER.
Plus most of these illegals pay into SS and other services on their payroll taxes that they never take back out.
But I don’t disagree with your overall premise that the businessclass will benefit and the working class will be squeezed. Though I dont really think the “progressives” are part of this. I think its the business class DC Dems and Reps. Wall Streets loves it some cheap labor. I think the progressives and conservatives are both concerned/cautious.
Im more concerned about us following established laws and controlling our borders. That can work to the benefit of the US and people that want to come here.
It comes down to if you believe in the idea of a country. I beleive a country has to set limits on its population to be able to fairly provide the services it has established. I’m concerned about future oil shortages and climate changes that may put to a threat our food supply.
This is a complex issue.
I’m still all for regime change in Mexico.
Bill said:
“If by free healthcare you mean that if they show up to an emergency room the doctors/nurses save their life first ask for insurance later. Theres just some level of decency in that, and states/hospitals take the bite of plenty of legal US citizens without insurance that show up the the ER.”
Look, I wouldn’t expect this to be common knowledge, but my mom works third shift patient registration in a local hospital’s ER, so I have a little insider’s 411. I wouldn’t begrudge emergency medical care. (I believe I said as much in my original post.) But all kinds of uninsured people present in the ER, none of whom can be turned away without treatment. So Jose and Maria aren’t necessarily showing up because Jose drank too much and crashed into a tree. Jose and Maria show up because they can’t afford to pay a doctor to examine a strange looking mole, or listen to a persistent cough. This happens every night, multiple times. Their “Cheap labor” isn’t really so cheap. It’s just that the costs are passed off on society.
Oh Bill, I wish that the Progs were on the side of the American people, but with a few notable exceptions, dey ain’t! Just look at this week’s issue of “The Nation.” No, this is an unholy alliance between Progs and Big Business, and the American people can’t help but get screwed.
John Hostettler on Immigration at National Review Online
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=N2JlNzg4ZjdjZGM1NzJhYThmMmZjZTYyMWZkZTdmMmQ=