I've certainly chronicled why I am disillusioned with the current state of the Republican party here in the last month or so. To paraphrase: out of control spending, new entitlement programs, and a general abandoning of free market principles. Sean Hannity calls them little Democrats. I think Sean is only partially right. They are actually full fledged, BIG Democrats in my opinion.

I am not as upset as many on the immigration issue. We all enjoy the benefits of their cheap labor - you know, low prices!

I really do not like the notion of walling off our country. That just doesn't feel American. It feels more like communism (although they build border walls to keep people in).

The only real policy I support is not allowing employers to hire people without valid documentation. There are laws on the books against this and they aren't really enforced. I have no reason to believe that any new law would be adequately enforced.

There is also a possible dark side to denying jobs to people who are already here working hard. Many people argue that these newly unemployed would simply pack up and go home. I'm not so sure. Some will, but I think that others may resort to different means of supporting themselves. That policy just may drive people to a life of crime - which is not good for the rest of us. So what would we gain? Higher prices and organized crime. Big improvement.

What are we going to do, deport them all? Be serious.

What do I take from this public debate? People are increasingly asking for the Federal government do more than it can or should do (and not just on immigration). Immigration should be a state issue. If you don't want illegal immigrants working in your state or community then petition your local government.

All that build up for this:

The Power Line blog has an email from a smart, "lifelong conservative" to Ken Mehlman, the RNC Chariman.

This gentleman is not happy about immigration. And he contends that this is essentially a sink or swim issue in the eyes of many conservatives (except me). So lets summarize. The Republicans have not only lost their fiscal conservative base, but apparently they have also lost their social issues base (I lump illegal immigration in with social issues - know of anything better?).

If the Republicans lose control of the House I will not be upset. It may be the best thing that we could hope for. It just may knock them back in line with their constituents. If they lose the Senate and the House, well that would not be so good. A divided Legislative Branch couldn't do much harm, but would send the RNC a loud message. A wholly Democrat controlled Legislative Branch would obviously send the message, but it would also allow for some miserable legislation.

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This entry was posted by Brian on Friday, April 28th, 2006 at 12:04 pm and is filed under Immigration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Please note the copyright policy.