All Quiet on the Arizonan Front

When Arizona passed a law in April allowing law enforcement agents to stop anyone they thought suspicious and ask them for legal documentation, much of the US went crazy. It seemed like the Midwest and the coasts (where illegal immigration is not nearly as much of an issue) went the craziest, in an ironic, if somewhat hypocritical, turn of events. 

Arizona has since modified the law, making law enforcement only ask for papers upon reasonable suspicion the person was actually involved in a crime. Criticism has largely subsided (though it's far from nonexistent).

I have to admit I was more than a little taken aback by Arizona's proceedings myself; for one thing, it's not exactly constitutional to ask for papers on demand. (Sounds kind of communistic if you think about it.) For another, there's obviously no federal law or constitution clause requiring residents to actually carry any kind of identification. And it doesn't take much thought to figure out that police would most likely target people who appear Hispanic, given the root cause for this whole debacle. Would innocents be checked? Count on it. Would law enforcement be expanded, adding to what some already call a police state? Likely, if modifications aren't made and limits put in place.

But on the flip side, how can we expect to keep our country secure without some kind of security measure? Obviously securing our southern border is the best approach; however, not only would it take months or years of work, but also a willing administration and a large amount of government spending.

Fiscally, the hole is worth plugging, and would likely pay for itself over a short amount of time. Billions of dollars are lost each year because of illegal aliens; they do not pay income tax, but still find their way into school systems. It's not unheard of for them to be on social welfare programs. And, perhaps worst of all, they can get free medical care without health insurance by visiting the nearest emergency room; the recently passed healthcare bill didn't do a single thing to fix this major issue. (The hospital usually winds up footing the bill, in a phenomenon unique to the American health care system. Think about it - in what other business does the client receive a tangible service and then receive a free pass?)

The solution to the immigration problem is going to have to be much more than a single piece of controversial legislation. Arizona did what the people wanted -- an overwhelming majority of Arizona residents support the law, as do a smaller majority of the national population -- The options should include making it easier to come legally by increasing the number of legal points of entry, thus eliminating (or at least downsizing) queues that stretch for miles on roads south of the border. Fiscally, instituting the FairTax (in which a high national sales tax would affect every purchaser) would level the field, making sure everyone - residents, tourists, immigrants, and illegal residents alike - pay their fair share. (Forget the confusing income tax code.) Cracking down on illegal employment is a no-brainer, as is fixing the catch-and-release system of at-the-border detaining of illegal immigrants. Another thing the government could do would be to ask randomly selected successful legal immigrants what they think could be improved about the process, and what they thought was the most inefficient.

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In other news today, Jack Abramoff, a fraudulent lobbyist, begun work at a pizzaria upon loosening of his house arrest. His job is to include face-to-face marketing to scare up more business. Also, a federal judge blocked President Obama's indefinite ban on oil drilling in the Gulf Coast. LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) called Obama's ban "arbitrary and capricious".

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