A View From The Press Box

Sorry to pile on, Sam, but I have to take issue with your comment that "Mexico is our closest neighbor."

Last time I checked, the United States shared a very large border with Canada. I believe (but haven't checked for sure) that the border the U.S. shares with Canada is larger than the one it shares with Mexico.

I also believe that the border without a natural boundry (the Rio Grande or the St. Lawrence River) is also larger. Don't forget, the U.S. borders Canada along the 49th parallel and also along the eastern border of Alaska.

SAM RESPONDS:
I concede the point (geography was always my worst category on Trivial Pursuit), but do we have a problem with illegal Canadian immigrants pouring over the border seeking to become undocumented workers in the U.S.

Or is the problem reversed, wtih Americans pouring over the border to get "free" health care from Canada's universal system???

CRAIG GETS THE LAST WORD:
The population of Canada is much smaller than the U.S. I don't remember the exact figure, but a large percentage (I want to say more than half) of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border.

I would venture to guess that the majority of U.S. illegal immigrants in Canada are not seeking "free" health care but are seeking to "free" themselves from obligations to the U.S. military. I remember one guy explaining that he was "stationed in" Canada during the Vietnam War.

As for illegals migrating south, my guess is that the problem is larger than people think because so many U.S. and Canadian citizens trace their ancestry back to the same roots.

I enjoy your blog. Keep up the good work.

I was a little shocked by the cover, but only in that few have the courage to incur the wrath of the polically correct crowd.

I'm a little disappointed by the apology. Mexico happens to be the largest source of the problem and is certainly representative. A picture of a caucasian with a Canadian flag would have been disingenuous to the point of being comical.

No mea culpa necessary, Sam, as our primary source of illegal aliens is Mexico. People who find your photo offensive are guilty of shooting the messanger.

For whatever reason, the illegals are here with the blessing of the current and past administrations. Let's face it, if Bush didn't want them here, they'd still be south of the border.

Seems to me we need to have an honest assessment by our politicians as to why they're here. Then we can discuss what we owe them in humanitarian terms.

It might also be worth investigating why they feel the need to leave their own countries in the first place--and what could and should be done about that.

Something the U.N. might undertake if they weren't busy screwing around in matters they have no business being involved in--like the climate.

A comment regarding your response to Craig. You do realize that more Canadians are coming to America to get medical treatment than Americans going to Cananda, don't you?

I know you were tongue-in-cheek, but that is another hot topic with more misconceptions.

SAM RESPONDS:
I did not know that, but I do have a dear friend--an American who married a Canadian, only to get divorced--who is remaining in Canada primarily because of the health care and insurance situation.

Sam, I have to admit, I am proud of you! I am growing tired of having to pretend like the two-ton elephant is not in the room for fear of offending all Pachyderms!

Illegal immigration--the vast majority of which does come from Mexico--is having a substanial negitive impact on our economy, our schools and our medical care systems. But everyone is reluctant to talk about it in fear of appearing racist.

I am a big fan of the strength of diversity that our country enjoys--we are who we are because of it. But let's remember that there is a legal and proper way to become part of America's citizenry, and it is that way for good reason.

You owe no apologies.

I, too, do not believe you need to apologize. The majority of illegal immigrants are from Mexico, and probably a large majority. This has been an ongoing problem for a long, long time, and the reason is quite clear.

The Mexican economy, while improving, does not provide enough jobs for their growing population. So they come here, by any means possible, seeking work that for the most part we Americans will not do.

From my personal experience, they are good workers and highly motivated.

They don't come here to destroy our society and way of life, as some other nationalities do. They don't come here to circumvent our laws and get paid off the books. That, for the most part, is a scheme suggested to them or forced on them by employers in our country.

If you deny that, you are kidding yourselves or just naive.

The solution to this problem is not to spend millions or possibly billions on walls or fences, but to devise a political and economic plan with our neighbor to the south so the incentive to come here is eventually removed.

In a very timely article on this subject, this week's Newsweek magazine has a story about how illegal immigration is slowing, both because of more emphasis on border protection and deportations, as well as our slowing economy, which is discouraging people from coming when they are uncertain they can get work.

Cut and past the link below to read this short but informative article.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/137514

Sam, are you sure you are the first-generation son of a Polish immigrant who escaped fascism? I don't think the fascists ever came close to Poland, or ever made an attempt on it.

It was the Nazis and the Communists (birds of a feather) that invaded and carried out the pogroms and massacres that your parent(s) fled, wasn't it?

To Thom Bradshaw: on what facts do you base your assertion that "Illegal immigration...is having a substanial negative impact on our economy, our schools and our medical care systems"?

From my observation, it's just the opposite. Immigrants (illegal or otherwise) contribute their work and increase the economic output of this country. That is, they make this country richer and stronger through their labor.

Whether or not they pay taxes to governments does not change that one iota. But they do pay taxes. The Social Security Administration has amassed an account of over $360 billion in contributions that cannot be matched to individuals who are or will become entitled to SS benefits. The reason? False SS numbers. Source? Illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants pay sales taxes just like everyone else. When they pay rent on the aprtments where they live, they are in effect paying property taxes that support local schools and towns.

When they agree to perform work for $5 an hour that a citizen wouldn't do for less that $10, they are, in effect, paying a 50% income tax by contibuting work for less than the employer could otherwise get it done for, most of which would otherwise would not get done at all.

So don't demonize illegal immigrants unless you consider all the facts.

SAM RESPONDS:
On my particular point, Mikk, we are splitting hairs, are we not? Nazis were fascists, among other horrific attributes.

As for full disclosure, I am first-generation on my dad's side (a Polish immigrant), but 7th generation on my mother's side (Dutch, English and Scottish ancestry).

I think if I hear one more re-statement of the "illegals are doing jobs that U.S. citizens won't" argument, I will (to put it indelicately) throw up.

The truth is that businesses would be forced to pay a living or competitive wage to attract workers. Then businesses will have to remedy either their artificially low prices or reduce their corporate profit margin.

I might be more supportive when it becomes just as easy for other wretchedly poor illegal immigrants to come here from Darfur, Ethiopia, Sudan, Liberia etc.

Response to Gail:

Instead of just claiming a bout of nausea, why don't you make an argument? What's "artificial" about a price of a product or service that's based on costs, supply and demand, and free of coercion and fraud?

The way I see it, if it begins to cost employers a lot more to get some category of work done because the only available workers (citizens) won't do it for the low cost that illegal immigrants will do it for, a lot less of that work will get done.

Yards will be shabbier, fewer homes will be built, fewer nannies will be hired, etc. - i.e., the country will be a poorer and less pleasant place.

The employer will either have to raise the price of the desired product or service he sells, so buyers will buy less of it. (Supply and demand.) Or he will have to accept a smaller return, or even a loss, on his investment in the business, which will only lead to cutting back on the business or getting out of it completely - reducing production, even to zero.

Or he'll have to get by with fewer employees and more machines, which would probably be good for the investor class in the long run, but will still leave those citizens able to do only the low-skilled work now being performed cheaply by illegal immigrants out of work.

What's your counter-argument?

Was your mea culpa serious? Do you know the damage that illegal immigration causes?

How many hospitals have closed because they just don’t have the money to deal with the overcrowding of uninsured patients (mostly illegals)?

What about our economy and the fact that many red-blooded Americans don’t have jobs because irresponsible American companies hire illegals for less pay to work in inhumane conditions?

Do I need to discuss the number of crimes that they contribute to our society--including the three kids in my hometown of Newark who died last August at the hands of illegal immigrants who also happened to be gang members?

Why are you fawning over people who willingly break our laws and are not ashamed of it?

Your column literally had me nauseated at my desk.

I have no problem with LEGAL immigration, but ILLEGAL immigration cannot and should not be tolerated, no matter what the reasons they had for coming over here.

Okay, where do most of our illegal aliens come from???? Mexico, South and Central America!

So, you had a picture of an Hispanic on the cover. So what? Illegal immigration is a huge problem for America from many standpoints, and I agree that a different model is developed.

On the other hand, illegal immigration places a huge and unreasonable financial and social services demand on certain communities.

I used to live in San Diego and understand the problem. I now live on Cape Cod and, while growing, it is less of an issue.

We need to come up with a way to allow more foreign workers, but should not offer an amnesty a la Reagan. With such, we will only encourage additional illegal immigration.