Senate committee rewards law-breakers
March 30, 2006 | By Nathaniel Ward
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On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee gave in to special interest lobbyists and extreme liberals and voted to grant amnesty to the more than 10 million illegal aliens in the country. The amendments to allow amnesty, sponsored by Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ), would allow illegal immigrants to pay a fine and become legal residents eligible for citizenship. The full Senate will consider the legislation this week and next.
Immigration reform must follow several key principles, as Heritage’s Ronald Reagan Fellow Edwin Meese and Matthew Spalding explained. Among these is a rejection of any policy that will encourage further illegal immigration.
If for no other reason, policymakers should reject amnesty for illegal immigrants because it would encourage others to emulate illegal behavior and thereby increase rather than ameliorate the problem. In considering new programs, policymakers must also recognize that any program that is vague or unenforceable, or that allows temporary visitors or workers to disappear when their legal status expires, would not only mean a larger illegal immigrant community, but also invite new illegal immigration—and thus create an even larger public policy problem.
The Senate bill, unfortunately, would only entice future immigrants to enter illegally. “The Senate plan will reduce the number of illegal aliens in this country simply by making them ‘legal,’” wrote Heritage’s Andrew Grossman. “That is no solution at all.”
This is not to say that any temporary worker program is necessarily bad—far from it. In fact, a properly-executed temporary worker program, one which requires current illegal workers return to their home countries before admittance, could provide substantial benefits to our nation. Meese and Spalding lay out the benefits of such a program:
A balanced and well-constructed temporary worker program, by replacing the incentives for illegal immigration with an option for legal temporary labor and (in combination with other reforms) reducing over time the current population of unlawfully present persons, would foster better national security and serve a growing economy. Such a temporary worker program would be a valuable and perhaps even necessary component of a comprehensive immigration reform proposal.
But while such a program has benefits, Meese and Spalding nevertheless insist that lawmakers exercise “great care and prudence” when crafting a temporary worker program. Let’s hope that the full Senate uses this “great care and prudence” when considering the deeply flawed bill out of the Judiciary Committee.
Heritage gets results on immigration
It’s almost certainly too early to say what will happen with the immigration debate, but at the very least the media are paying attention to what Heritage has to say—and that’s an important step in the right direction. After all, members of Congress pay close attention to the media—both from their home districts and the nation’s capital.
The Hill, a daily newspaper targeted mainly at Congressional offices, examined immigration proposals from the major think tanks in Washington and around the nation, and deemed Heritage’s offerings the best by far.
While a few citadels of research have weighed in on the issue with zeal — notably the Heritage Foundation — most others have not been active in helping Congress shape definitive policy options. …
The Heritage Foundation offers policymakers useful, up-to-date information and even detailed proposals and reactions to current Senate bills. Congress deserves more Heritage-like contributions.
Heritage’s efforts to promote patriotic assimilation are also paying off in the major media. A column on The Washington Post’s website earlier this week discussed not only Heritage’s research into the matter but also recent events on the subject held at our headquarters. The author even took the time to respond to the message of both the Heritage paper and the event; while her tone is somewhat derisive, she clearly understands that Heritage’s proposals are deadly serious.
The UN slaps Iran’s wrist; Iran ignores the UN
Ambassador John Bolton convinced the UN to chastise Iran. He will speak at Heritage's President's Club meeting on May 1.
After weeks of negotiations, the United Nations Security Council issued a non-binding statement asking Iran if it would kindly stop processing nuclear fuels and let inspectors in. Iran said that even this watered-down rebuke of its nuclear ambitions would “escalate tensions, entailing negative consequences that would be of benefit to no party.” In other words, Iran said no.
It took a lot of effort to get the United Nations to issue any demands on Iran at all, especially given the vehement opposition from both China and Russia to even a mild statement. Much of that effort was from one man: John Bolton, who President Bush appointed to the job after objections from the Senate. Ambassador Bolton’s work, in fact, was instrumental in assuring the resolution passed unanimously.
Ambassador Bolton will be speaking at Heritage’s President’s Club meeting on May 1 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, DC. The meeting, open to all President’s Club members, also includes talks by conservative luminaries like Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and columnist George Will. And it’s not too late to get tickets!
- Join the President’s Club today at MyHeritage.org and get your exclusive invitation to see Ambassador Bolton at the May President’s Club meeting
- Read more about the President’s Club meeting
In other news
- Yesterday, the Senate took up a measure that could have brought unheard-of transparency to the federal government’s spending practices. It was promptly blocked. Heritage’s Mark Tapscott has more.
- The AP reports that House budgeters “bow[ed] to election year realities” and undid the President’s modest cuts to Medicare. Instead of giving in to their worst liberal spending instincts, the budgeters should bow to another reality: without real cuts to entitlement growth, Congress will be forced to enact harmful tax hikes—which will almost certainly be more unpopular than cutting a teensy bit off the growth of a bloated spending program.
- President Bush crossed an ignominious milestone last week when he surpassed James Monroe to become only the second President to serve more than 1,888 days without issuing a veto. Only Thomas Jefferson, who did not use his veto in two terms, holds a longer record.
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.
- On Friday, March 31 at 10:00am, a panel of energy experts will debate recent political developments in Latin America that could threaten America’s energy supplies.
- On Monday, May 1 and Tuesday, May 2, The Heritage Foundation will host its twice-annual President’s Club meeting in Washington, DC. Speakers include House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, television host John Stossel, columnist George Will, and Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) of the Republican Study Committee. The event is open to President’s Club members.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
