Legalize them All with a Penalty!

* YOU MAY BE READING THIS OUT OF ORDER*  - THIS IS A THREE PART SERIES AND THIS IS PART TWO - CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE 

OK, previously we all agreed that there are millions of folks in American not subject to our immigration/legal system.  These "illegals" snuck into the country without permission or (more likely) they came in legally and have overstayed their welcome.  The majority are from Mexico, but there are also millions from Asia and almost none from Canada (proof a wall is not exactly the best solution here).  

While this number has remained relatively static during the last decade, it represents more than 10% of our workforce and 4-5% of our population and needs to be addressed.   While these individuals are likely all good people (this one infraction notwithstanding), the America societal structure and economic system is based on the Rule of Law and an orderly execution of the same.  We must get back to these beliefs and either amend our laws or adjudicate them.

The current president was elected on a promise of solving this illegal immigration problem.  No other nation in the world allows unfettered freedom to break their immigration laws like this.  Trump campaigned on a proposed solution to round all these folks up and send them back to where they came from.  While that is certainly one solution and the most true to the Rule of Law concept, I think perhaps we can accommodate the goals of the people while still solving the real source of the problem.

Accordingly, my proposed solution is that we immediately offer a nine month window of legalization to the (let's say) 14 million illegals currently in the USA.  That's right I said it, LEGALIZE THEM ALL.  But unlike the Reagan amnesty (which likely created this problem), I have a few additional rules to prevent it from ever happening again in the future.  There should always be a penalty if someone knowing commits a crime otherwise there is no disincentive and the crime will surely occur again.

For the next nine months, any illegal or undocumented alien who has been in the country over a year and really wants to be an American is welcome to go the nearest post office to file for special Citizenship and to be fingerprinted and provided a National ID (they can use this Passport to get state ID and other documentation). Certain felony criminals will not be allowed to participate in the program. There will be a $2,000 penalty for this documentation/amnesty but each individual registered under this program will be a full American subject to and entitled to social security, the draft, ACA and any other program America has to offer.  The only other penalty for this legalization is that this group of folks will never be able to vote in any election (Don't like this clause, please leave the country and come back legally.  Those here less than a year need to leave or register with a $5000 penalty).

After the nine month window, (THIS IS IMPORTANT) any undocumented person caught in America will be immediately placed in a detention facility subject to immediate deportation.  We will never again allow this problem to fester and grow to a level like this.  The $25 billion we make from the penalties should cover the cost of this administration (post office lost $9B last year).  

Look at that, with a couple of pen strokes I have solved a problem that appears to have alluded all our elected and appointed officials.  Now that this problem solved, we need to address their 30-40 million children who were born here (illegally) and who have birthright citizenship (coming soon).

IMMIGRATION SOLUTION 201 - Propose Solution that Addresses the Problem and the Need

I have an immigration solution that may be acceptable by all!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post.  While it appears that nobody read (or certainly followed) any of my previous advice, I shall nevertheless courageously forge on.  Citizen Bill is back.

I cannot watch another silly politician on TV explain to me the cruelty and brutality of actually trying to enforce our current immigration laws.  While immigration is at a 95 year high, one must not discuss the "illegals" in public.  How dare these rouge Police and ICE officials try to actually arrest, hold or deport these folks who's "only crime" is to have violated the promise they made to us when we let them in.  While Obama was certainly not shy at deporting folks, when Trump speaks out loud what a problem it continues to be, all of a sudden enforcement is a GOP or Trump act of inhumanity.  

We continue to see Governors, Mayors and even a few Police Chiefs openly declare that they will not do their sworn job and assist the Federal Government in doing their job in this immigration area (all while their entourage and voter support base cheer them on).  These sound bites and press conferences remind me of that scene where Queen Amidala comments so this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause.  Our tolerance of tolerance is preventing opportunity and promotion of the general welfare and in some instances creating a national security risk.  In addition to being generally unAmerican, our failure to follow our laws even with empathetic intent, will create a negative result long term as others use the same defense for their failure to follow the law (I stole to feed my baby or I raped her because of her outfit).  As I recall President Regan legalized 3 million of these folks once and now we have 12 million.  I guess that tact did not really solve the problem.  I am here to propose an actual solution.

And while we can argue all day on whether the current laws are fair and just (most immigration in 95 years), I would hope we would all agree that elected and appointed officials should follow the laws and regulations they were put in place and swore to follow.  Failure to do that and follow the Rule of Law makes us every bit as wrong as the dictators and communists we preach against daily.  Hypocrisy thy name is Immigration Tolerance.

But the first thing we always have to do in solving a problem is to clearly state the problem.  Here goes:

In America today there are 12-15 million people in our country who are not accounted for under the immigration laws of the USA (entry/exit status).  These are the folks that are referred to as the illegals or more politically correct as the undocumented.   These folks represent 13-14% of our entire population.

Before we can go any further we all have to agree on that statement above.  This is not a commentary on whether these are "family and friends" as the media allege or possibly "bad hombres" as our current POTUS warns.  This is just a summation of the facts we know from sources we hope to be reliable.  I believe this number to be accurate so we can now press forward to my solution.

Sources: Pew, National Review, USA Today, CIS Org

IMMIGRATION SOLUTION 101 - State the Problem and the Need for a Solution
IMMIGRATION SOLUTION 201 - Propose Solution that Addresses the Problem and the Need
IMMIGRATION SOLUTION 301 - Clarification of Birthright Citizenship

Operation "Hot Tamale!"

OK this one will again be controversial but I have come up with a real solution to the economy and immigration all at the same time (with a Post Office bonus on top of that).  Most would not undertake comprehensive reform on a such a grand scale but that is what sets this plan apart from all the rest.  Big solutions for big problems I say.  OK, here is the plan...

We need to immediately focus our entire military and domestic might on a quick invasion of Mexico.  That’s right, I said it, America Invades Mexico!  Ola mi amigo! 

I call it OPERATION: Hot Tamale.  Now before you go getting all politically correct and reject this idea out of turn, hear me out.  I think I can make a great case for this. 

Right now in the State of Texas they (we) are spending $25 billion to build a fence across less than 100% of the border.  While the “hole” in this fence plan is obvious, it is being done to make a political statement that we need to do something.  Combine that with the fact that 60+% of the “illegals” in American are from Mexico and the “fence lobby” and you can see why we might have gone off track.  But forget all that for just a minute.  If we invade and Mexico becomes the 51st State then we just guard that little strip of border down at the bottom around Belize and Guatemala.  How much could that cost (we can hire Mexicans duh!).  Or how about I smell states 52 & 53 and more beachfront.    Ola mas amigos!

Now certainly Mexico is a proud country and this “colonization” is not meant to take away from that or in any way demean their society, history or culture.  This is entirely about survival on planet earth as we go forward and this change in “government structure” is necessary to prepare both social economies for the challenges of the 21st Century.  This task will require great minds to figure out how to integrate the existing government structure and take the best from both to form the amalgamated Congress that goes forward, think how hugely powerful this new society (Meximerica, Amerimex?) would be?  Throw Canada and in there and you would have a world powerhouse like no other. 

OK, but I am not done yet.  Once Mexico is a “state”, we will have 50+ million more taxpayers in the system as well as all the savings in eduction and healthcare from everyone contributing. In addition to the $25B we save on a fence, the costs of immigration reform and actual enforcement (we go from 12 million illegals to 4 million overnight) are also significantly decreased.  In many places in America, life becomes safer with more pronounced community.

Another issue of the present system is the border states “narco terrorism” associated with the illegal drug trade.   And while most drugs are certainly not good for you, some are perhaps no more harmful then legal alcohol or junk food.  So I say we legalize “the weed”, and sell it as a government service (like State Liquor Stores up north).  We could tax it fairly substantially and I think the size of the industry would amaze most.  Not to mention the fact that we arrest 800,000 folks annually for smoking weed and we can refocus all that effort to something more dangerous to society (like boyfriends.. that one will make sense in a future column).

And lastly, now that we have a legalized product, we need to deliver it via the United States Postal Service (not sure what the Mexican side of this is but sure it is something similar).  This $8 BILLION a year government money loser could be saved altogether by this action (in this new future Postman are paid lots of money but have to take drug tests).  This “new product” would breathe life and prosperity back into the 1,440 convenient local post offices across  America.  And if you can wait for the mail, they will even deliver. 

I cannot even add up all the savings to society here for what is minimal risk.  Of course this plan might not be the best one but the argument I am really trying to make is we cannot continue along the old worn out paths we are.  I put something out there, what about you. 

God bless us all and Citizen Bill and his family.