Simple Man Politics

Hi ya’ll, its time for the 2nd installment of my blogging subject of the week, immigration and border security. The target of today’s discussion is Barack Obama and his policies on the afore-mentioned subjects. Let’s see if we can make a go of understanding where he is coming from, and looking at his policy on comprehensive immigration reform.

First let’s discuss border security. Obama says he believes in the preservation of our borders though additional personnel, infrastructure, and technology at the border, and our ports of entry, as well as better real time intelligence. I really couldn’t find anything else that he has said on the subject. However, I might add that Obama has stated that he doesn’t see securing our borders as a matter of national defense.

Second is the subject of immigration, and here he seems to have a more complex plan. First of all, he believes that our current immigration system is broken and has been exploited by politicians to divide the country, rather than finding real solutions. He states that this has allowed the problem of illegal immigration to worsen. As a result he has played a leading role in crafting comprehensive immigration reform.

Some of the things in his immigration reform policy include bringing people out of hiding. He believes these people would like to become full members of our society. For those trying to play by the rules, he supports a system whereby they pay a fine, learn English, go to the back of the line to get in, and obey the laws of our nation. Another important piece of legislation he supports is a bill that would increase the speed and accuracy of F.B.I. background checks on immigrants. He also wants to go after employers that hire undocumented workers, and create an employment eligibility verification system so employers can identify legally eligible workers in the U.S.

Last but not least, and something I very much believe in, is his support for honoring our immigrant troops. Better than 69,000 foreign born people serve in our country’s military, and roughly 29,000 are not U.S. citizens, and more than 100 of these immigrant soldiers have died in combat. He believes these soldiers should have an expedited path to citizenship.

As far as I can ascertain, these are Obama’s positions on immigration and border security. Of course you can read his policy paper on this for yourself, and I recommend you do. That is all I have on Obama for this right now, but I will keep watching him to see what he says and does between now and election day, because I’m sure that if he has the opportunity he will make the Dream Act a reality, and everything I wrote will be off the table and all bets are off. Have a great day, and I’ll see you on Friday for part 3 of these subjects as it pertains to Governor Janet Napolitano of my state Arizona, and my final words on these very important subjects.

Well we're at week # 2. So what should I write about today, or even for the whole week? Let me think… I know, we’re going to discuss immigration, border security, and the candidates’ positions on these subjects. For good measure, we'll also discuss these subjects as they pertain to the Governor of my state, Arizona, and her positions. We'll do this in three parts, each a separate post. We'll start with John McCain, then second Barack Obama, and then third Governor Janet Napolitano. So hold on…here we go.

John McCain’s original position was one of the co-sponsor of a bill, known as the dream act with Senator Ted Kennedy, which would have given virtually immediate amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens currently in the U.S. without securing our borders first, if at all. He has since reversed his position and has stated that he wouldn’t vote for his bill if it came to the floor of the senate for a vote. Currently McCain is committed to a two step program on immigration and border security, although he is still for some sort of path to citizenship for illegal aliens after the border is secured.

Step one involves the use of barriers, both physical and virtual, on our borders, as well as funding for training and infrastructure and US Attorneys offices in the Border States. It also involves contracting the use of Department of Homeland Security software and infrastructure, and the deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and other appropriate aircraft for the border regions. This step also requires the continued application of the US-VISIT comprehensive visitor security program.

Step two involves prosecuting employers who continue to hire illegal aliens by using an electronic employment verification system. The system will use biometric data and be user friendly with regard to verification of a workers identity and ability to work legally within the USA, by providing quick responses to potential employer’s inquiry. It will also protect the employees' identity and allow both employer and employee to correct any errors in information within the system.

Target auditing by the Department of Labor to cut out employers abusing the system is also a part of step two. It attempts to meet America’s labor needs by implementing temporary worker programs for both low and highly skilled workers reflecting the labor needs of the US while protecting the employment opportunities of US workers. This also ensures that highly skilled workers trained and educated in the US can stay and work after graduation. McCain also plans to reform the cap system for the H-1B visa program and the H-2A visa program to reflect market conditions. This would make sure that qualified Americans have a fair chance to apply for available positions. It insures that workers return to their own countries after their temporary period in the US.

John McCain also said he would address undocumented living and working in the US, and require them to enroll in programs to resolve their status. This program will also use background checks to identify criminals for prosecution and deportation. The remaining undocumented will learn English, pay back Taxes and fines, and pass a citizenship course as part of their path to legal status. It insures that no illegal person receives a green card before those legally waiting. It will account for all social security numbers attained illegally, and will make all undocumented immigrants either leave or follow the path to legal residence. He states that he will also eliminate the family backlog of people waiting for their green cards legally outside the country for as long as 20 years.

Well there is John McCain’s position on border security and immigration as simple as I can make it. I hope this gives you a good idea of where he stands. It seems that he has given a lot more thought to keeping these people here than to border security, but that is just my opinion - you have to decide for yourself. See you on Wednesday for part two of this week’s blogging effort. 'Till we meet again, have a great day.