The furor about Arizona's new immigration law is much ado about nothing. Why are people so outraged that, when you're stopped by the police, you have to show ID? And that that ID should show whether or not you're a legal citizen? People are so upset that Arizona has "criminalized" illegal immigration. Well, being in a country illegally should be a crime, one of the most serious.
I just don't understand it. I'm for legal immigration. I don't have anything against Hispanics, but I don't think we should fool around with letting people off the hook for being here illegally. It's not fair to legal American citizens, and it's not fair to legal immigrants, Hispanic or otherwise.
And they are trying to polarize this as a left/right issue. It's ridiculous. It's not a left/right issue, but an issue of simple fairness and the right of a sovereign nation to control its borders. I'm for helping the homeless. I'm for getting out of Afghanistan. I voted for Obama, and I was for single payer national health care. But I'm not for coddling illegal immigrants. Arizona finally got tough because the Federal government has been Missing In Action on this issue. And they have a right to act in my opinion because it affects them more than it does any other state.
And then they talk about racial profiling. Here are the facts. Most, if not all, of the illegal immigrants are Hispanic. So it only makes sense that Hispanics would be stopped more often and asked for ID. Asking for ID is racial profiling? Give me a break. You show the cop your ID and then, if you're legal, you're on your way. Every person stopped on the freeway is asked for ID. The only question here is should your ID show that you're a legal citizen or not.
I renewed my passport recently. Now in addition to the Passport book, you can get a card, the size of a credit card, that you can carry in your wallet. If I were an Hispanic in Arizona, I sure would get one of these passport cards to prove I was a legal American citizen and show it to every cop who asked me. Is this asking too much - that everybody carry proof of American citizenship? I don't think so. But to hear some people talk, the world is coming to an end.
I give Arizona credit for cracking down on illegals. After all they have an estimated 460,000 illegals in the state. The Federal government is not doing it. And since most illegals are in fact Hispanics who came over the Mexican border, I don't think asking Hispanics for ID more often than asking other ethnic groups for theirs is racial profiling. But in fact asking everyone stopped by a cop for ID is Standard Operating Procedure if it makes anyone feel any better. From now on this SOP should determine proof of citizenship. That's all.
In India recently they did a thorough census and now they will issue a national ID card. They believe that this will expedite social services and reduce military threats. OMG, sounds like a plan! There it will be very simple to determine citizenship. You simply ask to see the ID card. Here in the US they can't even seem to do the simplest things to solve a problem. The solution is very simple. Issue a national ID card or require everyone to show the passport card on demand by police so that every traffic stop requires proof of citizenship. Presently, every traffic stop is a chance for cops to run the person's ID through a data base to see if they're wanted for any outstanding crimes or warrants. This simply adds an additional thing they are checked for which is most basic - proof of citizenship. I don't understand why that's such a huge thing. It seems very simple and basic to me. But then that is probably why it eludes the US Congress.
ID cards planned for India's 1.1 billion
Hi-tech entrepreneur will lead operation to create huge database
Saturday, 27 June 2009
India is to embark on an ambitious plan to provide each of its 1.1 billion-plus citizens with a national identity card and has picked an industrialist who helped to spearhead the country's IT revolution to lead the project.
Nandan Nilekani, the entrepreneur who helped the best-selling author Thomas Friedman to coin the phrase and book title "The world is flat", was asked by the government to help to create what would be the largest citizens' database in a democracy. Only China has a larger scheme.
The government believes that the scheme, to be finalised over three years, will help in the delivery of vital social services to the poorest in society who often lack – or are at least told they lack – sufficient identification papers. The government has long complained that most of the money set aside for the neediest is diverted as a result of corruption, and it believes the cards could help to tackle identity theft and fraud.
At a time of increased concern over the threat of militant violence, the government also hopes that the creation of the scheme will boost national security and help police and law and order officials. The creation of the ID or Unique Identification Number (UID) was a major plank of the manifesto of the ruling Congress Party during the recent election.
And then they talk about the supposed fact that there is a big need for immigrants to supply labor. There's tons of jobs here going begging just because immigrants can't get to them so they have to cross the border illegally just to help us out. Give me a break. With 20% unemployment and six applicants for every available job there's jobs going begging? This is a total disconnect. If the private sector can't connect legal unemployed American citizens with these jobs, then government should do it. How comes there are tons of jobs for illegals but none for American citizens? Does becoming an American citizen disqualify you or overqualify you for a job? This is ridiculous.
And it's not as if there's not a huge problem with a piecemeal invasion coming across the Mexican border. The drug problem has turned into a war on the border. Criminal gangs are exploiting the American nambi pambiness over requiring proof of citizenship. Illegal documents flourish. The new passport cards contain a RFID chip and other devices to make sure they're secure. Having a national ID card which could be the same as the passport card which is the same size as a driver's license by the way, would be a simple and safe method for determining if a person was here illegally. It seems logical, basic and simple. Let's get on with it.
