More about the border

Via the New York Times:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 - Mexican criminal syndicates are stepping up their attacks on American agents patrolling the border as officials of the Homeland Security Department intensify efforts to stem the flow of immigrants and drugs into the United States, American officials said this week.

In recent months, scores of Border Patrol agents have been fired upon or pelted with large stones as well as with cloth-covered stones that have been doused with flammable liquid and set ablaze. Since October, agents have been attacked in more than 190 cases, officials said on Thursday.

One of the pillars of a nation's sovereignty is its right and ability to control its borders. The article blames "criminal syndicates" for the violence, but does anyone with an IQ in the double digits doubt that the corrupt Mexican government is in this up to its armpits? It has become the vigorously promoted, if unofficial, policy of the Mexican government to export its surplus population to the United States. This serves the twin purposes of pumping billions of dollars into the Mexican economy as the illegals send money to family back in Mexico and reducing the pressure for genuine reforms of the dysfunctional Mexican political system.

The prospects for real change in the United States' border control policy seem slim given the current congress and the current president. The two political parties are in a life-or-death contest to secure the votes of the large Hispanic minority and business is reaping enormous savings in the cost of labor as wages are driven down by millions of illegal aliens willing to work for much less than native Americans.

Some observers, notably those with a libertarian bent, see the labor cost savings as a bonus for the US economy. After all the price of goods and services is held down and the US has low unemployment so Americans obviously aren't being driven out of work. This reasoning ignores the high cost illegal immigration imposes on taxpayers. State and local governments tax citizens to pay the cost of educating the children of illegals. Illegals tend to use hospital emergency rooms for primary care leaving bills that are never paid. This drives up the cost of healthcare as hospitals must recoup the lost revenue by charging more to their paying customers. This results in higher insurance premiums and the sometimes draconian cost cutting measures that have made "HMO" a swear word in some quarters. Taxpayers at the county and city level are also saddled with a growing bill for law enforcement as illegals clog court calendars and fill jails to overflowing.

As for the issue of which political party will benefit from the powerful Hispanic vote the answer is obviously going to be Democrats. Republicans seem to think that because a large number of Mexicans are religious and devoted to family that they represent a natural constituency. This ignores the fact that most Black Americans live their private lives as conservatives. The Black community is centered on the church and the greatest desire of most Black parents is to see a voucher program which will allow them to get their children out of the failing and downright dangerous public schools. Yet they continue to vote Democrat in the 90% range. The fact is that Republicans can never match the Santa Claus generosity (in spending other people's money) of the Democrats. The Republican "base" will not allow it.

What both political parties are missing is that the majority of Americans are fed up with illegal immigration. We are fed up with everything from bags of potato chips to our ATMs being labeled in Spanish as well as English. We are fed up roll call in our kid's schools sounding like the Tijuana telephone directory. We are fed up with going to the courthouse to pay our property tax and feeling like we've wandered into a casting call for a Zorro movie. We are fed up with paying higher taxes and insurance premiums (health and auto) and enduring higher crime rates and being told that cheap lettuce makes it all worthwhile.

In 2008 if a candidate, of either party, makes ending our policy of open borders the centerpiece of his/her campaign they could very well win with a substantial majority; a majority that could have the kind of coattails that change the character of the legislature (like Reagan in 1980).