Arizona Immigration Law

I live in Texas and, like Arizona, we also share a border with Mexico. There are strong issues in both states with illegal immigration and our government’s inability to stop it. Farmers and ranchers are suffering along our borders. Safety and damage to private property are their primary concerns as Mexican drug cartels and human traffickers called “coyotes” continue to cross into the United States. The issues of having so many undocumented aliens in this country and their affect on our nation’s economy and healthcare are well known. I don’t believe many would feel our current immigration policy is working nor would they feel our borders with Mexico are secure.

So what do we do about it? Some feel it makes sense to let each border state make up their own laws to deal with their particular problems like Arizona. But is that the best way to deal with a problem that affects not only Arizona but the Nation as a whole? In a sense, it would be like bringing back vigilante justice when a well trained and organized police force is called for. In the old days, citizen soldiers would organize and ride off to deal with frontier problems, then return to their farms and ranches. That frontier justice led to many abuses. Many innocent Indians and Mexicans were slaughtered because of disputes or simply because they were in the way.

I think we should support the existing federal laws yes, but clearly under our Constitution it is the Federal Government that must create and enforce those laws. Do we need an overhaul of Immigration Policy? Certainly, but again Congress is the body of our government charged with making those changes. However, given the partisanship in Washington these days (ON EVERYTHING!!!!!), I'm not holding my breath. So God help this nation, if we are EVER to get anything done! But as a nation we need to put our Washington politicians’ feet to the fire. We cannot let them keep sweeping this issue off to the side. Our nation’s security and its sovereignty are at stake.

Here are some thoughts to consider:

1) Enforce our laws and secure our borders. JOB ONE!!!

2) Then deal with the 12 million aliens already here. You can't deport them all so give them some sort of documentation so we know who they are and where they are.

3) Once they are OFFERED documentation (to determine their status...are they established and productive?) then send back the ones who refuse to be documented as they are caught.

4) It might take several years to document 12 million people, so turn our post offices into documentation centers. Post offices are becoming obsolete with the internet and they are hurting for money. Why not use them for this documentation process?

5) Those documented aliens can be offered a path to citizenship, if they can meet certain requirements such as having a job, learning English, have an establish home, business, and a family. They must be able to prove that they are productive members of society.

6) If they just want to work in this country, issue them a temporary work visa with a tamper proof photo ID with biometrics. Their status should be updated every year or 6 months. If not renewed…they go home.

7) No hospitalization (other than emergency treatment) unless they can pay. No documentation... no money…no work… they go back.

8) Businesses should be required to check against an official documented database before they can hire anyone. Businesses who can NOT verify that they checked their employee's documentation should be fined or sued by the Taxpayers.

9) Change the law that says the child of illegal parents born in this country is automatically a citizen.

We must start a national dialogue on immigration policy and force Washington to give it the attention it deserves.

Food for THOUGHT.

A Woman and a Cat on a Bus

A few mornings ago, I took the bus into work. I settled into my seat and began to read my book. All of a sudden I heard a cat’s meow. Thinking I was hearing things, I looked up and around the bus to see where the meow was coming from. I’m not even sure pets are allowed, but there it was, a cat in a blue plastic carrier, very similar to the one Lisa and I have for our cats. Next to the cat in the carrier was a thin, poorly dressed woman. She had a large bandage on the opposite side of her face that partially covered her left eye. Her right hand was covering her face and she was looking down as if she might be feeling ill.


I thought it was strange that I had not noticed the woman with her cat when I boarded the bus and took my seat, but then I rarely look at my fellow passengers when I’m riding the bus. I normally just want to read or listen to my MP3 player for the 18 minutes it takes to get downtown, but the cat’s meowing got my attention. Now, I could not help focusing on the woman. Immediately, a scenario of pain, grief and sorrow came to me. Without knowing why, a story began playing out in my head. The woman never looked up, but I could FEEL it was her story.

The story went like this: She was alone, except for her cat. She had lost her job and then she was diagnosed with cancer. The prognosis was not good. Perhaps she had only a few weeks or months. She was about to lose her home. Her one last thing was to find a new home for her beloved cat. She was taking it to the City Shelter in hopes that someone would take her cat and care for it. Soon, she would no longer be able to provide for it. She had no one, no friend she could trust, so it had come to this. She was feeling tired and ill. Her head hurt and she could not bear to see the other passengers staring at her bandaged face and her meowing cat in the blue carrier.

I still don’t know why I was given that impression. Perhaps she wasn’t dying of cancer. Perhaps she just had a headache or she was in pain from the recent surgery. Perhaps she was just taking the cat to a vet for a checkup. I see women and small kids loaded with strollers and bags of groceries get on and off the bus all the time. I had to finally realize that not everyone has a car. So why was this woman and her cat so heavy on my mind? Why that particular scenario? Why so personal and why was it directed toward me?

As I sat there in my seat, I was flooded with images of my three cats, Spike, Sylvie and Babs. My heart ached at the thought of ever having to give them up because I was alone and dying. I have my wife, our house and a wonderful life. Life is good for us. I suddenly felt very thankful for my many blessings. I realized in that moment that the life we have is so fragile and our time on this earth is so short. One illness, the death of a spouse, the loss of a job and I could be that person sitting across from me.

My stop was next and as I got up to leave the bus, I looked back one last time. I’ll never know her story for sure, but it made me feel so grateful for all that I have and how insignificant my problems now seemed.

Perhaps that was the point. We only have the day…this moment…this NOW.

Food for THOUGHT…