Memo to Dan Walters: there's more to it than just the illegal aliens

Dan Walters has a rather unremarkable column entitled "Debate over immigration never ends" that roundsup the attempts by Americans to end illegal immigration, and the attempts by those on the other side to encourage more of it.

It includes the following:
To many, illegal immigrants are simply human beings seeking to better themselves by filling difficult, low-paying jobs in agriculture, construction, restaurants and hotels that are vital to the economy. But to others, they are law-breaking invaders who drain the public treasury and whose ability to gain entry into California should not be rewarded.
It's not just about the illegal aliens themselves. It's also about employers making money off illegal immigration, political corruption, ethnic nationalism, legislators with obviously divided loyalties, and so on. Oddly enough, he doesn't acknowledge any of those issues.

And:
Last weekend, the immigration fires were rekindled when a handful of self-named California Minutemen began patrolling the border with Mexico, supposedly to help the Border Patrol spot illegal immigrants, but in reality to draw media attention and stir up opposition to illegal immigration.

The Minutemen likened themselves to a Neighborhood Watch but some apparently were armed and they attracted, as expected, denunciations from Latino rights groups, which branded them as vigilantes.
Now, read this. If the reports of the activities of the other side at Campo are any indication, the only surprise is that they weren't wearing white sheets. Strangely, that's not mentioned either.

Comments

Here's another point which is never mentioned about aggressive immigration; each antimerit immigration cohort increases the likelihood of socialized medicine, a national health care funding system. If and when this happens, medical technology will go backward, for the first time since the middle ages. If several technologies go backward, such as medical, transport and power generating, at the same time, we reproduce the dark age conditions. Restriction of immigration can avoid two of these at least.

The author seems to be living in the same country that I am and is aware of the destructive "us vs. them" political debate that makes popular talk shows but accomplishes little.

What the author blatantly misses is that there are still many people and leaders who do not subscribe to that method of debate but instead are interested in a discussion of practical policies to address issues like immigration. President Bush himself, McCain and even Kennedy have made practical contributions to the debate.

Unfortunately the hard work needed to address problems don't get the ratings or sell newspapers as much as a group of marginally educated fanatics putting on a whine-fest.