NumbersUSA has a new $1 million ad buy opposing amnesty over its impact on jobs ( peekURL.com/v5hJDLc ). That's OK and it might change some minds.

But, there are much smarter ways to spend the same amount of money and have a much greater impact. If Numbers USA staked even 1% of that amount towards the First Prize in the Stop Amnesty Challenge, that would be a much quicker and much cheaper way to actually stop amnesty. See the Challenge here: 24ahead.com/stop-amnesty-challenge

In the Politico article ( peekURL.com/zvQ862E ), the president of Numbers USA, Roy Beck, is quoted as saying: "We're urging every citizen to ask a very simple question of their senators - and of anybody who wants to be a senator... Who should get the next jobs? Do they think their constituents who are looking for work should have priority for jobs?"

And, that's how Numbers USA will help amnesty supporters. That question is very weak and if it's asked, a Senator will turn it around and use it to promote amnesty. The questions in the Challenge (see them at the link above) are carefully crafted to avoid the tricks politicians play.

If someone asks Roy Beck's question, the politician will respond with something like this: "That's why we need immigration reform. As it is now, undocumented workers can undercut American workers for jobs. Immigration reform will establish a level playing field." That's wrong (see 24ahead.com/s/immigration-wage-floor ), but that's what the politician will do and it will sound credible to many or most people. If someone asks Roy Beck's question, they'll have just served as the "set up man" for the politician and allowed the politician to go into a stock speech. Beck's question also doesn't take into account how other amnesty supporters (such as 24ahead.com/s/thinkprogress ) would back up the politician. ThinkProgress would respond by using the same immigration wage floor argument.

Instead of simple questions that let politicians go into stock speeches, we need to show talking points like immigration wage floor wrong. And, in fact, one of the questions in the Challenge is designed to do exactly that.

Different people are adept at different things. NumbersUSA is great at fundraising and organizing, but they aren't great at coming up with questions. I can't draw any sort of line and (as you can see from this site) I'm not good with color schemes. I recognize that; I realize my weaknesses. If I want good graphic design I'd have to hire someone else; there's no shame in that.

Roy Beck and NumbersUSA no doubt don't do their own plumbing or server administration; they hire specialists. Coming up with tough questions is a specialist job too, and there's no shame in using the questions from an outside specialist any more than there is in using an outside specialist to fix a database.

Especially since NumbersUSA can use the questions in the Challenge for free; all I ask is attribution. If they really want to stop amnesty, that's what they need to do. Because otherwise they'll just be feeding lines to amnesty supporters and will end up helping amnesty.