Unfortunately, we can't call the Bush/Fox Amnesty an "amnesty" anymore (see "The Nativists in the California GOP Must Go").

So, we need to find a new name. Perhaps "The Bush/Fox Massive Illegal Immigration Incentive and Open Borders and Gift to Corrupt Employers Plan" would work. No matter what we call it, it will be considered an amnesty by millions of people around the world. It will reward illegal immigration. And, as common sense and experience tell us, anything that rewards illegal immigration will lead to more illegal immigration.

As for the "nativists," I'm sure there are some in the CA Repubs. I'm also sure that many of them - and many Democrats as well - are simply opposed to corruption and employers who like cheap compliant labor and shoving all of the welfare and social costs off on the rest of us.

If one wants to call those opposed to illegal immigration "nativists," then there certainly are a lot of nativists around: 74% of respondents answered "Should Not" to this question: "Do you think the United States should or should not make it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens of the United States?"

Consider Bainbridge's comment: "Do they really think we could deport all the undocumented workers in this country without resorting to Gestapo-like tactics - or even with such tactics? Do they really think we could prevent undocumented workers from entering this country even with such tactics?"

Allow me to devastate his argument with one quick fact: in FY 2002, only 13 (thirteen) employers were fined for hiring illegal aliens.

Maybe we should start throwing a few of Bainbridge's corporate buddies in federal prison for immigration violations. That would work wonders.

See my Immigration category for several articles with the details on why the Bush/Fox Amnesty is a horrible idea. For instance, "Flawed Assumptions Underlying Guestworker Programs", "Past has cautionary lessons for guest-worker programs", "Guest worker program offers lessons: Bush might profit by German experience", "Immigration, Saudi Style", and "Correcting the Record About President Bush's Immigration Proposal".

(Bainbridge might want to consider the comments here, including this: "Reporters and opinion writers generally commit the felony of assuming that all U.S. Latinos, regardless of where they reside, or their national origin or place of birth, will react as voters in some homogenous bloc! ...nobody seems to recognize that Latinos most likely to vote for Mr. Bush, Republican or not, are conservative, law-abiding, hard-working, patriotic, middle-class people. They are not automatically supportive of their taxes going for free services to people not entitled to them. Nor are they likely to approve of the flaunting of immigration laws by anybody, be it an irresponsible employer or an illegal employee...")