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GUEST OPINION: Time to stop hiring illegal workers
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Oakland Press (theoaklandpress.com), Serving Oakland County
Opinion
By Jim Runestad
Americans are becoming more and more concerned that we are losing our representative form of government and rapidly becoming a people subject to the control of special interest syndicates.
When election time rolls around, many politicians promise “real change,” “true reform” and “honest government.” But once safely entrenched in public office they vehemently defend the status quo, often selling out the interests of their constituents to the highest bidder. Both major political parties are rapidly losing the trust and support of voters, as Americans have grown weary of watching Democrats and Republicans alike feeding at the special interest trough.
Nowhere is the disconnect between public opinion and public policy more crystal clear than with the issue of illegal immigration. A recent CNN national poll showed three out of four Americans want illegal immigration to decrease. Of course, opposition to illegal immigration is nothing new, yet over the last 30 years, including the current recession that has put millions of Americans out of work, politicians simply mouth their “genuine concern” and then turn their backs on the American people.
To understand how this corruption and indifference endures, one needs look no further than to the primary political motivations that shape immigration policy. Republican officeholders quake in fear of the wrath of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its state affiliates. These so-called defenders of “free enterprise” seek to manipulate the political process to directly undercut the wages and conditions of legal workers. The Chamber’s goal is to reduce labor costs, and to that end it opposes any attempt to enforce immigration law. The Chamber spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on ad campaigns, political lobbying and campaign contributions to politicians. Woe to any Republican who dares take a stand in defense of the legal American worker.
On the other side, Democrats have mapped out a long-term strategy to disregard the will of the American citizenry by legalizing tens of millions of illegal aliens. These Democrats are willing to make U.S. citizenship, with its rights, privileges, and responsibilities virtually worthless in order to expand their base and establish a permanent governing majority for their party. Under a mask of humanitarian jargon, Democratic elites support polices that hurt our most vulnerable Americans. That is why you will never hear them talk about the hardships that illegal immigration imposes on working-class Americans.
These politicians are betting that American voters are too distracted, or too disinterested to remember campaign promises and to hold their representatives accountable. Unfortunately, this has too often been true in the past. Hopefully, a new political movement is stirring — one in which voters will put in office those who are truly worthy of the public’s support. For our republic to survive, citizens must educate themselves on the issues and actively participate in the democratic process.
In Michigan, we have the opportunity to help put an end to the hiring of illegal workers. Two bills, HB4355 and HB4969 would require companies doing business with the state to verify the legal status of all new hires. These bills were marshaled out of committee by Rep. Mark Meadows but have been bottled up by House leader Andy Dillion and Democrat whip Kathy Angerer. Out of 10 million Michigan citizens, these two have decided that imposing their hidden political agenda is more important than establishing protections for legal Michigan workers.
Let these bills be brought to a vote in the House so that the democratic process may proceed. I urge Michigan voters to demand accountability from their elected representatives. Demand that Reps. Dillion and Angerer allow a vote on HBs 4355 and 4969.
Jim Runestad of Waterford Township is an Oakland County commissioner serving White Lake and Waterford townships.
URL: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/01/17/opinion/doc4b4e87b5e0476564336885.prt
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