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Michigan should end hiring of illegal workers
January 25, 2010
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 interests.
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. 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 during the past 30 years, including the current recession that has put millions of Americans out of work, politicians mouth their "genuine concern" and then turn their backs on the American people.
To understand how this indifference endures, one need 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 that seek to undercut the wages and conditions of legal workers. Their goal is to reduce labor costs, so they oppose any attempt to enforce immigration law. 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 right, privileges and responsibilities -- virtually worthless to expand their base and establish a permanent governing majority for their party.
Under a mask of humanitarian jargon, Democrat elites support policies 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.
In Michigan, we have the opportunity to help put an end to the hiring of illegal workers. Two bills, House bills 4355 and 4969, 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 state Rep. Mark Meadows, but have been bottled up by House Speaker Andy Dillon and Democrat whip Kathy Angerer.
Let these bills be brought to a vote in the House so the democratic process may proceed.
Jim Runestad is a Republican Oakland County commissioner serving White Lake Township and Waterford.
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