Victor Davis Hanson has an excellent post at NRO entitled: "The Kerry Yacht as a Teachable Moment." A fair argument can be made that rich liberals want us to pay more taxes so they don't have to pay theirs. Or perhaps they just don't care how high tax rates get, because they don't intend to pay them anyway.
Either way, the hypocrisy is breathtaking.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Some constructive suggestions regarding illegal immigration
The big news regarding illegal immigration, of course, is Arizona's law and the federal challenge to it. I have not read the District Court's decision enjoining enforcement of significant provisions of the law. But the Court apparently did not enjoin the provisions of the law prohibiting sanctuary cities in Arizona. The Court also reportedly affirmed that Arizona law enforcement personnel may inquire into a person's immigration status irrespective of the statute. (Indeed, the federal government maintains a call center in Vermont to answer such inquiries from state and local law enforcement officials throughout the country.) In any event, no one can predict the outcome of the appeals that are already under way.
The purpose of this post is to make a couple of suggestions-- one practical, one political -- for improving the enforcement of the laws against illegal immigration. First, Arizona should consider establishing a new website or modifying an existing one to collect and report the facts regarding the immigration status of people arrested in Arizona.
For example, if an arrestee is determined to be in the country illegally, the site could report the date on which ICE was informed that the illegal alien was in custody and whether ICE took that person into federal custody. If ICE declined to take custody, the site could report the date the person was released from state custody. Then, if that person was subsequently arrested for another state crime, the site could reflect the fact that the illegal alien was still here because federal government declined to enforce federal immigration law.
This site could serve as an information resource for the public, for law enforcement officials, and for reporters. If the federal government fails to enforce its immigration laws, the public has the right to know both the extent and the consequences of that failure. I doubt that shame will move the government where duty has failed to do so, but it is worth a shot. And at least it will shed light on what is actually going on.
Second, Arizona and other border states may want to place remotely-triggered dye packs similar to those already used by banks in areas used by illegals to enter the country. A brightly-colored illegal alien would find it difficult to hide or get work on this side of the border. These devices might catch only a small percentage of the illegal aliens crossing the border, but anyone sneaking into the country would have to worry about suddenly glowing a bright color without warning.
More criminal laws will probably have little impact on illegal immigration, even if they survive court challenges. But existing technology may provide inexpensive ways to improve enforcement of the laws already on the books.
The purpose of this post is to make a couple of suggestions-- one practical, one political -- for improving the enforcement of the laws against illegal immigration. First, Arizona should consider establishing a new website or modifying an existing one to collect and report the facts regarding the immigration status of people arrested in Arizona.
For example, if an arrestee is determined to be in the country illegally, the site could report the date on which ICE was informed that the illegal alien was in custody and whether ICE took that person into federal custody. If ICE declined to take custody, the site could report the date the person was released from state custody. Then, if that person was subsequently arrested for another state crime, the site could reflect the fact that the illegal alien was still here because federal government declined to enforce federal immigration law.
This site could serve as an information resource for the public, for law enforcement officials, and for reporters. If the federal government fails to enforce its immigration laws, the public has the right to know both the extent and the consequences of that failure. I doubt that shame will move the government where duty has failed to do so, but it is worth a shot. And at least it will shed light on what is actually going on.
Second, Arizona and other border states may want to place remotely-triggered dye packs similar to those already used by banks in areas used by illegals to enter the country. A brightly-colored illegal alien would find it difficult to hide or get work on this side of the border. These devices might catch only a small percentage of the illegal aliens crossing the border, but anyone sneaking into the country would have to worry about suddenly glowing a bright color without warning.
More criminal laws will probably have little impact on illegal immigration, even if they survive court challenges. But existing technology may provide inexpensive ways to improve enforcement of the laws already on the books.
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