“Gang of Eight” Deciding on “Immigration Reform” (aka AMNESTY)

In the early days of our country, being elected a Senator or Congressman was a part-time patriot endeavor.  In an NPR article, Larry Sabato, a history professor at the University of Virginia and Director of the university’s Center for Politics, states that even into the 1960s, members of Congress “were out of session about as much as they were in, and they had almost no personal and committee staffers assigned to them unless they were senior and powerful.  The article continues:  It wasn’t until the 1970s that members of Congress began seeing their positions as year-round commitments.”

I suspect the results of those numerous federal laws being passed by full time legislators is that at any one time, any one of us possibly stands in violation of breaking some federal law unintentionally.

This new endeavor by the Gang of Eight, established for the purpose of immigration reform, is an exercise in reductio ad absurdum.  What is needed are not new laws (i.e., laws repackaged for the pacification of the masses), but the actual enforcement of laws already on the books.  The absurdity du jour is that we keep posturing, pontificating and proclaiming the same thing over and over, but when we already have the laws needed on the books, especially with the current administration, they pick and choose which laws they like and ignore the laws with which they disagree (i.e., Constitution be damned).

The Gang of Eight  are Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-ILL.), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL.) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ.)

According to Breitbart.com, Senator Pat Leahy has only agreed to one hearing on the legislation.  Gang of Eight member Marco Rubio previously said he supports multiple hearings and an open and transparent immigration reform process, but his actions do not necessarily back his words. He has not pushed Leahy to force multiple hearings; he appears content with the single hearing Leahy has scheduled and now appears to be backing down from his demand for multiple hearings…. The only thing done in multiples are multiple reports that keep surfacing indicating that the Gang of Eight will band together to block amendments to their bill.

The Gang of Eight Senators Jeff Flake, John McCain and Lindsey Graham don’t back any transparency.  A week ago, Senator Marco Rubio did and while he still talks about wanting multiple hearings and that this is just a starting point, he has not pushed Senator Patrick Leahy on the issue.  Rumors have it that Senator Rubio was rebuffed.

So, what do we have here?  We have no amendments, no transparent process and only one hearing on the proposed bill—sound eerily familiar?

Does anyone think there was bipartisanship on the part of McCain and Graham?

McCain said, “I’m sure that whatever we agree to will not satisfy anyone, because we have to make compromises in order to get a broad bipartisan agreement.  I’m sure that everyone will want something better.”

Note to Senator McCain: You definitely know compromise and as far as you wondering why you are not referred to as Great Americans instead of Gang of Eight. I think Gang fits almost each and every one of you—untrustworthy individuals, corrupted by Beltway politics and empowered by greed, fame and power.  Just as you fought for America’s freedoms during your military service in Viet Nam, why do you not fight protect us today—protect us from illegals running our borders?  They did not come here legally, so why are you turning your back on the Constitution and the American people by giving them a free pass?  Tell me, why you are in this group of bipartisan members of Congress?  Your presence tips the balance of bipartisanship to the left side of the scale.

And tell me, Senator Rubio; have the Beltway elitists corrupt you too?  Please tell us it is not true.  Senator Cruz, are you next?  How about you Senator Paul?

And—get ready for this.  Did you know we have a jobs’ surplus?  As reported in Frontpage Magazine.com, the Gang reportedly wants to import 1 million workers to fill the jobs’ surplus in America.  Seriously?  This at a time when the number of unemployed Americans is larger than the number of American’s unemployed during The Great Depression of the 1930s!  Mort Zuckerman reports in U.S. News & World Report that the jobs report is worse than it looks.

Fuzzy math?  Definitely, but another fuzzy thing here is the mental proclivity and resolve of our elected officials who are more in line with that of Alice’s fuzzy caterpillar who, with a look of disdain on its face—blankly stares at the dangers facing America today—while passively sucking away on its hookah pipe.  One wonders what they are smoking in Washington.

Even more disconcerting is the cost burden this will put on our already financially strained economic system.  According to a January, 2013, CBS News report, When you legalize those who are in the country illegally, it costs taxpayers millions of dollars, costs American workers thousands of jobs and encourages more illegal immigration, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said in a statement today. By granting amnesty, the Senate proposal actually compounds the problem by encouraging more illegal immigration.

In that same CBS article, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, wrote on Twitter, “Some Senators & Reps will soon announce how they plan to pardon law breakers & reward them with the objective of their crime.  This is a very bad idea.”

How do they plan on doing that with 11 million illegals?

Since it appears that the GOP members of the Gang are going to, or already have conceded to no amendments and no transparency (Senator Rubio could still surprise us), it will be interesting to see if the Democrat members of the Gang go with what some Republicans consider the #1 priority of immigration reform:  seal the borders!

Seal the borders?  We are told that even with today’s amazing technology that the Mexican border with the United States is too long a stretch and that it would be impossible to construct a wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, some 1,969 miles long.  Yet consider the ancient Chinese who, some 200 years before the birth of Christ, were able to build a 5,500 mile defensive border wall that is two and a half times the length of the U.S./Mexican border.  This wall is so formidable that it can be seen from outer space!  A huge ancient wall was constructed with just primitive tools and not even one Bulldozer!

It is not a question of America being able to build such a wall, but rather does America have the will to do it?