Immigration Reform - Excerpt from Let's Make Our World Better by Warren William Luce

Use of this excerpt has been authorized by the author.

It is provided for information due to the actions now underway by our Government's representatives...

Common sense and reasonable answers to world problems...

Immigration Reform

How often have you heard the politicians of both parties talk about the need for comprehensive immigration reform? But they do nothing nor explain what the comprehensive reform might consist of. And for good reason, because honest reform will alienate some people and that isn't good politics.

Immigration reform must be honest, fair, practical and compassionate. Let's talk about those requirements. You who have come into our country illegally have broken the law. That's dishonest and by definition, a crime. Further, by definition, you are a criminal. But do we brand you as a criminal and imprison you as some countries might? That would be impractical and harsh. Of course not, if you're caught, we just send you home at our expense. I'd say that's quite compassionate.

You have not come here in desperation or as a matter of survival. You could have survived in your own country, but you chose to come here to better yourself. That's admirable, but wrong and not fair to those who want to come here legally, who follow the proper procedures and then wait in line for their turn. You, in effect, have jumped to the head of the line, an action that everyone abhors. You are good decent people but what you have done is simply wrong.

Many of you then compound your illegal entry by obtaining false records such as Social Security cards and drivers licenses. That too is unlawful and a crime, but we do not punish you for that either. You then use those illegal documents to obtain services such as medical care, food, housing and education for your children and without paying your fair share of their costs. That is dishonest and not fair to others who have to pay part of your share. Even without documents, you get free education and medical care, the latter cannot be denied to you. That is compassionate and the right thing to do, but still not fair to others who have to pick up the tab for their costs.

Yes, you do pay some taxes such as sales tax, property tax if you have acquired property and sometimes income tax when you used your false identification to get a job. But for most of you, that income tax withheld is returned to you because of your low income earnings. With those false documents, some do pay Social Security taxes and few even collect. But overall, your contribution to pay for the services you use only covers part of their cost. That is not fair.

You purveyors of false documents are, of course, breaking the law, committing a crime that is punishable, if you are caught. But you compound your dishonesty, taking advantage of the immigrants by charging exorbitant fees. You employers, in hiring illegal immigrants are also breaking the law, often with the ulterior motive of paying low wages to make greater profits. That's dishonest. In some cases, it is taking jobs away from American citizens. That is not fair.

You who have come here illegally have no grounds to complain about the treatment you receive such as "asking for your papers" or being deported, for you have been treated with compassion, despite your unlawful activities. We citizens must show our "papers" quite frequently so why shouldn't you? Your demonstrations and demands that we pass immigration laws that will give you what you want takes a lot of gall, is arrogant and offensive.

So, what is to be done about all this. Practically, we cannot find all of you and send you home. But we can stop any further illegal entry. Not by building fences and walls, increasing border patrols or even using our military forces as some have suggested. Those former efforts have proved very costly and have not gotten the job done. We would have to build a wall completely across both our south and north borders and still they would come. As the saying goes, build a sixteen-foot wall and they will build a seventeen-foot ladder. There would be a booming business in smuggling by boat; easy access via our long open shorelines.

There is an easy and efficient way to control entry, it's called E-Verify. Simply put, it is a system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S. It works; the problem being that it is only a voluntary program, although some states make it mandatory. Being voluntary, it leaves those unscrupulous employers an out to hire illegal immigrants, which they do despite the law of the land that prohibits their being hired, and which is weakly enforced.

The simple solution is to make E-Verify the law nationality and enforce it.

Employers can be convinced to comply by stiff fines and jail sentences for repeated offenses and a good dose of patriotism. C'mon man, do what's right for your country. When illegal immigrants cannot get a job, they won't come. Many of those who are already here and unable to get a job will leave.

Establish a comprehensive guest worker program for seasonal workers. Establish a date for full implementation of the E-Verify law. After that date no undocumented worker will be eligible for work, welfare, or education benefits in the U.S. Require those illegal immigrants who can prove they held a job prior to that date to come forth and register with the ICE. Issue them a work permit, making them eligible for services and who would then be required to contribute fully via all appropriate taxes in support of the services they use. Require them to learn English, monitored by their employer. They can stay but must get in line for citizenship via the established procedures. Give priority to families. Citizens must be given priority over illegal immigrants in the job market.

As to those with fraudulent documents, who are subsisting on welfare, without contributing to the costs at all, give them the choice of full prosecution for violating our laws or leaving the country. We might even help them with the latter. Surely, they can be identified by checking the validity of their documents when they apply for benefits. Why has ICE not put the fake document peddlers out of business? Offer illegal immigrants, who have been caught with false papers, immunity from prosecution and a reward, of say $5,000, to identify the providers, money they can use to start anew in their own country. It would be money well spent. Raise the stakes for the providers with stiff fines and prison time.

With that problem under control, few illegal immigrants coming in and those already here, temporarily documented and holding jobs, paying their fair share of costs, we will have arrived at a fair, practical and compassionate solution to the illegal immigration problem

There are a couple of other aspects of our immigration policy that need to be changed. We need to make it easier for skilled immigrants to enter and for foreign students here on visas, getting an education, to stay. Right now many of those students, now skilled, go home. Because of 9/11, and an unjustified fear of more terrorism, we have tightened our entry requirements for tourists who wish to visit our beautiful country and its many splendid attractions. As a result, we have lost one third of our tourism share costing an estimated one million jobs. A shame and completely unnecessary.

Immigration reform is not difficult when we eliminate politics from the equation!

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I totally support this! Bureaucratic Nonsense Must Go!

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"Our conditioning, both by religion and in a secular sense, that we are flawed, poor sinful beings has become the greatest, most harmful self-fulfilling prophecy in the history of mankind.

Do What's Right for America and the World

My purpose for establishing this website and writing the book Let’s Make Our World Better is to give people hope for the future by providing them a better understanding of the world and themselves. To change their perceptions which will in turn alter bad

behavior and make the world  better.

     

I am an optimist. I absolutely believe that humankind will eventually rise to the occasion and bring peace to the world. But not until we tear down the barriers that politics and religion have created. The world longs for and is ready for peace. It is my belief that humankind has the ability to achieve it. I would like to convince the world that is so.

      

June 20, 1924 welcomed me into the world at Baraboo, Wisconsin. My parents named me Warren William Luce. I go by my middle name and prefer Bill. Military service to my country during three wars started shortly after high school as I enlisted in the Army Air Corp. Flew twenty four missions during WWII in Europe as P-47 fighter bomber pilot. During Korean conflict, served in Pacific in support role as Air Traffic Control and Communications officer. Served a tour in Vietnam as Staff Officer and support aircraft pilot. Retired from the United States Air Force in 1970.

      

I have lived in Eastern, Central and Western areas of the United States as well as in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. Have studied history, philosophy, logic, religion and hold a college degree in Social Sciences. My credentials are experience, an open mind, common sense, and the courage to tell the truth.

       

Have no religious denomination affiliation, having been excommunicated from my Church for questioning religious dogma that God sends people, including children, to hell for not having certain religious beliefs. But I do have a strong spiritual belief in God and the teachings of Jesus Christ. I have been married to Marietta Sitz Luce for sixty five years.

       

Politically, have always been an independent, voting for best qualified. I am in very good health and physical condition. I am mostly a vegetarian and bike, swim and do Tai Chi for exercise. Do what is right for America and No more war! 

       

Now, as a retired USAF Colonel, who has experienced and witnessed the hell and often futility of war, I have become a pacifist; an activist in pursuit of a better world. Having had a long lifetime of experience with the issues that plague us, I have dedicated the rest of my life to doing something about them, whatever it takes. What our country and yes, the world, really need is a good dose of integrity, patriotism and the golden rule. I am challenging every citizen of the world and every entity (organization, corporation, political party and government) to step up and do your part to save our countries and make the world better. That means, no more what's in it for me or look out for number one. Rather let's look out for one another and do what's right for America and the world. Always remembering that God requires us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, to love one another, even our enemies.  Stand up and be counted, people of the world.

Let's Take It Back.

"Hope springs eternal in the human heart and we need to realize it is love that will bring it to fruition."