Immigration Reform

Well finally someone did something! President Obama followed through on yet another of his campaign promises. Immigration reform. Twelve million immigrant aliens estimated in our country. Everyone seemingly complaining about it. Every politician whining about it. No solutions offered by over half of them. Any time one of the minority politicos offers up a solution it gets slammed by the rest of the politicos. So nothing gets done on this issue.

For Decades.  I repeat, For Decades.

How’s that for defining dysfunctional government?

After 6 years of asking for suggestions and solutions and receiving only suggestions from the democrats, the President finally stepped in and did something. Five million unregistered immigrants stuck in limbo will finally get some resolution. Not perfect resolution, but movement that will help resolve a lot of questions in their lives, and hopefully find lasting citizenship and productive lives as new Americans.  Hurrah!

Confetti falling from on high in the streets? Throngs of people cheering and celebrating you expect?  No; this is Divided America where nothing much gets done unless it is by the selfish for the selfish.

Republicans, you see, have threatened to shut down the federal government yet again over the President actually daring to do something and actually doing it! It is movement in the broad scale of things. It is governing by exercising authority granted by the US Constitution. Yes; it is governing, something the repubs have forgotten about. All they know is NO! No suggestions. No productive solutions. Just complaining and No! Don’t help good things happen; just stand in their way.

This is what Americans are sick of. No solution to any problem is likely to be perfect. But it can be better if more people get involved and help design solutions together. You know, Teamwork!  It takes a village to raise a kid, to care for a veteran, to plow the streets, to educate a generation. It takes a village to make peace in the global village. It takes teamwork to run a nation and rise to the standards once proclaimed by American History.

But no. Republicans with a small minority of voters have found a way to stop American government. Shame on the voters for allowing this to happen in the first place. Shame on republicans for stubbornly hanging on to a break-down mentality. Shame on democrats for not supporting their own to get things done.

Yes. It takes a village. It takes cooperation and collaboration.

Rather than complaining about a President who has continually and consistently asked for help from both sides of the congressional aisle, it is time for those same blokes to finally help.

This means you John Boner, and you, too, Mitch McConnell.

For decades America’s immigration policies and laws have not worked very well. They need to be overhauled. They needed tweaking along the way. But no one wanted to take the responsibility to make it happen. Some tried. But then changed their minds when the going got rough. Even George W. Bush tried. So did John McCain. Both got booed for their efforts. So they both changed and took the coward’s way out. Did not lead. Just moved back into the crowd of booers and raised their voices in opposition yet again.

This is the picture of stagnation. This is the picture of America paralyzed by ideology.

Shame!

We are a nation of immigrants. Our history is solidly immigrant. It is what has made us strong and flexible. Not even our forefathers were legal immigrants  by today’s Orwellian standards. In fact, our pioneers were all immigrants, everyone of them except the American Indian. And those we killed off and pushed onto reservations where they have been dying a slow death ever since.

We didn't fix it then. We haven’t fixed it now. It is still broken. And the people responsible for it are 535 elected office holders in the House and Senate. Every one of them. Pro or Con. Each of them have not compromised enough to find a better solution. Only the courageous President has. And look what it is earning him!

Shame. Shame. Shame!

November 24, 2014