Well…I lost the bet.

I didn’t think the President would even utter the word “immigration” tonight during the State of the Union address.

I almost won but when you sift through roughly 45 minutes of war, war and more war, it turns out the President did manage to slip in a couple of words about immigration:

“Keeping America competitive requires an immigration system that upholds our laws, reflects our values and serves the interests of our economy.”

“Our nation needs orderly and secure borders.”

“To meet this goal, we must have stronger immigration enforcement and border protection.”

“And we must have a rational, humane guest worker program that rejects amnesty, allows temporary jobs for people who seek them legally, and reduces smuggling and crime at the border.”

[full text here]

(In fairness, it was just the same ol’ yarn…nothing about reform per se...I think the bet should be a draw, Peter.)

So far, I have yet to hear anyone speak against to President’s call for a guest worker program. Of course, all the usual sheep were at-the-ready with their boot-licking applause.

David Dreier (R-Ca) Chairman of the House Committee on Rules had this response to the President’s comments on immigration:

“I also applaud the President’s acknowledgment of the need for stronger immigration enforcement and border protection, while ensuring the needs of our strong economy are met. “ [Reuters Reaction to State of the Union 2/1/06]

In other words, “thanks for the guest worker program.”

Gag.

The latest Time magazine poll shows that a majority of Americans think illegal immigration is a “serious” problem.

Very good.

But three-fourths of the respondents also say the solution to the problem may be to give citizenship to illegals if they have a steady job, pay taxes AND learn English.

Very stupid.

Memo to those who responded in this fashion, and I’m being generous here because this is a “family” blog:

What the hell is wrong with you? Do you really believe that this is how you discourage people from crossing our borders illegally? C’mon, people. You don’t solve the problem of illegal immigration by allowing those here in violation of laws to become citizens. We tried that in 1986, remember?

If allowed to remain here, these illegals (and their families that would soon follow) would only add millions to the Census Bureau’s projection of 420 million people living here in 2050 and the 571 million people by 2100.

What about the effect of their presence on the environment? Standard of living? Wages for our own working poor? Classroom size? Healthcare insurance? Crime? Traffic congestion?

Trust me: You’re not learning anything about this issue by reading your daily newspapers or watching the 10 o’clock news. Grow up. Start thinking for yourselves.