Why This? Why Now?

George W. Bush has done it now. XEKE.com ran a tongue-in-cheek column/list a couple of weeks ago outlining all the things that Bush has done wrong, but now we're not kidding. W. has now successfully alienated EVERY American citizen in one form or another, most recently alienating Conservatives everywhere with his backing of Kennedy and McCain's bill for amnesty.

President Bush is using language against his "Conservative opponents" of the "comprehensive immigration bill", a.k.a. amnesty bill, that he has never used against any of his opponents in the past. Not the Democrats. Not the anti-war kook-fringe. Not the anti-American leftists. Not the French. My question for Bush, with regard to his new tough-guy image is this: Why now?

The Kennedy/McCain legislation and Bush's impending signature are bad for America.

Bush said,

"If you want to scare the American people, what you say is the bill's an amnesty bill. That’s empty political rhetoric, trying to frighten our citizens."

He went on,

"People in Congress need the courage to go back to their districts and explain exactly what this bill is all about. The fundamental question is, will elected officials have the courage necessary to put a comprehensive immigration plan in place that makes it more likely we can enforce our border and, at the same time, uphold the great traditions of — immigrant traditions of the United States of America."

First of all, George, this is an amnesty bill. If this is not amnesty, what qualifies as amnesty?

Secondly, the immigrant traditions that made America great consist of a legal process that funneled immigrants through Ellis Island, screened them for diseases, made sure they could speak English, ensured that they assimilated, and that they could make America better, not worse. Immigrants looking for a handout were sent packing.

Bush's base has stuck beside him through plummeting poll numbers, through grammatical blunders, through outrageous increases in federal spending, through tough times in the War on Terror. Etc. Etc. Why turn on the base? Perhaps if the base is against this Kennedy/McCain Illegal Immigration debacle it’s for a good reason . . . or for many good reasons.

The Kennedy/McCain clan, as well as George W. Bush, does not want to debate the bill on its merits. All we're asking of an immigration reform policy is: border security first. This bill provides zero incentive for border security, now or later, and ensures trillions of dollars in handouts in the coming years to illegal immigrants coming to America like piglets to the sow's teat.

These illegals don't want to assimilate. They're not learning English (have you been to a Lowe’s or Home Depot lately? Have you read a product label recently that didn't have a second language on it?). They're not contributing to the Treasury in any substantial way. But they sure are taking from the system: public education, emergency rooms, welfare, etc.

The Kennedy/McCain legislation and Bush's impending signature are bad for America. (Has Government ever really fixed a problem with a big piece of legislation?) It's no wonder they want to stifle debate and paint their opponents as full of scare tactics and empty rhetoric. Contact your senators, your congressman and the president today to tell them what you think of this piece of legislation.