What's Next?

The voting is going on as I write but it seems for now the immigration bill is going to be defeated. I wrote previously that I am against it in its current form. This vote therefore is a success in my eyes.

We must look to what is next. Illegal immigration as an issue cannot and will not go away. Conservatives and conservative talk radio was instrumental in defeating this measure. This means that Republicans in congress and conservatives in the media are obliged now to come up with something. Just stating "enforce the laws on the books" is not enough. The draw for illegals is jobs. It is simply too difficult for employers to vet prospective employees for legal status and the penalties for those who knowingly hire illegals is too soft. This must change. What to do about the illegals already here is a huge question. It simply is not possible to round them all up and send them back logistically. What also about the kids they leave behind? Many of them are citizens. Do they stay here? Do we deport citizens? (of course by law that can't happen).

It is time for us in the conservative movement to step up and be for something. We are increasingly against everything. In the next congress this issue will come up again. We must pass something. Voters will not give control back to the Republicans until they show the voters they aren't the same bunch they threw out last year.

You may ask why if I was against this bill am I critical of conservatives and republicans in congress? It is simple. It is the rhetoric that I hear every day.The Lou Dobbs and Pat Buchanan prodigies are taking the stage. If I had to guess what would fix the problem two things would help. Increasing the penalties and making it easier to identify illegals. Conservatives in this camp are also against any attempt to issue national ID cards and some are against putting more pressure on business through higher penalties. Increased enforcement which we clearly need costs money. We conservatives typically do not like increased government spending. The fact remains none of the things I just outlined are possible outside of a comprehensive bill unless we get 60 conservatives in the Senate, because Democrats will not vote for a bill only stocked with enforcement measures. Republicans will not vote for anything that only 'normalizes' current illegals. That being known we are left with the current system that simply isn't working.

So, the question I put forth is still out there, Where do we go from here? This is one that I just don't have the answer to. This problem did not occur over night and will not be fixed with one comprehensive bill. Americans come up with innovative solutions. It is time for that to happen. It is also time for some leader in the public sector to come up with a solution and not just be against everything.