Lindsey Found Time To Address My Concerns!

NOTE: My comments are italized. Senator Grahams quotes are in bold.

Actually, he found the time to send me a 4 page letter explaining his stance on immigration AFTER I e-mailed him and told him that as far as I was concerned, voting for amnesty had cost him my vote. (Along with my husbands vote too.) I'll give him this much, he did not ignore my e-mail and/or just eighty-six it. He took the time to answer, though I am sure it is a form letter. Now we just need to get rid of the RINO on his back.

The letter starts out very polite and thanks me for expressing my concern and agrees that the current immigration laws are not working. (hello? They might if they were enforced.)He then goes into a brief rundown of my views on immigration reform and how the Senate began to address these issues.

Border Security

The first issue to address in immigration reform must be border security. (Ya think?) Among the major provisions, it authorizes the hiring of an additional 14,000 Border Patrol agents over the next five years. It also calls for the construction of at least 370 miles of triple-layer fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers to be placed in high-traffic border crossing areas where people can literally walk into the United States. He then goes on to state that 'virtual fences' would be used in remote locations and that the 'Catch and Release' program would end. because the Senate bill authorizes the construction of 20 new detention facilities capable of housing 20,000 detainees, we will be able to detain, house, and eventually deport them back to their home country when they are apprehended. (Ok, bucko, I told you in the e-mail, we need a triple layer border ALL THE WAY ACROSS with a couple of gates for people who can cross LEGALLY. And, oh great, lets spend even more of my hard earned money on detention centers. Use that money to build a wall.)

Employee Verification and Employer Enforcement

We have been too lax in enforcement of our well-intentioned but inadequate and confusing employment laws. (Again, Ya Think? Gee, maybe if we fine a company $50,000 per illegal alien per day found to be working at a company, I'll bet this problem would slow down a lot!) We must provide the tools they (employers) need too not only comply with the law, but also to stay in business. Creating a workable employee verification system will also free up the enforcement officers to go after the unscrupulous businesses who knowingly violate our employment laws. (Alright, I actually agree with this section. We do need a database of some sort to keep up with legal status of immigrants.)

Undocumented Workers

(Here we go, they are ILLEGAL ALIENS! What part of this do you not understand Lindsey?)Like President Bush, I don't think we are capable of, nor have the national will to, deport 11 million people. Further, an immediate roundup and deportation of this workforce would have negative consequences for our economy, potentially sending it into a tailspin. (My butt! Yes, we can deport them. They broke the law when they came here illegally. Any about all those jobs - why can't able-bodied people between the ages of 18 and 60 that receive welfare take those jobs. Anyone on welfare that is able to work gets a job and/or training and is weaned off of welfare.) Graham then goes into how illegal aliens are brought out of the shadows and must pay fines, attend classes, blah, blah, blah. He also says the program is not amnesty. Amnesty is what President Carter gave to Vietnam draft dodgers who fled to Canada. (There are so many ways I can go here, I need a road map to pick which way!)

Lindsey then concludes with a summary of the above and thanks me for taking time to contact him. I am going to spend the next few nights drafting a reply that is not quite so snarky. :)

Let me know your opinion and/or thoughts as to what I should say in my reply.