Submitted by Ed Weirdness, Feb 21, 2007 10:03

At last, with her statement of support for the Bush comprehensive immigration reforms, voters can now disregard Hilary Clinton as a viable candidate for president. I laugh out loud every time I hear pundits attribute the November election result to the Iraq war, or uncontrolled spending. Plain and simple people, Republicans lost because they refused to listen to America's citizens on a whole host of issue. In our two party system, our means of expressing our disapproval with either party are limited. Even those who stayed home from the polls failing to cast their vote, still voted. The fact that voter turnout declined in great parts of this nation seems to have escaped the attention of only those seeking to ascribe a mandate of some sort to the results. Gortunately, voters for the most part do not accept the results as anything other than what they were, a warning to both parties that they are failing miserably in their duty to represent the views, calues, social and cultural interests of their constituents! Certainly a convergence of missed opportunities were reflected in Novembers results. Not the least being immigration reforms. Overwhelmingly, America's citizens (naturalized as well as native) are against any form of amnesty or guest worker program. Indeed, the majority of American's are calling for overall reductions in all forms of immigration, legal as well as illegal. Legislators do this country a grave disservice by pandering to the petty self interests of business (cheap labor, an expansion of service industries, not having to compete for legal workers) , the church (end the decline in membership and attendance, increasing the tithe and contributions base), and immigrant advocacy groups (all those desiring to emigrate rather than work for democracy and financial stability in their native land). Sooner or later the realization must come that everyone who wants to take advantage of America's opportunity and largesse wont fit. Unfortunately, the law of opportunity (opportunity in the real world being a finite resource) states that one opportunity realized is one opportunity unavailable. If we continue down the path of Bush and Clinton, McCain and Kennedy, that realization may come at the expense of the financial, social and cultural values and quality of life that make America unique. There is no argument that the primary source of population growth in America is from immigration. Pundits will argue that it;s necessary because American's aren't reproducing at a replacement rate. I would assert however, that because of jobs, stagnant wages, taxes, education, social instability, limited resources, overcrowding, and the general "ass whipping" and increasing stress of being a parent and tax paying citizen, American's have been forced to consider the long term consequences of having a large family. In short, American's may have compromised our procreational imperitive for the sake of just trying to keep our "heads above water"! A job made increasingly difficult by power mad politicians willing to sacrifice our citizens (who increasingly don't vote) on the alter of commerce and for the sake of "a new constituency" (who might vote if they can only find a way to make it legal for them to vote)!

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