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That's the word according to this Mark Brunswick article. Here's what I'm talking about:
Dick Day took an unusual campaign trip this month as a Republican candidate in Minnesota's First Congressional District, which spans the whole of southern Minnesota from Wisconsin to South Dakota.
Day traveled more than 1,600 miles farther south.
The Republican state senator from Owatonna went to the U.S.-Mexican border at the invitation of the activist anti-open border Minutemen Project. He came away convinced that pressing for controls on illegal immigration will be the key to a victory against incumbent Democrat Tim Walz.
Walz acknowledged concerns that immigration might be used as a wedge issue in the race.
When 70+ percent of the people agree that we must tighten our borders, that's called a mainstream position. When 75+ percent of New Yorkers agree that illegal immigrants shouldn't be issued drivers licenses, that's a mainstream position. How dare Tim Walz call immigration a wedge issue. This is proof that Tim Walz (a) isn't in touch with the mainstream of American politics and (b) supports the Democrats' extremist views on immigration.
Here's Dick Day's position on immigration:
Day said his three days along the border in the Arizona desert drove home for him the need to remove incentives for foreigners to enter the United States illegally, to punish businesses that employ them, and to prevent cities from sheltering them.
I'll guarantee that Sen. Coleman would enthusiastically support Day's position on eliminating sanctuary cities. I'd further guarantee that King would support punishing businesses that employ illegal immigrants, the argument being that you'll reduce demand if ICE makes 'cheap labor' too expensive.
Accompanied by members of the Minuteman Project and later by federal Border Patrol agents, Day drove and hiked miles back into the desert, where, he said, he encountered thousands of discarded backpacks and hundreds of pairs of shoes strewn along the path known locally as the Amnesty Trail. Illegal immigrants had discarded the clothing and equipment after making it across the border.
"The one thing that hit me is that we could secure the borders if we really wanted to...This is a little dinky area of Arizona and there are thousands of people walking around," Day said. "It tells you we don't have any border. It's a sieve. But I observed that if the federal government wanted to tighten up the border and shut the border off, we could do it."
One thing that strikes me is that applying common sense solutions to problems shouldn't be considered a wedge issue. It's only a 'wedge issue' if you're opposed to applying common sense solutions to problems.
It sounds like shutting down our borders isn't something that Rep. Walz is enthusiastic about. I'm not saying that he's opposed to it, just that he's a bit apathetic in enforcing the border. That isn't acceptable in a post-9/11 environment.
Walz, too, plans a trip to the southern borders within the month. While he said he believes a physical fence along the border will prove unworkable, Walz advocates a streamlined system for legal immigration that includes requiring illegal immigrants to return home, pay a fine and then get in line for legal immigration. He also advocates a national biometric card used for verification of employment.
"If people are going to come here, we're going to know who they are, they are going to come here legally, they are going to come here with identification that is tamper-proof and we're going to make sure our employers are going to be able to hire the workers they need. But if they hire the workers illegally there are going to be severe consequences for it," Walz said.
In other words, he's for Ted Kennedy's 'copmprehensive immigration reform', which is really shamnesty. Another new title for it might be 'The Democratic Voter Registration Drive'.
The immigration issue already is resonating in many parts of the district. In Worthington in southwestern Minnesota, immigration may top even concerns over health care as a voter priority.
That isn't surprising. Most people think that a nation should enforce its borders. These people have noticed that numerous costs have risen sharply in conjunction with increased illegal immigration. They've noticed property taxes rising sharply as children of illegal immigrants have entered the school system. They've notice health insurance premiums skyrocket as more illegal immigrants make ER visits.
Worthington law enforcement has encountered people with multiple identity cards, landlords have exploited illegal immigrants who are afraid to complain, and hospitals have found two people using the same identification.
"Something has to be done and if Day's proposal gets it done, so be it," said Worthington Mayor Alan Oberloh, who cautioned that it is too early to endorse any particular candidate or plan.
Simply put, comprehensive immigration reform is a joke. That's why building a wall is important. That's why fining companies is essential. If employers stop hiring illegal immigrants, then there won't be an incentive for illegal immigrants to come here.
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