Much is made of the “disconnect” between the American people and the political and media elite on illegal immigration. Nowhere is that fact more evident than here in Georgia.

Sonny Perdue is a brilliant example of an elected official who enjoys a free pass from a willing media while choosing to ignore a problem with which citizens struggle with on a daily basis.

We can only wonder when Governor Perdue last had to “press one for English” in Georgia or watched as 100 illegal “day laborers”, who understand that borders, employment laws, – and state income taxes – are for suckers compete for 50 jobs offered by criminal employers who are allowed to openly violate several laws without fear of prosecution.

One does not need to be a seasoned veteran of Georgia politics to understand that a vigilant, crusading press corps would make a “big – business, politics as usual Republican” continuous front-page news if the governor had chosen to do absolutely nothing about any statewide criminal activity… except illegal immigration.

The AJC recently reported the results of a Zogby poll that showed more than 80% of Georgia voters want something done on the state level to fight illegal immigration.

At a recent Christian Coalition event at which a variety of state candidates and officials spoke, Perdue was the only speaker to have omitted the subject from his remarks. Georgia’s illegal immigration dilemma was not mentioned in his state of the state address.

Maybe the governor really doesn’t read the newspapers.

When pressed on the subject, Perdue will uneasily grumble, “illegal immigration is a federal problem”. His campaign mantra? “Education, education, education”.

Georgia suffers one of the largest and fastest growing populations of illegal aliens in the nation. The Federation of American Immigration Reform [FAIR] estimates that in 2004, Georgia spent more than $950 million educating illegal aliens and children of illegal aliens.

Georgia Congressman Charlie Norwood estimates that people with no legal right to be here likely bilk Georgia Medicaid out of $300 million annually.

The cost to the taxpayer of incarcerating illegal aliens is not discussed in polite company. Neither is the fact that working-class wages are going down in Georgia. A federal problem?

No one has yet measured the cost to Georgia of the undeniable fact that equal protection under the law is a vanishing concept.

The tragedy of American lives lost to illegal immigration is its own topic.

Most of us recognize illegal immigration to be a very real Georgia problem.

Absent the promised federal protection, Governors of other states are taking action.

Tim Pawlenty, the Republican governor of Minnesota – with a fraction of the illegal population as Georgia – has recently created a state illegal immigration enforcement team, remarking “you have to be really living under a rock to survey the country… and say that illegal immigration is not a legitimate issue,”

Indeed.

The Democrat governors of Arizona and New Mexico have declared states of emergency due to the costs of their own illegal immigration crisis.

The governor of Arizona, by executive order, has begun monitoring state contractors to insure that taxpayer dollars do not go to black market labor.

The governors of Alabama, Florida, Arizona, and the city leaders of Costa Mesa, California have taken advantage of a 1996 law that provides for federal training and authorization for state and local police to apprehend and detain those who violate immigration laws. Arkansas and Tennessee are among other states that are considering doing the same.

Maybe if a member of the media were to ask him, Perdue would explain why his office does not provide the same defense for Georgians.

For now, we can only envy from afar the security against the organized crime that is illegal immigration offered to citizens on a growing list of other states.

No news there. Si?

Hola Georgiafornia.

dak