Lansing State Journal

January 11, 2010
Runestad: Let immigration bills come to a vote

Americans are becoming more concerned that we are losing our representative form of government and rapidly becoming a people subject to the control of special interest syndicates.

When election time rolls around many politicians promise “real change,” “true reform,” and “honest government.” But once safely entrenched in public office they defend the status quo, often selling out the interests of their constituents to the highest bidder. Both major political parties are rapidly losing the trust and support of voters, as Americans have grown weary of watching Democrats and Republicans alike feeding at the special interest trough.

Nowhere is the disconnect between public opinion and public policy more clear than with the issue of illegal immigration. A recent CNN national poll showed three out of four Americans want illegal immigration to decrease. Opposition to illegal immigration is nothing new, yet over the last 30 years, including the recession that has put millions of Americans out of work, politicians simply mouth their concern, then turn their backs on the American people.

To understand how this corruption and indifference endures, one needs look no further than to the primary political motivations that shape immigration policy. Republican officeholders quake in fear of the wrath of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its affiliates. These so-called defenders of “free enterprise” seek to manipulate the political process to undercut the wages and conditions of legal workers. Its goal is to reduce labor costs, and to that end it opposes any attempt to enforce immigration law. The Chamber spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on ad campaigns, lobbying, and campaign contributions to politicians. Woe to any Republican who dares take a stand in defense of the legal American worker.

On the other side, Democrats have mapped out a strategy to disregard the will of American citizens by legalizing tens of millions of illegal aliens. These Democrats are willing to make U.S. citizenship, with its rights, privileges, and responsibilities virtually worthless in order to expand their base and establish a permanent majority for their party. Under a mask of humanitarian jargon, Democrat elites support polices that hurt our most vulnerable Americans. That is why you will never hear them talk about hardships that illegal immigration imposes on working-class Americans.

These politicians are betting that American voters are too distracted, or too disinterested, to remember campaign promises and to hold their representatives accountable. Unfortunately, this has too often been true. Hopefully, a new political movement is stirring, one in which voters will put in office those who are worthy of the public’s support. For our republic to survive, citizens must educate themselves on the issues and actively participate.

Here in Michigan, we have the opportunity to help put an end to the hiring of illegal workers. Two bills, HB 4355 and HB 4969, would require companies doing business with the state to verify the legal status of all new hires. These bills were marshaled out of committee by Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, but have been bottled up by House Speaker Andy Dillon and Democrat Whip Kathy Angerer. Out of 10 million Michigan citizens, these two decided that imposing their political agenda is more important than establishing protections for legal Michigan workers.

Let these bills be brought to a vote in the House so that the process may proceed. I urge Michigan voters to demand accountability from their representatives. Demand that Reps. Dillon and Angerer allow a vote on HB 4355 and HB 4969.

Jim Runestad
of Waterford is an Oakland County commissioner. HERE

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