The great immigration debate

Seems to me that this new immigration reform coming from the island of Washington DC has all the markings of amnesty even though the proponents of the bill are loath to admit it. Those against the bill don't seem to realize that we actually need a majority of the illegal immigrants to fill the jobs that many of us wouldn't consider. Neither one of them understand what it will take to make immigration reform be a true reform. The general populace doesn't have any faith in governments' ability to stop border crossings, track illegals, and create an efficient means to enact the part of the plan that calls to monitor, catalog and verify the eligibility of anyone looking to be hired. The track record of the federal government is not a good one in terms of securing our borders. They are also known for the wasteful spending on programs that fail to perform the function they were paid to perform. We had immigration reform back in the year 1986, and yet we need another reform bill. If we secure the borders first, thus reducing the influx of border crossings, and then look at a comprehensive bill deciding what to do with the current illegals in the country, the general populace may begin to soften their stance on allowing the current immigrants a path to becoming residents. Only when the leak is plugged can you fix the plumbing. Securing our borders is not only to stop illegal immigration, it's to provide safety to our country for those who desire to kill us. It would perhaps also have the byproduct of showing the public that maybe, just maybe, the government can do something productive and, I believe, provide a way for the restoration of the population faith in our elected leaders.

The fools on the Hill.

I just read that the US Congress (Led by John Conyors) is trying to pass legislation that will allow the US government to sue OPEC countries for price fixing and they blame the current spike in gasoline prices on the high cost of crude. Their logic is that since the OPEC nations have reduced capacity and output of crude by 1.1 millions barrels a day, this has been the direct cause of the spike in gasoline costs. The problem with this theory is that the capacity reduction started several months ago yet the spike didn't occur until just recently. The real problem is that we are dependent upon oil from other countries, have limited our ability to drill and produce oil on our own soil, and haven't built a refinery in the US since the 70's. Allowing the building of new refineries, opening drilling in off shore areas that have proven reserves, and encouraged conservation and innovation to find new sources of energy would reduce our dependence upon other countries and thus bring down prices. Supply and demand. It's simple. Streamlining the refining processes and reducing the number of distilled products could go a long way to controlling fuel prices as well as bringing our energy needs under our own control. But noooo, congress decides that it's better to blame others for our inability to fix the issues. Do they really think that sueing other nations will work? Why would another nation allow us to have jurisdiction over them? They won't, but congress lives in a fantasy world where they believe that they have domain over other countries. How did we ever elect these fools? We are being made to be the fools for electing them.

The real truth?

I was reading where Michael Moore believes that President Bush was the reason he was being investigated for taking a group of 9/11 emergency responders to Cuba for medical treatment supposedly due to not having access to quality care here in the U.S. Of course travel to Cuba has been illegal for decades but apparently he doesn't believe the law applies to him. Also, if you were going to be charitable enough to take some well deserving people somewhere outside the US for medical care, why wouldn't you take them somewhere known for it's advanced medical care like Switzerland, Norway, Germany or even Canada? Why? Because it wouldn't have suited Michael Moores' purpose of trying to smear the current administration. His credibility is nonexistent on his latest project. If he really were concerned about the welfare of the people he took to Cuba for health care he would have taken them to a country that has better care than Cuba. But then, that wouldn't have made such a good story.
Footnote:
Does Michael Moore really believe that The President of the United States has the time or interest in making problems for him? Michaels' paranoia and delusions of grandeur could make a case for a visit to the clinic for some anti-delusional prescriptions. Of course, he could always get them from Cuba.