Morning Briefing
For January 31, 2013
1. Applying Conservative Principles To Immigration
From Senator Rubio:
I appreciate the opportunity to respond to Erick’s post last night regarding the principles for immigration reform I have recently developed. Before diving into the details of the plan, I want to take a moment to point out how the debate about immigration reflects positively on the conservative movement in general. Unlike the left, whose default tactic is to attack and destroy the personal character of those who disagree with their views, the conservative movement is capable of accommodating a vibrant internal debate on important issues solely on the merits. RedState has always been a welcoming forum for that sort of debate.
First, let me identify the problem we face. We have a legal immigration system that doesn’t work, we don’t have an effective system to enforce our immigration laws, and we have by some estimates as many as 11 million human beings living in the United States without the proper immigration documents in a state of de facto amnesty. It’s a problem that has both political and economic ramifications on our nation.
On the political front, a growing number of voters of Asian and Hispanic descent have been convinced by the left that conservative opposition to immigration reform equates to being anti-immigrant. This is unfair, and it is untrue. But they have pulled it off and, as a result, our ability to convince these fast-growing communities that the principles of limited government and free enterprise are better for them than big government and collectivism has been impaired.
The economic ramifications, however, are even more serious. For example, our technology sector creates roughly 120,000 computer engineering jobs a year, but our universities only graduate about 40,000 students a year in that field. The long term answer, of course, is to get more American students to graduate in this field. But the immediate problem is that, in the absence of an immigration system where these workers can be brought here, these jobs are sent overseas to them. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
2. South Carolina School Choice
With National School Choice Week kicking off January 25th, conversations surrounding the topic have been buzzing. While I have always been a supporter of school choice, it is only recently that the subject has taken a personal turn. With one child excelling in public school and the other struggling, having choices in their individual educational needs will make a lifetime’s worth of difference. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3. Bob Menendez’s foreign underage prostitution story stubbornly not going away.
Background: just before the election a story broke alleging that Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey had taken advantage of the hospitality of one of his campaign contributors to go down to the Dominican Republic (via the aforementioned contributor’s private plane) and use the services of at least two prostitutes (one of whom may or may not have been underage). Worse, he allegedly refused to pay said foreign partially-underaged hookers the full amount that Menendez allegedly promised to pay – and, let me note again this in passing: to patronize a prostitute is hardly a moral act. But if you must do this, pay what you said that you were going to pay. There is a difference between being uncouth, and being a cad.
Anyway, life may get very interesting for Senator Menendez . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
4. A Rejoinder to Senator Rubio on Illegal Immigration
In the very first line describing the Gang of 8’s “four legislative pillars” it says their plan would “create a tough but fair path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants currently living in the United States…” That means amnesty. Those words—“path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants” mean amnesty. Again, you might feel it’s a prudent idea, but it is amnesty nonetheless. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
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