Watching The Rodent Spin His Wheel
By Greg L | 23 May 2008 | Illegal Aliens, Virginia Politics | 7 Comments
The DC Examiner gives a brief report on the public hearing at the Virginia Commission on Immigration held yesterday in today’s edition, picking out a perhaps memorable quote from me, but not explaining why some like myself believe that the significance of this commission has been over-hyped and that the choice of venue at this first meeting might raise some questions. That discussion would probably take a lot more space in the paper than they really can afford to dedicate to this non-event, but at least it might start getting some folks to start asking some questions about what’s going on.
I attended the afternoon session, and was fascinated to learn that while the large number of students and faculty of GMU that spoke, representing a wide diversity of opinion that ranged from advocating open borders all the way to calling for amnesty for illegal aliens, could avail themselves of their familiarity with where this somewhat hidden venue was as well as their access to free parking, citizens attending this meeting were required to pay for their parking and hunt around campus to find this place. I haven’t ever before seen an instance where citizens were compelled to pay for the privilege of exercising their constitutional rights in Virginia. As a result of this choice of venue, this public hearing was largely an opportunity for the open borders crowd at GMU to lobby for their agenda.
Very few of the comments at this hearing actually related in any way to Virginia law or public policy, and what it is or should be. Mistaking the purpose of this commission as being an opportunity to review of federal immigration policy, many of the comments involved establishing “pathways to citizenship” for illegal aliens or other federal policy options that relate in no way to what this commission was established to do. Instead this was largely a circus for the open borders lobby to try to engage in general proselytizing, perhaps in a likely fruitless effort to try to win elected officials like Bob Marshall and Jackson Miller to their side.
What this commission is actually supposed to do is review policy options that they can report to the Governor and Virginia General Assembly for legislative action in the summer of 2009. Governor Kaine has stated several times that he will not act on immigration issues in Virginia until this commission issues their report, and given the makeup of this commission, obtaining a consensus in order to do so is going to be a near impossible task. Even if they manage to negotiate some mundane compromise, by the time this report is issued, the 2009 session of the General Assembly will have been completed, and Governor Kaine’s administration will be winding down their last few months of existence. Unless Kaine improbably asks for a special session during his last several months in office to act on these recommendations that may or may not materialize, his term will expire before he has any opportunity to act. Whoever succeeds Kaine as Governor can then, with complete latitude, ignore this commission’s report.
That’s the context behind this quote, which while perhaps memorable, doesn’t quite explain why observing this spectacle is akin to watching a pet gerbil get his daily workout:
“This is a hotbed of the open borders crowd,” said Greg Letiecq, president of the anti-illegal immigration group Help Save Manassas. He derided the commission as having all the importance of “a gerbil spinning a wheel in his cage.”
This commission, while proposed with the best of intentions, has devolved into a quite useless waste of taxpayer dollars. About the only redeeming moment here was when an elderly Native American amused the commission with his observation that having a wall to keep out the Europeans might have made a real difference for his ancestors, and then went on to call for enforcing the rule of law.
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Any commission conceived to advise legislators on what to do about an issue that common sense and the rule-of-law makes obvious should be expected to accomplish nothing but provide a high-profile forum for those opposed to common sense and the rule of law.
Arlington Minority said on 23 May 2008 at 12:18 pm:
AMEN!
I love the commnet from the one criminal supporter…. just change the laws. Yup that will fix the problems. I suppose she supports illegals like the scum bag that raped the ten year old.
I read with interest the coverage of this first meeting and what was said in the Washington Post this morning. When I first read about these meetings I recall that the intent was to try and determine the costs of education, health, etc. in the areas the meetings were taking place so this committee could report back to the Governor a rough idea how much it is costing to support the illegal aliens in the Commonwealth. I was surprised, somewhat, that none of this was discussed. It seemed to be the same old story that the illegal’s are breaking the U.S. laws, they are forcing small businesses out of business because they cannot compete with the illegally run businesses and that it is the Federal Governments problem not the state of local governments. This is all to familar to all of us here in Herndon. This is a problem we face daily and have for the past two plus years. We are still dealing with the day workers with very, very little support from the county, state or federal governments. I too thought the comment, “just change the laws” was classic. Lets just change ALL the laws or better yet NO laws. The interpratation of the constitution, the liberal judges, the ACLU and others are slowly taking away our rights and giving them to the illegal aliens. Immigrants that come to the U.S. the correct and legal way are welcomed with open arms. There is a difference and you can call it whatever you want, we are a nation of laws and those that want to come here must obey them or stay out.
Why we need a commission such as this is beyond all comprehension. I see it as just another stall tactic intended to placate the masses while appeasing some higher political power. If I understand this correctly, The Virginia State Constitution spells it out for them already.
Sec. 3. That government is, or ought to be, instituted for the com-
mon benefit, protection, and security of the people, nation
or community; of all the various modes and forms of govern-
ment, that is best which is capable of producing the great-
est degree of happiness and safety, and is most effectually
secured against the danger of maladministration; and, when-
ever any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to
these purposes, a majority of the community hath an indubit-
able, inalienable, and indefeasible right to reform, alter,
or abolish it, in such manner as shall be judged most con-
ducive to the public weal.
This continued debate without a state wide uniform solution fails to benefit, protect or provide security for the people of Virginia. This policy fails to “produce the greatest degree of happiness and safety” of the people of Virginia. This action and lack of action, on the part of our elected officials should be seen as acts of maladministration on their part. If the majority of the community feels this to be true, the majority has a right which cannot be questioned, suspended or made void, to make the changes the majority sees which will best serve the common good of the people of Virginia.
If I am wrong, I stand corrected. If I am correct, how do we get the ball rolling on this thing?
We advocate policies to our elected officials that will correct this problem, quite simply. If there is a failure in Virginia to address this, that failure is ours. It is because we have become too complacent, too lazy, and too busy to exercise over our elected officials the oversight that democracy demands.
Build your citizen army, or join one in your area, and cause the change you wish to see happen. If you do not do so, no one else will.
Im in full agreement. One needs only to look at last years election results, realize the low voter turn out and understand it does not take a majority of the people but the majority of the people who bother to exersize their right to vote. Imput to our officals made an impact on the amnesty issue in the Iraq spending bill, we need the same reaction on every issue.