This was a huge victory for La Raza and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,whose lobbyists have labored long to ensure that their member companiespay no price for dumping U.S. workers and hiring illegal aliens.
by Pat Buchanan
By the choices we make we define ourselves. We reveal our biases and beliefs. And so, too, do our institutions.
Inwriting the $789 billion stimulus bill, Congress revealed that, for allits “Buy American” blather, it does not truly put America first. Itdoes not believe that 10 million jobless Americans, in the countrytheir fathers built, should receive any preference in hiring 12 millionto 20 million illegal aliens who broke into this country and owe her noloyalty, allegiance or love.
Is this a slur on the patriotism of some of our congressmen? You betcha.
Whatother conclusion can one reach after Congress refused to require thatemployers on construction projects, paid for by U.S. tax dollars in thestimulus bill, verify that their workers are Americans?
For that is precisely what Congress did.
The first paragraphof the front-page story in USA Today says it all. “Los Angeles — Tensof thousands of jobs created by the economic stimulus law could end upfilled by illegal immigrants, particularly in big states likeCalifornia where undocumented workers are heavily represented inconstruction, experts on both sides of the issue say.”
Accordingto the Center for Immigration Studies, illegal aliens will take 300,000of the 2 million construction jobs to be created by the stimulus bill.The CIS figure is based on Census Bureau estimates that 15 percent ofall construction workers are illegal aliens or immigrants who are notauthorized to work in the United States.
Robert Rector ofHeritage Foundation concurs with the figures on the number of jobsCongress just voted to give to non-Americans.
“Without specificmechanisms to ensure that workers are U.S. citizens or legallyauthorized to work, it is likely that 15 percent of these workers, or300,000, would be illegal immigrants.”
Other experts put thefigure far higher than 15 percent, and certainly higher in Californiaand other Southwestern states, where illegals tend to congregate.
Intaking these jobs, illegals will be shouldering aside unemployedAmericans. Yet Congress could have, with one vote, guaranteed thatvirtually every job paid for by U.S. taxpayers would go to U.S.workers.
How? By mandating that all beneficiaries of stimulusmoney use the E-Verify program of the Department of Homeland Security,which lets employers check the validity of the Social Security numberof all new hires. E-Verify is available on a voluntary basis. It issimple, swift and easy to use.
Indeed, E-Verify is becomingstandard operating procedure for U.S. businesses that wish to obey thelaw. According to NumbersUSA, U.S. businesses have used E-Verify in 3million inquiries this year alone. That is almost half the total of 6.6million inquiries for all of 2008 and five times the rate of use in2007.
E-Verify is a smashing success with an accuracy rate ofover 99 percent that holds out promise of a day when every employer inAmerica will be able to ensure that every employee is an American orsomeone authorized to work here. At its rising rate of use, one-fourthto one-third of all new hires could soon be checked by E-Verify.
Isn’tthis what we all want, what we have all sought — an easy, verifiable,non-intrusive, inexpensive way for businesses to assure that those theyhire are in our country legally?
No, it is not. For Tuesdaynight, the Senate voted to strip away this protection of Americanworkers from the unfair competition of illegal aliens.
TheSenate voted 50 to 47 to end E-Verify in six months, when currentfunding runs out. Sen. Jeff Sessions’ proposal to give this successfulprogram five more years was rejected 50 to 47.
Republicans and seven Democrats voted to save E-Verify. But only Democrats voted to kill it.
Howdid Harry Reid kill the E-Verify provision that was in the Houseversion of the stimulus package? The Senate was not even allowed tovote on it. And when the two bills were reconciled in the Pelosi-Reidconference, E-Verify disappeared.
This was a huge victory forLa Raza and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose lobbyists have laboredlong to ensure that their member companies pay no price for dumpingU.S. workers and hiring illegal aliens.
Yet, this battle is notover. If Americans understand that the Pelosi-Reid Democrats have noproblem with illegal aliens taking jobs from unemployed Americans, thatparty can be made to pay a price in 2010.
As of today, thereexists a Republican-Blue Dog Democrat coalition in both houses that isserious about putting our country and countrymen first, be it onspending bills or trade measures. This is a foundation to build on.
E-Verifyis not dead. For the Reid-Pelosi-Obama Left cannot survive theperception that it is aiding and abetting illegal aliens in taking thejobs of unemployed Americans.
Source: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?fc_c=1378334x2898236x147459758&id=31063#c1