Column
By Mike Buffington
Immigration issue gone — for now
About this time last year, illegal immigration was “the” hot topic. You couldn’t turn around without someone railing against all those pesky Mexicans. Lou Dobbs (CNN) made a career out of the issue. The blog world was alight in rants and ravings about the “illegals.” Politicians sputtered and spewed about the matter.
But political controversies tend to run in cycles and illegal immigration is no longer “the” issue of the day. What happened?
The issue of immigration is a textbook example of America’s dysfunctional, ADD political culture. We run hot-and-cold on issues, often jumping from one topic to another. We are fueled by a slew of media talking heads who have to say something to fill a 24/7 news hole and by pajama writers whose Internet musings in the blog world are akin to a literary insane asylum where all the crazies gather to read and write for each other.
The result is a cultural and political stream-of-consciousness existence. Rather than having deep, rational, meaningful conversations and dialogue about an issue, we have diatribes and harangues that are little more than, Faulkneresque ramblings. We bore easily and then move on to the next “big” issue.
And so we have become bored with the “illegals” issue. It’s no longer hot because, well, we’re tired of hearing about it. The newness is gone. Everything that can be said on all sides of the debate has been said.
But if you scratch beneath the surface, you find that the fundamental issues about illegal immigration still exist. The border problems are still there. The issue of what to do with millions of undocumented workers is still here. As a public policy issue, little has changed.
For example, what should we do with millions of people who came here illegally over the past decade? How are we going to deal with the likelihood more people will seek to come here, legally and illegally, in the future?
My own solution would be to reform and enlarge the U.S. visa system so that we could legally document and permit those who are already here to remain (as long as they’re paying taxes and staying out of trouble) and so that we could control the borders via an efficient and effective worker-visa system. If people could come here to work and easily get a visa, many would prefer to do that rather than sneak across the border.
But the U.S. visa system is broken. In addition to being a federal bureaucracy, it became a political football following security concerns after 9-11. It has become so tight that some business sectors can no longer get much-needed immigrant labor.
But the current immigration issue is just part of a much larger picture in the U.S. We have always been a nation of immigrants. Now we are becoming a much more diverse nation as Asian and Hispanic immigration continues to change our ethnic mix.
The really big issue in this trend isn’t legal vs. illegal immigration, but rather will our nation Balkanize around ethnic and cultural backgrounds? Will we continue to be a cultural and political melting pot, or will we be a nation of co-existing sub-cultures, each with its own individual identity and political focus?
That question is already at play in Europe where some nations are trying to figure out how to deal with aggressive Islamic immigrants. In England, there’s even some thought that Islamic communities should be allowed to have their own religious courts, even if those “courts” conflict with English law. What a travesty it would be if Sharia Islamic law usurped traditional English common law.
And what a travesty it would be if our own nation doesn’t find a way to synthesize its complex ethnic mix into a cohesive political culture that respects the core Western freedoms on which our nation was built.
That is the real issue. Immigration — legal or illegal — is a minor problem compared to the long-term issues of an increasingly multicultural society.
Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson Herald. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.
Time for two party system in Georiga
Back when Democrats held sway over Georgia’s political landscape, Republicans made a loud call for a two-party system in the state. Their argument at the time was that without some balance in the political process, the Democrats could do whatever they wanted without accountability.
Now that Republicans have been in control of Georgia’s political landscape for a few years, many have apparently abandoned that idea of “balance” in the political process. Now that they hold the power, Republicans see little need for a strong two-party system they once advocated.
But the truth is, Georgia does need a strong two-party system where neither is in long-term control. Although many Georgians had hoped Republicans would change the state’s political culture for the better, they have not. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that Georgia Republicans have squandered their opportunity to make meaningful political change in the state.
For example, many fiscal conservatives have become frustrated by the state’s heavy spending and lack of ability to set priorities. When it comes to spending tax money, Georgia’s Republicans act a lot like Democrats.
In addition, Georgia’s GOP leaders are acting more like spoiled children than statesmen. While all politics has a fair share of ego and petty infighting, Georgia’s Republican leadership has become mired in the mud. The arrogance of some GOP leaders, especially House Speaker Glenn Richardson, is embarrassing. Richardson acts like a petty dictator, not a state leader.
In addition to the massive egos, Georgia Republicans have also failed to pursue meaningful public policies. Efforts to reform public education have been shallow and ineffective. In fact, they’ve made problems worse by increasing state control and decreasing local control. Transportation problems have worsened under Republican leadership and there’s little reason to believe that will change.
So Georgia does need a strong two-party system for accountability. Single party power wasn’t good under the Democrats and it’s not any better under Republicans.
It’s time for balance in Georgia’s government, a balance that can only happen in a true two-party system.
