Pirate's Cove

For a change, an Old Media outlet does a very good job in explaining just how Arizona went from a state that was tolerant of illegals as little as six years ago to a state that wants them all gone. It’s a long article, chock full of reality, rather than liberal spin, well worth the read, but, here are a few excerpts

Arizona has made a name for itself as the state with the harshest policies against illegal immigration. But as few as six years ago, this border state was among the nation’s most welcoming of illegal immigrants.

Back then, its two Republican U.S. senators and one of its congressmen were among the strongest advocates of legalizing millions of illegal residents in the country. Mexico was the state’s largest trading partner, and the governor boasted of her warm relationships with counterparts across the border. Both political parties courted the Latino vote.

And there was problem #1: they courted people who were in favor of ignoring the law, rather than courting American’s who are vastly against illegal aliens. They finally saw the political reality. As far as Mexico goes, the burden is on them to stop sending illegals across the border. Mexico doesn’t put up with illegals themselves.

How did things change so quickly?

“The perfect storm occurred,” said Mesa Mayor Scott Smith. “There was a combination of demographic changes, the introduction of a criminal element that didn’t used to be here and the drop in the economy, which has put everyone on edge.”

Well, the economy wasn’t in dire straights six years ago, so, for myself, I would say that a big issue, which actually goes a few years back, is the criminal element combined with American’s getting tired of having to change their lives for people who refused to join the American experience. They were tired of catching a boatload of carp because their business didn’t have someone who spoke Spanish. They were tired of having to put up signs in Spanish. Heck, Spanish speaking American’s were getting tired of being the go-t0 person, dealing with all the problems, rather than making sales themselves.

But SB 1070 wasn’t Arizona’s first legislative assault on illegal immigration. Since 2004, Arizona legislators have passed measures that restricted illegal immigrants from receiving in-state tuition, made English the official language and dissolved any business that repeatedly hired illegal immigrants.

Why would we provide law breakers, people who do not belong here, with services that other American’s are not entitled to?

The population increased after the federal government stepped up enforcement along the California border, slowing illegal crossings with more agents and a massive fence. That pushed traffic east — to the mountains and deserts of Arizona.

Which is why we need a fence at strategic points, and more troops/border patrol agents on the ground. It works.

Do we need immigration reform? You betcha! It needs to create a way to allow more temporary/migrant workers who will not be able to just disappear into society, and puts the hiring companies in charge of providing housing and health insurance for these workers.