Immigration Facts

Kevin Drum's piece, taking a Robert Samuelson commentary to task, includes links to studies that determine that Hispanic immigrants do in fact assimilate; that they only compete for jobs with high school drop outs, and then only barely; that they have a net positive influence on the USA economy; and that they in fact learn to speak English.

Why has the immigration issue emerged this year and why is Bush sending troops to the border?

Bush won't enforce the law against employers who hire illegal immigrants because those employers might stop sending campaign contributions. On the other hand Bush's religious right bigot base is howling for the government to keep the Hispanic out. So Bush throws the sending troops to the border bone to the whackos to energize them for the upcoming midterm election.

Every election the religious right whackos get played by the Republicans, whether with the raising of the specter of the "gay agenda", the mad abortionists, or the onslaught on nonwhite immigrants, and the dumb asses never figure out they're just being played.