Case in point, last week Governor Jindal penned an op-ed
piece for the National Review magazine titled “Botching Immigration Again”.
In it, Jindal takes several shots at the Senate immigration
plan championed by Florida Senator Marco Rubio and his fellow Gang of 8
brothers.
Jindal rightly points out the mountain of pork in the bill
including millions for Nevada (and Harry Reid) to promote tourism and $1.5
Billion (that’s right BILLION) for Senator Bernie Sanders’ vote and a “jobs for
youth” program in the border state of Vermont.
Yes for those of you that are geography-challenged, Vermont is a border
state. Of course, I don’t spend too many waking hours worrying about an
invasion of Canadians taking over our country and forcing us to watch Hockey
24/7.
And Jindal does point out that the Senate’s immigration bill
is a win-win for Democrats. If it passes, they get millions of new voters and,
if it’s defeated, the Dems can paint the Republicans as wanting to keep illegal
immigrants from attaining citizenship or any kind of legal status, locking up
the Hispanic vote for decades and minimizing the Republican Party.
There are three other points that I agree with Governor
Jindal on:
1). Immigration reform must be done in stages – it cannot be
solved overnight.
2). The border (with Mexico, not Canada) must be secured
first.
3). Jindal says that an all-or-nothing approach on immigration
reform will likely yield – drum roll, please – Nothing.
After that, aside from the partisan rhetoric, there’s not a
whole lot that differs between Jindal’s position and the position of Rubio and
his Merry Men but, at least, Governor Jindal didn't call Senator Rubio a "bed-wetter".
Both want illegal immigrants to learn English, pay fines and
back taxes and “demonstrate a willingness to assimilate” (whatever that means),
before they can begin the process of legalizing their illegal status.
Governor Jindal also advocates increasing legal immigration “by
a lot” – even more than the Gang of 8. And how exactly will adding more Foreigners
help with our unemployment rate and ensure wages increase?
Selective immigration
– sure, I’m for that. Holding the door open while millions more flood into our
country? You lost me there Governor.
All of those are noble goals, except for the completely open
door immigration idea, but they also raise questions.
1). Since many illegals are in low-wage jobs that often are
paid in cash (after all, how can an illegal immigrant get a bank account), how
will they be able to afford fines; how can we calculate back taxes and, if we
determine there are back taxes due, will it be worth it to collect?
2). The majority of illegal immigrants have no desire to assimilate.
Just listen to the radio. Cities across the country have multiple Spanish-language
radio stations. New Orleans has several as do many large cities. You can even
find Spanish radio in cities like Omaha, NE; Columbia, SC and Salt Lake City,
UT, not exactly top-of-mind cities when you think of cities with a large
Hispanic population.
And, economically, 3rd Generation Hispanics are actually doing worse than 2nd Generation Hispanics.
The City of Kenner has a Hispanic Resource Center and it
just celebrated its 10th Anniversary. How is that “assimilating”?
“I’ll Take Jindal For Senate for $1,000, Alex”
A few weeks back when I discussed the growing rumble of Jindal for U.S. Senate rumors, a lot of smart people called me crazy. And,
maybe they’re right.
But, Governor Jindal is crazy too if he thinks that he will
be the 2016 Republican Presidential or Vice-Presidential nominee. And, what
happens if Republicans don’t win the Presidency and Jindal can’t even get a
cabinet position? What are the odds of him joining the (Hillary) Clinton
Administration?
Yeah, barring a constitutional amendment allowing a 3rd
term as Governor, Jindal’s choices are limited.
That’s why, if I were a betting man, despite the
protestations from the Governor and his aides as well as the multitude of
pundits out there who think I’m crazy, I still wouldn’t bet against Jindal
running in 2014 against Mary Landrieu.
Maybe Governor Jindal needs some time off after his stint as
Louisiana’s Chief Executive to gather his thoughts or campaign for the
Republican Presidential nominee. Perhaps he secretly loves the rubber chicken
circuit.
It’s either that or the unemployment line in January 2016. 