A Stupid Idea Graduates

The latest stealth amnesty maneuver comes from Harry Reid as he continues to push the DREAM Act. Among the idiotic tools of the Act would be granting citizenship to a couple million illegal aliens if they have two years of college education. I wouldn't allow native-born college graduates to vote without first giving them a literacy test, let alone grant citizenship to illegals based on college credits.

Reid is using a much-labored Democratic tactic to slip amnesty past the public. He's going to attach the DREAM Act to a defense authorization bill. Unlike the non-relationship of fighter planes and gay partner benefits, this ploy actually has a "national defense" element to it. At the same time we would grant citizenship to college indoctrinated illegals, we would also grant it to illegals who somehow manage to serve in the US military. The latter was a brilliant idea supported by the Bush administration.

The Democrats come to the table with violins and heart-rending stories of college-age illegals who, through no fault of their own, were brought into the US illegally as small children by their parents. Boo hoo. An illegal act doesn't become legal merely with the passage of time. Those who serve honorably in the US military at least have a somewhat logical and valid argument for a fast-track to citizenship on a case-by-case basis. But the leftocrats want blanket amnesty for all, regardless of the circumstances, and want to bring the illiterate college students along with them.

I can see how loyal service in the US military could be used as a national defense/national security reason for fast-tracking citizenship. But given the dreadful state of "higher education," I can't for the life of me find any reason to use a junior college diploma as an excuse for granting citizenship to illegals.

Forty years ago, the two-year programs at junior colleges were parodied as "high school with ashtrays." Well, the ashtrays are gone, and most high schools back then delivered better educations than most four-year colleges today. Now we are expected to believe that students, already here illegally, will make better citizens after getting left-wing indoctrination in the two year institutions of higher illiteracy.

Blue states are usually known for marching in lockstep with the federal government if the Democrats are in charge. Yet when a federal law was passed that prevented any state from granting benefits to foreigners and illegals that were greater than anyone else's, ten states discovered states rights. They offered special preferential educational treatment to illegals (my home states of Illinois and California among them). So not only will the DREAM Act provisions grant illegals citizenship, but will do so based on two years of college education during which they received benefits not available to local and native-born citizens.

So now the reward for being in the country illegally and receiving an education preferentially-subsidized by native-born taxpayers is quick, painless citizenship. That sounded like such a good idea that when the DREAM Act was first brought before the Senate, RINOs like Chuck Hagel, John McCain, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, and several moderate Republicans who should have known better crossed the aisle to support the no-borders no-sovereignty amnesty act. McCain ran against DREAM during his recent primary, then as sure as night follows day, last week he made another sharp left turn and vowed to get the Act passed after all.

A recent Quinnipiac poll showed how Americans feel about DREAM Act-type legislation. The poll asked a question that should have skewed the result toward amnesty because it posed a tough option against a very American-sounding option: "Do you think immigration reform should primarily move in the direction of integrating illegal immigrants into American society or in the direction of stricter enforcement of laws against illegal immigration?" Phrased that way, it sounds like the great American melting-pot versus hang 'em high law. And yet solid majorities supported stricter enforcement by large margins across both major parties and independents.

Reid and the Obamists need Hispanic votes desperately, so after suffering a very public defeat on DREAM, they are looking for a way to pass it without full and open debate on the issue of illegal immigration standing by itself. Declaring that Republicans are "holding up a vital defense bill for purely partisan reasons" is the preferred Democratic tactic for getting special interest legislation passed when the vast majority of Americans oppose the sneaky rider to the legitimate legislation.