February 1, 2013 by The Sumter Item

OPINION THE ITEM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2013 To submit a letter to the editor, e-mail letters@theitem.com

COMMENTARY

Immigration: Getting it right

ASHINGTON — Immigration reform is coming. Let’s get it right. What counts as getting it wrong? The 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Act, signed by President Reagan. It granted amnesty to the then 3 million illegal immigrants and promised border enforcement. Amnesty came. Enforcement never did. Reagan was swindled. Americans are a generous people. They don’t want 11 million souls living in fear among them. They would willingly, indeed overwhelmingly, support amnesty — as long as it is the last. They don’t want another SimpsonCharles Mazzoli, KRAUTHAMMER another bait-andswitch that lets in another 11 million illegal immigrants — and brings us back where we began. There is an obvious solution: enforcement first. Hence the attraction of the bipartisan Senate deal reached by the Gang of Eight, led by Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republicans John McCain and Marco Rubio. It is said to feature border enforcement first, then legalization. Not quite. It is true that only after some commission deems the border under control do illegal immigrants become eligible for green cards and, ultimately, citizenship. But this is misleading because on the day the president signs the reform — long before enforcement even begins — the 11 million are immediately subject to instant legalization. It is cleverly called “probationary” legal status. But the adjective is meaningless. It grants the right to live and work here openly. Once granted, it will never be revoked. Consider: Imagine that the bordercontrol commission reports at some point that the border is not yet secure. Do you think for a moment that the 11 million will have their “probationary” legalization revoked? These are people who, in good faith, would have come out of the shadows, registered with the feds and disclosed their domicile and place of work. Do you think the authorities will have them fired, arrested and deported? Inconceivable. “Probationary” in this context means, in reality, “forever.” (Unless, of course, you commit some crime.) It means they can stay and work here freely for the rest of their lives. True, they must await the “enforcement trigger” before they can apply for green cards. But they already have the functional equivalent of a green card. They got that on Day One.

That matters more than anything to those living here illegally: the right to continue living here without fear. Forever. That’s the very essence of amnesty. And all this happens before the first scintilla of extra enforcement takes place. Which brings us to the second problem. What does this extra enforcement consist of? When I heard McCain talk about (among other measures) new high-tech border control with advanced radar and drones, my heart sank. We’ve been here. In 2006, Congress threw a ton of money at a high-tech fence. Five years, $1 billion and a pathetic 53 (out of 2,000) miles later, Janet Napolitano canceled the program as a complete failure. That was predictable. And some of us predicting it were pleading for something infinitely cheaper and simpler: a prosaic, low-tech fence. Of the kind built near San Diego (triple-layered) that resulted in an astounding 92 percent drop in apprehensions. Like the Israeli fence built along the West Bank that has reduced terrorist infiltration to practically zero. There’s a reason people have been building fences for, oh, 5,000 years. They work. The current Senate proposal must be improved, either in the Senate or by the House. It’s not complicated. Build the damn fence. And give “probationary legal status” to the 11 million — not on the day the bill is signed but on the day the fence is completed. Have the president drive in the golden fence post at Promontory Point II and sign the amnesty right there. Great photo op. With the sequencing — and thus the incentives — so properly aligned, I assure you the fence will go up with amazing alacrity. As it should. The point is not to punish anyone or to make things harder, but to ensure we don’t have to do this again — agonizing over the next 11 million cruelly living here in the shadows. I know many Republicans are coming over to immigration reform because of the 2012 election results. Fine. I’ve been advocating this for seven years (“First a wall — then amnesty,” April 7, 2006). Welcome aboard. But remember: Enforcement followed by legalization is not just the political thing to do. It is the right thing to do — an act both of national generosity and national interest. It has long been the best answer to the immigration conundrum. It remains so.

EDITORIAL ROUNDUP Recent editorials from South Carolina newspapers: JAN. 29

The Island Packet of Hilton Head on a shorter legislative session: Money is the mother’s milk of politics, and much of it is tied to special-interest groups. That fiscal reality apparently has hit state Sen. Tom Davis of Beaufort, who vowed in 2008 not to take money from political action committees. But that’s no longer the case. More than half the money Davis raised between October and December — $6,300 of $11,875 — came from PACs. Davis, who used some of the money to pay down debt for his 2008 campaign, which includes a personal loan, indicated he was surprised at the cost of being responsive to his constituents, as well as spending six months in Columbia away from his law practice. He called it “eyeopening.” Quite frankly, the former chief of staff to Gov. Mark Sanford has been involved in electoral politics long enough that he ought to have known better, and his reasons for vowing to say “no” to PAC money still look good to us. ... Davis is right about one thing: The legislative session is too long, and the financial costs for those who are trying to serve in the Legislature and earn a living are too high. A shorter session would reduce that impact and focus lawmakers’ efforts. As many of us know, there’s nothing like a deadline to get people moving. And who isn’t familiar with this adage: Work fills the available time. A bill moving in the House would cut two months from the session. The proposed constitutional amendment would move the official start date from January to Febru-

ary. The session would end in early May instead of June. January would be reserved for committee meetings. ... Another effort that deserves support would redefine “committees” that participate in the electoral process. A 2010 federal court ruling threw out the state’s definition of “committee” under its campaign finance law, stating it was overly broad. Removing committees from oversight allows South Carolina political groups and parties to keep secret who their members are and allows them to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to try to influence elections. ... Lawmakers will have to balance freedom of speech issues with disclosure that helps voters make an informed decision. But when someone spends a lot of money to unseat or defeat a candidate for office, voters ought to be able to find out who is behind the effort and why. Online: islandpacket.com JAN. 23

The Post and Courier of Charleston on the expansion of the Google facility: Want to look up something — as in virtually anything? Google it. Want additional confirmation that the tri-county area’s economy is looking up? Google that, too — or just read this editorial. Google plans a $600 million expansion of its datacenter operation in Berkeley County. The California-based Internet search colossus announced that coming upgrade at the facility Jan. 18. The new investment matches the initial $600 million commitment Google made to come here in 2007. ... This news extends an encouraging trend throughout our state. South Carolina’s unemployment rate ended 2012 at 8.4 percent, which

EDITORIALS represent the views of the owners of this newspaper. COLUMNS AND COMMENTARY are the personal opinion of the writer whose byline appears. Columns from readers should be typed, double-spaced and no more than 850 words. Send them to The Item, Opinion Pages, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, S.C. 29151, or email to hubert@theitem.com or graham@theitem.com. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are written by readers of the newspaper. They should be no more than 350 words and sent via e-mail to letters@theitem.com, dropped of at The Item oice, 20 N. Magnolia St. or mailed to The Item, P.O. Box 1677, Sumter, S.C. 29151, along with the full name of the writer, plus an address and telephone number for veriication purposes only. Letters that exceed 350 words will be cut accordingly in the print edition, but available in their entirety online at http://www.theitem.com/opinion/letters_to_editor.

N.G. OSTEEN 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

H.G. OSTEEN 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

though still too high, was a considerable improvement over our 9.6 percent jobless level at the end of 2011. Our community is a major part of that positive path — and has lower unemployment numbers than the overall state rate: Berkeley County (7.6 percent last month vs. 8.6 percent in December 2011); Charleston County (6.9 percent vs. 7.4 percent), Dorchester County (7.1 percent vs. 7.5 percent). Google’s latest $600 million contribution to South Carolina job growth is the largest in the state since last April, when Greenville-based Michelin North America revealed plans to build a $750 million tire plant in Anderson County. Though Google officials haven’t provided an estimate of how many new jobs its Berkeley County expansion will bring, they have said it will require facilities managers, network engineers, computer technicians and security personnel. The company also revealed, for the first time, that approximately 150 people already work at the two data-center buildings that are already up and running at the site. Gov. Nikki Haley attended announcement. She cited this state-provided incentive for Google to grow here: Last year, the General Assembly approved, and she signed, legislation giving data centers tax breaks on electricity use and purchases of computer hardware and software. The governor also proclaimed: “So this Googler, along with every Googler across this state, should be proud. Remember that every time we jump on that computer, it happens because of places like this.” And remember that every time another world-class business expands its operations in our community and state, our economic prospects jump, too. Online: postandcourier.com

EDITORIAL PAGE POLICIES

HUBERT D. OSTEEN JR. | EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

Founded October 15, 1894 20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150

H.D. OSTEEN 1904-1987 The Item

MARGARET W. OSTEEN 1908-1996 The Item

H. GRAHAM OSTEEN II Co-President

KYLE BROWN OSTEEN Co-President

JOHN DUVALL OSTEEN Vice President and Publisher

LARRY MILLER CEO