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April 21, 2014
April 18, 2014
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology
John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain
The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious
April 14, 2014
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time
Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic
Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships
Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin
Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate
Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
April 11, 2014
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden
Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does
Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer
Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You
April 9, 2014
Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?
Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
April 8, 2014
Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease
Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear
April 4, 2014
Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children
John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet
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Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves
April 2, 2014
Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?
Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities
Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene
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Jewish World Review
Jan 13, 2014 / 12 Shevat, 5774
Republicans and conservatives should be leading immigration reform
By
Michael Reagan
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The state of California tossed the conservative media another hunk of red meat last week when its Supreme Court granted an illegal alien a law license.
You probably heard plenty of outrage on your favorite talk-radio show about how the liberal Left Coast judges rewarded a lawbreaking immigrant instead of deporting him or throwing him in jail.
Mindless outrage is probably all you heard.
The details of the case -- who the illegal alien was, how he came to America and how long he's been trying to become a legal citizen -- were lost in the anger.
But the more you learn about the case of Sergio Garcia, the more you'll understand what is the Number One problem with our awful immigration policy.
It isn't because we have too many liberal judges, too many illegal aliens or too many holes in the U.S.-Mexico border. The main problem is our failed, insanely bureaucratic U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) department itself.
Garcia, 36, is just one of its countless victims. More than 20 years ago -- when he was a teenager -- he came from Mexico to pick almonds in California with his father.
In 1994 his father, who was a permanent legal resident of the United States, applied for a work visa for Garcia. That year his father also applied for U.S. citizenship for him.
While Garcia waited for the lawyers and bureaucrats to process the paperwork, he worked and studied hard. He went to community college, became a paralegal, went to law school and passed the bar exam.
When he applied for a license to practice law in California, the U.S. Department of Justice prevented him from getting it because of a federal law prohibiting anyone in the United States without permission from getting licenses from government agencies that use public money.
California bar officials and the attorney general supported Garcia in the state Supreme Court case, arguing successfully that a new California state law says you don't have to be a U.S. citizen to get a lawyer's license in California.
I'm not mad at Sergio Garcia. Why should anyone be? He did nothing wrong.
In fact, he did everything right. He played by the rules -- the dumb rules. And that's why he's still an illegal alien.
Ditto for the poor guy who cuts my hair. He's still waiting for his citizenship after 17 years. Ditto for countless other immigrants who want to come here, work hard and someday become American citizens.
Talk radio should aim its anger where it belongs. Not at Garcia, not at California's judges, but at our irrational immigration system and the politicians responsible for devising it and refusing to fix it or blow it up.
A recent study counted 234 government forms related to immigration, issued by seven Cabinet-level agencies. Even highly skilled immigrants -- the 65,000 people we want and need the most, and to whom we grant H-1B visas -- face 16 forms, nearly 20 hours of paperwork and $2,500 in application costs.
Our immigration system is so broken, so complex, so expensive, so slow, so legalistic, so bureaucratic, and so counter-productive it's a wonder anyone ever successfully becomes a citizen.
Republicans and conservatives are supposed to be against big government, over-regulation and mindless bureaucracy.
Yet when was the last time you heard a Republican in Washington complain about how the maze of rules and regulations at USCIS makes it virtually impossible for someone to enter the country legally through the front door?
No one wants to get in line for 20 years to get into the United States. No one should have to. The long wait is one reason we're losing the brightest immigrants to other countries.
California officials, for once, probably did the right thing when they stuck up for Sergio Garcia.
Instead of laughing at California for giving a law license to an illegal immigrant, our conservative friends in the media should be working to tear down the USCIS and bring our immigration policy into the 21st century.
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Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "The New Reagan Revolution" (St. Martin's Press). He is the founder of the email service reagan.com and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation.
Comment by clicking here.
© 2013, Michael Reagan
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