The Laws We Enforce

My life is in danger. In fact, I’m not so sure it’s safe to leave the house anymore. And the tragedy of it all is that it doesn’t have to be this way. There are already laws on the books to protect me, and yet nobody seems to be enforcing those laws. I’m contemplating becoming a monk and living the rest of my life in a monastery just to ensure a safe existence.

What has me so frightened? Dozens, possibly even scores of people driving on federal, state and local highways while completely ignoring the laws mandating that they wear a safety belt. And considering that nobody enforces those laws, I shudder in fear to think of the homeland security implications of it all.

But wait a minute. Those laws are being enforced. In my state, for instance, we are continually being told to “click it or ticket.” Local and state police are on a vigilant search for anybody violating the seat belt laws that are already on the books. Whew! Maybe I can forego that vow of silence and continue to set foot outside my door every now and then.

My question, however, is this: Why do we spend millions of dollars to go after those who violate seat belt laws but hardly lift a finger to prosecute people who violate our immigration laws?

Not that I’ve got anything against wearing a safety belt; I think it’s the wisest choice every time. But wouldn’t it make more sense, from a safety and security standpoint, to take the money, time and manpower we use to catch seat belt lawbreakers and reallocate it to go after immigration lawbreakers? After all, the laws are already on the books. What if we prosecuted illegal immigrants and those who employ them with the same determination that we display when we prosecute unbuckled drivers? Which laws, if properly enforced, would make our nation safer and more prosperous?

Well, some cities in our country have decided to do the right thing. Hazelton, Pennsylvania, for example, has been enforcing laws that punish those who would do business with illegal immigrants. Their town has grown by 50% in recent years, but the tax base in Hazelton has increased not one iota. Zilch! Nada! None! But then, that’s what happens when illegal immigrants move in and enjoy the benefits of being a member of the community without all those pesky responsibilities that go along with citizenship.

With the city’s resources being stretched to the max by the influx of illegals, the mayor of Hazelton, Lou Barletta, has taken notice and cites some disturbing statistics: “Thirty percent of the gang members we have arrested in Hazelton are illegal aliens. Thirty percent of the drug arrests in the last two years are illegal aliens. I don’t have a magic number that I need to convince me that I shouldn’t be spending taxpayers` money on people who shouldn’t be here.”

So Hazelton did something revolutionary. They got tough on those who break their laws. And what was their reward? A federal judge, with the blessings of the ACLU, has told them they’ve got to quit enforcing these laws. The rationale for the decision by U.S. district judge James Munley is that immigration is a national issue and local initiatives might interfere with congressional objectives. And why wouldn’t he rule that way? After all, there’s no better organization to handle the current immigration crisis than our elected legislators in the U.S. Congress. I’m sure they’ll handle this about as well as they did their checking accounts at the Capitol Hill Bank back in the early nineties.

Judge Munley refused to use the term “illegal” to describe the immigrants in question, choosing instead to call them “unauthorized.” Radio and television personality Glenn Beck, who has an amazing ability to speak basic common sense, made a great observation: “I was thinking maybe we should start saying that bank robbers are just making unauthorized withdrawals.”

And so illegal immigration continues to be a problem in our country, and will probably continue to be as long as we’ve got activist judges and the ACLU leading the way. The message to illegal immigrants in the United States: you can sleep well tonight; secure in a country that won’t enforce the laws that would prosecute you.

Unbuckled drivers, however, had better watch their backs.