Know-Nothing Republicans

So the American melting pot is being torn asunder by immigrants? Nonsense.

Later in the debate, Rep. Tancredo suggested stopping all immigration until all communities are assimilated (watch out Little Italy). Here's a summery on the Know Nothings - just change Catholic to Hispanic and we're back to square one. The only thing more shameful than Tom Tancredo's remarks were the New Hampshire onlookers applauding.

And on this "English only" absurdity: it is in every immigrant's personal interest to learn English, just as it is in every citizen's interest to learn to read and write. Some old dogs may not learn new tricks, but communicating in English is easier for the young and fluency virtually guaranteed by the second generation.

Here are figures on the costs of the low-skill, low-wage workers who've expanded a rising standard of living to middle America with the sweat of their brows. If Tom Tancredo knows of Americans willing to clean bathrooms for minimum wage, I've jobs for them. If he knows more who want to wash dishes, I've got jobs for them (if they're especially ambitious, there are positions chopping vegetables, cleaning chicken gizzards, shelling shrimp, peas, beans, nuts...). But, Mr. Tancredo, if there aren't Americans willing to take those low-skill, low-wage jobs (and with 4-5% unemployment, there aren't), then prices will rise for all Americans, across the board.

Sharp increases at the grocery store (like $4 for a head of lettuce) could be more charged than gas prices last summer. Arrows from both political sides have seemingly dismantled the Senate's 'grand compromise' but reform is necessary, and most of Americans seem to realize as much.