("Peter Duniho" wrote)
[snips]
INS is screwed up, as is much of our government. No doubt about that. I
have plenty of personal experience with the INS to confirm your assertion.
I'm not clear on how that is relevant to the question of who should be
permitted to immigrate to the US, or what to do with those who decide to
do so illegally.

Stop them. Turn them back. Return them.

I love it when people use vague terms like "flooding". A word like that,
in this context, has no use but to evoke an emotional response in an
attempt to bypass rational analysis of the issue. Especially when you use
made-up numbers like "10's of millions". As of 2003, the *TOTAL*
estimated number of illegal immigrants living in the US was fewer than 10
million (7 million, to be exact). It's not even ONE ten million, never
mind "10's of millions".

Compare that to the US birth rate (4 million annually), and the *legal*
immigration rate (about 1 million annually).

Three points:
1. "INS is screwed up, as is much of our government. No doubt about that."
Total 2003 estimated numbers of "illegals" is a GOVERNMENT driven number. I
chose to believe my own lying eyes.

2. What do you see more of when you're out and about - babies or Mexicans?
Between 1947 and 1967 that answer would have been babies. g

3. I've lived next to the Mississippi River all of my life - "flooding" is
not a vague term

In other words, every 18 months the United States adds the same number of
legal residents as the TOTAL number of illegal residents. With an
estimated annual increase of illegal residents of only 350,000, illegal
residents account for less than 7% of the population growth in the US. A
significant number, to be sure, but hardly "flooding" IMHO.

You're in love with the numbers, but unfortunately, lost in them too. The
parade is over here, Pete.

When I see a Mexican on the streets of Minnesota, my assumption is
"Illegal". I bet I'm right over 75% of the time.

It seems to me that that has more to do with the relative proportion of
legal and illegal Mexicans within the US than it does with the total
number of illegal immigrants (even assuming you're right as often as you
think).

Somewhat agree here, however, we're now back to square one - what is the
real number of illegals hunkering down within our infrastructure? My eyes
tell me our Government has lost ALL control of even counting them!

Pete, they're everywhere - in numbers.


Pablo Montblack