LIE OF THE WEEK: 03-24-2006

President George W. Bush discussing immigration reform during his weekly radio address:

"As we debate the immigration issue, we must remember there are hardworking individuals, doing jobs that Americans will not do, who are contributing to the economic vitality of our country," Bush said in his weekly radio address.

THE TRUTH: It's very clear that the only reason Americans won't do these jobs is that the pay is so far below any legal minimum wage that it is obscene that any corporations, large or small, get away with paying these wages. (Not to mention the fact that it's even further below an ethical living wage that we should set as a minimum for any hard-working American). Supporting immigration reform on this basis is a red herring that diverts from the real issue: illegal immigrants are drawn to breaking the law and immigrating illegally because they will get more pay than they did from their homelands, but they are then stuck in inhumane living conditions, with no civil or human rights being given to them because of their illegal status, often exploited by organized crime, and no recourse other than to abuse the American healthcare and education systems to facilitate life here. We need to crack down hard on the many American businesses and individuals who benefit from this situation so that they attract less illegal workers. Day labor sites for illegals need to be shut down and multiple offending corporations need to have their leadership punished severely. Once the flow of illegals has reduced through this effort and stronger border control, we can push for a solution to the status of the millions of illegals already here. The lies and spin need to stop to solve this situation once and for all.