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March 30, 2009 [LINK / comment]
Oh, that immigration problem
Given the bleak state of the economy, with rising joblessness, it is telling that hardly anyone is talking about illegal immigration any more. Does that mean it's no longer a problem? Have all the Mexicans and Salvadoreños gone home? Not quite. I've heard anecdotal reports of voluntary repatriation that reflects the dwindling demand for labor, but that's only part of the story. As the Washington Post reports, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has ordered a slowdown in the pace of immigration raids, signalling a return to the lax law enforcement policy of the early Bush years (2001-2006). Supposedly, this is part of a switch in emphasis toward the businesses as opposed to the workers themselves. That's fine with me. It was pretty clear all along that one of the main reasons for Bush's reluctance to deal with the problem was pressure from business lobbyists.
Interestingly, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) is pushing to stop enforcement against employers that hire illegal workers. His ethnic feelings are a prime motivation, of course, but it's also interesting that a Democrat would work on behalf of business interests, at a time when Americans are in desperate search of decent, well-paying jobs. See americanworker.org; I saw a TV ad promoting that group a couple days ago.
Historical milestone
By randomly checking the Year Ago Today blog page, I realized that yesterday was the anniversary of the tense (but ultimately peaceful) Staunton Republican mass meeting. Finally: the "decent interval" has passed!
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 31 Mar 2009, 12: 06 AM
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Hits on this page (single blog post) since July 2, 2007: 
Category archives:
(all years)
Baseball
Politics
Latin America
War
Wild Birds
Culture & Travel
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This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 5, 2009 Illegal immigration: no problem
January 10, 2009 Bush's fiscal profligacy: a recap
January 20, 2009 Inauguration Day 2009
March 13, 2009 Tax revolt in Augusta County!
March 14, 2009 Mexican Army counterattacks
March 27, 2009 Facebook: resistance is futile
April 5, 2009 RPV chair Frederick is removed
April 8, 2009 Fujimori is convicted, again
May 3, 2009 (Very) Big Spring Day, 2009
June 12, 2009 Tiger Stadium memorial update
June 16, 2009 Home runs in New Yankee Stadium
June 28, 2009 Obama's health care proposals
June 29, 2009 House votes to regulate climate
July 7, 2009 R.I.P. Michael Jackson, Superstar
July 9, 2009 Conservative defeat in Mexico
August 16, 2009 Great Baseball Road Trip 2009
August 23, 2009 Road Trip 2009: The Birds of August
August 27, 2009 R.I.P. Edward M. Kennedy
September 7, 2009 Two clutch homers end Nats' skid
October 10, 2009 Republicans reunite in Verona
October 16, 2009 Health care polemics heat up
November 4, 2009 Republicans sweep Virginia races
November 5, 2009 Yankees are the 2009 champions
November 21, 2009 Senate votes on health care
December 23, 2009 Musings on health care "reform"
December 30, 2009 Decade of creation, and destruction
December 30, 2009 Whither the Republican soul?
December 31, 2009 A (half) decade of baseball in D.C.
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
- Wild birds (LAST)
- War
- Science & Technology
- Politics
- Latin America
- Culture & Travel
- Canaries ("Home birds")
- Baseball (FIRST)
Also see: My blog practices.
Blog errata (Nobody's perfect.)
