Obstruction of Justice

A common theme in my writing is the overlap between doing what is morally right and fiscally responsible. Time and time again we see that doing what is morally sound is often financially savvy and vice versa.

We find that this is true again when we examine immigration reform. A Congressional Budget Office reports finds that putting illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship will ultimately save the country a trillion dollars. That's a pretty substantial sum of money to save just for doing the right thing.

Of course, this report came out just hours after intellectual lightweight and leadership-devoid Speaker of the House John Boehner announced that he would not allow a vote on the immigration bill on the House floor unless it had the support of the majority of House Republicans. The bill could probably pass the House with bipartisan support, but we'll probably never know because it is incredibly unlikely it can get the support of the majority of Americans, most of whom hate the idea of amnesty.

This is an obstruction of justice. Our government has been at a near standstill for years, the political reality that exists is one in which so little progress is possible that our most recent legislative accomplishment recently has been a recovery-killing sequester.

The immigration bill in question was developed by a bipartisan group of Senators, so it's not as though it represents only Democratic priorities. In fact, it recently underwent changes to include more provisions for border security. By all accounts it seems that this bill is a good one, and not just by our current low standards. If we are going to move forward, we need our government to be a partner in progress, not an impediment to it. The current Republican crusade against immigration reform is nothing different than their opposition to everything else: a facade to do anything that makes the president look good.

Our country simply cannot function if we cannot reach compromises and pass legislation. It is especially bad when the legislation has been found to have positive economic effects. This is totally unacceptable. Our government is an obstruction to justice. Millions among us live in the shadows wanting nothing more than a chance, and we won't help them to save ourselves a buck (or two, or a trillion). What sense does that make?