Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson and Rep. Lynn A Westmoreland: OK, so the amnesty bill has been taken off the front burner for now; but, the lawbreakers, whether Mexican or American, yet need to be dealt with swiftly and decisively.

Senator Chambliss’ disingenuous comment about the amnesty bill’s opponents not having suggested other solutions is a prime example of the collective mindset of the Congress and the administrations since the 1986 amnesty.

That is, it’s OK for my supporters in agriculture, or real estate development, or whatever, to ignore the law and import cheap labor to gain an advantage over the law-abiding businesses or foreign competitors. It’s OK for these descendants of slave-holders and robber barons to create another slave class of people in our midst; don’t worry about consequences for future generations to deal with. We’ll just dazzle the public with more complicated amnesty bills when things get too hot.

Well, sirs, the first baby steps in facing up to the issue of slavery was to stop the slave ships from unloading in the U.S. Likewise, nobody will believe that anyone in Congress or the Bush Administration is serious about dealing with the Mexican invasion until the influx is stopped, period.

This along with a system to track legal aliens, and some real serious pressure on business (including agriculture, Sen. Chambliss, and developers, Sen. Isakson) to stop hiring illegals, is all the phase one/basic plan you need, sirs.

You all know perfectly well what a true “solution” has to begin with, but having the spine to step up and lead the charge is what’s been missing. More legislation is not required, particularly that which mainly attempts to cover rear ends that are hanging out; just apply the resources necessary to enforce the legal process already in place.

Sirs, the common-sense solution lies simply in whether we truly are a nation of laws and are willing to punish those who betray the values that made this nation great.

Or, are we to continue to drift into the quagmire you’ve allowed to continue through the Bush administration years where the “insider” chooses what laws either suit them or don’t matter.

I think a large majority of citizens would vote today to put you all on the street and begin again. If Sen. Chambliss hasn’t heard the many voices with common alternatives to the amnesty bill, maybe we need to contribute a hearing aid to his re-election campaign. Maybe a round of hearing aids for all elected officials in Washington is in order.

Al Camp

Fayetteville, Ga.

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