Shades of Blue: Immigration is a National Problem, Not Just a Border State Problem
Article in the Nogales International
March, 2006
Jim Pederson, Candidate for Senate
Governor Napolitano has tried for months to get the federal government to reimburse Arizona for services provided to undocumented immigrants. We are paying to incarcerate those who commit crimes and we’re paying to treat them in hospitals. The federal government is required by law to reimburse us for these services. Yet, that invoice has not been paid.
As a result, all of us who pay taxes in Arizona have been paying the bill to make streets safer in Iowa, Massachusetts, Florida, and Tennessee. And, we’re paying the bill to the tune of $237,000 each day.
Now, our representatives in Washington DC have finally started paying attention to the problem, but there is a serious question which remains: what took them so long? Why does it take an election year for the politicians to actually realize that it is time to lift a finger and do something.
Border issues are nothing new outside of Washington, but it has only been recently that Congress has taken notice. Think of all the time that has been lost legislating on issues like special tax cuts for oil companies and countless other matters that politicians in Washington have deemed more important than dealing with our border. We would all be better off if these Senators in Congressmen would start spending a little less time at cocktail parties with special interest lobbyists and a little more time actually doing the People’s business.
It is clear that border issues have fallen victim to the “culture of Washington.” In the culture of Washington, people view every issue through a partisan lens. Rather than ask whether an idea is good or bad, Washingtonians ask: “is it Democrat or Republican.” Rather than make tough choices or demand results, politicians grandstand and mark their calendars to see when the next election will be.
Nogales and Washington DC are 2,000 miles apart in distance and they couldn’t be further apart in culture. Like me, most people around these parts would rather see new ideas than partisan squabbling. We know that Nogales and the rest of our state would be better off if partisanship and politics stopped standing in the way of progress on issues surrounding our border, our relationship with Mexico, and reimbursements from our federal government.
It is not just border issues which have fallen victim to the culture of Washington. We have seen a new Medicare “reform” plan, for example, that was supposed to help seniors but instead has fallen victim to special interest lobbying. The new law will net $139 billion to big pharmaceutical companies, yet we cannot promise any senior that it will definitely lower the costs of their drug expenses. Seniors in Nogales have to choose between 43 confusing plans, and politicians in Washington, including Senator Kyl, have refused to give them more time to choose between the plans without paying a penalty.
Not surprisingly, the special interests that wanted a piece of the profits from the new Medicare law banded together – hiring 952 lobbyists (two for every Member of Congress) and spending $141 million. So far, they have certainly got a return on their investment and seniors have paid the price.
Things were not always this way. I have spent my entire life in Arizona, and I can remember a time when our representatives in Washington actually put Arizona first – and worked together for the common good.
We need the same type of leadership in Washington today, which is why I decided to throw my hat in the ring and run for Senate. I want to help change the way Washington does business.
Arizona needs change in Washington to happen soon. Once Nogales’ new, $45 million jail is complete, we need to make sure the federal government doesn’t fill it with inmates they refuse to pay for.
