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Jewish World Review May 8, 2006 / 10 Iyar 5766

Bill O'Reilly

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Oil and immigrants

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | One of the things I don't understand about liberal thinkers is their desire for big government, their lust for a giant colossus in Washington that, in theory, would solve all our problems. How delusionary is this? Why don't liberals just demand the country be handed over to the people who run Disneyland?


Those of us old enough to remember lining up for gasoline during the Carter administration understand that, for three decades, the federal government has known America is vulnerable to oil profiteers. Yet no serious attempt was made to develop alternative fuels like Brazil has done.


Likewise on immigration. The feds knew that by granting citizenship amnesty to almost three million foreign nationals living here illegally in 1986, others would surely try to get to the USA any way they could with the hope of obtaining the same largesse. Yet, no effort was made to secure the borders or to monitor people who overstayed their visas. Al Qaeda figured that one out and thus came 9/11.


The question, of course, is why did both political parties and five presidents neglect alternative energy and border security? And the answer is simple: Big Business did not want those things. And in America, Big Business is more important to most politicians than the folks are because Big Business gives cash to politicians to fund their reelection campaigns.


There is no question that illegal workers deliver more profit to business than American workers do. A Harvard study says that the employment of illegal foreign workers has driven down wages among American high school dropouts, the lowest labor pool rung, by 7 percent. The availability of "off-the-books" workers also saves employers from paying Social Security, health benefits and other overhead costs. Illegal labor has been muy bueno for many bottom lines.

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Likewise, the oil and automobile companies want no part of ethanol or fuel cells because that would require an expensive restructuring and more competition would emerge. There's no way the ethanol industry could be dominated by five mega-companies. I mean corn and sugar cannot be carteled. The oil racket is simple: We control the marketplace, and you have to buy from us. With ethanol we can buy from Farmer Fred.


So despite warning after warning about oil and massive illegal immigration, the Neros in Washington simply fiddled. And now we've all been burned.


It is hard for me, a person who loves his country, to be so cynical about America's leadership. But this is flat out true: The politicians have sold out the folks on immigration and on energy. The special interests were allowed to run wild in both areas, and now, we, the people, are paying the bill.


If you don't believe me, you are crazy, with all due respect. But I'll give you two indisputable facts. If Brazil can develop an ethanol industry that makes it completely independent of foreign oil, then the USA can.


And every president has the power to employ the military to secure the borders of this country.


But no president has done that. And there's no ethanol either. Figure it out.

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JWR contributor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor," and author of, most recently, "Who's Looking Out for You?" Comments by clicking here.

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