Immigration Reform

by Dick Mac

It's true that politics makes for strange bedfellows.

My favorite current example involves immigration reform.

In their quest for seats in Congress, the right-wing has always played to the basest fears of the middle class. Generally, they whip up people's racism, misogyny, and homophobia. Blacks on welfare, gays wrecking marriage, women demanding abortion, and now, immigrants destroying the very fabric of the American Way (which Way is rooted completely, and solely, in the immigrant experience).

Sensible people, including the wealthiest Americans all along the political spectrum, know that there needs to be a clear and sensible path to legal status for the millions of illegal immigrants currently working and thriving in the United States, at the same time that we address the deficiencies in our existing immigration policy.

Recently, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg (one of the most sensible billionaires in America) appeared on a Fox News program with Rupert Murdoch (the billionaire who owns News Corporation) Fox's parent company, to discuss immigration reform.

It is not news that Murdoch and his heirs have begun to grow wary of Roger Ailes' management of the Fox News empire, and the senior Murdoch appeared on one of his own networks to take a political position in direct contradiction to the agenda promoted by his network and Ailes. Fox News has refused to reasonably debate the immigration issue, and regularly broadcasts lies and hysteria that prevent their viewers from truly understanding the issue.

Murdoch is attempting to bring the discussion to a more realistic place.

This does not mean that Murdoch has seen the light and has become a good Christian; but it means that he is not afraid to publicly contradict his generals when he disagrees with an important issue of the day.

Perhaps the billionaires can guide America to a sensible immigration policy. God knows the people they fund and employ have failed to do so.

The Immigration Reform Team editorial at the New York Times site

Rupert Murdoch Is A Traitor To His Own Network! A clip from Countdown with Keith Olberman