Pride and Prejudice, Part 2

Immigration reform is such a complex undertaking that I would not try to propose – or counter-propose – a plan. Something has to be done because we have apparently created an economy that depends on undocumented workers but I leave it to the professionals to sort through the various issues and come up with a plan. Or rather I was leaving it to the professionals, until this latest bi-partisan attempt stumbled out of the starting gate. The opposition to the bill has been easy to marshal, relying on worries about terrorism, stolen jobs and depleted services, not to mention the unspoken discomfort with cultural and language differences. Although the techniques used to spread fear and fan prejudice (the Internet, talk radio) are new, pandering to class and status concerns is an age-old trick. It pits the rich folks with their gardeners and nannies and the corporate suits with their hunger for cheap labor against working-class Americans who fear their parking places on the road to prosperity are temporary.