To the editor: Sorry, but did I miss the details of the House immigration bill? He must have proposed alternatives that are not compatible with the Senate bill. (“A Republican senator got the border deal the GOP said he wanted. Watch his party betray him,” Opinion, February 7).
The concept of our legislative branch, as I understand it, is that we voters elect adults who generally support our ideas, whether left or right. Those legislators propose compromises until a majority reaches an agreement. People rarely get 100% of what they want.
Unfortunately, the Speaker of the House has taken it upon himself to block legislation that does not advance his party's goals, which appears to be authoritarian domination of this country. This is too much power given to one individual and I am sure it is not what our founding fathers intended.
Instead, it should schedule proposed legislation for debate, compromise, and voting. Let each elected member of Congress declare himself for or against, and let those who are against propose alternatives.
I am 77 years old and have been a registered Republican since I could vote. In the future, I plan to exclude any current Republican officials from receiving my vote. Elections should re-select the most qualified candidate, not blindly follow one party.
Dale S. Weikel, Bullhead City, Arizona.
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To the editor: Thank you to Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) for standing up for the rule of law and defending our current asylum laws by voting against the border bill. The proposed changes would not uphold our long-held ideal that we are a nation that protects and integrates vulnerable immigrants.
While it may be necessary to restrict the flow of immigrants, any broad changes to our immigration laws must not ignore the millions of undocumented immigrants who already contribute immensely to our communities.
Addressing their status is the fair and equitable thing to do, as no meaningful path to legal status has been opened for them in almost 40 years.
Daniel Luna, West Covina
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To the editor: Our country's Constitution was created through a compromise. Government bills are created and passed through compromises and have been since the founding of our country.
The Republican Party seems to have forgotten. For decades, Republicans have criticized immigration, but choose to do nothing about it.
A bipartisan group of senators presented an agreement on immigration. The next logical step would be for the House to examine the bill and suggest changes to make it more to its liking; In other words, reach an agreement.
Instead, House Republicans said they would refuse to consider it, and Senate Republicans withdrew their support.
What this tells the country is that Republican lawmakers don't want to do the job they were elected to do. They prefer to complain and make political maneuvers.
Pam Hobson, Big Bear Lake, California.
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To the editor: For a decade, the right has claimed that Democrats want more undocumented immigrants, because that would somehow result in more votes for us.
But now we see that it is actually the Republicans who want our country to be flooded from the south, just so they can demonstrate against it.
Big government.
Gary Davis, Los Angeles
