Arizona's liberal Democratic governor Janet Napolitano has a dismal record on illegal immigration.

Everything's  free  in  America  for  a  small  fee.  So  say  the  Stephen  Sondheim  lyrics  of  "America"  in  West  Side  Story.  Isn't  this  the  basic  idea  behind  guest  worker  programs  for  otherwise  illegal  immigrants?  From  the  White  House  to  the  Statehouses  of  the  effected  Border  States,  the  problem  is  documenting  undocumented  workers.  For  a  small  fee,  these  programs  call  for  virtual  amnesty  to  lawbreakers.  These  poor  people  flee  their  own  Latin  American  countries  to  find  a  better  life.  Who  can  blame  them  for  that?  However,  we,  as  a  nation,  can  blame  the  banana  republics  in  the  Southern  hemisphere  who  have  no  plan  for  economic  prosperity  other  than  sucking  on  the  teat  of  American  wealth.

A  few  months  ago,  Arizona's  Maricopa  County  Attorney,  Andrew  Thomas,  hosted  the  first  Southwest  Conference  on  Illegal  Immigration,  Border  Security  and  Crime.  Unlike  Arizona  Governor  Napolitano's  2005  conference  on  border  issues,  the  Southwest  Conference  was  open  to  the  public  and  featured  many  nationally-known  experts.  This  Conference  would  benefit  the  election  process  should  it  return  prior  to  the  gubernatorial  election  this  November.  In  her  State  of  the  State  speech  this  week,  Napolitano  vowed  to  get  tough  on  all  things  illegal.  Great,  where  have  you  been,  Governor,  during  the  first  three  years  of  your  administration?  

Napolitano  said,  "We  will  strengthen  the  border  with  the  people  and  equipment  we  need  to  fight  crime  and  increase  border  security  for  lawful  commerce,  tourism  and  legal  immigration."  These  words  were  spoken  a  few  weeks  after  she  said  this  in  response  to  the  U.S.  House  of  Representatives  approval  of  a  security  fence  along  the  border:  "You  show  me  a  50-foot  wall,  and  I'll  show  you  a  51-foot  ladder  at  the  border.  That's  the  way  the  border  works."  Is  that  how  the  border  works?  Right  now,  anyone  can  just  walk  across  to  gain  illegal  entry.  At  least  with  the  fence,  lawbreakers  will  have  to  find  a  51  foot  ladder.  

Will  Arizona  Republicans  allow  Napolitano  to  win  re-election  by  stealing  their  agenda  to  strengthen  the  border?  Napolitano  learned  political  manipulation  from  the  best  in  the  business…Bill  and  Hillary  Clinton.  She  was  appointed  by  Clinton  to  serve  as  United  States  Attorney  for  the  District  of  Arizona  in  1993.  Furthermore,  she  has  been  aided  by  a  left-leaning  Arizona  Republic.  The  Gannett  News  Service  owned  daily  has  made  it  its  purpose  to  turn  this  traditional  conservative  state  into  a  blue-state  liberal  reservoir  of  the  Desert  West.  It's  up  to  conservative  lawmakers  and  the  general  public  to  not  be  hoodwinked  by  these  forces  of  deception.  

The  truth  is,  under  Governor  Napolitano,  Arizona  has  become  a  leader  in  crime  statistics  and  as  an  entry  point  for  illegal  border  crossings.  Are  the  two  related?  Does  the  sun  rise  in  the  East  and  set  in  the  West?  From  East  to  West,  who  doubts  that  the  greatest  threat  to  American  security  comes  from  our  largely  unprotected  borders?  Clever  political  speeches  and  empty  policy  rhetoric  will  not  get  the  job  done.  The  America  people,  including  legal  immigrants,  need  to  demand  of  its  leaders  that  it  be  protected  at  all  costs…remember,  everything's  free  in  America  for  a  small  fee.  If  the  cost  of  securing  the  border  is  a  lip-service  Governor  losing  her  job,  so  be  it.   

And  here's  a  word  for  those  Central  and  South  American  countries  "demanding"  that  we  declare  their  immigrants  legal  while  continuing  to  allow  our  borders  to  be  largely  open:  "Nyet."  Hey,  it  worked  for  Reagan  in  the  Cold  War.