We've insulted them again

My local newspaper carried a two-inch blurb at the bottom of the page today, something about the GOP platform and not counting illegal aliens in the census. So I had to find the entire story and read it. Indeed, the Repubulicans only want to count people who are here LEGALLY. How weird is that?

Well, La Raza spokesman Munoz says such an idea is “unconstitutional and insulting.” And McCain was doing so well among the Hispanics. Now this.

The last time a Hispanic was insulted in this town was when political gadfly Heaton insulted Sheriff Perez by asking him to explain Kane County Jail’s relationship with Immigration.

My, they get insulted easily. Do they think this indignation somehow changes the reality?

Anyway, back to the Census. The U S Census Bureau rang in on the issue of excluding illegal aliens from the count by saying: “Our mandate is to count all residents regardless of legal status.” (Well, they don’t do a very good job of it since their estimate of 11 million is off by at least 50%.)

The platform language was designed to disenfranchise illegal aliens by excluding them from the house seat apportionment calculations. Whether they vote or not, large concentrations of illegal aliens create representation in Congress.

Here’s the platform language that was so “insulting.”
"The integrity of the 2010 census, proportioning congressional representation among the states, must be preserved. The census should count every person legally abiding in the United States in an actual enumeration."

Of course, the census makes no effort to determine status in the survey itself. They do some calculations based on known values such as naturalized citizens and green card holders. Then they assume all the rest are illegal. Not very scientific.

If they were to ask immigration status, what would be the value of the answer given the target audience? What respect do illegals have for this country? Not much.

But the Census Bureau keeps trying. In fact they have requested that Immigration suspend enforcement activities during the census so as not to frighten illegal aliens. (FYI, there was an informal agreement to suspend large scale raids during the 2000 census.)

Immigration spokesman Kelly Nantel answered in no uncertain terms: "I don't want there to be any question in the American people's mind as to whether or not ICE would suspend enforcement efforts. The answer to that is emphatically no."

And the Latino activist group National Hispanic Leadership Agenda fired a shot across the bow of the GOP ship with this plea to McCain: “We urge you to lead your party's platform away from the deportation and detention path that deprives newcomers and the nation of immigrants' positive economic and societal contributions.”

Can we somehow muddle through this without Karl Rove? If ever there was an issue separating the elites from the delegates, this is it.