Please sir...

I want some more.

Here it is 2011 and I am looking on-line for definitive answers to what I consider an important matter of public policy: Immigration.

I simply would like to know where presidential candidates stand on the question of immigration.  And what I get are snippets of things they have said over the years on the subject, generally as a result of questions from the press.

I realize that my personal interest in the subject transcends the curiosity of most Americans.  I am not oblivious to the importance of spending, jobs, war, health care or Rep Weiner’s Twitter account.

Just the same, Immigration ought to be in the top ten or at least the top twenty when it comes to national political topics.

And I would prefer to start at the source; drink from the spring before the horses and cattle have trampled through the stream. 

So I go to the official websites of Romney, Pawlenty, Bachmann and Paul.  Palin doesn’t seem to have one yet.

Most of their websites have an “Issues” tab.  I click on it.  Nothing on Immigration.  (Ron Paul doesn’t even have an “Issues” tab at all.)

What I do find are all sorts of secondary sources who try to put something together that resembles a cogent position on the subject, but alas I find a hodge-podge of answers to reporters. 

My conclusion is that they don’t want to talk about it.  Why?

• Because they haven’t thought much about it.
• Because they fear their answer will alienate brown voters.
• Because they fear their answer will alienate conservatives in general.

Frankly, I can’t think of an answer that doesn’t indicate they are hiding from the issue.

I would like to see something posted on the websites of all major candidates that explains their position on the subject.  After all, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in the last five years over this issue.  Isn’t it worthy of a few paragraphs? 

The cost is minimal and will allow voters to sample the merchandise before we cast our vote.  Is that too much to ask?

If I were a presidential candidate I would tell them this:

Regarding the topic of Immigration, I support the GOP platform as written in 2008. 

• I oppose all forms of amnesty, because it rewards bad behavior.
• I support federal-state-local cooperation in immigration enforcement.
• Work authorization laws are to be enforced against employees and employers alike.
• Further, E-Verify should be mandatory.
• We should continue to strengthen border security, including the use of National Guard troops in enforcement roles.
• Since the role of president is to enforce the laws of the land, I would employ strategies that enhance our capacity to deport those who are unlawfully present, as the law requires.  These strategies might include more detention beds and rapid repatriation.
• I am a firm believer that our immigration laws require enforcement, not reform.

At the very least, all candidates ought to address Immigration on their own turf and give the public a chance to study it.  Is that too much to ask?