Rehberg backs move to drop illegal aliens from census

And so it begins.. I knew that something like this was on the way, and that it was just a matter of time. But there are a couple of noteworthy facts to consider when reviewing Rehberg's statement, and the United States Census.

1) Proposing an amendment to the Constitution has become a way to drive a wedge into an issue, bring the media calling, and get the angry- with-nothing-better-to-do callers to busy up the Baby Bell phone lines on the reactionary talk shows. They probably don't see this particular tactic as winnable, and I don't think that we should be fooled that this is where it stops. Look at the push for a "Gay Marriage" (or Bigotry) amendment. It won't be passed, but it becomes the flag to rally the troops around, and the vision of an ultimate goal that helps folks to think about attainable goals to get there.

2) With fewer than 1M residents, Montana's population is not booming and won't be booming (or - ask yourself, have YOU met anyone from Montana?). Regardless of the "counting of illegals", reapportionment will not suddenly afford Montana a large number of new districts. Even if there is an impact of 1 seat, a small state like Montana still has 2 Senators with equal power in that House. I've seen a few great breakdowns of how the system of the Senate actually gives more representation to states with smaller populations than states with larger populations. Rehberg should shut up, lest a lot of us come to his state and diffuse the impact of the special interests who probably put him there to begin with.

3) If we're going to look at unfair federal government practices that favor particular states, we should look more closely at Montana. For example, in this highway bill, the Senate (led by Montana Senators Burns (R) and Baucus (D)) committed highway robbery, granting the state more than twice its share in dollars (the proposed bill was for $295 Billion, roughly $1 Billion for each resident in the United States. MT's cut would have been $1.9 Billion, which would amount to $2 Billion for each of its residents). Forget that - what about all the militias?

4) Undocumented Immigrants Pay Taxes and Should be Counted. It's a common tactic to state that undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes and are leaching off the system. First, I don't believe that illegal immigration is a good thing, but I think that our isolationist, racist, xenophobic, faulty immigration history belies a much more sinister evil: this nation is built on illegal immigration - from the first Pilgrims who invaded this nation, to the generations that followed. The criminalization of those who are desperately fleeing oppressive economic and political climates, many of which are directly or indirectly caused by the policies of the United States, is another unAmerican development, at least when held up to the American ideals that I still believe in. Why are some people "illegal" and others "legal"? But regardless, sales tax, real estate tax, tolls - these are all ways that the government squeezes money out of everyone - and folks who make a lower wage, which is generally the case for many undocumented immigrants, pay a disproportionate percentage of their income for many things that they can't even use.

5) Rehberg is not only after undocumented immigrants. If you read his quote, and the language mentioned (and in blue below) from the proposed amendment, they are out to target all non-citizens, turning the Census, which was part of the original Constitution, into a demarcation of caste by paperwork, more cleanly drawing the line between citizens and non-citizens. It would be a significant step in a continuum of attacks against non-citizens, hoping to render them invisible as the majority of this country remains expressly threatened and uncomfortable with neighbors who are not limited by the narrow restrictions of nationality, culture, and heritage that they have been resigned to. What is next? Further stripping away of rights from permanent residents? Restrictions on the right of citizenship by birth? Naturalization restrictions from specific nations? Oaths of loyalty? Where does it end?

Don't take this lying down. Write a letter to the editor. Make friends in Montana and Michigan, where these sponsors are located. Don't sit back and wait for this to grow.


Rehberg backs move to drop illegal aliens from census
Posted Jun 24, 2005 - 11:49 AM
Lee State Bureau

HELENA - U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said Thursday he is co-sponsoring a proposed constitutional amendment that would stop the federal government from counting illegal aliens in the U.S. Census.

A 2003 study by the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that backs tougher restrictions on immigration, concluded that counting illegal immigrants cost Montana and some other states seats in the U.S. House after the 1990 census and denied Montana a new House district after the 2000 census. Counting illegal immigrants benefits states such as California, while penalizing those without illegal aliens, the study said.

Rehberg said states with large populations of illegal aliens have benefited in the Electoral College to choose presidents, congressional representation and federal funding at the expense of states like Montana.

"Most Montanans know that census takers, every 10 years, do their best to count each person residing in each state," Rehberg said. "What most Montanans don't know is that all this time they've been counting illegal aliens and other non-citizens, giving states like California greater representation in the Electoral College and in Congress."

He said the proposed amendment by Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., would restore fairness to residents of states like Montana.

Rehberg said the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for counting "the whole number of persons in each state." The proposal he's co-sponsoring would replace the word "persons" with "citizens," excluding illegal aliens.