February 19, 2007

Here’s another reason elections matter. Congressional Democrats are opposed to fee increases for applicants for naturalized citizenship and visas. Instead, they want taxpayers to pay for these fees for many immigrants. Otherwise, Democrats say, they would be forced to pay a “citizenship tax.” Democrats are even proposing means testing the cost so richer people will pay them and poorer immigrants will have the rest of us paying for them. Talk about your crass appeal for the immigrant vote.

As a native born American, I am taxed on all sorts of things: in addition to my house and car and income, I am taxed for my phone, any hotel, stay in, anything I buy in a grocer or convenience store and, of course airplane tickets. Have you flown recently? Have you noticed all the taxes listed under the cost of your ticket? Include the fees, because they are taxes by another name.

Why shouldn’t immigrants get used to the taxes and fees the rest of us pay everyday and in every way? Unless, of course, they’d like to vote conservatives into the majority.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.