Congress must do its job so immigrants can find theirs.

THE June 19 op-ed article by Daniel J.B. Mitchell, "Address Illegal Immigration by Increasing Minimum Wage," presents "Plan C" to solve illegal immigration.

That plan would raise the minimum wage and then beef up enforcement of labor laws. The idea is it would reduce the number of low-end jobs that attract illegal immigrants while making the jobs more palatable to existing workers in the U.S.--as though that would work.

There is an issue in this debate that seems to have been overlooked by many.

That is the fact that it is not necessary to have a "job" to survive better in this country than in the country of origin. There are many options, many of which are legal. One can start a business, mow lawns, baby-sit, sell oranges on the street corner, gather recyclables, or even hire others to do all of the above and many other things.

We are talking here about an underground economy that flourishes due to the desperate nature of those who want to work and live in a free country. In this scenario, minimum wage is irrelevant. As long as no taxes are paid, who knows how much wages are being paid? Many of the employers of the undocumented are themselves undocumented.

Policing the underground economy has not been a priority since it is almost impossible. It is a moving target that erupts as needed by the people involved. To address the issue we need to find ways to make it possible to allow people to be successful within the system. One way is requiring the learning of English, which is the language of business in this country. Speaking a common language is essential to mainstreaming and moving forward by each individual.

Secure borders

Certainly our borders need to be secure. That is one step, but putting more restrictions on the free enterprise system is counterproductive. In 1995, at the White House Conference on Small Business, our delegation from California tried to make this point. Unfortunately at that time members of congress were even less willing to solve these problems than they are today. That is why some of us have become discouraged and just shake our heads.

So the issue continues to expand. Millions have come across our borders since then. It is like allowing your brother-in-law to come and live with you, but refusing to let him get a job and pay his way. He needs to pay his way. Let's find a way to let him do it, rather than having some kind of a dream that he will go away if he does not have a job. Human nature is so creative. He will do whatever it takes, rather than go back to where there is no hope.

Ultimately, the federal government needs to work out a reasonable, legal way for people to enter our country and go to work legally. This is the responsibility of those we have elected. Anything less is a dereliction of duty.

It is easy to say that elected officials should do their jobs, and it is also easy to understand how difficult it is to please all of the people. Yet, what we want from our legislators is a sense of what is best for the country. We want them to get down to work, forgetting special interests, and take the initiative to create a system that will work, then have the courage to follow through to see that it is implemented.

This issue deserves priority status. It hits many areas of our society, from our underfunded emergency rooms to our schools, which would benefit by having constant attendance rather than children continually come into the classroom and then leave as their parents come and go. How can we expect our schools to be successful under these circumstances?

The media can help, by avoiding pitting one group against another for the sake of "news." We are all in this human condition together. The more we can support one another the better for us all. Good news is news. Good ideas deserve to be heard, especially in this day of seemingly constant disasters.

Success would yield an enormous amount of additional taxes, which are now being lost in the underground economy. In addition it would benefit us all by allowing people to participate legally and grow our economy. Success is not an option, it is a necessity. Success is not easy. It has many aspects.

Let us not be simplistic and blame one area, but rather, work together, and insist on workable solutions. Leaving the issue alone will only cause it to grow.

Patsy Flanigan is president of Flanigan Farms Natural Foods and a former chairwoman of the Culver Cir. Chamber of Commerce.