As the Senate prepares to debate the immigration bill and decide the fates of thousands of people living in the country illegally, I find myself shaking my head in wonder at what people are thinking.

Brain surgeons and Drug dealers (they're the only ones who can afford rising real estate prices) in Texas are paying close to a million dollars for Hill Country land with a limestone home, manicured gardens, and someone to clean their house. They hire a stone contractor who will charge them the lowest price. And the guy who uses illegal immigrants can charge the lowest price. They want someone who will install maintain their gardens, but below minimum wage. And their maid? Well, as long as she doesn't charge more than a few dollars an hour. . .

Farmers need cheap labor to pick fruit. Restaurant owners need cheap labor to wash dishes. And Americans don't do cheap labor.

We created this labor market to keep our retail prices down. Now we want the government to do something!

Here's how to stop the use of illegal labor: Don't shop at places that employ illegal immigrants. If your local fast food place has an illegal on the payroll, don't cave in to your little monster's demand for a kid's meal. Tell the manager to raise the salary so the jobs will be attractive to Americans, and walk out.

If the local shopping mall uses illegals to mop the floors at midnight, tell the mall management that you won't be doing business there until they raise wages to a level that will entice Americans to the job, and walk out.

If the restaurant that you and your spouse call "Our Place" hires an illegal to wash dishes, tell the owner that you won't be returning until they raise wages to lure hard-working Americans to the job.

If you best friend has an illegal for a maid, don't be jealous (unless she's hot), but tell her you're reporting her to INS for hiring an illegal alien, and walk away.

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the prices at the mall and at restaurants are low because they hire illegals. That's because you wouldn't pay higher prices so the business owner could make the same profit on higher wages.

It's not Mexico's fault that you're only willing to pay $2 an hour for someone to mow your lawn or pick your peaches. It's not Mexico's fault to no teenager will work for less than minimum wage mowing lawns or picking peaches. It's ours. And it's time we looked squarely in the mirror and decided whether we beleive in freedom to pay what we want to whom, or in building what will become The Great Wall of America, and stop blaming the people we lure into those low paying jobs.

UPDATE!

Former President Bill Clinton ("The Best President Ever!" --Comic Book Guy) employs illegal aliens! It seems Bill (henceforth known as BPE) was flying into Newark airport and had a chauffer waiting for him. An airport police officer ran the plates on his limo (apparently a rental since Shahzad Qureshi was shown as the owner) and discovered Qureshi had skipped a 2000 immigration hearing. Qureshi ("koresh+ee"? Interesting coincidence, isn't it) was arrested, and must have left the limo in the white zone, which is for loading and unloading only, leaving BPE without a ride home.