I've been thinking a lot lately about the illegal immigration issue that is so hot in the political scene right now. The major pieces of legislation to "reform" immigration seem to be full of holes so I've been thinking about what the ultimate reform should be.

Here are some of the issues, as I see them. First, we can't grant amnesty because that rewards people for illegal behavior. The temporary worker permit idea floated by the president and others has some merit, but in the end, it's mostly amnesty because it still rewards people for illegal behavior.

Before dealing with the current illegal aliens in the U.S., the government needs to start enforcing the border effectively. Until we effectively stop the flow of illegal aliens through our southern border, it makes no sense talking about how we're doing to deal with the those already here.

After all, that's how we got to where we are now. In 1986, congress passed the Immigration Reform & Control Act. President Reagan signed this bill into law and thereby granted amnesty to nearly three million illegal aliens in the United States.

What message did this send to those who were still in Mexico, Venezuela, etc.? "Come to the United States! We'll give you jobs and, eventually, you'll be legal!" It sounds great!