Immigration Reform - The Solution

I have an idea that should solve the immigration debate.  A solution that should make everyone happy - Republicans and Democrats.  It is truly a bipartisan fix that will satisfy all interested parties.

Many illegals who come here across our Southern border looking for work send a good amount of their earnings back home to their families.  In the Southern states (actually, all over the US), there are untold thousands of convenience and check cashing stores that offer cheap money orders to Mexico. 

This does a couple of bad things.  First, it takes money out of our economy and sends it out of country.  Second, since a good amount of that money is paid to illegals 'under the table' and not subject to payroll taxes, the government loses out on all of the payroll tax revenue completely.  If the 'under the table' wages had stayed in country, at least some tax revenue would be collected as the money changed hands inside of our economy.

I propose this:

Impose a 50% Federal excise tax to be applied to all money sent out of the country via Money Order.  Allow all illegals in the country to apply for a temporary worker's permit, one that can be renewed periodically if the holder is not convicted of a crime.  (Voting rights will not be extended to non-citizens.)

This helps the illegal immmigration issue in several ways:

1)  This is the general amnesty that those on the left want so badly.  Illegals who want to stay in this country for whatever reason can do so without fear of being deported (unless they commit a crime).

2)  This will raise a tremendous amount of tax revenue for the Federal treasury.  That money can be used to help border security, fund social programs, pay for services rendered to illegals, or pay down the debt.  Democrats should be salivating at this potential pile of cash for their spending addiction.

3)  People who are in the US illegally simply because they want to share in the American Dream are given access to that dream without fear of deportation, as long as they don't commit a crime, and without paying any kind of financial penalty.  What left winger wouldn't cheer for this?

4)  People who are in the US illegally to drain money out of our economy to send out of the country will pay a tax burden on that money.  They can still send money via Money Order to their families south of the border, but it will cost them.  They can stay in the US under worker's permits as long as they want, the only caveat is the tax on money sent out of country.

5)  People who don't want to pay that tax will leave the country and go back home.  If you make it painful enough for people to take money out of our economy, they will stop doing it, or leave.  This should dramatically decrease the number of illegals already here, and drastically cut the number of newbies breaking into our counrty.  This will make Republicans very happy.

There is no downside to this.  It solves just about everything about illegal immigration in a way that should make everyone happy, and its pretty darned simple.

So, given our government, it doesn't stand a chance in hell of being implemented!