Today's Washington DC Examiner has a thoughtful common-sense editorial about how to fix the horribly broken immigration quagmire which so plagues this country. Excerpt:

Job one on immigration reform is regaining control of America's borders.

Allowing millions of unknown foreigners to enter our nation illegally is foolhardy in the extreme in the post-Sept. 11 era. You would never let strangers move into your own home uninvited, then pay the intruders for being there. But that's exactly what we've been doing at the national level for too many years.

Since 1980, illegal immigration has cut the going rate for unskilled labor in half, yet the cost of living continues to climb. Taxpayers are forced to make up the difference. A national policy that compels American workers to accept government handouts while importing even more poverty cannot be defended. As long as there are fellow citizens who lack good-paying jobs, health insurance and educational opportunities, immigration must be controlled -- and then only those who follow our laws and respect our customs should be allowed to enter.

The 700-mile fence along the Mexican border approved by the last Congress is a first step, but only that. So much more remains to be done.

Employers who cannot find enough workers should get a limited number of temporary guest worker visas without waiting years for approval. However, such visas must be issued under much stricter controls, with employers and visa holders both required to regularly check in with immigration officials.

We don't advocate the wholesale roundup of the 12 million illegal aliens already here, but we do insist that those who break our laws be immediately deported upon serving their sentences, as is required under federal law. It's time the federal government takes this enforcement duty seriously. This will require unprecedented collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies. Jurisdictions that support such efforts should be rewarded. Those that refuse to cooperate or actively oppose the effort should be severely penalized.

1. Collusion between Republican politicians in bed with businesses seeking cheap labor and Democrat politicians seeking new voters;

2. A debate dominated by inflexible activists with extreme positions unpalatable to the majority.

Were I more of a paranoid conspiracy theorist, I'd almost think offering people phony or bad choices was deliberate strategy.