About a year ago I wrote a post about the immigration reform debacle. Since then, there hasn’t much much talk about it. I ran across an article last week that proves a very important point.

You see, after the Bush administration’s complete failure to reform the immigration law, they switched to enforcing the existing law with renewed fervor. The running theory is that this was an attempt to stir up sympathy for the illegals and build momentum for a future amnesty bill.

However, the effect has been quite different. It turns out that when you enforce the law, the law serves its purpose. It dissuades people from breaking it!

According to a recent report by the Center for Immigration Studies (based on Census Bureau data), the estimated illegal immigrant population has decreased by 11% (about 1.3 million people) since the Bush administration gave up on their reform bill and started serious enforcement (around August of 2007).

You might be thinking, “Of course the population is down! We’re deporting all those poor immigrants!” But you’d be wrong. The US has only caught and deported about 185,000 illegals. That means that nearly ten times as many have left on their own.

According to the report, there was a spike in illegal immigration last summer when congress was debating immigration reform (folks hoping to get across the border in time to cash in on the amnesty bill), but as soon as the legislation failed, the exodus began.

Imagine that. Law enforcement works. It’s a tough job being right all the time, but somebody has to do it.

You can read the full report here. But keep an eye on your clock. It’s forever long.

Let’s start off with this week’s white board quip.

I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed.
– Steven Wright

That means that, once again, I have two WBQotW posts back-to-back. Which means that I have, once again, gotten lazy about blogging. Yes, I know. I said that I’d be busy and that posts would get scarce, but it’s not just the blog that has fallen behind.

So, I’m back to that point in the cycle of my life where I’m irritated at myself. Call it procrastination. Call it sloth. Call it plain old lazy. Whatever it is, it’s crept back into my life. Time for a change.

Change. There’s been a lot of talk about “Change” in the last year thanks to one particularly shallow and insipid presidential campaign. Change is a dangerous word if left to itself. Change what? Why? How? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then change can ruin.

In my personal case, the “what” is my attitude toward tasks and goals, my level of self discipline, my work ethic. These things need to change. The “why” is pretty basic. I have a lot of things to do that aren’t getting done. This reflects poorly on me both personally and professionally. The “how” is more complex (as it always should be). I need to get back to making lists and accomplishing those lists. I need to more closely manage my time. I need to get back into an attitude-building routine.

But what if you seek change without answering the qualifying questions? “We need change.” Ok. From now on, your salary will be paid not in US dollars, but in monopoly money. That’s change. Or, from now on, police officers will be allowed to shoot you if they think you’re ugly. That’s change. Or, from now on, you’re only allowed to eat lawn trimmings and dog turds. That’s change. What if change means destroying the economy with huge tax increases, taking away basic freedoms, protecting trees and bugs while declaring human life expendable, and making the pursuit of happiness impossible?

I hope you see where I’m going with this. Sometimes change is needed, but only when you can answer the what, why and how. If you want change just for the sake of change, you’d better not be ugly and you better have the stomach for some mulch and dog turd stew.

I’m back from the San Antonio mission trip. I’m pretty tired and have tons of stuff to do. I need to compile hundreds of pictures and a couple hours of video into two slide shows (one for Mexico, one for San Antonio). I’m about half way through a blog page on the Mexico trip and haven’t started one yet for S.A. I’ve got stuff piled up at work and a have a private client waiting for me to design his web site. That and I’ve started another book that I’d like to have finished before… oh, you know… 2009. In the mean time…

I’m writing an unauthorized autobiography.
– Steven Wright

P.S. Happy birthday, Dad!!