Speech #980219166

Let me say to my friend from Florida who brought up an interesting point about the education and that the people of America should be heard and should be served. and I fully agree with that. I think it would be very interesting if it were possible to take a poll today. right today. of those many. many people who have been watching and listening to this via CSPAN. those who have been reading the print journalists reports of these proceedings. I may be wrong. but I have the distinct impression that there would be found a kind of an evolutionary movement toward the acceptance of what I consider to be unavoidable reality and that is that you cannot have a balanced immigration program without some form of legalization. Now. we can argue about the date. it could be 1982 or 1782. but the fact is. which is unavoidable. which has crystal clarity. is that you cannot fail to have something like legalization in a balanced immigration program. And I would suspect and I think the gentleman might help me a moment. by saying that many of us came to this task 4 years ago saying we could not be for legalization. it is impossible. it is against our basic tenet. it is against our belief of government. But little by little. as we grappled with the subject. both the moral sideand there is a moral dimensionbut the practical. pragmatic reality of where you are with these many people here working. actually being productive. we all came to that one moment in time. that one moment at which we had to accept reality and that is that you must have some legalization program. So I would say that we may well be serving the American people. interestingly enough. by voting down the gentlemans amendment because these American people who have now had this benefit of seven very excellent days of debate. some of the best debate this House has ever given in its history. have now perhaps grasped what the gentleman and I and others and that is that an immigration program. if it is to be workable and fair and decent and effective. will have to be one which has several parts. The gentleman from Kentucky feels that one part of which is legalization.