Examiner:Importing Poverty Will Weaken American Living StandardsDemocrats have provided the votes for Bush’s comprehensive plan of granting amnesty for illegal workers already in the United States and creating a guest worker program for future immigrants. Bush believes that with the new Democratic majorities, reforms can finally move forward. Such a course is not in the long-term best interests of most business owners any more than it is for Americans in general. Firms that hire illegal workers for lower wages, fewer (if any) benefits, and sometimes off the books entirely, do so to gain a competitive advantage against firms that obey the laws and only hire within the legal labor market. Honest business owners are placed in the difficult position of having to choose between emulating the unlawful behavior of rivals or risking the survival of their own companies. No one should condone a system that creates this kind of ethical dilemma. Though the “comprehensive” plan is supposed to curtail illegal immigration, it is clear that its proponents oppose a vigorous program of border or workplace enforcement. Their objective is to maintain the status quo of an essentially open border. Thus, even after reform, millions of illegals will continue to operate outside the system.