A foreshadowing of things to come?

In news of total guv-mint stupidity, the State Department announced today that the previous announcement of employment visa numbers being available July 1 for all skilled people seeking employer-sponsored green cards was false. Unfortunately, the announcement was not issued until Monday, July 2nd, so all those foreigners who thought they would be applying for work visas today will have to wait until 1 October. The change is due to Citizenship and Immigration Services trying to reduce the backlog of applications that are hand at this time. So if you spent money for lawyers and plane tickets, etc., the State Department has only the following to say: "Oopsie! Our bad!

This wouldn't be that much of a problem except for the fact that during the immigration debate, it was pointed out that CIS is already swamped with a backlog of 60,000 applications and adding 12 million new Z-visa applications would cause the system to grind to a complete halt (no it's not quite there yet). So, in typical guv-mint fashion, people who do the right thing are penalized. If the immigration bill had passed, we would have been treated to the spectacle of the State Department telling current green-card holders that they would have to leave the country and re-apply since CIS would have to make room for 12-million illegal aliens applying for green cards. Don't think it wouldn't happen because only an idiot would do such a thing? Looking back on other guv-mint run fiascos, don't be too sure.

In related immigration news, the illegal alien spouse of a soldier missing in Iraq has been given a green card. She entered the country illegally in 2001, was married to her husband in 2004 and was supposed to be deported, but apparently thanks to the intervention of Senator John Kerry, the deportation proceedings were halted and she was awarded permanent residency papers.

I have mixed emotions on this. On one hand, I'm glad that the guv-mint overlooked the letter of the law and awarded her premanent residency status, but on the other hand, she still entered the country illegally and if you make an exception for one person, you will have to make an exception for all. At least Senator John Kerry did something worthwhile for once in his life. I just hope he was motivated to do the right thing and not for some other reason.