Hey, stop looking at that correction on today’s editorial page, and think about something else. How about a discussion of today’s lead editorial?

Compromise bill offers
best hope on immigration

THESE ARE PERILOUS times in America to try to work with those across the political aisle.
    No one knows that more than the brave members of both parties who came together to try to forge a deal on one of the nation’s thorniest political issues: illegal immigration. They worked for weeks to try to balance the nation’s contradictory impulses and craft a balanced bill for Congress to debate. For their pains, they were pelted with invective as soon as the doors opened. Pro-immigration groups are fuming over some of the possible new restrictions, while anti-immigration groups have tossed about their own scarlet letter A, for “amnesty.” Sen. Jim DeMint particularly was eager to get his licks in before he had even read it.
    This is all the more reason to praise their efforts, especially those of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has taken considerable political risk. The only way in this environment that an immigration bill is going to pass is if a group of lawmakers from both parties who know how to take and hold the political center can come together. Anything that appeals to either extreme will fail to get the 60 votes needed in the Senate. More importantly, a centrist compromise — after a thorough debate, rather than being rushed through in a week — can include ideas from all sides.
    And this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Our border is too open — to illegal immigrants who often fall prey to traffickers, to smuggled drugs and to intruders with criminal or even terrorist intentions. But that is only half of our problem. The nation has a shadow society already in place, with millions living here outside the bounds of the law. They build our businesses, drive our roads and seek help in our hospitals. Our economy encourages them to come and profits from their labor. The idea that those who wish to stay will be sent packing by the millions is ludicrous. We need a system that offers a route — not a shortcut, but an opportunity to be earned — to enter the legitimate world, where they pay all taxes and obey our laws.
    This compromise bill offers a balanced way to do that, overall. It would greatly strengthen border enforcement, including an eventual doubling of the ranks of the Border Patrol. It calls for a tamper-proof ID that employers can check to know they are not hiring an illegal immigrant. It also calls for a new Z visa, which an illegal immigrant can obtain. But to keep it will require the visa holder to pay thousands of dollars in fines. Z visa holders would have to wait for the backlog of legal applicants to be processed before starting toward citizenship — a wait of eight years. That’s not amnesty; it’s paying some dues.
    If anything, the bill has gone overboard to be punitive. The route to citizenship for those already here is too onerous to be effective: It would take a minimum of 13 years and cost at least $5,000 in reparations. Becoming a legal citizen, after breaking the law to sneak into the United States, shouldn’t be easy. But this bill lays out a path so long that it likely will not draw many illegals out of the shadows. That’s necessary if we really want to address this problem.
    We hope that the Senate has the wisdom to improve the Z visa proposal and to reject the many amendments coming forward that are intended to sink the whole bill. Not every provision in this compromise plan is perfect, of course, but it seems the best chance for some time to craft the all-encompassing correction our immigration policy needs.

What? Is that not controversial enough for you? Do I have to come up with something else? Well, I’m busy, and that might take time. For now, chew on this instead.