After reading it, I'm not so upset about this Arizona immigration law? The bill stipulates that there has to be "lawful contact" which means that it's like a seat belt law; you can't get pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt but if you get pulled over and it's not on, then there's an issue. Also, the bill says that a driver's license clears up any issue for citizens and I can't think of a single time in which I've dealt with police and pretty much not been asked for my driver's license or ID. If you aren't a citizen, you have to have your green card but I thought that was always the case.

The only argument that really makes sense is that its forcing the police force to do what the feds should be taking care of (and might cause a rift between the police and the community it's supposed to be serving) but when the Federal government has fallen down on the job like it has, how can you fault a state for trying to do something?

Sure, some people could argue that cops can pretty much make up anything and call it "lawful contact" (even I've experienced being pulled over for a bogus reason) but if you think this is a legitimate problem then maybe we need to start looking at our police forces and how they work. Then again, the argument could be, "What are the odds of you stumbling upon an illegal alien?" Honestly, I think that this is one of those laws that makes the front pages for a while but after a few months, everyone (including the police) basically forget about it (again, kind of like the seat belt law).

Of course, in true form for modern political debate, when one side goes too far, the opposing side also goes to defend it. Megyn Kelly on Fox News reported how insane it is that Arizona's crime rate is so much larger than New York's, however New York has an incredibly low crime rate for its population, mostly because of New York City. Buffalo's population is 1/32 of New York City but has almost three times more violent crimes. I don't think anyone believes that the reason is the illegal Canadians who keep sneaking in.

This isn't to say that there isn't a major problem going on in Arizona (kidnappings are sky high and it IS the 9th most dangerous state to live in) but misusing statistics just muddies the water.

In the end, this is a legitimate topic which seems to have been hijacked for the sake of politics. The Latino/Chicano vote has become arguably the most important vote for national office and this is a great way for the left to keep hold of it. It's a lousy way to do it, but all's fair is politics. And to be completely honest, I thought cops always had this directive; it didn't strike me as something new.