Search for Cheap Labor Has Led to Georgia's Worst Mistakes

First came slavery, which is a permanent stain on the state's character. It begat secession, which begat a civil war, which begat the deaths of tens of thousands of Georgians, and the destruction of cities, farms and factories.

Did we learn anything from that disaster? In 2009, Senate Resolution 632 was passed 43-1. It affirmed Georgia’s right to secede, again.

Georgia’s next great mistake was passage of HB 87, the anti-immigration law. The Republican leadership copied and pasted this nonsensical bill together and told its members to pass it or they would have a primary opponent next election. With that kind of motivation, few Republican legislators read it, understood it, or discussed possible ramifications.

With no one to harvest their crops, thousands of Georgia Republican farmers are watching their crops wither and die. Eventually, they will drive to the courthouse steps to see their farm sold, in a truck with a Confederate license plate on the front, and a “What don’t you understand about the word illegal” bumper sticker on the back.

Locally, a lot of waitresses, cooks, busboys, and landscapers are nervous. Their employers and landlords are also nervous, and may no longer be able to afford their Chamber of Commerce dues and mortgage payments. They can move back in with mom and dad but they won’t be picking any onions or making any Bar-b-que.

Will Georgia learn from its mistakes and demand immigration reform from Washington?