Michael G. Harpold has spent most of his adult life on the front lines of immigration, including serving as a United States Border Patrol officer in California's San Joaquin Valley during the early years of the Grape Strike led by Cesar Chavez. That's why he's able to spot the flaws in immigration policy proposals coming from both sides of the aisle.

"There's plenty of advocacy for increased numbers of immigrants and new guest worker programs, but not much discussion about the consequences," says Harpold, a 35-year veteran of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and author of the new book Jumping the Line (www.jumpingtheline.com), which gives readers a realistic glimpse into the lives of two farmworker families.

For instance, he says, both houses of Congress have passed legislation creating new programs that will guarantee growers a huge pool of new, low-skilled workers, but will do nothing to improve the lives of those already in the states working on farms. Growers will not have to pay into social security and unemployment for guest workers.

"Despite immigration reform, domestic farmworkers will continue to live as an impoverished underclass," Harpold says. "If we want to help immigrant and U.S. citizen farmworkers, we can't bring a new flood of low-skilled workers into the country who will compete for their jobs."

Harpold, who served on the staff of former INS commissioner Leonel Castillo, points out where political ideology goes wrong on the immigration issue:

• Illegal immigrant farmworkers are not self-entitled freeloaders. More than half of workers employed on farms, and a huge portion of those hired in food processing and meatpacking, are not U.S. citizens or legal immigrants. Many were driven off their farms in Mexico because they couldn't compete with American corn exports. Out of necessity more than fifty percent of farm families in Mexico have one or more family members working illegally in the U.S. Tacitly invited by unscrupulous U.S. employers seeking cheap labor, the vast majority slipped across land borders or were smuggled, facing incredible danger and hardships.

• A relaxed border policy is a bad idea. Our immigration laws have been refined over decades to reunify families, provide needed workers to U.S. business and provide a haven for political refugees. To that end, more than 1.2 million new immigrants are brought into the U.S. each year in addition to more than 40 million visitors. Liberals say the system is broken and the law is being violated because not enough visas are being granted, but there will always come a point when the country needs to say no. No system can be fair if the regulations governing it are not enforced, as has occurred throughout the past two and a half decades. Relaxing our immigration standards, as some liberals support, allows for a constant stream of new immigrants, grinding wages to the floor and guaranteeing a state of perpetual poverty for farmworkers.

• Immigrants face the same problems as U.S. citizens. The fact that manufacturing jobs have moved overseas has been a significant blow to the American workforce. Earlier immigrants from Europe had next-level jobs and industries to climb their way out of entry-level jobs, but those next-level jobs are no longer there for immigrant farmworkers. Wages for meatpackers and construction workers have fallen as those occupations have become overloaded with job-hunting, low-skilled workers. "The way out for most farmworkers means standing on a street corner near a Home Depot hoping to be hired for day labor," Harpold says.

"Progressives need to remember that it's not fair to invite immigrants only to have them discover the American dream is on hold indefinitely," he says. "Conservatives need to accept that many of the estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. are already deeply integrated into our economy and society. Until relatively recently, illegal immigrant farmworkers were simply integrated into the system after a period of time. Congress should enact a law allowing them to remain legally and work until they can qualify for a green card - something that's been done in previous immigration policy."

About Michael G. Harpold

Michael G. Harpold began his 35-year career in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as a border patrol inspector on the Mexican border. Later in his career while stationed at Bakersfield, California, he met César Chávez. Their paths crossed because Chavez believed that illegal border-crossers were a threat to his efforts to build a union for farmworkers. Harpold served two years in Vietnam with the U.S. Agency for International Development and, after returning to the INS, became an officer of the employee's union, making frequent appearances before congressional committees testifying on proposed immigration legislation and the INS budget. Harpold served five years in the U.S. Army and won a competitive appointment to West Point. He holds a bachelor's degree from California State University at Fresno and attended Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco.

During the tugs of war that crop up in Washington during political debates and policymaking, it's not surprising the act of legislating has often been compared to the art of sausage making.  The give-and-take that has long characterized the legislative meat grinder on Capitol Hill has been put on the chopping block.

Consider an analogy attributed long ago to George Washington. He compared the bicameral functions of the upper and lower chambers of Congress to a cooling saucer and hot coffee.  America's first president suggested the Senate "cools" legislation passed by the more tumultuous House of Representatives.

Skip ahead two centuries and regrettably, heated tempers were not allowed to cool in the deliberative senatorial saucer during a recent rule change in the U.S. Senate.  Instead of cooling his heels, the Majority Leader booted the institutional traditions and decorum associated with the upper chamber of Congress.  His cavalier power grab leaves a stain on the world's greatest deliberative governing body, weakening its tradition for civility and consensus.

Despite the discouraging setback that meddles with the constitutional principles of the Senate's advice and consent authority, important legislative and oversight work continues  as we near the end of the calendar year. Unfinished business includes the budget blueprint and the farm and food bill.

Working under the shadow of a $17 trillion national debt, lawmakers need to come to grips with the fact that Washington cannot tax-and-spend its way to prosperity.  As a member of the budget conference tasked with a Dec. 13 deadline, I want the committee to reach an agreement that will set spending parameters for the federal government through the next fiscal year.  So far, big spenders keep trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole, hooked on a utopian mindset that Big Government can solve all our problems.  Just look where that's gotten us:  unsustainable spending, broken promises and a cynical American public.

Washington also keeps kicking the can down the road on the farm and food bill. Rural America, the nation's food producers and the taxpaying public deserve better, long-term certainty than yet another short-term extension.  This important piece of public policy sets into place farm and nutrition safety nets, conservation incentives and rural development programs.  A big sticking point hinges on how much savings to extract from the food stamp program.  All sides agree enrollment has soared.  The expiring farm and food bill spent 80 percent of its budget on nutrition programs, including food stamps.  In September, 15 percent of the population, or about 47 million Americans, received food stamp benefits.

On the farm side of the spending ledger, I'm championing payment caps that limit how much individual farmers may receive per year.  I'm also working to maintain support for closing a loophole that exploits the taxpaying public.  Currently, general partnerships and joint ventures may qualify for farm payments using "active personal management" guidelines that allow hundreds of millions of tax dollars to flow though this loophole.  The provisions I authored would allow only one off-farm manager to address the abusive practice of multiple non-farming individuals receiving payments without having a significant role in farm management.  It's time to put teeth into the law to keep our farm safety net defensible in an era that calls for serious belt-tightening across-the-board.

If Congress fails to reach an agreement on the farm and food bill, consumers could experience serious sticker shock in January.  Prices for milk could double if current commodity programs expire.  That's because the underlying permanent farm law would trigger the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set the floor price for milk at about $39 per 100 pounds.  Although I'm not serving on the conference committee hammering out the details on a final bill, I'm riding herd on lawmakers to keep the reforms in place that were in both the House- and Senate-passed bills.  It's time to give farmers the certainty they need to make business decisions for the year ahead.

Physican Shares 4 Tips for Enjoying Life to the Fullest

Have you ever felt like you need an upgrade on your life? Most of us have - and there's a way to get it, says veteran physician Sanjay Jain.

"First, I tell people, 'Don't be afraid of making your life clearer.' Many argue that life is not simple and, therefore, there are no easy answers, but as we have paraphrased from Chinese philosopher Laozi, 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,' " says Jain, whose specialties include integrative medicine. He's also an international speaker and author of Optimal Living 360 - available February 2014 (www.sanjayjainmd.com).

"Lives are built from many small components which, when viewed as an assembled whole, can appear overwhelmingly complex," Jain says. "But when we break them down and consider the pieces as we make decisions in our lives, it's much easier to see how small adjustments can result in a better return on all of the investments we make - not only in health, but in relationships, finances, and all the other essential aspects of our lives."

Jain offers four points to keep in mind as you start the journey.

• Life is short, so live it to its fullest potential. Live it optimally. This is your life, so don't waste its most precious resource - time. No matter one's spiritual leanings, economic and education status, health, intelligence level, etc. - one thing is true for all: Our time on Earth is finite. There will be a time for most of us when, perhaps after a frightening diagnosis from a doctor, we reflect deeply upon our time and consider the most important moments, and all the time that may have been squandered.

• Balance is key. Too much or too little of something, no matter how good, is actually not good. Balance is one of the easiest tenets to understand, but arguably the most difficult to maintain. Obviously, too much alcohol is bad; then again, there are some health benefits to moderately imbibing red wine. What about too much of a good thing; can a mother love her children too much? Yes, if she is an overprotective "helicopter parent." The best antidote to overkill of anything is awareness; try to be aware of all measures in your life.

• Learn to tap your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses. Engaging your strengths at work and in your personal life is important. When we do what we're good at and what comes easily, we feel self-confident and satisfied. Some people, however, are not in jobs that utilize their strengths, or they don't put their talents to work at home because they're mired in the prosaic work of living. It's important to identify your strengths and find ways to engage them. It's equally important to recognize our weaknesses and work on improving them (because we can!) This is essential for achieving balance.

• Life is about making the right choices. Integrative decision-making makes this easier. There are many different types of decision-making, including systematic, hierarchal, impulsive, decisive and flexible. Integrative decision-making can be used for problems large and small, and includes the following process: 1. Define the problem. 2. Frame the problem. 3. Develop all your options. 4. Analyze your options. 5. Make the decision. 6. Execute your decision. 7. Debrief yourself. While experts may be the best consultants for compartmentalized areas of your life, only you know the other aspects that affect your well-being and can determine how a decision in one area will affect another area.

About Sanjay Jain, MD, MBA: Sanjay Jain is a U.S.-trained physician with certifications in Diagnostic Radiology, Integrative Medicine, and Healthcare Quality and Management and more than 15 years of clinical experience. He graduated from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and The Ohio State University, where he earned a master's in business administration. This unique blend and perspective has made him a highly sought after domestic and international speaker. He remains actively involved with many medical organizations at both the local and national levels.

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today released the following statement commemorating the first night of Hanukkah, which began Nov. 28 and ends Dec. 5:

"Hanukkah is a joyous holiday that brings friends and family together in celebration.

"The perseverance and resilience of the Jewish people, combined with everything that Hanukkah represents, serve as an inspiration for people of all faiths across Illinois.

"I wish all who are celebrating in Illinois a happy Hanukkah and a wonderful holiday season."

Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, as well as the triumph of light and purity. When the Jews tried to purify the Temple upon reclaiming it, there was only enough oil to light the menorah for one day instead of the necessary eight. Miraculously, this small amount of oil lasted all eight days, which is why this holiday is also known as the Festival of Lights.

Earlier today state officials were joined by Rabbi Avraham Kagan and Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz of Chabad Illinois and other leaders of the Jewish community for the state of Illinois' annual Hanukkah celebration. The group lit a menorah to commemorate the first night of this special holiday.