Like most Americans, I am the descendent of immigrants. In fact, I think the true value of our nation lies in its ethnic diversity.

That said, I have a problem with President Bush's current proposal to grant amnesty to the nearly 3 million undocumented Mexicans living in the United States. It's not that I fear my country losing its "national identity." It's just that Bush's plan is unfair.

First off, it's not fair to the millions of aspiring Americans who are currently petitioning for citizenship through legal channels (a process that may take years). It's also unfair to the millions of Americans who have attained citizenship the old fashioned way: They've earned it.

And it's certainly not fair to the millions of non-Mexican (Central American, Asian, Eastern European, African) illegal aliens who currently live here. If the president is so compassionate, why not wipe the slate clean for everyone?

The sad truth is that Dubya and his lackeys on Capital Hill aren't interested in parity. They're interested in grabbing the Hispanic vote.

Someone should let our chief executive know that Mexicans are but a portion of the Hispanic slice of the electoral enchilada. C'mon, Jorge, just because you speak a little "Mexican" doesn't make you worthy of the Latino vote. And frankly, as an American, I am insulted by an attempt to sell something as precious as U.S. citizenship for votes.

Furthermore, Bush's weak attempt to create the illusion of deft foreign policy skills are nearly as insulting as the amnesty plan itself. Bush claims to be working with Mexican President Vincente Fox on a plan to deal with the relentless influx of undocumented Mexicans who are coming into the United States every day. Our esteemed leader might do well to advise Fox to end the Mexican government's practice of providing desert survival kits near the U.S.-Mexico border. If they think handing out desert survival kits in Mexico and/or "free" green cards on this side will end illegal immigration, they might as well start handing out condoms to teenagers to stop them from having sex.

And finally, granting amnesty to undocumented (Mexican) aliens is unfair to all tax-paying Americans. Statistics indicate that nearly 80 percent of 11 million undocumented immigrants use some form of government assistance. While I thank the 2 million plus who don't have their hands in my pocket, I'll be damned if I'm gonna reward the remaining 8 million for stealing from me.

Like I said, I welcome immigrants of all nations, so long as they end up here legally. But when politicians start selling citizenship for votes, yo tengo una problema.