The hypocrisy displayed by many members of Congress who want to see a crackdown on employers who hire illegally present immigrants really gets my goat. I would venture a guess that a sizable majority of them have had such workers mow their lawns, watch their kids, clean their houses, put on their roofs, etc. And just because they paid a contractor or only had them working part time and paid in cash doesn't make them less hypocritical. So I was VERY pleased to see Colin Powell on Meet the Press on NBC yesterday admit what others won't:

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says illegal immigrants do essential work in the U.S. and he has firsthand knowledge of that — because they fix his house.

Powell, a moderate Republican, urged his party Sunday to support immigration generally because it is "what's keeping this country's lifeblood moving forward."

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," he said a path to legal status should be offered to illegal immigrants because they "are doing things we need done in this country."

He added: "They're all over my house, doing things whenever I call for repairs, and I'm sure you've seen them at your house. We've got to find a way to bring these people out of the darkness and give them some kind of status."