The Norman Transcript Before campaigns began heating up this summer, political pundits told us candidates would push the immigration fears hot button. In this case, they were right. We have hearings being held in Oklahoma and around the country on the status and cost of illegal immigrants. There do not seem to be any events, other than the Nov. 7 election, that are causing these hearings to take place now. On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted to build a 700-mile fence along the Mexican border and moved ahead on other enforcement measures designed to slow illegal entries into the country. The House voted to require Americans to show proof of citizenship in order to vote. The policy debates are necessary, but the election-eve agenda being set forth is proving to be transparent. Americans are truly concerned about the cost and implications of illegal and legal immigration, but the solutions are broader and not as simple as building a fence and checking IDs at the voting booth. Posted at 9/24/2006 10:22:00 PM