Wet foot, dry foot

I live in South Florida. I am amazed at the infantile political perspective that introduced (and persists) the wet-foot/dry-foot policy for Cuban immigrants to the United States. Essentially, this policy says that if you come from Cuba without papers and get to the United States - even with one foot still in the water - you are granted asylum.

Cubans come to this country not to escape Communism but to gain greater economic opportunities. Why are they different from Ethiopians, Bolivians, Mexicans, or Jamaicans who would like to come to the US for the same reasons? The intelligent answer: they're not. The political answer: Florida is a swing state and the Cuban vote is something you don't mess with.