Switzerland Has Voted Today

The last time a Swiss vote got international attention, it was because its citizens decided to outlaw the construction of minarets. That was a year ago.
Today, the Swiss voted again, this time on two important issues presented as referendums.
The first was a proposal by the Swiss Socialist Party to skew the tax index so that "rich" residents pay additional taxes while "poorer" residents pay less. The Swiss voters defeated this referendum, and if commentary and political advertisements before the vote are any indication, they voted "no" because they want to keep the wealthier residents who already pay significant taxes and who were suggesting that they'd find another country for residence if the referendum were passed (a lot like wealthy New Jersey residents who were fleeing the state until the current governor eliminated an onerous tax burden on "the wealthy") . But, more importantly, for the most part, the Swiss are opposed to solving undefined fiscal problems by raising taxes, and this most recent vote is just the latest example of their determination to raise taxes only when the goal and need are clear and the tax is time-limited.
The second referendum concerned cancelling the passports of naturalized citizens who commit what Americans would call felonies (serious violent crimes) within five years of receiving a Swiss passport. The referendum won handily.
The European Union is threatening to take the question to the International Court of Human Rights, just as they did with the minaret decision. It will probably fail, as did the first. In addition, the European Union has several member states which are considering doing the same Switzerland has voted positively on today. France is the most prominent, having announced that killing a policeman, among other crimes, should be grounds for withdrawing a French passport in the first ten years after granting it. Such a law would require a constitutional change and President Sarkozy seems ready to take on the battle.
This is an idea that is receiving much discussion in Europe generally and Switzerland is simply the first to step up to the plate and be heard. If you live in Europe, it is easy to understand the public outcry. Drug-related gang wars and itinerant petty criminals make a strong case for some sort of residence and citizenship control.
I have been opposed to the idea of a "fortress Europe" but living here has given me another perspective. Europe can absorb only so many foreigners in any given time frame.
The same question is being discussed  in the United States, where illegal immigrants are the issue - should they be "regularized" or deported? These are not easy questions and they deserve serious discussion, not knee-jerk responses.
Switzerland has kick-started the debate and it will find many supporters in the rest of Europe.