Posted on 08/05/2005 1:04:32 PM PDT by Reaganwuzthebest
The president, in a wide-ranging talk, gives a hint at how he'll pitch reform measures
GRAPEVINE - President Bush told a crowd of state legislators Wednesday that he will push immigration reform as beneficial for U.S. employers as well as foreigners looking for work.
He also made an impassioned pitch for Americans to stay behind the war in Iraq.
"Immigration reform is going to be an interesting subject when we get back to Washington" in September, said Bush, who plans to spend this month at his Crawford ranch.
He argued that his proposal for a "guest worker" program is good for employers and illegal immigrants who want a mutually beneficial relationship.
"If you are a willing employer (and) you have somebody looking for work and you can't find an American, there ought to be a legal way for you to employ that person," he said. "We'd rather have people coming in with a card that said, 'I'm a legal worker,' than trying to sneak across the border."
The president has proposed a system under which immigrants would be granted worker temporary worker status, after which they would have to leave the United States. Critics have called it a thinly veiled amnesty program. Immigration reform plans have stalled in Congress so far this year, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist recently suggested a GOP push on the issue was more likely to happen next year.
Talking hours after the first reports that 14 U.S. Marines were killed in Iraq, Bush said, "The violence in recent days in Iraq is a grim reminder of the enemies we face. These terrorists and insurgents will use brutal tactics because they're trying to shake the will of the United States of America."
With polls showing that public support for continued military involvement in Iraq is eroding in the face of steady casualties, Bush relied on a familiar linkage of the war with the larger struggle against terrorism. He said Americans who died in Iraq and Afghanistan "lost their lives in a noble cause."
Speaking to 1,800 people at the American Legislative Exchange Council conference, Bush basked in recent legislative victories delivered by a GOP majority in Congress, including the Central American Free Trade Agreement and energy and highways legislation.
Bush said his priorities when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day will be immigration reform, making his tax cuts permanent, getting Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts confirmed and resurrecting his Social Security reform initiative.
Bush drew loud cheers by saying he strongly believed in private retirement accounts for workers under 55. "Now is the time to permanently fix Social Security," he said.
The event was held at a mammoth convention center where visiting legislators were introduced to Texas pride, including a large replica of the Alamo, a 10-foot-long space shuttle model and other state symbols.
That's the point of this! GWB could care not a bit about average Americans other than in rhetoric and patriotic speeches. This plan is meant to drive down wages across the board to bring them in line with Mexico, South America, and Canada.
W works for the people who bribe, er, pay for the reelection campaigns of GOP candidates.
The Chinese execute murderers and rapists, factory work is for the dissidents.
Callow me.
No were just not kool aid drinkers. Bush is harming are National Security by opening are borders. He talks about Homeland security but dosent defend are borders. No homeland security without are borders being protected
I feel so dumb to believe that after 9/11 and 3000 of our citizens died that a "conservative" GOP president would have taken care of one our most obvious and pressing issues affecting national security.
Obviously there are many crimes which Americans are unwilling to commit, since 30% of our prisons are populated with these wonderful, hard working "immigrants".
Five minutes after a massive terrorist attack or an American Beslan is determined to have been initiated by terrorists who walked across the border.
What a sad joke that nonsense is. Employers also love illegals because they know an illegal be less likely to recourse or redress if they get screwed out of wages or gets hurt on the job.
Don't feel dumb. Read Fr; a lot of people were taken in by the system, and ARE being taken in.
Fact is, politics is run by the golden rule: he who has the gold makes the rules. The banks and the big corporate suits pay for election campaigns. We do not. The math is simple.
It doesn't piss off his circle of friends and allies. Those who pay the REAL salaries call the tune.
bump
"Our soldiers are fighting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and getting killed and hurt doing it, yet those lunatics can just stroll right in here from Mexico at will if they so desire."
Meanwhile, the numbers of illegals crossing skyrockets every time a mention of the non-amnesty happens. Seems they know exactly what this means and are all rushing in for a piece of our pie.
Bush agrees with them on integrating the North American countries, there's no doubt in my mind. The fight to stop the insanity will be in Congress.
And that is a fact of life in modern American politics when you need millions of dollars to get elected to Congress.
If I were Emperor of the United States, all campaign contributions would be considered bribery and 10 local cable channels would be set aside so that political candidates could talk themselves blue in the face free of charge.
The lobbyists now bribe Congress-critters to ignore illegal immigration because they need a certain number of workers in certain occupations that they just can't get in the U.S.
Bush's guest worker program addresses that economic need and illuminates the lobbyist need to bribe Congress to ignore illegal immigration.
Yes but his father only lost. W can only hurt the next guy we put up in 08.
Just as soon as they drop an anchor baby, it's all over.
That's exactly what it's aimed for, not for minimal wagers, they'll continue using illegals (why would they stop?) but for the higher end employee positions, utilizing people who aren't going to be running across the border and who are limited by Congress mandated H1-B levels. Kiss it all good bye.
they will do that of course, the jobs in those areas they already don't have plans to offshore of course.
if this passes, its the end of the US private sector middle class. our middle class will consist of government workers.
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