Free Republic

Fifty-one people -- nearly all illegal immigrants -- are facing a "life-or-death limbo" after a cash-strapped Atlanta charity hospital decided it must stop providing them free kidney dialysis treatments that were costing the hospital (or rather taxpayers) $50,000 per year. That's according to a heart-rending article in Saturday's New York Times about the “excruciating choices” faced by Atlanta's Grady hospital upon closing its outpatient dialysis unit. Over the years, the unit has been overrun by illegal immigrants, and it has thus become a major financial drain on the “taxpayer-supported safety-net hospital,” the Times explained in its lengthy article: "The Breaking...

They always say Hispanics do jobs that other Americans won’t do. Believe it. You even see it in Congress. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) is getting ready to do something that none of his non-Hispanic colleagues are the least bit anxious to do: introduce a bill calling for comprehensive immigration reform. Why the hesitation? Simple: grabbing hold of this thorny issue is a sure way to lose friends and infuriate people. Here are three things to keep in mind about the legislation: (1) It will likely be the template for what Gutierrez recently predicted would be a rebooting of the immigration...

Immigration: For illegal immigrants, the good times are back. Workplace raids have been halved, and easily fudged paperwork audits are up. Make no mistake, this is a politically driven precursor to amnesty. How times change. In 2007, an outraged public made itself heard to politicians by saying "enough" to policies that produced 12 million illegals in the U.S. It sank the bipartisan 2007 immigration bill, dismissing it as "amnesty," and demanded enforcement of the law. The result rocked the country. Arrests picked up, and President Bush took on the politically tough task of telling immigrants that reform was off the...

There is a battle brewing in California, should we count only those who are citizens, or should we count everyone that resides inside of the Glden State. So ponder this. When we take the census in 2010 should we be counting everybody or just U.S. citizens? There are non-citizens and illegal aliens in this country. What have we done in the past and why is it important? First of all just in California if we excluded counting non-citizens we would lose 5 House seats in Congress. Exclude counting illegal immigrants we would lose an additional 2 seats. In 1990 California...

Obama's senior advisor said today that a plan to grant citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is in the works and could be made law as early as next year. On CNN's "State of the Union" with John King, the White House's David Axelrod dodged a question asking him to commit to pushing immigration reform regardless of the political climate, but nonetheless confirmed earlier hints by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano that Democrats and Republicans are working behind the scenes to pass major new legislation. "I think some good work is being done on both sides...

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday that the Obama administration will push for “immigration reform” by giving the estimated 14 million people who are in the United States illegally “fair pathway to earned legal status.” “A tough and fair pathway to earned legal status will mandate that illegal immigrants meet a number of requirements—including registering, paying a fine, passing a criminal background check, fully paying all taxes and learning English,” Napolitano said Friday at a panel discussion at the liberal Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. “These are substantial requirements that will make sure this population gets right...

The Obama administration will insist on measures to give legal status to an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in legislation to overhaul the immigration system that it will begin to push early next year, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Friday. In an address at the Center for American Progress, a liberal policy group in Washington, Ms. Napolitano sought to dispel any notion that the administration — with health care, energy and other major issues crowding its agenda — might postpone the most contentious piece of an immigration overhaul until after midterm elections next November. Laying out the administration’s...

As immigrants’ rights groups are pressing President Barack Obama to step up efforts at comprehensive reform this year, one prominent member of Obama’s cabinet is acknowledging that the economic downturn has made legalization of illegal immigrants tougher to sell to the American public. “When unemployment is up, anything that looks like you’re taking jobs away from …people who are lawfully here—citizens of the United States—is going to meet a lot of resistance,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said during an exchange with reporters Tuesday morning. The homeland security chief and former Arizona governor said the economic slump may also have...

Although Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) vowed this week to introduce comprehensive immigration reform next month, his Senate counterparts expected to take the lead on the issue aren’t heeding a similar timeline. “That’s new to me,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said of Gutierrez’s announcement, made Tuesday at an immigration rally on Capitol Hill. “I’ve been talking to Sen. Schumer, and we hope to get something done that’s comprehensive,” Graham added. “We just don’t know when yet.”Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, has been meeting periodically with Graham to discuss ideas on immigration,...

Why We Are Going to Hell – Part 3,995 Conservative Protestants Condone Law-Breaking Has the Christian Church Gone Crazy??? byPaul L. Williams, Ph.D. thelastcrusade.org Evangelical Christians this week offered the Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and members of the U.S. Senate Immigration Reform Committee their ringing endorsement of full amnesty for the 20 to 30 million illegal aliens within the country. Open borders and high immigration, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) proclaimed, increases membership in evangelical churches and is good for the economy. Rev. Leith Anderson, president of the NAE, said there was no dissent among the members of...

NATIONAL EVANGELICALS PRESIDENT SAYS PRO-AMNESTY SUPPORT WAS UNANIMOUS Rev. Leith Anderson, president of the NAE, was invited by Sen. Shumer (D-N.Y.) to testify in favor of the Senate immigration chairman's push to create amnesty legislation this fall. Sen. Shumer asked Rev. Anderson if many of his colleagues agree with his support for legalizing 12-20 million illegal aliens and increasing the legal immigration far higher than the 1 million a year current level (the two key components of "comprehensive immigration reform"). Rev. Anderson answered that there was no dissent in adopting the pro-amnesty resolution on the 75-member NAE board of directors....

Angered by President Obama's lack of success in legalizing illegal immigrants, some Hispanic activists are urging all Hispanics to boycott the 2010 census as a sign of displeasure. Other groups have asked the federal government to suspend immigration raids while census takers are in the field, hoping that will make illegal immigrants more likely to respond to questions. It's just the latest trouble in what's turning into a rocky run-up to the census next year. During a congressional hearing last week, a Democratic senator told Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves that the American Community Survey - a yearly survey...

Providers are reducing staffing and services and increasing rates, and hospitals are closing or facing bankruptcy. And the Obama administration wants to extend medical insurance to the uninsured. What they won't face is the role immigration has played in driving up the number of uninsured and the rising cost of health care for native-born Amereicans. Here is some substantiated research data: *Between 1989 and 2007, immmigrants and their U.S.- born children accounted for 71% of the increase in the uninsured. *Approximately 65% of illegal aliens in the U.S. are uninsured. *In many hospitals, as much as two-thirds of total operating...

EVERYONE--PLEASE TAKE TIME TO LISTEN TO THIS--IT TELLS ABOUT THE BILL GOING THRU CONGRESS RIGHT NOW REGARDING IMMIGRATION. EVEN CNN IS GETTING UPSET ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!! Pass this on after you watch it. NOTICE THAT THIS IS FROM CNN, NOT FOX!!! This from CNN news: http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/17260182/1610997888/name/ftc-vi26.wmv This 2-minute video should be mandatory viewing for every US citizen. If you have never passed anything on before, pass this on! Every American should be outraged!

House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) Suggested last week that health care reform would save on the money spent on health care for illegal aliens.

Amnesty is back, and with a vengeance. This was the dominant theme I heard at this week's annual talk-radio gabfest in Washington sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the country's leading anti-amnesty organization. "As we gather here in the nation's capital, another illegal alien amnesty bill has been introduced in the Senate," FAIR President Dan Stein said. It is no surprise that, after passing health care "reform," President Obama plans to move on to his next big domestic initiative: granting citizenship to more than 12 million illegal immigrants. For decades, Beltway and business elites have championed a...

Amnesty is back, and with a vengeance. This was the dominant theme I heard at this week's annual talk-radio gabfest in Washington sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the country's leading anti-amnesty organization. "As we gather here in the nation's capital, another illegal alien amnesty bill has been introduced in the Senate," FAIR President Dan Stein said. It is no surprise that, after passing health care "reform," President Obama plans to move on to his next big domestic initiative: granting citizenship to more than 12 million illegal immigrants. For decades, Beltway and business elites have championed a...

DEMOCRATS in the House of Representatives, with the support of only a handful of Republicans this week voted to formally rebuke Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.) for shouting, "You lie!" during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 9. Mr. Wilson's outburst came after the President said illegal immigrants were not included in his health-care plan. This was a mistake. Mr. Wilson was rude, as he said in his apology later that night: "This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President's remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants...

Los Angeles religious leaders have launched a phone campaign to urge lawmakers to include undocumented immigrants in any healthcare reform plan. At a religious service Friday, faith leaders called access to healthcare a moral and spiritual imperative. More than 150 worshippers attended a Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church and prayed for an all-inclusive reform plan.

The health care debate and amnesty for illegal aliens could soon be an informal packaged plan. Some have wondered why immigration groups – in favor of amnesty legislation – are not complaining about President Obama’s assurance illegal aliens would not be covered in H.R. 3200. They know amnesty legislation is around the corner, so they are placing their bets at another table.

President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage. He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally should be covered - a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill, which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens and longtime immigrants.

Discourse: The reaction to the congressman's outburst shows what happens when you judge this president by the content of his character. In a post-racial presidency, charges of racism are the new last refuge of scoundrels.When Joe Wilson, the decorum-challenged South Carolina Republican, reacted to President Obama's assertion that there was nothing in health care legislation giving coverage to illegal aliens by shouting "You lie!" he knew, as his critics ignore, that there was nothing requiring proof of citizenship either. A nonpartisan Congressional Research Service study found that the House health care bill at that moment did not restrict illegal immigrants...

If someone calls you out as a liar, and you respond “no, it is not true” – in my book, you just called the person a liar in a polite way. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) – send money here – called out President Obama, Obama then called Wilson a liar, and then on Friday night the Senate took a closer look at the health care legislation and quietly added a citizenship requirement.

Sunday, September 13, 2009 Leading Dem Says Immigration Reform Is Coming Up Next Before Year's End After the Alinsky democrats in Congress and the White House stun the country by ramming through nationalized health care it looks like immigration will be one of the next items on this year's agenda. Obama promised to reshape America. That's one promise he's keeping. The radical Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) told Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (I.C.I.R.R.) supporters at a press conference in Chicago that soon the democrats will begin work on immigration "reform." If they haven't destroyed the economy by Christmas this...

The latest dust-up over President Barack Obama's health care-for-all mission — Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., angrily calling Obama a liar during a nationally televised speech — underscored conservatives' fears that illegal immigrants would benefit from efforts to expand coverage. Obama insisted that the legislation would not give government subsidies to the nation's millions of undocumented residents. But if immigrant-rich California is any indication, considerable numbers of undocumented immigrants participate in taxpayer-supported health plans. Although most federal benefit programs bar those who cannot prove their citizenship, California has been more generous than other states. Its taxpayers contribute more than $1 billion...

((excerpt)) Much was made about South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's "you lie!" comment to President Barack Obama during his joint session speech on Wednesday. But behind that rude outburst there's genuine concern about whether illegal immigrants would benefit from whatever plan emerges from the House and Senate ((snip)) There is a bit of a Catch 22 in this bill for illegal immigrants. The House bill would require that everyone have health insurance. If you can't afford it the federal government would help and there are expected to be some hardship exemptions to the mandate. If you don't comply, the...

WASHINGTON — The White House strengthened its stand against health care coverage for illegal immigrants Friday, and a pivotal Senate committee looked ready to follow its lead. ((snip)) Currently illegal immigrants are barred from government-funded care except in certain emergency cases, but many buy private insurance and there's nothing to prevent them from doing that. That would change under the White House's proposal, which is certain to alarm some on the left.

In Washington, Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina was sharply criticized by both Democrats and his fellow Republicans for shouting “You lie!” during President Obama’s health care address on Wednesday. But here in his strongly Republican Congressional district on Thursday, he was celebrated by many of his constituents for his outburst. “Yeah, it was rude, but somebody needed to say it,” said Susan Wahl, 41, a homemaker in this town of 800 outside Columbia. “Ordinary people can’t just get up and tell Obama he lied. He said something we all wanted to say.” In a state famous for both its...

It was the heckle heard round the world. During President Obama's Wednesday speech, Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., shouted "You lie!" when Obama said his health plan wouldn't cover illegal aliens.Democrats — and many Republicans — cried foul at the breach of decorum. Wilson apologized for his "inappropriate and regrettable" outburst. Obama said Thursday he accepted the apology. But was Wilson inaccurate? Some independent analysis indicates — contrary to Obama's claim — that the House health bill could result in coverage being extended to illegal immigrants. The Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan agency that analyzes legislation for lawmakers, notes that most...

SummaryThis report outlines the treatment of noncitizens (aliens) under H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. In particular, the report analyzes specific provisions in H.R. 3200, and whether there are eligibility requirements for noncitizens in the provisions. Within the bill, noncitizens are treated differently in several provisions. In 2008, there were approximately 37.3 million foreign-born persons in the United States. The foreign-born population was comprised of approximately 15.1 million naturalized U.S. citizens and 22.2 million noncitizens. H.R. 3200 includes an individual mandate to have health insurance, with tax penalties for noncompliance. Individuals who do not maintain acceptable health...

Set aside Joe Wilson’s bad manners — what about the substance of his accusation? Mr. Wilson claims that various Democratic proposals wending their way through Congress will use U.S. taxpayer dollars to further subsidize health care for illegal immigrants. Democrats say this is not true, and the back-and-forth continues like this: Democrats say that there is nothing in pending legislation that explicitly covers illegal aliens. Republicans say, “Aha! But we offered amendments that would have specifically required more robust measures to keep illegals out of the system and you voted them down, leaving the back door open!” And Democrats respond,...

Based on our analysis of Census Bureau data, we estimate that there are 6.6 million uninsured ILLEGAL ALIENS who could be COVERED BY THE NEW HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL. Even though HR 3200 states that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the proposed taxpayer-funded affordable premium credits, there is NOTHING in the bill to enforce this. An amendment was defeated by Democrats that would have required the use of the effective Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, used by ALL OTHER means-tested programs of this kind. ["YOU LIE!," shouted Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) when Obama said illegal aliens would...

Rep. Wilson Outburst Leads Senate Dems to Close Loophole in Health Reform Bill In the Senate, Democrats in the so called "Gang of Six," began moving quickly to close the loophole Rep. Joe Wilson helped bring to light with his outburst during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. FOXNews.com Thursday, September 10, 2009 The apologies are out of the way and the offense forgiven. But the underlying policy argument remains, after a Congressman drew fire from both sides of the aisle for his outburst during President Obama's speech Wednesday. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., was...

It may have been a breach of protocol, and it may have been inappropriate but Rep. Joe Wilson got his point across. When Obama claimed his health care proposal would not cover illegals, Rep. Joe Wilson twice shouted “you lie”. He is right. Not only is the President lying about not paying for illegal aliens health care, he has been caught lying before (SEE VIDEO - Right Column). Senator John McSHAME was quick to try to appease the President and said this on CNN, “There is no place for it in that setting, or any other, and he should apologize...

(CNSNews.com) - In his speech to a joint session of Congress last night, President Obama said that his health care reform plan will not insure “illegal immigrants.” The statement instantly became a matter of controversy when Rep. Joe Wilson (R.-S.C.) yelled out in the House chamber, “You lie.” Wilson has since apologized for his outburst. But President Obama’s statement about illegal aliens and health care reform deserves further scrutiny. “There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants,” said Obama. “This, too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are...

"Obama is correct," Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, tells Newsmax. "The legislation states illegals won't get the affordability credits [to pay for their healthcare]. But Wilson's comment is correct in that the normal enforcement mechanism was excluded from the bill. I think that's the fundamental question."

(snip) There is some Republican support for reform. Obama, Napolitano and Sen. John McCain share virtually the same immigration views. The president and McCain reportedly have been speaking in private on the issue. The Arizona Republican has been a leader for comprehensive reform, and with the improvement in enforcement, he now has all the political cover he needs to return to the ramparts.(snip)

Mark Tapscott discovers a nugget in the analysis provided by the Congressional Research Office on HR3200, the House version of ObamaCare coming to the floor. While Barack Obama insists that the idea that ObamaCare will cover illegal immigrants is a “myth,” the CRS points out that the bill does nothing to prevent it. Since HR3200 doesn’t require people to establish citizenship or legal residency before applying to exchanges for health insurance, including the public option, taxpayer money will certainly flow to illegal immigrants: In what he called the “first myth” being spread by critics of his proposal for a government-run...

...But there remain some holes Obama needs to fill in his estimates of how California would benefit from reform; these mostly involve illegal immigration. Obama adamantly insists his plan would in no way benefit illegal immigrants, but it's hard to see how one of his central claims can be accurate so long as he ignores the large populace of illegals in this state, variously estimated at between 1.8 million and 2.5million persons. ...But that can only be true if everyone is covered. As long as the plan excludes illegals - and there's no way any plan covering them could get...

... In 2008 there were approximately 37.3 million foreign-born persons in the United States. The foreign-born population was comprised of approximately 15.1 million naturalized U.S. citizens and 22.1 million noncitizens. H.R. 3200 includes an individual mandate to have health insurance with tax penalties for non-compliance. Individuals who do not maintain acceptable insurance coverage for themselves and their children would be required to pay an additional tax. Some individuals, including nonresident aliens, would be exempt from the individual mandate... Under H.R. 3200 a "Health Insurance Exchange" would begin operation in 2013 and would offer plans alongside a public option. H.R. 3200...

Since he obviously can't be bothered reading the bills he insists we need to support, Obama might be forgiven for characterizing as a myth something which is not one. Mark Tapscott highlights a report establishing that ObamaCare will cover illegal immigrants. Among the many claims being made durng the August recess by Democrats from President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, to the lowliest back-bencher is that Obamacare absolutely, positively, cannot possibly ever in a million, zillion years provide coverage to illegal immigrants. Just this past weekend during his regular Saturday address -...

Tuesday, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) the "research arm" for the United States Congress issued a report validating an analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) that illegal aliens would be able to receive benefits under the House health care reform bill, America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200). The report, Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitizens - whether legally or illegally present, or in the U.S. temporarily or permanently... CRS also confirms... that the House bill does not include a mechanism to prevent illegal aliens from receiving "affordability...

Among the many claims being made durng the August recess by Democrats from President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, to the lowliest back-bencher is that Obamacare absolutely, positively, cannot possibly ever in a million, zillion years provide coverage to illegal immigrants. Just this past weekend during his regular Saturday address - devoted to addressing what he called "false claims about reform" - Obama said he wants "an honest debate" on health care reform, "not one dominated by willful misrepresentations and outright distortions."

Many of the 130 immigration reform advocates and leaders who attended a White House meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano last Thursday thought it was productive. Or so they said. "Both Secretary Napolitano and President Obama [who made a cameo appearance at the meeting] signaled their willingness to lean into the issue," said Angela Kelley of the Center for American Progress. Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum had this to say: "President Obama and Secretary Napolitano remain committed to comprehensive immigration reform." Well, that's great. But weren't we supposed to know this already? What does it mean that...

In a July interview with Katie Couric, President Obama was asked if “his” plan would cover illegal aliens. He responded with a simple “no.” To be sure there is language in House bill 3200 that says illegals aren’t covered. Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States. But who cannot realize that all it will take is the next Congress to take out the red pen to strike out this little provision so that the government can then begin covering illegals? There is nothing...

In a veiled attempt to change the country's talking points, the White House decided to announce that a special prosecutor would be named to investigate a dozen CIA interrogations during the Bush administration. Political pundits say this is just another ploy to change the topic from health care... Many questions remain direct and focused on health care issues. A biggie is, "Will the health care reform bill include coverage for those in this country illegally? The president continues to say absolutely not. However, there have been many attempts to add safety measures to ensure illegal aliens do not receive care...

House Health Reform Bill Will Allow Illegal Aliens to Receive Taxpayer-Funded Health Care Critics of America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2009 (AAHCA), the health care reform bill currently working its way through the House of Representatives, have suggested the bill will provide taxpayer-funded health care to illegal aliens. Supporters of the bill maintain that Section 246 will prevent illegal aliens from receiving benefits under the bill. Section 246 states that "[n]othing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."1 As discussed in this memorandum,...

This is part and parcel of the White House strategy on selling health care reform: ask people to put blinders on so that the intended/unintended effects of his health care reforms are ignored. Case in point: every one with an ounce of intelligence can see that Obama's proposals for reform will include health care for illegal aliens - even though it is not specifically written into any proposed bill. It will simply be the consequence of a government takeover of health care. Here's Obama yesterday on the Michael Smerconish radio show: "This has been an example of just pure misinformation...

This from CNN news: Dobbs on CNNA must view video of Lou Dobbs expounding on the outrageous Immigration Legislation our un-American Congress members want to push through.

The House bill actually raises more questions than it resolves with respect to whether the bill will burden American taxpayers by giving health care benefits to legal and illegal aliens. Under Welfare Reform, legal aliens are required to wait five years before becoming eligible for welfare or other taxpayer funded benefits. The House bill eliminates that 5-year waiting period. Accordingly, legal aliens will become immediately eligible for this government handout paid for by American taxpayers. Illegal aliens are also likely to qualify for this affordability credit. This is because there are NO provisions that would prevent illegals from participating in...