Jeb Bush Calls Tone of Immigration Debate `Hurtful' (Official "Bush Picks At Toe Jam" th

LA Times ^ | 4/5/06 | Peter Wallsten

[zook]

WASHINGTON — Accusing politicians of "pounding their chests" on immigration for short-term political gain, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday that the tone of the debate had been "hurtful" to him and his Mexican-born wife, Columba.

Bush, the younger brother of President Bush, reserved some of his sharpest criticism for conservatives in his own Republican Party, calling it "just plain wrong" to charge illegal immigrants with a felony, as a provision passed by the Republican-led House would do. He also opposed "penalizing the children of illegal immigrants" by denying them U.S. citizenship, an idea backed by some conservatives but not included in the legislation.

"My wife came here legally, but it hurts her just as it hurts me when people give the perception that all immigrants are bad," the Florida governor wrote in an e-mail exchange with The Times.

[Drammach]

However, I am not convinced the answer is as some have suggested, to lock up 13 million people in jail.

There shouldn't be any need to do so..

Include in legislation a paragraph that states all illegals have say, 6 months to return to their country of origin and apply for a green card...
State in the legislation that after that "grace period" ends, any illegals caught in the U.S. will be fined and deported.. And permanently Denied citizenship..
Offenders will be forever barred from entering the U.S. under any circumstances, and applications for work, citizenship status, visits, etc.. will be denied..

Want to give them a little more time?
Make the grace period one year..
Illegals will have a choice.
They can stay, and get permanently deported and barred..
They can return home at their own expense, and apply for legal entry..
Simple..

We (the U.S.) could even expidite the process, and/or raise immigration quotas from Mexico, Central and South American countries..
Just make sure that it's understood, legal entry and compliance with the laws are everything, and failure to comply will mean permanent denial and hard time for violators..

I guarantee that "most" illegals would return home before the deadline and start paperwork for re-entry..

We have ignored this problem for too long..
Now it is going to cost us "mucho dinero", and require massive amounts of manpower and time to correct it..
I would bet we'll still be apprehending illegals a decade from now, but if we do the right thing, it will be a very few...

[johnny7]

We all knew Bush was no Reagan when we chose him in 2000... now we're just getting the balance of the order.

[normy]

offers the idea that legal immigration should be open to scientists, entrepreneurs, and other "best of the best" types

That seems hardly fair to the Arabs, Easter Europeans, Africans and Asians who are not "the best of the best" but just common laborers who would like the same opportunity as Mexicans to do the job their limited skill and education will get them in America. As a matter of fact companies should band together, buy a cruise ship of some sort, go to the African coastal cities and offer those folks a job in America. Just unload them at the port and say "have at it".

Why stop there? The Russians would love to come to America to flee poverty, perhaps they could be transported here free of charge and given a job in the American fishing or oil business. You see if they will do the job for half of what Americans will then they will be doing jobs Americans wont do.

Now of course we shouldn't expect these new people to pay taxes because I am sure they have 15 kids back in Liberia or Moscow. As a matter of fact lets not even require they be checked for communicable disease

Truth be told there shouldn't even be a term "legal immigrant". Free buffet to the world.

[zook]

President Reagan would be very proud of President Bush, IMO.

[cripplecreek]

It needs to be painfull for employers to hire illegals. I'm not opposed to a guest worker program after all availiable positions are filled by Americans.

[Drammach]

As a matter of fact companies should band together, buy a cruise ship of some sort, go to the African coastal cities and offer those folks a job in America. Just unload them at the port and say "have at it".

I think a bunch of people tried that once before..

It didn't work out too well..

[joesnuffy]

Nuts dont fall too far from the Bush

imo

[Dante3]

Jeb is revealing his true colors. What a moron.

[jpsb]

"It's becoming more and more obvious that the Republican party is filled with corrupt globalists just like the Democratic party."

The mask is off, this issue exposes them .... traitors each and every one.

[ConsentofGoverned]

"We have ignored this problem for too long..
Now it is going to cost us "mucho dinero", and require massive amounts of manpower and time to correct it..
I would bet we'll still be apprehending illegals a decade from now, but if we do the right thing, it will be a very few..."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>...............
So passing more laws WE DO NOT ENFORCE is a solution for most of US..see my tag line.

[johnny7]

Are you channeling?

[normy]

These folks would be paid what Mexicans are paid, maybe less so they can do the jobs Mexicans wont do. They would be better off than where they are now. Of course this would be voluntary and the gov't or UN could observe to make sure there was no mistreatment of the new workers.

[Darnright]

"some fellow Republicans are misusing the issue for short-term political gain."

Like THESE Republicans???

[varina davis]

I still think we should just annex Mexico and gain immediate control of the situation. :^D

Furthermore, y'all should lay off Jeb Bush. He's a good and decent man and has contributed more to the state of Florida than any governor in history.

I didn't see that he was advocating illegality, but rather protesting using the issue as a political football -- which everyone is.

[MBB1984]

"hurtful???????????" "HURTFULL?" Goodness, he sounds like a flaming PC liberal. Get him out of there and send him to the democrats.

[clawrence3]

We can always CHANGE the laws - as for "nobody" having a beef with LEGAL immigration, you are incorrect: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1608492/posts

[reagandemo]

Yes we did know he was not Reagan. But we did not know that he was a big government spender and a big friend of Illegal Aliens.

[clawrence3]

SOME want to stop LEGAL immigration as well: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1608492/posts

[tutstar]

I hear ya!

We need a TR on the job for this!

Teddy Roosevelt Quotes on Immigrants

[summer]

Re your post #21 - LOL...well, he is being "touchy feely" on this in terms of his own wife. And, I imagine, in terms of knowing he is talking to the LA Times, where out in CA, as you know, there was a huge backlash against the GOP because of that proposition whatever it was. (Gov Bush is quoted in this article as saying how the GOP was hurt in the past in CA, due to that proposition. )

So, I guess he is saying it is hurtful on both a personal level and political one, as that proposition also hurt the GOP out there. And, again, I think he is mindful of his audience for the LA Times.

I really think his main purpose was to raise the tone of the debate to something more civil. It can have a civil tone, though it hasn't, and I think I understand why: because this issue has been ignored for way too long. Consequently, over time -- people have become furious about it.