[cyborg]

That trial baloon went down im flames.

[cyborg]

You think he heard the sucking sounds of votes?

[kuma]

It needs to be made on the deal that all the illegals go home first to sign up :OP. I mean that really. How is it fair to those Mexicans etc... who do wait to come here legally. I'm not against a worker program as long as Mexico foots the bill for their medical and education while they are here.

[blam]

This is the issue that could cost Bush a second term.

He better get these illegal people out of my country or I will begin voting for someone who will!!!

[Torie]

Bush clearly has no intention of laying out anything coherent on immigration policy before the next election. It will be zig and zag, ending up with next to nothing. The more interesting question is what Bush might do in his second term. Will this issue interest him enough to take some risk to actually deal with the issue in an more coherent and thoughtful way, which while controversial, will at least represent a point of departure for debate? I suspect the answer is more likely than not, no. Nature will take its course. It may be, that in a decade, Europe and America will be competing for Latino immigrants. Stranger things have happened. As it is, a rather significant shift between the two continents in immigration patterns is emerging.

[Kuksool]

{Another piece of legislation known as the DREAM Act would give legal and permanent status to tens of thousands of children of undocumented immigrants. The bill, whose name is an acronym for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, was sponsored by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican. It recently passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee and is awaiting a full vote by the Senate.}

I hope the DREAM Act gets voted down in the House. Orrin Hatch's brain cells must be breaking down.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

HAH! Thanks Freepers!

[Consort]

¿Has a Serapé Amnesty been ruled out?

[blam]

Australia Watches As Death Looms In Nauru Asylum Camps

[Hoverbug]

Not good e'nuf Dubya. Try again.

Hb

[MissAmericanPie]

"The bottom line is, as a country we have to come to grips with the presence of 8 to 12 million illegals, afford them some kind of legal status some way, but also as a country decide what our immigration policy is and then enforce it."

The bottom line Mr. Ridge, is that we have already decided what our immigration policy is, NOW enforce it. Enforce it now, what the heck does "then" mean? Are you a law abiding citizen in charge of enforcing the laws of this nation, head of Homeland Security or not? What's your excuse for ignoring the laws on the books? What's Bush's excuse? What ever it is, it isn't good enough, that pig won't fly.

There is more to being a responsible American than matching up willing worker with willing employer, there are cultural, legal, moral, social, and economic issues at stake here. Or does that well touted "conservative compassion" not apply to you and your boss's fellow citizens? You guys familiar with that term? Sovereign citizen? It's not something to be toss'ed to the masses like soap cupons, or a lottery. Government is responsible for the caliber and quality of immigrants they allow in our home. How is ripping off the taxpayer, his Social Security, his hard earned money paid in taxes to pay for the welfare, medical, services of illegals, while they make their money under the table and rip off the American economy to the tune of $14,000,000,000.00 per year compassionate to those you are responsible to?

Now you want to send them $5,000,000.000.00 of our already shaky SS funds in one year to be followed by 34,000,000,000.00 in five years and all you have is their corrupt word and shady documentation that they are entitled to our money.

If you want to match willing worker with willing employer first clear the nation of these Palastentian wanna be's that partied in the streets, sold Ben Laden masks and t-shirts on 9-11, then document and verify those you want to issue temporary work permits to. This should not include their families who should remain in Mexico as an incentive for them to return to their homeland. End and revoke anchor baby status, and clean house, or you may find yourselves in shock in 2004 when the slogan becomes, "It's the illegals stupid".

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

I can think of no greater disconnect that exists between the governed and the government than that of illegal immigration.

It is the ten ton elephant in the living room that citizens want out, and yet the politicians continue to walk around it so as to deny reality.

[gubamyster]

ping

[Paleo Conservative]

I prefer we give a blanket party.

[Fledermaus]

Maybe they'll just switch the more popular "sleeping bag" amnesty.

[Fledermaus]

Why don't we just annex Mexico and, along with Puerto Rico, make it the 51st and 52nd state?

I'm actually being serious. Mexico is such a mess, even California under Grayout Davis was ran better.

And it's got more oil than ANWR we can use. They already send us nearly as much oil as Saudi Arabia and we could get twice that or more, and natural gas, and save on the shipping costs since the Mexican government runs the industry so badly it's totally corrupt and inefficient.

[Spiff]

But the president reiterated a stance he has enunciated often: "This administration is firmly against blanket amnesty." spell out his preferred policy. A handful of options are floating around Capitol Hill, including one co-sponsored by several Republicans who propose giving legal residency to illegal immigrants through work.

No, it certainly won't be called a blanket amnesty by the administration, but that will be its effect.

[backhoe]

Here's the un-noticed zinger:

12 million immigrants illegally in the United States

12,000,000? I thought it was 1.2 million...

[rintense]

THANK GOD!

[PGalt]

Terrific President...Outstanding Administration.