Senate majority leader confident immigration reform will be approved

AP ^ | January 7, 2004

[sarcasm]

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday he was confident U.S. President George W. Bush's immigration reform legislation would be approved by Congress.

Bush called for a major overhaul of America's immigration system Wednesday. The proposal would grant temporary legal status to millions of undocumented workers in the United States.

[novacation]

Average citizen novacation confident we are screwed.

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[Zipporah]

"Why am I confident?" Frist said. "Because it is a security issue." ..Well I am confidentin one thing~they have all lost their minds.....

[KantianBurke]

"What?! This is an outrage! I had to have my slutty wife give Clintigula millions while these illegals get an amnesty for free?? Where's David Boies??"

[COEXERJ145]

We'll see. The House appears a lot less receptive to the idea than the more left leaning Senate.

[AAABEST]

He added that concerns about "the dignity of the individual" would also spur action in Congress. "To keep (immigrants) in the shadows reflects a lack of compassion," he said.

Republicans sound just like their pandering, PC sellout DemRat counterparts. I've been voting GOP my entire life, as has my family for over 80 years.

That's over for me. These people are literal lying scumbags who seem to despise us. I don't care anymore if we get a Dem.

OUTRAGE!!!

[Shermy]

"Why am I confident?" Frist said. "Because it is a security issue."

Such a patent lie and mischaracterization. He's confident though, there must be big money flowing into the campaign coffers.

[VU4G10]

 

THAT'S IT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY LEFT ME!

 

[dagnabbit]

Bush called for a major overhaul of America's immigration system Wednesday. The proposal would grant temporary legal status to millions of undocumented workers in the United States.

Edited for AP and Bush administration lies:

Bush called for a major overhaul of America's immigration system increase in the transfer of third world populations to the USA Wednesday. The proposal would grant temporary permanent legal status, granted in 3-year increments, until the aliens, their attorney, or ethnic lobby find a route to permanent green card status to millions of undocumented workers illegal aliens with illegally obtained jobs and their non-working illegal alien family members in the United States NAFTA Central Zone.

[Diddle E. Squat]

What is Tom DeLay's position? That is the million dollar question.

But President Bush is smart, and despite the conventional wisdom today that 'Its just politics, he wins the Hispanic vote while Congress will never pass it', I think a bill will be passed. He isn't that shallow, and the last thing he wants to do allow others to paint him as just playing politics. Oh they'll try, but when he gets some kind of immigration reform passed, that'll fall flat once again.

No, I don't expect that the bill passed will be exactly like this proposal in its present form, because I think this is just a vehicle to get the discussion going. I would expect it to become much broader in scope, more reform-minded, and likely address some of the cost burdens that illegal immigration has imposed. Expect some addendums like Dana Rohrbacker's(sp) proposals to get incorporated. My hope(though it is only speculation) is that today's proposal was the first volley, positioning Bush on the high ground of compassion and compromise, from which Congress can then address the hard reforms that are needed, too. He probably is doing it this way to take away much of the ability of the media to shoot down any reforms with their usual refrain of 'their go those mean-spirited, evil, racist Republicans again.' You may not like that, but in the current climate, that may be the only way to get through some of the tougher measures that are needed. Or maybe it is a mistake. Maybe it is a good cop(Bush), bad cop(DeLay), but I doubt it. Time will tell.

So let's see where DeLay stands. But one thing is for sure, President Bush is no dummy. So I'll bet that something does pass, and this year. I'll also bet he doesn't allow the Dems to turn it into a 'save American jobs' campaign to resurrect their Presidential hopes.

[KantianBurke]

"Ah this pardon business brings me back. Good for you Dubya!"

[Dog Gone]

You are living with millions of illegal aliens around you. Any proposal which gets them registered as visitors, paying taxes, and identified is worthy of discussion.

You can go to most other countries, if you're properly registered, and get a job. That's not even an issue.

The problem here is that we have let this get out of control. We don't have a guest worker program for unskilled labor, which is what the vast majority of illegal aliens are. We need one.

Whether the one the President outlined is the right one, I don't know. Congress will debate that. But I'm hearing way too much wailing that we've just turned America over to Mexico. But that's precisely what we've been doing for decades. It's time for a program that regulates who is here and for how long. That's progress. What was nonsense was refusing to talk about it for decades.

[Little Ed]

I fear that in a few years there won't even be a border, which means there won't be an America.

One part of the "plan" that I liked was the "guaranteed" wages and benefits. How many places would hire them if they had to pay $15/hr. with insurance? Also--will these temporary workers have to pay taxes for the first few years?

[Reagan Man]

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday he was confident U.S. President George W. Bush's immigration reform legislation would be approved by Congress.

God help us all.

[Shermy]

"...Today, President Bush proposed a new temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing U.S. employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. The program would be open to new foreign workers, and to the undocumented men and women currently employed in the U.S...."

Probably there's other "sleepers" in this bill

[ProfoundMan]

What happens to the companies that are suddenly required to furnish documentation that they have a job for the folks who now want the new work permit? Wouldn't the fact that your company suddenly has numerous requests for work permits become a red flag implying that you had been paying "undocumented" folks for awhile? Any tax, civil or criminal liability there on the part of the company? Were it my business, I'd be inclined to tell the undocumented folks to go home until I knew the company was protected.

[dwilli]

Thank god the Democrats are too stupid to go beg on bended knees to Sam Nunn to enter the primaries.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Having seen anything from Tom DeLay on this, or know his position?