[PhiKapMom]

Please read this article by Linda Chavez with an open mind as she makes some very good points.

[PuNcH]

a guest worker program would allow employers to fill jobs in industries that routinely experience shortages of workers willing to do the often difficult, dangerous jobs Americans shun -- at least at wages that allow employers to remain in business.

Funny how construction was in business and considered a good job for those without much of an education until those jobs were destroyed by illegal immigration. To put it more bluntly, the reasoning that illegals are only doing the jobs americans wont do is a dishonest lie. It is a lie being told by dishonest poeple who want to justify themselves by giving away what doesnt belong to themselves in the first place. Arent you all just charitable people.

I wonder how many times this has to be pointed out before one of you isnt too cowardly to respond to the facts. Who the hell do you think your fooling?

[OneTimeLurker]

Just so everybody knows, Fox News is falling in line with the WH. So much for fair and balanced. Guess the guys at the top got the call from Rove.

[CA Conservative]

With regard to "line-jumping", all that this program would do is allow these people to legally work in the US - it would not give them preference for green cards (permenent residency). That is the big complaint of the left - it does not provide a fast-track to citizenship for the illegals. If they want to become permanent residents, they would still have to apply for a green card and wait like everyone else. On the other hand, people who have been waiting in Mexico or elswhere could now apply for a blue card and legally come into the US to work while waiting for their green card application to be processed, assuming they had a job already lined up.

There are some additions I would like to see to this plan. I would like to see the law changed to eliminate automatic citizenship for babies born to non-citizens - so called "anchor" babies. Unless the immigrant has already been granted permanent status, any babies born should be citizens of the parent's home country.

Also, I would like to see a provision written into the law that if the worker or any member of his/her family goes on public assistance, the work visa is revoked and the family sent home.

Additionally, if the worker is convicted of a felony, the family is immediately sent home, and the worker is sent home after serving his/her time in jail, and will be denied future work visas.

Sanctions against employers who continue to hire illegals must be toughened and strictly enforced, including heavy fines and jail time for CEOs.

[Matchett-PI]

BTTT!!!

Rush is on a roll again today regarding this matter. Bump for Rush, too.

[Ajnin]

There is no way that the United States can find and deport 8-12 million illegal aliens in this country, and even if we could, we would do more harm than good

Translation: We just don't want to deal with it.

[Ajnin]

Our office buildings wouldn't get cleaned, our crops wouldn't get picked, our meat wouldn't get processed, nor our tables cleaned when we go out to eat.

Not all janitors, field workers or meat packers are illegal aliens. I don't know where the people that believe this get their information but the above jobs are being done all over this country without illegal alien labor.

[dennisw]

There is no way that the United States can find and deport 8-12 million illegal aliens in this country, and even if we could, we would do more harm than good.

Bullcrap. This very doable. Just give them 90 days notice to leave or else cars, houses, bank accounts will be seized. Make them pay for their own departure. Shut down all money transmission services to Mexico and Central America.  At most we need 2 million illegal aliens to do the worst jobs. Others are just depressing the wage level and stealing jobs from Americans. Many illegals just make Hispanic communities larger and don't make the US economy better. Just the barrio's economy larger.

[swarthyguy]

I think this is basically a sensible proposal, at least for the businesses dependent on these laborers, and to help boost the SS security system by getting these people paying taxes and FICA.

However, I wish Bush would stop this semantic hair splitting and call it what it is - An AMNESTY. Not being honest about the terminology is positively Clintonian.

None of these people will leave after the 3 year limit and by then, the laws will allow their bluecards to be converted to green cards.

[rintense]

She has valid points. But I still say you can fill these jobs with welfare recipients so they HAVE to work.

[zbigreddogz]

I totally agree. I do wish he'd do something more to shore up the borders, but the plan as it stands is better then nothing. It fines those who are here illegally, but allowes them to get legal status. Given the current options, it makes sense.

I usually don't say things like this, but in this case, it is God's honest truth. Both the hard Left and the hard Right demagog this issue like no other. Chavez has given one of the few reasonable, realistic responses to the issue I've seen it quite some time.

[ArGee]

These proposals may not offer perfect justice -- who can blame those who resent rewarding "line jumpers" with legal status while millions of other would-be immigrants wait patiently to enter the country legally.

My problem is that justice is not easily compromised without being compromised. I know it sounds redundant, but once you've told the world that rule-breakers will be rewarded rather than being punished how do you convince them that in only applies here?

My suggestion would be to only allow those who "come in" under the new program, but to treat everyone already here as the criminals they are. Of course, if they leave voluntarily and then apply under the new program, we wouldn't know would we? I think the bulk of the illegals would deport themselves, then come right back for their current jobs.

Shalom.

[cyncooper]

Ping for the sensible.

[hershey]

She has a point, but what do we do to keep the country from being swamped with more and more illegals? And why would most want to return after six years to a country they'd left at such risk...to go back to grinding poverty and/or oppression? Wouldn't it be more likely that millions more would migrate north asap? This seems all but insoluble unless Mexico and the rest of the Southern Hemisphere gets its act together socially and economically.

[cartoonistx]

If the final bill includes a few things, I'll go along with it. First, all unpaid back taxes should be collected from "our guests" and the cost of all recieved benefits should be repaid to the providing government.
Second, any now-legal guest worker must remain employed and should be inelligable for unemployment benefits...period. If they can't find work they can find the door!
Lastly, any criminal act must be met with immediate expulsion of the worker and his family, citizens by birth or not!

[jimt]

Please note that Linda Chavez is ignoring two glaring points:

1) Illegals suck up huge amounts of social service tax dollars. When they're "legalized" they'll have no fear of demanding more. They expect MY tax dollars to support THEIR families.

2) Illegals have anchor babies that are (stupidly) automatic non-deportable American citizens.

Jorge Bush conveniently ignores these two points also.

Both don't seem to mind vacuuming the pockets of taxpayers to subsidize workers and employers.

It's despicable.

[MainFrame65]

The fact is that the US-Mexican border is about 2,000 miles long. Part of it runs through urban areas, but most is rural, remote, and pretty rough territory. This border is now manned (protected doesn't describe it) by about 9500 agents, who use cameras, helicopters, and ground vehicles to patrol and monitor the border. Separately, almost 5000 personnel operate the authorized crossing points along the border.

Militarizing this border would probsbly require about 50 men per mile, plus support personnel, or about 100,000 more men total. Why so many? First of all, we need the equivalent of four shifts to provide full time coverage. This number would provide one squad of 12 men per mile, which is the smallest regular command structure. The actual coverage area for such a squad would vary according to the specific territory, but this is a reasonable average.

They would usually operate as 3 or 4 man patrols, armed well enough to present overwhelming force to any "coyotes" trying to sneak their clients in. Smaller patrol teams would invite violence against them as a way to penetrate the border.

But an army division is about 15,000, so we are talking about SIX divisions here. And we simply do not have, and cannot recruit, that many new soldiers in any reasonable amount of time.

And what about Canada, where the border is about three times as long? Again, to truly protect the entire border would require doubling the size of our active duty army, and we just cannot recruit the troops to do it. Could we draft them? Perhaps - for the duration of one administration.

[dano1]

But "earned legalization" is probably the best solution to a largely intractable problem. There is no way that the United States can find and deport 8-12 million illegal aliens in this country, and even if we could, we would do more harm than good.

Chavez is all wrong about this and the President is correct. Bush is proposing TEMPORARY guest worker status, so any current illegal immigrants who moved into the new system would AT BEST only be able to stay a short while longer. The so-called "earned legalization" plans are completely stupid and wrong-headed. How can you "earn" a benefit by breaking the law???? It is a system which tacitly instructs people to cheat. Giving the so-called "earned legalization" to current illegal residents is a strong message to those still outside of the U.S. to please break our laws and evade the border patrol so that they too can begin to "earn" their citizenship in the next amnesty. No, Chavez is completely wrong on this one, (although I admire her ability and values greatly in general). President Bush has the far better legalization plan.

[CaptRon]

If FAIR could wave a magic wand and make these illegal aliens disappear overnight, the rest of us would suffer by having to pay more for everything from the food we put on the table to the houses in which we live. Our office buildings wouldn't get cleaned, our crops wouldn't get picked, our meat wouldn't get processed, nor our tables cleaned when we go out to eat.

Wow, sounds like we should be making out the reparations checks already.

[Luis Gonzalez]

You know what I love most about this issue?

The people bitching the loudest about the slightest attempt at doing SOMETHING to gain control of the situation, fail to offer up a viable solution to the situation, all they're good at is criticizing Bush for addressing the problem.

I found this quote from Teddy Roosevelt that describes these whiners:

""It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt

Way to go President Bush, my hat's off to you, and the rest of your team fighting in the arena for the majority of us out here.

[Kay Soze]

”…pay more for everything from the food we put on the table to the houses in which we live.”

You mean that the jobs will then be filled by US Citizens making more money than those here doing the job under the table?

We cannot have that!

It defies free market principals when we cannot violate laws in allowing a market to find value.
We can we spend our way clear of prescription drug medicare but not increase wages?

All W has done is increase the rate of illegal immigration from ALL nations so in the future someone can say you mean you expect the US govt to deport 14 million Muslims!