Posted on 01/08/2004 3:34:13 PM PST by kellynla
I am beginning to think John McCain actually won the presidency in 2000.
Conservatives were relieved when the Straight Talk Express petered out during the 2000 primary season. John McCain, although tough on national security and runaway spending, was hardly a conservative on major issues such as campaign finance, healthcare reform and immigration.
Yet this is exactly where we find President Bush today (except unlike McCain, Bush doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with runaway spending). Last year President George Bush signed the McCain-Feingold bill into law, which is one of the worst assaults on political speech this country has ever seen. When conservatives (and many liberals) howled, the President’s advisers whispered that they believed the Supreme Court would “clean up” the more onerous parts of the bill which dictates the types of political ads that can air before a general election or primary contest. Of course the Supreme Court rubber stamped the entire thing and so the result is less, not more political speech in the U.S.
And now President Bush charges across the landscape to rescue us from our “unfair” and “broken” immigration system by rewarding people who came here illegally with the promise of legal status. This proposal essentially mirrors the immigration legislation sponsored by—you got it—Sen. McCain. Under the Bush/McCain plan, anyone outside the U.S. who wants to come into the country would only need to show proof of a “job offer” in order to get an initial three-year work permit that would be renewable for an unspecified period. Such temporary workers could also bring family members here. What prevents these people from staying on beyond their time premitted for "temporary" work? As it stands now, there seems to be no limit on the immigration —temporary or permanent— allowed under this plan. And as for the claim that this would be a big boon to the American economy? Illegal immigration costs taxpayers $20 billion each year, in extra education, healthcare, welfare, and prison costs. Today thirty-four percent of Mexicans legally in the U.S., and 25 percent of Mexicans illegally here are welfare.
How are those costs diminished under the Bush plan?
Most bewildering is the Administration idea that this plan is necessary for homeland security reasons. On the contrary, it would not be surprising if some would-be terrorists are among the millions of illegals who will become “documented” under the Bush plan. As Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) charged, "Guest worker programs and gradual amnesty provide cover for terrorists."
It’s easy to understand why Vicente Fox, McCain, big business, and La Raza are happy this week—but what’s in this new proposal for working class American families? How about those immigrants who a lot of time and money to comply with our immigration laws?
The real answer is absolutely nothing. The only reasonable prediction is that wages for a wide range of jobs will be kept artificially depressed by outside workers—now with “legal status” will work for peanuts. “I have worked construction for 30 years as a truck driver (18-wheeler),” wrote one of my listeners, “And every year my pay has gone down because Mexicans are flooding the trucking industry…."
When Bill Clinton says we live in an “increasingly borderless world,” we’re not surprised. It’s the usual globaloney blather. But when a Republican president advocates a policy that will make our borders effectively meaningless, we should be outraged.
With his approval numbers high, President Bush has made a devil’s bargain with business and Hispanic groups. Elites from both parties are ignoring the view of a strong majority of Americans that we need to stop illegal immigration, not high-five it.
Another listener wonders: “What happened to the ‘party of principle’? More like the party of pandering. Considering the massive numbers involved, this amnesty being floated really is Pandora's Box, once opened cannot be closed.”
President Bush has now done the equivalent of posting a sign at the border: “Help Wanted for $5.15/hour.”
Conservatives are right to be disappointed in President Bush. We are right to ignore the Administration’s promise that this time, non-amnesty amnesty will be good for the American people. Our citizenship and legal residence should be reserved for people who love this country enough that breaking her laws—whether at the border or on the street—is out of the question. The next time I hear from his Administration that it is doing all it can to protect our homeland, secure our borders, and increase our standard of living, I will laugh.
Now I know the definition of “compassionate conservative:” a person who campaigns as a conservative, then sells out key conservative principles.
kelly, you truly think that undocumented illegal aliens crossing the SW border is something that did not exist before the 1970's?
Girl!
But you are incredibly naive!
The problem with an increasing illegal alien population began when we started "controlling" the border.
Before, migrant workers would come in, work, and go home when harvesting season was over, then, they became afraid of not being able to rerurn to their jobs if they returned home, and they decided to stay here.
| Lengths, statute miles | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | General coastline1 |
Tidal shoreline2 |
| Atlantic Coast: | ||
| Maine | 228 | 3,478 |
| New Hampshire | 13 | 131 |
| Massachusetts | 192 | 1,519 |
| Rhode Island | 40 | 384 |
| Connecticut | — | 618 |
| New York | 127 | 1,850 |
| New Jersey | 130 | 1,792 |
| Pennsylvania | — | 89 |
| Delaware | 28 | 381 |
| Maryland | 31 | 3,190 |
| Virginia | 112 | 3,315 |
| North Carolina | 301 | 3,375 |
| South Carolina | 187 | 2,876 |
| Georgia | 100 | 2,344 |
| Florida (Atlantic) | 580 | 3,331 |
| Total Atlantic Coast | 2,069 | 28,673 |
| Gulf Coast: | ||
| Florida (Gulf) | 770 | 5,095 |
| Alabama | 53 | 607 |
| Mississippi | 44 | 359 |
| Louisiana | 397 | 7,721 |
| Texas | 367 | 3,359 |
| Total Gulf Coast | 1,631 | 17,141 |
| Pacific Coast: | ||
| California | 840 | 3,427 |
| Oregon | 296 | 1,410 |
| Washington | 157 | 3,026 |
| Hawaii | 750 | 1,052 |
| Alaska (Pacific) | 5,580 | 31,383 |
| Total Pacific Coast | 7,623 | 40,298 |
| Arctic Coast: | ||
| Alaska (Arctic) | 1,060 | 2,521 |
| Total Arctic Coast | 1,060 | 2,521 |
| States Total | 12,383 | 88,633 |
You're crossing over from naive, to stupid.
Florida is one of the States with the highest number of illegal aliens in the nation, and what border do we share?
Alabama?
Georgia?
But we do get tons of boat loads of illegal aliens brought in by smugglers from Haiti, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Jamaica...
The tidal shorelines of the US, our off-shore islands and cays, are American soil, and Cuban rafters use them to gain entry, as do Haitians, Dominicans, etc.
Shut down the SW border, and the coyotes go sea bound.
We have problems stopping tons of cocaine and pot coming in yearly, and you think that the Coast Guard will be able to handle the drug smugglers, AND the coyotes?
The solution is to eliminate the problem, the most logical one is to document temporary workers. It worked before, it will work again.
The root of the problem is in Mexico. Send the illegals back and let them find a solution.
Are you just here to rub our noses in Bush's betrayal? What do you want from us?
Our compassionate Big Government Saviors in DC are nothing but Poverty Pimps.
ROTFLMAO!!!!
I want to laugh at your sky is falling, chicken little rhetoric!
I think this policy has very little to do with solving the "illegal immigration" issue. What this is an H-1B replacement policy wrapped up in an illegal immigration solution package. Illegal immigrants have absolutely no incentive to sign up for these visa's. They already are working here and getting paid under the table and they do not have to pay taxes. Most likely they are getting paid better as illegal. What this is a work visa program that will enable any company to hire any worker from any country in America. This is his gift to corporate America, he added the aspect about illegal immigrants so that the real issue is not even on most peoples radar screen.
Maybe that's what you're really after--dangle the hope of Hispanic votes, then see him defeated.
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