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.
This is pure, speculative, b.s. The rest of the country (not on the border states) fills those jobs with people legally in the country. If your argument had any validity, then why isn't it true up here in the north?
Moreover, if your argument someone turned out to be true, the market can take care of it. If we actually enforce our immigration laws, and find that our labor pool is insufficient, we can then allow for inreased legal immigration. The fact that pro-illegal immigration people do not want to allow for this solution demonstrates that they know their "expense" argument is b.s. If they were really confident of their argument, they would allow immigration laws to be enforced, which in turn would show the rest of us how wrong we are - allowing for increased legal immigration from Mexico. The fact that pro-illegal immigration people are never willing to test their theory shows they know their theory is not true. Moreover, if some increased cost of goods is the price America has to pay for increased border security, then I think most Americans are willing to pay that price. That is a market question. My lettuce becomes a little more expensive? Fine, I buy a little less lettuce. The farmers have to come up with more efficient ways to harvest. Etc. The market will solve those problems. The solution is not to allow more and more illegal immigration, which results in more and more drain on PUBLIC RESOURCES - i.e., public schools, medicare, welfare, WIC, public housing assistance, etc. All Bush's bill will do is give more incentive for Mexicans to enter the U.S. illegal therefore increasing illegal immigration, which leads to increase in crime and increased entitlement spending, not to mention more socialist democratic voters (let's not forget that Mexico is a failed 3rd world nation b/c it is communist/socialist - therefore, it's people are likely to vote for any and all socialist programs). If you really believe that enforcing immigration laws would harm the economy, you would want it to happen, b/c then the rest of us would come to our senses and want an open border.
Sorry kid but I have LIVED history. Now go watch LOTR but remeber it is a fairy tale not an instruction book.
And, since you seem to be big into stereotyping and sniping...
OK, "Gramps"...don't forget your Geritol, wear your "Depends", and try not to confuse the brake and the gas and wipe out another crowd, OK?
Feel any better when you receive? Oh, yeah, BTW..this "tough guy" just Beeyotch slapped you too. Now drink the Kool Aid, and let the rest of us "young'uns" fix the mess you "old folk" have left us!
You were on a roll, but your argument went out the door, here's why: Illegal aliens can't vote to begin with.
Bwah-Ha-ha!
Stop...you're killing me! "Illegal aliens can't vote to begin with"....
Bwah-Ha-ha!
Tell it to the voters in MexiCali...tell it to Bob Dornan...tell it to EVERY LIEberal enclave! Since they've broken all sorts of laws to be ILLEGAL INFILTRATORS, are you REALLY of the opinion that "Vote Fraud" is a line that they will not cross, or one that the DemonRATS will not exploit? Ever hear of "Motor Voter"?!
Whee! What color is the sky in your world?
One burgler to the next burgler just after breaking and entering:
"We can VOLUNATRILY call the police and tell them we just robbed that house."
"Ever hear of "Motor Voter"?!
Actually no illegal immigrant in their desire to reamain in the United States and keep from being deported would EVER physically go to a voting booth and cast an illegal vote.
Motor voting is an entirely different option for them though, since there is no physical risk of being caught.
So yes. Motor voting remains one of the low-risk options for illegal immigrants to cast bogus votes.
Votes are what really caused this political nightmare and votes will be what causes it to stay alive.
Without the votes electing corrupt polititians who continue to support corrupt law enforcement who continue to protect corrupt employers, the illegal immigration invasion cannot survive.
To break the corruption cycle, there has to be a change at the TOP of the cycle that will not allow it to continue.
For that to happen, it is very possible that either a new political party must be formed to finally overcome the present cycle of corruption, or something along more historical lines.
The Potomac River, The Alamo, and The Battle at Gettysburg all come to mind.
Yet this "Amnesty by another Name" Plan will simply COMPOUND the current problem! And Motor Voter is a simple slush pile of free/fraudulent votes for the DemonRATs, and we ALL know this!
FYI, the sky is/always has been blue in my corner of the world. If you find voter fraud laughable, great.
No, I find it deplorabele, abhorrent, and am incensed that "Compassionate Conservatism" means that my $$$ is forcibly taken from me to provide benefits for ILLEGAL INFILTRATORS!
I find it absolutely appalling those in charge of elections can't even enforce THAT part of our wonderful system of laws and regulations.
So, if this is your belief, how on EARTH can you possibly believe that GWB's Amnesty-by-another-name could EVER control ILLEGAL INFILTRATORS?
The Borders are a sieve now, they will be an aqueduct under this propsal!
No, for him/her to imply that, is shear desperation, as the wheels are coming off their damage control machine over this Bush amnesty plan.
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