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.
We oppose the provision of welfare subsidies and other taxpayer-supported benefits to illegal aliens, and reject the practice of bestowing U.S. citizenship on children born to illegal alien parents while in this country.
I am praying that God would bless the efforts of the Constitution Party to restore an accountable government that protects our borders.
Far less than it would with trying to actively deport 8-12 million illegals.
Or do you WANT to stop every fifty miles on the road to show your papers to the surly unionized "border guard?"
Even Sabertooth has stated that it would 100 BILLION DOLLARS a year to maintain the type of border you want.
Take a look at the most fortified border in the world, the 100 mile Korean border. 750,000 conscripted South Koreans man that border. Now multiply that by 20 for the US/Mexican border.
Huh? Where did you pull that quip from. I'll say your posterior orifice.
Actually, it shifted the exodus from San Ysidro, California (actually in the City of San Diego) to the East County of San Diego--not an entire state, not even into the next county.
The problem is that wherever you DON'T guard will become the new point of entry, so you have to guard ALL of the border.
Well good for you, I applaud your work ethic. There are plenty of toilet cleaning jobs, though. If there wern't they wouldn't be being filled by people crossing the border.
Yeah. You ready for how they did it? They made the countries around them into "buffer states" with Communist governments just as oppressive as the USSR's.
Let's not do that.
Try a google search on Soviet Citizens handed over to the Soviets after WWII by American and British occupation forces. You might be surprised.
Heck, in theory we'd have to come up with a slew of new things like 20,000 unionized TSA employees, Patriot Acts, CFR restrictions, 30% increases in descretional spending...
THEY could never happen!
Thanks, FRiend. Reading this honestly gave me the biggest chuckle I've had all day. I thought I'd deja vu'd.
Yeah they shot them, also they had the buffer zone of their eastern european puppets. I guess you never heard of the term "Iron Curtain".
You have nowhere else to go. You vote for Dean or stay home or vote 3rd party and you elect a Democrat and your displeasure is maximized. You vote for Bush and your displeasure is minimized.
This is not rocket science.
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