Posted on 01/11/2004 5:36:57 PM PST by kellynla
As you've probably heard by now, President Bush has called for a major overhaul of America's immigration system, to grant legal status to millions of illegal-alien workers in the United States.
While Pres. Bush was quoted saying that, "I oppose amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship," many conservative groups like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (fairus.org) insist that his "proposals for a massive new 'guestworker' program" would threaten homeland security, grant amnesty for law-breakers (a step overwhelmingly opposed by the American public), establish a backdoor immigration program, and threaten the jobs and wages of American workers.
In fact, three dozen House Republicans had already sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, "strongly and unequivocally" opposing mass amnesty for illegal immigrants; this letter becomes particularly important now with Pres. Bush's announcement. Today, we're asking you to sign on to that letter to Sec. Ridge, with copies to President Bush, your two Senators and your Congressman.
As proud Americans, we must strongly and unequivocally oppose mass amnesty for people who violate our immigration laws. Mere discussion of the possibility of amnesty encourages illegal immigration. We must enforce the immigration laws currently on our books rather than dangle the prospect of citizenship in front of potential immigration lawbreakers. We must increase immigration law enforcement, not only at borders but in the interior, making it more costly for lawbreakers to disregard our immigration laws.
Since 1986, Congress has passed seven amnesties for illegal aliens. Clearly this is a short-term "fix" to a long-term problem. Rewarding people who violate our immigration laws sends the wrong message, and encourages more illegal aliens to violate our borders and enter the United States illegally. Americans will have to pay increased taxes as a consequence of the burden amnesty would place on our school systems, welfare and social service systems, roads and transportation systems, the sprawl and environmental degradation, the health care system, Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs.
It is unfair to reward people who break our immigrations laws with immigration status, while many potential immigrants outside the United States are waiting to be admitted to the United States lawfully. If we allow the people who break the rules by entering the United States illegally to go to the front of the immigration line, it is a slap in the face to law-abiding immigrants.
And of course, we must be concerned that amnesty by any name, be it earned amnesty or legalization, jeopardizes our national security. Mahmud Abouhalima was granted amnesty in 1986... and was subsequently one of the terrorists that bombed the World Trade Center in 1993.
We MUST stop this now, while we can.
ACTION ITEM: According to Newsmax.com, Pres. Bush said his proposals, IF ENACTED BY CONGRESS, "would provide a more compassionate system for those who now live in the shadows of American society." We need to let Sec. Ridge, Pres. Bush, and our legislators know how we feel on this issue, BEFORE it's too late. Click "Go!" above to send a message to ALL of them at once!
NOTE: Sec. Ridge doesn't have a public email address, and our form isn't integrated with his department's form yet, so if you want to send your comments to him directly, you'll have to go to http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/contactus.
They shouldn't, but the way the system works, special interests donate to political PACs, and elected politicians feel obligated to pander to those PACs. Campaign Finance Reform means that the money stream simply gets rearranged. There is no political will to do anything about the illegal alien problem. It will take a national catastrophe like the introduction of an epidemic disease that has about a 50% mortality rate, traceable to illegals, or a WMD set off in the heart of Los Angeles, again traceable to an illegal southern border crossing, for the politicians to actually do something about this problem.
The agencies charged with dealing with the border are more interested in prosecuting those citizen groups which are patrolling the border in order to protect their properties than they are in stemming the tide. I think another approach would be to completely defund the INS and just open the border entirely. That way we could at least save several billions of tax dollars. (yes, I'm being facetious - sort of.)
She speaks no english, had no drivers license, no insurance. Probably only learned about how to use the light switch on the wall a week ago.
In 1994, my niece's ex husband, stole her car, ran a red light, tried to evade the police in a high speed chase, and totaled the car.
He is a US born caucasian, allegedly speaks english, but I have my doubts (dude is the one word I recognize in his vocabulary), had a suspended drivers license, no insurance. Probably still has not learned how to use a light switch on the wall.
Would you prefer that a law be passed that mandates matching any unwilling employers with any unwilling employees!
Crossing a border is not a crime against humanity, while rape is a crime. The difference between a legal immigrant and an illegal one is one of piece of paper and govt. definitions. There is no legal rapist and illegal rapists.
If you don't see the difference in the crime of illegal immigration vs. rape. You are one sick puppy.
Um, your example of comparing the crime of rape to the crime of illegally crossing the border is an example that falls flat for me. I wouldn't be so quick to call someone arrogant and stupid.
The term "slave labor" is used by freepers almost exclusively for chinese labor. It is usually used when someone wants to denounce chinese imports so they pull the slave labor argument out. For other countries, giving low level jobs to the poor is not slave labor, because freepers do not fear other countries like they fear china.
For example, you never hear any freeper ever describe Cuba, Albania, Bolivia, etc. as employing slave labor. Further, you rarely hear about real slaves in africa doing real slave labor described as slave labor on FR. Mostly, you hear on FR how chinese products are made by slave labor.
We citizens do not like them anymore than you do.
Actually that's something you see in inefficiently run businesses --- too many people and lack of good management. For example 30 people building a house are apt to be uncoordinated, each doing his own thing, bumping into each other, spending too much time idle just trying to stay out of the others' way --- if you organize the 15 correctly, they can do as much work, they won't be bumping into each other, everyone knows his job and has clearly defined job duties. I'd much rather work where overstaffing isn't a problem.
Actually russia is much much improved over the last 3 years. It was the best of all the world's stock markets in return too.
They're both criminal actions. Do you now see the similarity?
I will, of course, give credit where due: you don't seem arrogant.
Feel better?
I believe your statistics may be wrong. I tried a google search and the results were inconclusive, but I think one article said 14% of accidents were by those with no insurance and of those 14%, 80% were by illegal aliens (which comes to about 10% of the total) The 80% figure came from cheathouse.com and is anti immigrant and of a dubious source.
However, the numbers of 14% by uninsured and 10% by illegals (or 80% of uninsured) fit my intuition.
I will add that since illegals have trouble getting valid driver's licenses, they will also have trouble getting insurance since they can't get a license, so the 80% sounds right to me. Plus 1 of 7 being uninsured sounds right to me also.
You've got it right Saber, this stinks bad.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.