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"I think the wild and crazy scheme is granting an amnesty to millions of people who have no regard for our laws."

You are misusing the word "amnesty."

You might as well label every plea bargain between every local prosecutor and crook as "amnesty" as to abuse the word so with regard to Bush's illegal alien registration plan.

Bush's plan, while much maligned, would give us something that we *don't* have today: 8 million Registered illegals. Illegal aliens are already here, but they aren't currently registered with our INS and law enforcement.

Institutionally, we don't know where all 8 million of them are living and working.

You don't gain such institutional government knowlege cheaply, either. Bush had to give something up to entice illegals to Register themselves. Some posters on this forum even claim that Bush hasn't given up enough to entice very many illegals to register (an interesting complaint, really). "They'll just stay unregistered and illegal," some claim.

Once registered, however, illegals can be dealt with en masse. On the other hand, trying to come up with the resources required to locate, track down, and detain 8 million crooks who are all anonymous and who are all on the lam (as are these illegal aliens) would be quite an undertaking (and rounding them up into internment camps would make earlier European WW2 concentration camp efforts seem small in both contrast and in terms of bad publicity).

But with Bush's plea bargain, illegals can pay their fine, register, and then they get a blue card and the right to work here for 3 years. It's a deal. Prosecutors knock these deals out every day. Of course, they have to deport themselves at the end of that period in order to apply for more time here...and Bush's plan gives them the incentive to do that, as well as establishes a Registry that will aid our law enforcement in rounding up those who don't comply.

That's hardly "amnesty." Sure, there might be better ways to deal with illegals, but this plan isn't all bad...and it isn't a completely free amnesty.

It's a plea bargain, and it gives us something (e.g. a Registry) that we need for Homeland Security...all without spending tons and tons more of our precious tax dollars.

Of course, we *could* go door to door with our military in efforts that would make the SS of 1944 Germany look civilized, and we could round up all 8 million illegals who are already here...but I urge you to consider not only the financial cost, but also the bad publicity of setting up temporary internment camps for housing 8 million illegal aliens (compared to say, 6 million WW2 Jews in Europe).

In that light perhaps you can began to see that President Bush's plan to encourage 8 million illegal aliens to accept his plea bargain is a rather good deal for us all.

The alternative is to continue the current status quo of having them all unregistered, a position that I find difficult to support, much less pay for. Ditto for the publicity of rounding that many people up by force. The scope of this problem is so large that it warrants a nationwide plea bargain in order to make it manageable.

You might as well label every plea bargain between every local prosecutor and crook as "amnesty" as to abuse the word so with regard to Bush's illegal alien registration plan.

I would if it entailed the law telling a criminal, "you did the crime, you'll do no time, and we'll even drop you off in front of the bank you robbed last month."

Bush's plan, while much maligned

Much maligned.....and I thought it was only the 'black helicopter crowd that felt that way.

Illegal aliens are already here, but they aren't currently registered with our INS and law enforcement.

INS and law enforcement?.........we'll go with the eight million you cite.......what a bang up, stellar job they have done so far. You'll have to forgive me, but INS and enforcement is part of the problem.

On the other hand, trying to come up with the resources required to locate, track down, and detain 8 million crooks who are all anonymous and who are all on the lam (as are these illegal aliens) would be quite an undertaking (and rounding them up into internment camps would make earlier European WW2 concentration camp efforts seem small in both contrast and in terms of bad publicity).

Well, we won't be implementing some "final solution" for illegal immigrants.

Bad publicity?......oh, right. The United Nations and France won't like us defending our borders. God forbid that happens.

But with Bush's plea bargain, illegals can pay their fine, register, and then they get a blue card and the right to work here for 3 years. It's a deal.

It's deal alright. For Vincente Fox and Hillary Clinton. Yeah, they'll go home after 3 years just like they do now. (there's no place like home, there's no place like home)

Of course, they have to deport themselves at the end of that period in order to apply for more time here...and Bush's plan gives them the incentive to do that

Yeah, sure Southack...if they don't go, why, we'll impose another amnesty on them.

Sure, there might be better ways to deal with illegals, but this plan isn't all bad...

No, it's not all bad..........it's downright terrible.

Again, quit the Nazi Germany references. We're not talking about liquidating them....and I don't care about "publicity". Publicity as far as who is concerned Southack?

In that light perhaps you can began to see that President Bush's plan to encourage 8 million illegal aliens to accept his plea bargain is a rather good deal for us all.

No thanks.

The alternative is to continue the current status quo of having them all unregistered, a position that I find difficult to support, much less pay for.

The alternative is to defend our sovereign borders, like every other country on the face of the earth is willing to do.