Posted on 11/10/2004 12:51:19 PM PST by VU4G10
(Washington, DCNovember 10, 2004) It wasn't quite "Read my lips," but in the last presidential debate in Arizona, George W. Bush clearly stated that he would not support amnesty for illegal aliens. One week after being narrowly returned to office, the president has reneged on that pledge. Bush has dispatched Secretary of State Colin Powell to Mexico City to open discussions with the Mexican government about the size and scope of amnesty for illegal immigrants and for a massive new guest worker program.
"President Bush and Karl Rove have seemingly missed the message of their own, and the Republican Party's, success at the polls last week," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "In spite of a poor record on jobs, further erosion of the middle class, and staggering budget deficits, the people returned the GOP to office because they believed that the Republican Party was more in tune with them on values and respect for the law. One of those gut issues that led voters to ignore the administration's poor record in other areas was the belief that Bush and the Republicans would enforce laws against illegal immigration, not reward illegal immigrants and auction off every job in America to the lowest bidder."
The immigration plan being dusted off in Washington and Mexico City is essentially the same one the administration introduced last January, which proved to be so wildly unpopular among voters that they were forced to shelve it. "Who is the president seeking to reward by reintroducing his amnesty/guest worker proposal?" asked Stein. "Not middle class workers who made it very clear that they are feeling squeezed. Not the millions of families who have lost their health insurance benefits because their employers no longer feel that it is necessary to offer such benefits to attract American workers. Not Hispanic voters, whom polls indicate do not consider this to be high priority and who voted in significant numbers in favor of an Arizona ballot measure that bars illegal aliens from receiving most public benefits.
"The only interest group, besides the estimated 10 to 12 million illegal aliens and their families who could be in line for legal U.S. residency, are cheap labor employers who have come to believe that it is their right to have workers who will work at whatever wages they wish to pay," Stein said.
The latest White House announcement will touch off yet another surge in illegal immigration and further compromise homeland security, predicted FAIR. Last January, when the president first proposed this plan, the U.S. Border Patrol reported a marked increase in the number of people attempting to enter the U.S. illegally in order to benefit from the proposed amnesty. "Aside from betraying the interests of millions of people who voted for him because they believed the president shared their core values, this irresponsible renewal of talk of amnesty will betray those who voted for him because they believed the Republicans were the party that could be entrusted to protect homeland security. You cannot have homeland security and chaos at the border. You cannot have homeland security while granting amnesty to millions of people with only minimal background checks. And you certainly cannot have amnesty and unlimited guest workers, and preserve a solid middle class," asserted Stein.
I think you are right.
"the Reagan amnesty didn't do that"
Really ..?? Then what did it do ..??
I'll quit before I get thrown off the train.
No surprise to see you using Morris Dee's old material.
No, not at all. I was mentioning the type of work I see being done by immigrants where I live in response to you mentioning who is doing construction work in your area.
Regarding landscaping, husband and I spent the better part of this spring and summer doing our own landscaping. We just finished 90% of our fall cleanup. I agree it's not skilled and is hard work and I think it is a necessity. I like my property to look good so to me it's necessary! LOL
That's what they want everone to do. Just shut up, and keep that tax money coming.
The American people have already been thrown off the train.
The differences between the Reagan and Bush plans aren't all that great. The Reagan plan legalized a greater percentage of illegal aliens than the Bush plan would do (at least as proposed), but the Bush plan appears likely to legalize greater numbers of illegal aliens overall. There are also some differences in the fees and the periods of time going from one status to another, but the mechanics of the Bush proposal are very similar to what occurred under President Reagan.
Do you believe President Bush should listen to Mexican President Fox's request for an even less restrictive border aimed at facilitating trade and migration?
Yes
8%
231 votes
No
92%
2809 votes
Total: 3040 votes
www.cnn.com/lou
They do in this part of the country, at least in the areas where illegals haven't gotten a foothold yet. The whole notion of illegal aliens doing the jobs "Americans won't do" is a sham. And the government knows it too, just that it's far easier to legalize them than go through the trouble of actually enforcing the laws.
There are a large number of Mexican men who work here in businesses like construction but their homes are in Mexico. They travel back and forth and each time it's running the gauntlet. Better to give them a green card. I'm not very much concerned about these Mexicans. I AM concerned about any and all illegal immigration because of the possibility of various radical muslims getting in. So it makes sense to strictly control the border but allow Mexican workers in legally.
PS. I'm also OK with the idea of legal Mexican immigrants becoming US citizens. Amnesty is bad but I'd let quite a few immigrate through legal channels. But we need to get clear that we will not have multiculturalism. The melting pot or nothing.
Then you have a problem with poor people in general -- not with illegal immigrants for you could make the same argument for not educating poor people's children. Perhaps Jonathan Swift's modest proposal would be to your liking?
Evry employer that hires an Illegal Criminal Alien should be thrown in prison for aiding abetting a criminal element! This is Bush's November surprise we all knew was coming. This is Amnesty pure and simple!
It's probably the biggest lie of the decade. Just another excuse to flood this country with ignorant, uneducated people, that'll work for 7 bucks an hour and smile, while those that hire them sit in their back offices counting their profits on the bending backs of the tax payers.
He said it would include "economic incentives."
To do that, you need to actually convict the employer of a crime...
...and juries, by and large, refuse to do that.
How do you get that they receive their food, housing and medical care at the taxpayer's expense? The ones I know purchase all that themselves.
Many of us who build things in this country are proud of them and I don't like the idea that we can be thrown to the side of the road along with our legacies.
But the subcontractor paid all the payroll taxes, SS taxes, and unemployment taxes. They weren't "off the books" paid with an envelope of cash under the table.
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