Posted on 11/29/2004 9:14:20 PM PST by Cableguy
Back in 2001, George W. Bush, a newly elected president from a border state, had immigration on his mind. Within weeks of his inauguration, Bush vowed to extend a hand to Mexico, making an ambitious guest-worker proposal a hallmark of his administration. The president's dream was dashed by 9/11; tightening border controls, not loosening them, became the priority. He must have been serious, though, because just weeks after winning a second term, Bush has embraced the guest-worker proposal anew. Secretary of State Colin Powell and White House counselor Karl Rove have called the initiative a high priority. And Bush pledged to renew his push for the legislation in a talk with Mexican President Vicente Fox at the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference. advertisement
But Bush faces opposition in his own party--from border-state voters and House Republicans. In late November, conservatives derailed intelligence-reform legislation in part by refusing to get behind a bill that did not include strict immigration proposals. The president has made much of his willingness to spend political capital, but this issue may prove prohibitively expensive.
The introduction of the president's guest-worker idea dates back to January 2004, when Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida were swing states and wooing their Hispanic populations seemed a must. The president's proposal would allow the 8 million to 10 million illegal aliens in the United States to apply for temporary worker permits, three-year documents that could be renewed at least once. (After that, the workers could petition for permanent legal status.) Immigrants would also have access to a database of jobs that could not be filled by American citizens, and they could cross the border legally once they secured work.
The proposal ignited criticism. Democrats said Bush's plan would create a class of indentured servants, while Republicans felt it rewarded illegal behavior. One of the harshest critics was Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, who heads the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, a group that advocates a partial moratorium on immigration and the denial of citizenship to American-born children of illegal aliens. Tancredo argued that the president's bill would increase illegal immigration and open the border to terrorists. "Bush tried to send us a pig with lipstick," Tancredo says. "We told him it would be dead on arrival in the House."
Bush faces an even tougher crowd in the next Congress. Seven new con-servatives will join the Senate, and in the House, Tancredo's group will be 75 members strong. In mid-November, 22 House Republicans, led by California's Elton Gallegly, signed a letter urging the administration to give up the guest-worker proposal. On the intelligence reform bill, the House Republican leaders refused to back down until the 11th hour on proposals that would have made it easier to deport aliens and deny them driver's licenses. "These people looked the administration in the eye and said, 'Drop dead,' " says Mark Krikorian, who runs a conservative immigration reform group.
Crackdown. What's more, the conservatives appear to have the momentum. In Arizona, where residents feel under siege from illegal immigration, voters just passed Proposition 200, which effectively denies government benefits to illegal aliens. "I could take you on a tour of my neighborhood and show you houses where smugglers tortured immigrants and ruined buildings by veering off the road," says an angry Keith Koller, 36, a south Phoenix resident who voted for Bush. Conservatives are hoping to put initiatives similar to Proposition 200 on the ballot in Colorado, Georgia, and California.
Administration officials say Bush really believes in the guest-worker idea, and there is speculation that he wants to reward the estimated 34 to 44 percent of Hispanic voters who supported him. His ability to bring home a win may depend on how much he's ready to risk. Gallegly says he respects the president but adds that if Bush insists on peeving House Republicans early in his term, he could put his entire agenda at risk. "Washington," says Gallegly, " is a land of grudges."
I am very bright. That is why my daddy called me sunny.
LOL....
I had forgotten about that.
Bush needs to remember to represent American citizens over illegal invaders. Can't believe he needs the congress to remind him of that fact.
I'm really proud of this congress. Maybe finally something will get done. Texas is already 50/50 split between immigrants and citizens. It's becoming a harsh environment.
Bush don't have enough Capital to spend on this Problem. The AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT THEIR BORDERS CONTROLLED--- REMEMBER WE ARE AT WAR!!!
Don't understand your Critique, Never used the Phrase "while we are at war". "Remember we are at war" I meant to be facetious.
I wholeheartedly agree with you as far as controlling the borders at all times. This includes both North and Southern Borders.
This was not enough for Representative Sensenbrenner (R-WI) who insisted on the inclusion of harsh asylum provisions and additional driver's license provisions that would forbid states to issue licenses to undocumented immigrants and other legal immigrants. He was joined by House Republican Duncan Hunter (R-CA) who objected to shifting intelligence authority and resources from the Pentagon to other agencies. Due to their objections, the compromise was pulled. After the compromise was rejected, the White House promised to engage in a full blown effort to get a bill this year. The conference committee leadership also wants a bill. The pressure is mounting and Representative Sensenbrenner is not backing down.
Congress comes back for a short session on Dec. 6th to vote on an intelligence reform bill if the conference committee can come to an agreement. We need to make sure that the White House, conference committee leadership, the majority of conferees and your own senators and representatives (who will have to vote again on the measure) do not give in to Representative Sensenbrenner's demands. "
Source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1290710/posts?page=2#2
A QUESTION FOR ALL WHO COME TO THIS PAGE:
Will we still be the "Country of Choice" and still be America if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that come to live in America because we have made America the "Country of Choice"?
We need to clean house of all illegal aliens here before we can even begin to consider anything of the guest worker he is suggesting.
I am of course opposed to any type of amnesty or guest worker program of any kind.
>>Or not liking single family homes becoming multi-family dwellings and thus making the quality of life in my neighborhood sink<<
If you know of any single family homes that have become multi-family dwellings, go down to your local tax office and ask what the multi-family dwelling is being taxed as, single or multi.
If it is wrongly taxed, notify the assessor with a notarized letter.
RATTLE THEIR CAGES! MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT FOR YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS!
You would be surprised what you can do with these notarized letters.
>>Guess you can't think of a downside either huh? <<
Over 300,000 women annually arrive pregnant and drop them on U.S. soil. You pay food, housing, medical and schooling for them to age 18 PLUS their mother. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, average annual cost per child K-12 is $7,161.00 and exceeds $109 billion annually per cycle of anchor babies. That’s your money given out to 300,000 moms and their kids annually and all they did was get pregnant and birth that child on U.S. soil.
If you haven’t had a heart attack by now, you’ll need Tums after this figure. The average head of household illegal alien costs you $2,700.00 in welfare money over and above any taxes he or she pays in their meager paying jobs. With 15 to 20 million illegal aliens in the USA, that figures exceeds $20 billion of your tax dollars. (Source: Center for Immigration Studies, August 2004)
With a minimum of 15 million illegal aliens in our country, these figures are the tip of the iceberg. Average bilingual education is $1,200.00 per illegal alien student. Get this! We educate 1.1 million illegal alien children each year. Do the math! Ready for another anvil dropped on your toe fact? You paid $27 billion to provide forms, ballots, interpreters and brochures for languages other than English in 2003.
An estimated one-third to one-half illegal aliens work off the books. It costs $200 million to provide for emergency health care for illegal aliens in the Border States annually. California with over three million illegals paid $79 million, BUT four of their major LA hospitals bankrupted and shut their doors in 2004. Texas with 1.5 million illegal aliens paid $74 million in hospital care. Who is Texas? You, the taxpayer, that’s who! Because you, in your state, pay commensurate medical care according to your illegal alien population. Georgia ran a $63 million deficit for 64,000 unpaid doctor visits to their Grady Health Care system in 2002. In the same year, Georgia taxpayers paid $27 million for 11,188 anchor baby hospital births. Georgia taxpayers paid a whopping $242 million for educating illegal alien kids in 2003. What is it in your state?
What are the consequences? One in two adult African-Americans in New York is unemployed. African-American children’s poverty grew by 50 percent since 1999. Why? Their dads can’t find work.
It costs you, the taxpayer, $68 billion a year JUST to pay for the resettlement of legal immigrants.
Fellow Americans, we are $7.384 trillion in debt as of November 1, 2004. This year’s budget deficit exceeds $413 billion. Our trade deficit stands at $400 billion. Our consumer debt exceeds $2 trillion and our average credit card carries an $8,000.00 balance. Our U.S. government borrows $1.6 billion daily from foreign banks, just to stay afloat. Have you ever heard of the Titanic? We are taking on heavy immigration numbers while we’re being financially bled to death. Are we in trouble or what?
http://www.federalobserver.com/archive.php?aid=8871
>>even though the law has changed their motivations were never about law but race.<<
"even though the law has changed "
Cites the changes, please.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode08/usc_sup_01_8_10_12_20_II.html
"their motivations were never about law but race"
When you start to lose the debate bring out the fact that we are a bunch of racist, profiling SOB's and you will have won! Good strategy. /s
Your Daddy calls you sunny because he can see right through you.
Is Bush/Rove deaf or just stupid?
6 posted on 11/30/2004 12:34:27 AM EST by TomGuy
Neither, Bush is simply pushing his New World Order agenda. Isn't that obvious by now? The sovereignty of the USA is not a concern of his. Is he even talking about it ? No, and we all know talk is cheap.
Need to clean house of illegal/undocumented people from everywhere first. It is discriminatory to sweep only mexicans. Then start a guest worker porgram. Otherwise, it is just another amnesty. Rewarding crimiinals???? NO WAY.
I like workers who want to work. I don't see a down side to this plan and I think it will make it easier to capture illegals who are not registered to work.
15 posted on 11/30/2004 12:51:18 AM EST by Once-Ler (
One problem though Once-Ler, the illegals cannot make a living wage at what they are doing even if granted amnesty. They must rely on public assistance, welfare etc and are a NET LOSS to the community. Especially when you toss in the added COST of educating them and dealing with the CRIME they commit. Drunk driving ...etc.
WE have this immigration problem in the first place because most of us didn't pay attention and/or failed to hold our legislators accountable until after 9/11. I know that's the case with ME!
But so be it. Our fight for our great nation isn't over now that we rallied to vote Bush back into the Presidency. Now we need to continue to very loudly let OUR congress know what OUR demands are on this and other important issues. We MUST all flood the House and Senate with our demands for very strict immigration reform.
You can go to Tancredo's site and to numbersUSA to participate very easily in making sure our legislators know what we expect them to do.
I voted for Bush for one reason only, judicial appointments. If he manages to screw that up too I am prepared to pronounce him one of the worst Presidents in the history of our nation
We have many of Bushs friends here, DUIs, drug runners and free loaders.
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