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You're wrong, Mr. President (Guest workers)
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | 12/26/2004 | Colin McNickle

Posted on 12/26/2004 1:20:04 PM PST by 4.1O dana super trac pak

President Bush says he wants to revamp an immigration system that is "not working" and is "not compassionate" through a program that can't work and would be anything but "compassionate" to Americans forced to pick up the tab.

During his end-of-the-year news conference, the president formally revived his expanded "guest worker" proposal first laid out as a set of "principles" a year ago. But the Bush plan is quite unprincipled and, by any other name, another in a long line of amnesty programs. Bush confidante and former Montana Gov. Mark Raciot disputed that characterization to me during the fall campaign. But that's exactly what it is. And it will do what amnesty programs do best - fail.

Details of the president's plan go to Capitol Hill next month. Mr. Bush wants to allow illegal aliens - up to 8 million if not more - to hold jobs here "legally" by issuing "temporary worker cards." American workers would not be hurt, the president insists; these legalized illegals would fill jobs that U.S. firms supposedly can't fill.

Not only will the administration proposal "take the pressure off" Border Patrol agents who should be "chasing crooks and thieves and drug runners and terrorists," the president said these illegals are innocuous, "good-hearted people." All they want to do is "put food on the table...Family values do not stop at the Rio Grande River."

But apparently common sense does.

(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Editorial
KEYWORDS: aliens; bush43; colinmcnickle; guestworkers; illegalimmigration; immigrantlist; immigrationplan; tancredo
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To: usadave

just ignore jveritas.

He posted a vanity thread on this subject of illegal immigration, and then had the gall to put "Bush Bashers" in the title.


121 posted on 12/27/2004 12:00:49 AM PST by FBD (Report illegals and their employers at: http://www.reportillegals.com/)
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To: FBD

You talk about "jobs that Americans will not do."
Q: How is it that these jobs are done by Americans in states with low illegal immigration rates?

Q. You talk about allowing the free market to work.
-Why not apply this principle to the jobs "Americans will not do," and allow the free market to bid up wages for American workers?

Q. How do you propose to pay for the education, and health care for the families of foreign workers who will do "the jobs Americans will not do"?
____________________________________________

I will answer all three.

Q1: In states with low immigration rates, market conditions are such that illegals don't go there because they are not needed. They go to regions where their labor is needed and rewarded.

Q2: Restricting labor availability will drive up some labor rates which increases inflation, interest rates and reduces the standard of living for the American Consumer. The interest rate rise would probably kill the stock market and the housing market too.

Q3: Guest workers should not be allowed to bring their dependents. They should be workers. As far as health care goes, most of our health care budget is going to treat the chronic illnesses of the elderly, the consequences of drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse, and paying for useless tests to avoid malpractice suits. The acute care for illegals is a very small part of the health care problem.


122 posted on 12/27/2004 12:03:00 AM PST by staytrue
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To: usadave

jveritas vanity thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1303552/posts


123 posted on 12/27/2004 12:05:36 AM PST by FBD (Report illegals and their employers at: http://www.reportillegals.com/)
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To: Poundstone
The sad fact is, AQ is almost certainly doing this now!

I smell a red herring. If AQ was totally wiped out, you would argue some other reason for stopping the guest worker program.

I think you would do everyone a favor by not assuming we are so stupid to not see a red herring.

124 posted on 12/27/2004 12:07:29 AM PST by staytrue
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To: Baynative
a free ambulance ride and free medical treatment through the emergency room at the local hospital. - Something my disabled veteran friend could not get here in America.

This is about socialism, not illegal immigration. Any poor person in america gets free medicaid. It is something I can't do either because I'm not poor.

125 posted on 12/27/2004 12:11:12 AM PST by staytrue
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To: chuckwalla
Junky cars being driven just like down south. Just keep it running no matter what it looks like

There is nothing wrong with driving a junky car. I've driven a junky car for most of my life because I'm cheap and now I'm a lot better off and have a lot more economic freedom than those who constantly buy a new car every 3 years.

126 posted on 12/27/2004 12:20:27 AM PST by staytrue
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To: TheDon
Illegal immigration is not a problem with the vast majority of voters.

Since the number of illegals is estimated at 10 million, and the number of voters is 120 million and 1 illegal can at most displace 1 citizen worker, then your conclusion would be correct.

127 posted on 12/27/2004 12:25:19 AM PST by staytrue
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To: chuckwalla
Definitely a sticky problem but something has to be done.

Sometimes doing nothing is better than doing the wrong thing. The big push behind all this is the Mexican government is demanding this. Question their motives --- but it's not for us --- it's for them.

128 posted on 12/27/2004 12:26:08 AM PST by FITZ
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To: 4.1O dana super trac pak
Just what do we have to do to get through to these
dummies - the powers that BE?

I have E-Mailed, snail mailed, called all over California
and Washington, D.C., not to mention trying to call talk
radio. Here in L.A. neon is against legal immigration
from anywhere but, what part of ILLEGAL do the dummies
not understand?
129 posted on 12/27/2004 12:26:14 AM PST by AnimalLover ((Are there special rules and regulations for the big guys?))
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To: Sam the Sham
It is the classic economic example of an externality where a business cuts its costs by dumping them on others.

You make an excellent point. But is the solution to shut down the business or to remove the externality. If you want to remove the externality, you need to remove welfare benefits from illegals and remove them from citizens too so that citizens will go to work instead of chilling on the front porch.

130 posted on 12/27/2004 12:28:32 AM PST by staytrue
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To: n-tres-ted

You've got one of the most corrupt governments in the world behind this push for this "guest" worker program --- we don't need that government trampling on our sovereignty and making our laws.

This is an interesting article --- it doesn't say why a guest worker plan is needed in the first place --- but it makes some interesting points about why the Mexican government should not be involved in our domestic laws in the first place.

Guest-worker plan is needed, but not under pressure

When it comes to the United States working out some kind of immigration/guest-worker program with Mexico, there's a certain sense of urgency on each side to see this accomplished.

But Mexico might be showing a bit too much urgency.

But President Vicente Fox and other officials need to exercise some care when trying to pressure and influence U.S. officials and public sentiment about an immigration program.

The Dallas Morning News recently reported that Mexican government officials are planning to lobby in the United States at several levels on behalf of the undocumented workers.

A little attention is needed here because this is a domestic issue, and the Mexican government must exercise caution.

For one thing, what would happen if the United States tried to intervene in what Mexico considered an internal matter? As has happened before, Mexico would cry "sovereignty infringement."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308667/posts

None of this is coming about as a result of the American people wanting it --- what happened to government of the people, by the people, for the people --- now it's government for the Mexican government.


131 posted on 12/27/2004 12:34:19 AM PST by FITZ
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To: bad company
of the theoretical reduction in illegal cross border travel

Vicente Fox and the corrupt Mexican government would not be pushing so hard for this if they believed it would reduce border crossings --- or if they believed a single guest worker would ever be returning to Mexico. The Mexican government sees this as a big solution to their problems --- they plan to have many many more of their citizens over here as a result of this. Vicente Fox has never hid that he intends for much more. Just like when it was first announced --- Vicente Fox starts high-fiving his fellow elites shouting "we're going for more! we're going for more!".

132 posted on 12/27/2004 12:37:55 AM PST by FITZ
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To: staytrue
I don't agree with your answers, but I'm only going to take the time to address one: (it's late!)

>"Guest workers should not be allowed to bring their dependents."<

*should*?
Well they do, and that is the crux of the issue.
The kids of 8 million illegals (10 million?)are in our schools, once born here, they are anchor babies. They do get health care. I'm sure you're aware of the cost of a baby's health care in this country is close to ten thousand when you add up all the prenatal care, hospital delivery and beyond.

Education:
It costs anywhere from $6-$10,000 dollars per student in Oregon public schools. We have a guesstimated 100,000 illegal aliens, many with school age children.
That is a significant dent in an economy.

Crime:
In Oregon in 2000, it cost $20 million for the incarceration of illegal aliens, but it only received $8 million in compensation from the Feds, leaving $12 million in uncompensated costs to be borne by Oregon taxpayers.

That's a lot of lettuce.

G'nite.
133 posted on 12/27/2004 12:43:25 AM PST by FBD (Report illegals and their employers at: http://www.reportillegals.com/)
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To: FITZ
Poor Senor Fox. His legacy; "Hey vatos, I'm the dude that kicked open the door so you could go to the Gringosland and clean their toilets, Now homeboys, I want some respect!".
134 posted on 12/27/2004 12:45:41 AM PST by investigateworld (( a Savior has been born ! ))
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To: staytrue; bad company

One final note.
I have a friend from Sweden, and they have the same problem as we have. For them it is poor arab immigrants. They can't speak Swedish, and they will never assimilate.
A country that has more than one predominant language will eventually "Balkanize." This is where we are headed if we don't get a handle on immigration:

"Swedes Reach Muslim Breaking Point"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1290944/posts

G'nite


135 posted on 12/27/2004 12:54:30 AM PST by FBD (Report illegals and their employers at: http://www.reportillegals.com/)
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To: investigateworld

No foreign government should be or should be attempting to dictate our domestic laws.

Not a good foreign government --- but definitely not a crap foreign government like Mexico which cannot fix it's own laws to make it's own wealthy nation more liveable for it's majority --- the fact that the Mexican government is the major push behind this means it's bad. We need our laws to be determined by what is good for the American people --- and Mexico should have no say on that.


136 posted on 12/27/2004 1:00:12 AM PST by FITZ
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To: FITZ
If the gubermint of Mexico pulls this off, I can see them demanding a share of the incoming Soc. Sec. payments from both their nationals and their employers. If they demand this quickly, it will be the death of these proposals. But they will probably do it incrementally, like the camel getting it's nose into the tent.
We don't know everything W is being confronted with. It's very possible, Fox is saying; "you got a long border with us hombre, maybe we don't sleep and no Terrorist get through, or maybe not". I put nothing pass them though.
137 posted on 12/27/2004 1:14:05 AM PST by investigateworld (( a Savior has been born ! ))
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To: investigateworld

I certainly wouldn't put extortion like that past Vicente Fox or any of his cohorts. He seems to believe he has a lot of say in our laws --- he believes he can cram this through and to hell with what the American people want. Watch the Mexican government come in and try to throw out Proposition 200 in Arizona --- and I excpect they will try to do just that.


138 posted on 12/27/2004 1:23:35 AM PST by FITZ
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To: FITZ
I don't really see any legal standing for them, but Federal rules are rather loose. They will probably file a "friend of the court" brief. I know we have series Freepers to follow up.
139 posted on 12/27/2004 1:27:38 AM PST by investigateworld (( a Savior has been born ! ))
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To: FBD
jveritas vanity thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1303552/posts

Thanks for the link.

140 posted on 12/27/2004 2:28:04 AM PST by usadave
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