2,000 new border agents aren't part of budget, [Bush] says

USA Today ^ | Jan. 25, 2005 | Mimi Hall

[citizen]

2,000 new border agents aren't part of budget, Ridge says

President Bush (news - web sites) will not ask Congress for enough money to add 2,000 agents to patrol the nation's borders in his 2006 budget, even though he signed a bill last month authorizing the increase.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Monday that Bush's new budget, to be released in early February, will propose a "good incremental increase" in the number of agents. But he made it clear the number would not approach 2,000. The new agents were to be the first hires toward doubling the size of the force over five years.

As part of a sweeping intelligence bill passed in December, Congress called for nearly doubling the size of the Border Patrol by adding 10,000 agents over five years. The agency has about 11,000 agents; 90% work along the southern border with Mexico.

But in an interview with USA TODAY, Ridge scoffed at the notion of adding so many agents and said it would be an inefficient use of precious homeland security dollars.

"The notion that you're going to have 10,000 is sort of a fool's gold," Ridge said. "It's nice to say you're going to have 10,000 more Border Patrol agents in five years, but what other part of Homeland Security do you want to take the money from?"

[judgeandjury]

State sponsored terrorists fly first class into the U.S. using visas acquired with official government issued documents.

Terrorists don't come here that way if they're on our government's terrorist watch list.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Thanks for the ping.

All I can say to this is, "Well, surprise, surprise, surprise."

I feel so good that I didn't vote for Bush in either 2000 or 2004.

Anyone who did is a dupe.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

When employers can hire legal laborers they won't risk hiring illegal ones. When laborers can cross the border legally and work legally in the U.S. there won't be any incentive for them to cross illegally.

Bwa ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!...

Ah, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA...

Phew! Thanks for the good laugh. I really needed that.

Whatever line of work you're in, you missed your true calling --comedy.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Mr. Bush is no conservative on this issue

Hel-lo...

Bush is no conservative an any issue.

Like his daddy before him, Duhbya never met a big goverment snake oil he didn't like.

[Marine Inspector]

If you want to decrease the workload, enact President Bush's guest laborer plan.

The Presidents proposal will NOT decrease the number of Agents needed, nor will it decrease the number of illegals crossing the border.

When employers can hire legal laborers they won't risk hiring illegal ones.

That would be the fantasy you want to believe. Some will, but most will not. Most illegals are hired under that table, and that is where they will stay. The guest worker program will not change this dynamic.

By the way, are you a member of a border agent's union?

No, I am not a member of the Border Patrols union.

[skeeter]

Thanks for the good laugh. I really needed that.

I agree watching Bayourod try to convince us that importing millions of poverty stricken illiterates is a swell idea that'll make us rich is humorous in a way, but I can't laugh too hard when someone pees on my back & tells me its 'spring mist'.

[Isabelle]

I think your right! Where do we sign up!

[Iscool]

"It's nice to say you're going to have 10,000 more Border Patrol agents in five years, but what other part of Homeland Security do you want to take the money from?"

Any part you moron...We could start with the taxpayer paid for limos you ride around in and your luxery offices...

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

I agree watching Bayourod try to convince us that importing millions of poverty stricken illiterates is a swell idea that'll make us rich is humorous in a way, but I can't laugh too hard when someone pees on my back & tells me its 'spring mist'.

And that's why I'll never join either the republicans or democrats. All of our ills of the last 100 years can be traced to these two parties.

Anyone who votes for a republican or a democrat gets exactly what they deserve.

Of course, all of this 'talk' about the guest worker program is just a diversion from the program that's going to do the real damage --Social Security Totalization Agreement with Mexico.

You don't hear Sensenbrenner talking about that, do you?

That's because you're being conned by the republicans and democrats. Again.

[B4Ranch]

>> However, his catering to the Hispanic vote is annoying. <<

I would not call it annoying, but then I am known for speaking my mind, aren't I?.

__________________________________________________________________________________

We all know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant.

Last week there was an immigration-overpopulation conference in Washington, DC, filled to capacity by many of American's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor named Victor Hansen Davis talked about his latest book, "Mexifornia," explaining how immigration - both legal and illegal - was destroying the entire state of California. He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream.

Moments later, former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America. The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States. He said, "If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'"

"Here is how they do it," Lamm said: "Turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual.

"The historical scholar Seymour Lipset put it this way: 'The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy.' Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans."

Lamm went on: "Invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. I would make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are no cultural differences. I would make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.

"We could make the United States an 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: 'The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentrically and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together.'"Lamm said, "I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America reinforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities."

"Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school."

"My fifth point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population."

"My sixth plan for America's downfall would include dual citizenship and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other."

"A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy Persia threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to over come two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. "E. Pluribus Unum" -- From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on 'pluribus' instead of the 'unum,' we can balkanize America as surely as Kosovo."

"Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits ~ make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like'racist' or 'xenophobe' halt discussion and debate."

"Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-culturism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'Victimology,' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them."

In the last minute of his speech, Governor Lamm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed. Finally he said, "Lastly, I would censor Victor Hanson Davis's book Mexifornia. His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America. If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book."

There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. Every discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and national cohesiveness. Barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate 'diversity.'

American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in America - take note of California and other states - to date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book "1984." In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength."

Governor Lamm, walked back to his seat. It dawned on everyone at the conference that our nation and the future of this great democracy is deeply in trouble and worsening fast. If we don't get this immigration monster stopped within three years, it will rage like a California wildfire and destroy everything in its path, especially The American Dream.

[Iscool]

Excellent idea...Let's open up the border to any Chinese that can get here...Shoot, even I then, could afford a gardener (for a little while)...

Let's get Chinese teachers, Congress, and maybe a President...Look at the cash we could save...

[B4Ranch]

>>. I also thing that new technology to aid the agents should also be a high priority. However, I don't really know what we'd be giving up to make it happen, so I'm hesitent to say the administration is completely out of line on this issue.<<

Right now we are giving up school seats and teacher time for American students, hospital emergency room availability, police services, paying for prison and detention services, higher taxes, water, electricity, etc for these illegals.

Don't hang back with your finger in your mouth wondering what to do.

Patriotism is amking sure your country is worth protecting!

[untrained skeptic]

"He's using it as a political talking point to try to pacify and confuse the real scandals of his open border policies."

He is? Could you point me to where he lauded and used the number of 2000 new border agents for political points. I'm not saying he didn't, but I can't find a reference to it using Google.

Bush didn't write that law. The president doesn't write laws and doesn't pass laws.

If he pushed for this particular part of the law and has used that portion of the law to appear strong on immigration, then he is definitely failing to follow through.

I just don't remember him doing that.

He is suggesting funding additional agents. The fiscal year 2000 budget under Clinton has staffing levels at a little under 9000 border agents. They now have about 11000 agents. It sounds like the Bush administration has been increasing the size of the border patrol by significant amounts.

In my opinion it's still too little, and we should harass our congressmen to fully fund the 2000 border agent increase in the budget.

However, give Bush credit where it's due and blame where it's due. Criticizing him for things he didn't do isn't productive.

The 2000 new agents number appears to have come from Congress, not Bush. Congress provided the number without a budget. Bush apparently doesn't believe that adding that number is practical. I think it needs to be a higher priority, but I'm not going to call the President a liar because of something someone else threw out as a goal and he's not meeting.

" No wonder he and Clinton get along; they're cut from the same political cloth."

Actually under Clinton the Border Patrol increased from just under 4000 in 1993 to just under 9000 in 2000. The border patrol increased 122 percent in size under Clinton.

However, at the same time he tied their hands so they really couldn't enforce immigration law, so it was really expensive lip service to the issue, but at least we have the agents and the equipment to build on.

I suspect we have the Republican dominated congress to thank for the increase in size of the border patrol under the Clinton administration, and the Clinton administration for the ineffective use of that manpower.

[untrained skeptic]

You're right. And I believe that more border patrol agents can pay for themselves IF they are given the authority to address the problem and aggressively deport illegal immigrants.

I also think that 2000 border patrol agents is too small a fix for the size of the problem. We need to get state and local law enforcement involved with finding and detaining illegal immigrants.

That should also provide a net positive benefit to those government agencies as well. However, those levels of government are unwilling to take that step in most cases.

2000 new border patrol agents is a step in the right direction, but I think it's at best going to reduce the flow into the country. That's important, but we need to address the millions here. If we can make it so these people believe that there's a good chance they'll get caught and deported, less will come.

Bush's guest worker plan could provide some benefit in reducing the demand for illegal immigrants, but it's useless without aggressive enforcement of immigration law.

The guest worker plan is a nice carrot to use to help get better cooperation with Mexico, but until we get the problem more under control, it's pointless.

[ApesForEvolution]

I'm convinced some of the FROBLs are involved in the persons/drug traff. biz...and therefore will by all means continue to support the Criminal Invasion. American Traitors.

[ApesForEvolution]

WoW BTTT

[skeeter]

I heard a privately funded radio commercial yesterday warning against "FTAA", Free Trade Area of the Americas - free flow of labor & capital between N & S America, a new EU-style constitution governing both continents, etc - initiative that both parties are lining up behind.

Sounds plausible given the reluctance of our leaders to enforce our immigration laws, but I'll have to do a bit more research.

[AlGone2001]

Why don't you work the border for free?

[B4Ranch]

>>Bush didn't write that law. The president doesn't write laws and doesn't pass laws.<<

But his Oath of Office says that he will do his best to see that all laws are enforced.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

If the law is unConstitutional it is his duty to see it is removed, not just ignored.

[taxed2death]

bayourod: "but you only make a fool out of yourself..."



You manage to do this with each and every one of your posts.