Posted on 01/27/2005 1:04:20 PM PST by bikepacker67
Then the GOP hasn't learned its lesson. It needs to actually start honoring promises rather thatn just treating it as one big gentlemen's club.
" So Americans have been left without a voice in their own government on this issue."
- write, call, fax your Congress members and let them know they won't be getting our votes next time!
"Or we can continue to play the corruption game and Bush can amnesty another crop of "good citizens" whose first act in America was to break our law and ignore the will of our people."
- We must enforce our laws and quit allowing Congress to make exceptions. Congress must remember that when you play with fire eventually you'll get burned.
I agree. Why can't they really seal the borders?
oops
Find me a way to "really seal the borders" that would meet all of the following criteria:
1. Actually stop the vast majority of illegal traffic.
2. Does so within reasonable limits on cost, manpower, et cetera.
3. Does so without grossly violating most Americans' sense of decency. (Note: this is not what you would find personally acceptable, but what the average American would find acceptable if the results were splashed across his TV screen over breakfast.)
Very perceptive. That is exactly what she is doing. She's been positioning herself to the right of the Wall Street Journal / Open Borders wing of the Republicans (which includes Bush) since last fall. She's got a little less than four years to re-invent herself along the lines you mention, and she's well under way. The electorate has no memory. All of the outrages and shenanigans of the 90s will be forgotten by 2007.
The Clintons were undoubtedly ecstactic about John Kerry - the ultimate elitist socialist aristocrat - getting the nomination. I expect Hillary will not face any serious challengers when the 2008 season rolls around. I agree with you that the Michael Moore / DU types are being set up for a Sister Souljah moment. If the Republicans continue their present course over the cliff and nominate a hard-core, unabahsed liberal like Giuliani, Hillary will be president and likely win both houses of Congress for the Dhimmicrats as well. Even life-long Dems I know are tremendously angry about the out-of-control borders.
KEY POINTS OF THE BUSH IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL
• Workers in the United States illegally can join a temporary labor program.
• Those workers then can apply for permanent U.S. residency, but they will receive no preferential consideration.
• Employers hiring these workers must show they cannot find U.S. laborers to fill the jobs.
• These undocumented workers get guaranteed wage and employment rights. {Which solves the whining about them bringing wages down}
• These workers receive a temporary three-year visa, renewable once. They are expected to return to their countries once their visas expire.
• Congress will be urged to increase the current annual limit of 140,000 green cards.
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will administer the program.
From a speech:
All who participate in the temporary worker program must have a job, or, if not living in the United States, a job offer. The legal status granted by this program will last three years and will be renewable -- but it will have an end. Participants who do not remain employed, who do not follow the rules of the program, or who break the law will not be eligible for continued participation and will be required to return to their home.
Under my proposal, employers have key responsibilities. Employers who extend job offers must first make every reasonable effort to find an American worker for the job at hand. Our government will develop a quick and simple system for employers to search for American workers. Employers must not hire undocumented aliens or temporary workers whose legal status has expired. They must report to the government the temporary workers they hire, and who leave their employ, so that we can keep track of people in the program, and better enforce immigration laws. There must be strong workplace enforcement with tough penalties for anyone, for any employer violating these laws.
Undocumented workers now here will be required to pay a one-time fee [read: fine for breaking the law} to register for the temporary worker program. Those who seek to join the program from abroad, and have complied with our immigration laws, will not have to pay any fee.
This program expects temporary workers to return permanently to their home countries after their period of work in the United States has expired. And there should be financial incentives for them to do so. I will work with foreign governments on a plan to give temporary workers credit, when they enter their own nation's retirement system, for the time they have worked in America. I also support making it easier for temporary workers to contribute a portion of their earnings to tax-preferred savings accounts, money they can collect as they return to their native countries.
And just to put the cherry on top:
I oppose amnesty, because it would encourage further illegal immigration and unfairly reward those who break our laws. My temporary-worker program will preserve the citizenship path for those who respect the law, while bringing millions of hardworking men and women out from the shadows of American life.
Source: 2004 State of the Union address to joint session of Congress Jan 20, 2004
But I reiterate...no legislation was ever submitted by Bush to Congress and even if it is, it has already been declared DOA.
Thanks for your clarity.
Yes, the electorate has no memory.
During the 92 race Chris Matthews said something that stunned the hell out of me. It was at the height of the Gennifer Flowers thing. He said, "The voters are protecting Clinton". He was right. The voters were choosing to give Clinton the benefit of a doubt because they wanted an alternative to George Bush I and they wanted for the health of our democracy for the Democratic Party to be viable again on the presidential level. The voters felt that a democratic candidate willing to stand up to Jesse Jackson needed to be supported and encouraged.
If the GOP cannot right itself on this issue, the voters WILL give Hillary the benefit of a doubt, not merely because of immigration, because they will support a Democrat willing to tell the deviants and Europe worshippers and God haters to go to hell.
Temporary labor program ? Will return home to reregister ? Hardly.
Let me tell you something about gastarbeiter. They don't go back home.
The public is well aware of the Bush plan. They are aware that it is based on some pretty unrealistic assumptions.
The problem with the present system is that there is none.
There is no enforcement whatsoever. Neither does Bush propose any. He wants to make it easier for people who jump the border without doing much of anything to stop the flow in the first place.
His priority is shown by his constant "They are only here to do jobs Americans won't do." statement. That is an unqualified lie. There is no such thing as a job an American won't do if you pay him an American salary. This is entirely about employers who want to undercut the standard of living of blue collar Americans by flooding their labor market with cheap labor. Bush's priority is facilitating the flow of cheap labor at the direct expense of working Americans.
President Bush, who never has to run again, is taking that big risk for the Republican party, all those congressmen and senators who do have to get re-elected, if they go along with him on this. It looks like this may be the last straw for conservatives if he manages to pull off the other things that he appears to have up his sleeve, like more Souters for the S.C., a really BAD bill on tort reform, etc.
There is a system in place. It is not enforced. Therefore it is broken and doesn't work. I don't have an answer to make it work.
There is no enforcement whatsoever. Neither does Bush propose any. He wants to make it easier for people who jump the border without doing much of anything to stop the flow in the first place.
See the above responce. I am open to hear your solution.
His priority is shown by his constant "They are only here to do jobs Americans won't do." statement. That is an unqualified lie. There is no such thing as a job an American won't do if you pay him an American salary. This is entirely about employers who want to undercut the standard of living of blue collar Americans by flooding their labor market with cheap labor. Bush's priority is facilitating the flow of cheap labor at the direct expense of working Americans.
Here in Texas for the most part the wages are comparable to American born workers. I can't answer for other regions. However a program to register and account for guest workers would level the playing field.
I think it was Boris Becker who defined Barbra Streisand as a woman who looks good from a distance.
Giuliani is a kind of political Barbra Streisand. Up close he has this "my way or the highway" arrogance, questionable marital fidelity, questionable associates, and lots of other weaknesses. If he becomes candidate, some day, some way on the stump he is going to lose it and say something that will cripple his candidacy.
You don't have an answer to make it work ?
When was the last time any business got into trouble for hiring illegals ? If lawbreaking by the connected is winked at, expect more lawbreaking. That is not a "broken system". It is the well-off bending the rules to benefit themselves. And the only answer to that is a committment by the political system to enforce the law for the benefit of ALL Americans.
Corruption is a law enforcement problem.
Just because it ought to be does not mean it is. I agree that we have the laws in place but they are not enforced. Saying they should be does not work. we have to be pragmatic about the facts in place and decipher a way to go forward or we will not fix the problem.
Wake up, Mr. President! We will NOT take this laying down!
What's unrealistic about enforcing the law ? What's "unpragmatic" about putting the public good ahead of cheap labor special interests ?
Are you saying this nation can't afford to secure its southern border ? This nation can't afford not to.
Right On! The "Two-Party Cartel" workings at its best. Don't forget either that there will be NO true conservative Supreme Court when GW leaves but watch out when the dems get in next election (the elites will prevail) & watch all of the phony conservative agenda go out the door in 3 months.
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