Posted on 01/29/2005 7:38:39 PM PST by bayourod
LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee Thursday denounced a bill by Sen. Jim Holt that would deny state benefits to illegal immigrants as un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life.
Holt, R-Springdale, replied later that Christian charity does not include turning a blind eye to lawbreaking.
Senate Bill 206, filed Wednesday, also would require proof of citizenzhip to register to vote and would require state agencies to report suspected cases of people living in the country illegally.
"Somebody needs to ask Sen. Holt what welfare this bill would stop," Huckabee said in a question-and-answer period with reporters on Thursday morning. Many aid programs are state-administered but federally funded and are mandated to be available to people in need, Huckabee said.
Even if benefits to people who are in the U.S illegally could be stopped, "I don't understand how a practicing Christian can turn his back on a child from this or any other state," Huckabee said.
Holt replied, "I think the politically correct movement has misconstrued what compassion really means. They think compassion means that any person can disrespect our laws and that we're supposed to be tolerant and let them get away with it.
"True compassion is correcting them so in the future they can be law-abiding citizens," Holt said.
Holt said he would seek a state attorney general's opinion on what the bill would do if passed. He said he would delay further action on it, at least temporarily, to allow the attorney general to respond.
The bill is modeled after a similar law in Arizona and supported by the newly formed group Protect Arkansas NOW. The group's chairman is Joe McCutchen of Fort Smith. "I know Sen. Holt and Mr. McCutchen say they're pro-life," Huckabee said. "We're trying to preserve the life of someone who, when born, will be an American citizen with his first breath. We can spend $900 on pre-natal care when the mother is pregnant. Instead, this bill would have us take a chance and spend $2,000 a day at Children's hospital if the baby's born and something has gone wrong. That's anti-life."
Huckabee said he took exception to characterization of immigrants in the bill and by its supporters as exploiters of social programs. "They pay sales taxes on their groceries," Huckabee said. "They pay fuel taxes. If they're using a fake Social Security number, they're paying Social Security taxes and will never receive any benefit. It would be closer to the truth to say they're subsidizing Joe McCutchen and Jim Holt more than the other way around.
"Something that's not worth sharing is not worth celebrating," Huckabee said. "This is the kind of country that opens its doors. This bill expresses an un-American attitude."
McCutchen, reached by telephone at his home in Fort Smith, repeated some of Holt's arguments, including the one that the people referred to in Holt's bill are in the United States illegally.
"They broke the law," he said. "My angst is not with them, though. My angst is with the state and federal government for not enforcing our laws."
People living illegally in the United State has "overwhelmed our school and welfare system," McCutchen said. As for whether the bill reflects un-Christian attitudes, McCutchen said: "Jim Holt is as good a man and as good a Christian as any man walking this Earth."
"Doggone it, the rule of law is not being upheld, and that's wrong," McCutchen said.
McCutchen joined Holt in a news conference last week to announce the forming of Protect Arkansas NOW and to discuss plans to file SB 206. Since that news conference Friday on the state Capitol steps, McCutchen was featured on the web page of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks membership and activities of groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. One group tracked by the center is the Council of Conservative Citizens, which claimed McCutchen as a member, according to the law center's article. The article is available at: http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp
"To anybody who will listen, I'll make a speech at my own expense," McCutchen said. The CCC "asked me to come up and make a talk on illegal immigration. The talk lasted 15 minutes and I drove myself to Virginia to give it. I financed that thing by myself."
A letter of McCutchen's was reprinted in a magazine owned by the CCC, according to the law center website. "I did buy a list of donors from the American Immigration Council. I sent out a letter to about 200 people telling what I was doing," McCutchen said. "I suppose one of those letters went out to this magazine.
"That was the end of that, I thought," McCutchen said. "I'm just astounded by the attention this has received. CNN (Cable News Network) was at my home Tuesday afternoon. The very next morning, the Southern Poverty Law Center sent this out and the segment on CNN is on hold."
I can vouch for Andy Grove. Knew him in college. Legal.
I don't know if anyone mentioned this. Jim Holt would be a US Senator if the RNC hadn't left him twisting in the wind. He received 44% of the vote dispite being outspent 70 to 1! I thought the republicans were trying to increase their seats, you wouldve thought a little extra money his way would've been a win-win situation.
No I agree. Would you answer my question now? Do you believe some of your allies in the fight to enforce immigration laws are motivated by racism?
The argument that 15 million people will be ripped out of our community is an interesting one. Generally I can't get you folks to agree to that number. In this instance you must have coughed that fur-ball up by accident.
There are 10-15 million illegals in the country now posted 1/28.
I also understand that we have 10-15 million illegals here now. posted 1/4
Whether it is 10 million or 20 million the number is staggering.
Tell me, if this nation can't get along without illegal immigrants to man it's businesses, then how are communities operating throughout the Midwest
I live in the Midwest. Illegals are here also.
Kinda shoots your theory all to hell though.
no.
Once again you are proving yourself incapable of discussing an issue on the merits. Even if we stopped every single illegal immigrant, the legal immigration would continue.
My point which keeps getting lost in your response is that legal immigration is not meeting demand for labor. 15 million illegals is a staggering amount of people and what ever the percentage of working illegals will be a staggering amount.
If we get into a discussion on that topic and you support stiff penalties against murder, am I supposed to mention that you agree with Robert Byrd, former KKK member? You guys have a blind spot that is two miles wide and one mile high.
You sure are making mincemeat out of my arguments...At least that's what you keep telling me. Best I know Byrd's not a murderer, but he is a racist.
You mention that you have too much compassion.
I am sure I didn't write I have "too much compassion."
Where is your compassion for the American kids who get fewer vacations, fewer family amenities, a lower standard of living, just so the children of foreign nationals can get a free ride?
I don't agree with your assessment that illegals are causing all the problem you list. I could argue through the rest of your response point for point but none of my arguments would likely be acceptable to you nor particularly novel. Your arguments are not new to me. They boil down to "I'm right. You're ignorant or evil." but you did formulate them into a compelling right fringe argument that is sure to get rave reviews from those who already agree with you.
Although I found little in your response that challenged my opinion, you did reinforce my perspective of the opponents of immigration. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and respond. It takes skill to communicate through written words alone. Although I disagree with you it is not because your opinions were unclear.
Actually you cannot show that a couple decades of massive uncontrolled immigration has done the average Mexican back home any good at all --- the country is worse off than ever, and the misery is only growing.
Uncontrolled immigration leads to even more uncontrolled immigration --- people don't work on fixing their homeland. It just makes the situation that much worse.
Well --- if there is no invasion then it shouldn't be an issue with you if people work to stop it.
There is absolutely no compassion in the current uncontrolled immigration and the massive flood of people out of Mexico --- it's doing the people of that country no good at all --- their misery only increases.
Real compassion would demand that life improve for them in their own homeland --- so that staying home isn't horrible. That might take some bloodshed unfortunately --- because the evil corrupt oligarchs don't wish release their stranglehold of that wealthy country ---- how else will they fill their Swiss bank accounts so well? But some things --- just like the war in Iraq --- take some bloodshed.
Wow. That was one of the finest posts I've ever seen on the subject. Well done.
How does he have "census" numbers? Did I miss the chance to refuse to give out a bunch of personal information to the government last year??
It's a parable in the Bible Rod. You know the one about giving someone food and you feed them for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a liftime? It's about self-reliance.
To use Tom Daschel's pet phrase, I am deeply saddened by Gov Huckabee's personal attack on Jim Holt. Christianity has nothing to do with the desire of citizens of Arkansas to uphold the law regarding illegal immigration. Jim Holt is right to expect that illegal immigration not be exempted from Arkansas law. Seems to me that if the law is to be ignored then it needs to be repealed. Is there any question as to the result of an election with that proposal on the ballot? The United States government has a duty to secure our borders and if that were done there would not be this huge illegal immigrant problem. If Gov Huckabee really wants to talk about Christian attitudes and beliefs, he should start with JUSTICE. However CHARITABLE we may feel towards immigrants, JUSTICE requires that we uphold our laws.
You advocate stealing food from MY children's mouths to give it to people who broke the law to come here, and are NOT CITIZENS. They have NO claim on public funds.
And you are insane if you think that the vast majority of Americans are not against illegal immigration and the theft of our limited public resources. The people in several large states have voted for laws that would remove public support from non-citizens. I suppose you think we should support the entire world? They should stay home and fix their own country. And I don't care if they are black, white, brown, or purple. I would say the same thing if they were coming in droves from Canada.
We need a new FR poll on this subject.
..unfortunately, He already is...in the gov. housing projects.
No I don't. I supporet President Bush's immigration reform proposals.
No one is advocating anarchy. But every government (and person) has to prioritize the allocation of resources.
When it comes to fighting terrorism the anti-immigrants want every penny devoted to sealing the border, and if Bush doesn't agree they call him a traitor.
The fact is that President Bush has done a great job of allocating resources against terrorism by any standard you want to measure it by.
But the anti-immigrants aren't concerned about terrorism, just Mexicans.
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