Posted on 03/24/2005 9:14:02 PM PST by Conservative Firster
Republican lawmakers are headed for a showdown over illegal immigration, an issue that exposes a deep and bitter rift within the GOP.
The drama will unfold when Congress returns early next month and turns to finish an emergency spending bill to fund the Iraq war. The House version, approved before the Easter break, carries tough immigration restrictions, reigniting a long-simmering battle with the Senate over how to deal with the growing illegal population.
It is a conflict that President Bush scarcely needs as he tries to unite his party behind contentious Social Security changes and judicial nominations. Meeting Wednesday with Mexican President Vicente Fox, Bush promised to continue pushing Congress for a program allowing temporary guest workers. That accommodation is the opposite of what House conservatives are seeking with the crackdown on asylum seekers and state driver's-license requirements for illegal immigrants that they attached to the Iraq bill. Bush acknowledged the limits of his influence: "I'm not a member of the legislative branch," he told Fox.
The immigration debate pits one core GOP constituency (law-and-order conservatives) against another (business interests that rely on immigrant labor). One camp wants to tighten borders and deport people who are here illegally; the other seeks to bring illegal workers out of the shadows and acknowledge their growing economic importance.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Studies I've seen show what any thinking person would expect and that is legal Mexicans don't like Illegal Mexicans any more than any other US Worker. In fact, the Legal Mexican is very likely competing with the Illegal for some of the same work and they bear the hardest brunt of the flood of Illegals overwhelming the menial jobs sector.
BTTT
Tom Tancredo said open borders/amnesty bills such as the one being cooked up by McCain and Kennedy can be attached to a "must pass" bill in the Senate. Then the "must pass" bill is sent to a conference committee were the House and Senate come up with a common bill. The common bill is sent to the House floor for an up and down vote. Then President Bush can organize a coalition of open borders Republicans and Democrats and get the needed votes for passage.
What nobody talks about is that illegals & imports from china are being used by politicians to hide the fact that they've been printing money like it's going out of style. Depressed costs due to illegal labor and depressed product prices from china hide the actual amount of inflation.
They'd better damn not be split. I live with a Dem who's no more for illegal immigration that I.
that I = than I .. than me .. whatever ... off to lalaland.
Absolutely correct. However, I take issue with the Post's
byline. "Conservatives" are NOT split but some politicians
are. Bush obviously believes that a foreign invasion is
perfectly acceptable. He ignores the bankrupt school
districts, insolvent hospitals, and higher taxes needed
for social welfare services and prison incarceration.
He ignores the danger that out-of-control borders present
to national security. BUT - the most important thing is
that 70% of Americans object to this INSANE and SUICIDAL
policy. WE are not split - the political hacks are!
"Yep. I will sit out or Third Party depending on how the Illegal thing is worked out. The arrogance is monumental IMO. My Rep. neighbors feel very much the same way."
I think a lot of people are starting to feel that way. Terrorism is my number one issue and I can't see myself getting behind any candidate that isn't serious about border security. Looks like Hilary is going to cherrypick big time if the party doesn't step up on this issue.
Same here, I won't vote for traitors.
I'm very certain she and any other Dem potentials are watching very closely and waiting to pounce. If a thinly veiled Amnesty policy is adopted on W's watch you can bet it will be a winner for them.
A policy that is anything less than serious Border Security, imposition of stiff penalties for employers and curtailing the social benefits available to Illegals will cause evaporation of the 2004 mandate. (IMHO)
I believe it was Boss Tweed who said, "I don't care who does the voting, as long as I get to do the nominating".
HEY MORONS WHY NOT DO BOTH!?!?!??!??!?
More legal immigration! Guest worker program!
Zero tolerance for illegals!
If it was a zero-sum game you'd be right. But economics moved past that faulty assumption hundreds of years ago. You might think about doing so yourself.
Well, I think it goes something like this. We have 10 million + illegal aliens in the country and have no idea who they are. This represents a significant national security threat. Issuing these people guest workers cards would allow the government to complete background checks and track these people.
Providing aliens the ability to obtain a guest worker prior to entry would take pressures of the Border Patrol and allow them to focus on preventing terrorists, criminals, drugs and WMDs from entering the country. The current flow of illegal workers creates a substantial opportunity for terrorists to exploit. Strictly from a border security perspective its a good idea.
Like it or not, illegals are part of the economy and they are not going away. The special interest groups on both the right and the left simply have too much collective power to permit a round up. Thus the flow needs to be managed. The current situation is a formula for disaster and is the worst of all possible policies.
I dont necessarily agree with all these issues, but these are the talking points in support of the initiative, as I understand them.
Most of these single-issue partisans, whose single issue is usually the Chicken-Little of Falling Skies, are not very faithful party members anyway. I would wager that more than half of them did not vote straight Republican in the past 4 election cycles, in both the primaries and general elections.
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