Posted on 08/05/2005 1:04:32 PM PDT by Reaganwuzthebest
The president, in a wide-ranging talk, gives a hint at how he'll pitch reform measures
GRAPEVINE - President Bush told a crowd of state legislators Wednesday that he will push immigration reform as beneficial for U.S. employers as well as foreigners looking for work.
He also made an impassioned pitch for Americans to stay behind the war in Iraq.
"Immigration reform is going to be an interesting subject when we get back to Washington" in September, said Bush, who plans to spend this month at his Crawford ranch.
He argued that his proposal for a "guest worker" program is good for employers and illegal immigrants who want a mutually beneficial relationship.
"If you are a willing employer (and) you have somebody looking for work and you can't find an American, there ought to be a legal way for you to employ that person," he said. "We'd rather have people coming in with a card that said, 'I'm a legal worker,' than trying to sneak across the border."
The president has proposed a system under which immigrants would be granted worker temporary worker status, after which they would have to leave the United States. Critics have called it a thinly veiled amnesty program. Immigration reform plans have stalled in Congress so far this year, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist recently suggested a GOP push on the issue was more likely to happen next year.
Talking hours after the first reports that 14 U.S. Marines were killed in Iraq, Bush said, "The violence in recent days in Iraq is a grim reminder of the enemies we face. These terrorists and insurgents will use brutal tactics because they're trying to shake the will of the United States of America."
With polls showing that public support for continued military involvement in Iraq is eroding in the face of steady casualties, Bush relied on a familiar linkage of the war with the larger struggle against terrorism. He said Americans who died in Iraq and Afghanistan "lost their lives in a noble cause."
Speaking to 1,800 people at the American Legislative Exchange Council conference, Bush basked in recent legislative victories delivered by a GOP majority in Congress, including the Central American Free Trade Agreement and energy and highways legislation.
Bush said his priorities when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day will be immigration reform, making his tax cuts permanent, getting Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts confirmed and resurrecting his Social Security reform initiative.
Bush drew loud cheers by saying he strongly believed in private retirement accounts for workers under 55. "Now is the time to permanently fix Social Security," he said.
The event was held at a mammoth convention center where visiting legislators were introduced to Texas pride, including a large replica of the Alamo, a 10-foot-long space shuttle model and other state symbols.
I have some foreigner friends/acquaintances and they are angry that all these people might just cut in line. The paperwork and the lawyers fees are just the start of the all the hard work it takes to become a citizen.
Exactly, why should the criminals ge tto jump the line? Hey Mr. President - when your ranch is overrun with illegals, will you still feel getting your toilet cleaned for dirt wages was worth it????
That's the other side of this coin. Since 911 there have been some tightening of LEGAL immigration. I hear from friends in Europe that it's tough as hell to get to come here for very long and that enforcement is pretty strict. On the other hand we are planning to hand out cards to anybody who crosses our southern border and, at the same time, do absolutely nothing to secure it.
It's an insult to everyone who has made the effort to come here or who wants to come here to be an American.
All that an employer would need to do is to call one of the many temporary employment agencies in their area. They can get as many American workers as they need in this way.
Hee hee, I was just thinking about why weren't they here yet!
Sorry, no illegal immigrant laborers are needed and there are plenty of replacements.
How many U.S. citizens are picking produce in California's Central Valley?
The workers are needed but, right now, no significant number of Americans would be caught dead picking produce.
A guest worker program would allow growers to legally contract for Mexican temporary workers. The workers would come over legally during the picking season, they would do their job, get paid and then, in the off-season, they would go home to Mexico to be with their families and enjoy the money they earned.
Right now, once illegals are here, they hide and stay here since crossing the desert to sneak in is something you would rather do as few times as possible.
The children of these ILLEGALS are being educated and will compete for Career opportunities that should belong to our Children and Grandchildren. Other ILLEGALS will come in to replace the low paying jobs, and the cycle will continue.
Thanks President Bush and Gov. Huckabee of Arkansas.
sw
Nope, not when it comes to open borders.
Oh come on, more illegals would just be brought in. This is aimed at the middle class jobs. Indian and Chinese programmers and doctors aren't going to run across the border but removing the H1B barrier would be a big plus to special interests.
Yeah, I just got my H1-B in May. Not that cheap, though.
Hey....what corner are these guys on? I need some landscaping done........
Only one man could lead conservatives into the new world odor no one else could possibly get away with it...
What is coming across our borders are not workers simply looking for jobs Americans won't take or poor folks looking to feed their families..
This is a full scale invasion of criminals, terrorists, incubators of diseases we had once conquered in the USA...
If this is the face of the real Republican Party it's starting to resemble the marriage of Scarlett O'Hara to Gordon Gecko
imo
Only one man could lead conservatives into the new world odor no one else could possibly get away with it...
What is coming across our borders are not workers simply looking for jobs Americans won't take or poor folks looking to feed their families..
This is a full scale invasion of criminals, terrorists, incubators of diseases we had once conquered in the USA...
If this is the face of the real Republican Party it's starting to resemble the marriage of Scarlett O'Hara to Gordon Gecko
imo
The new patrones too...
A guest worker program would allow growers to legally contract for Mexican temporary workers. The workers would come over legally during the picking season, they would do their job, get paid and then, in the off-season, they would go home to Mexico to be with their families and enjoy the money they earned.
What would you suggest we do about the 97% of illegal aliens who don't work in the agriculture industry?
Study counters beliefs about illegal immigrants (Only 3 percent work in agriculture)
Why not just use that legendary Bush focus on doing "what is right" regardless of the politics and just issue a presidential pardon to all the illegal aliens and direct ICE to give them papers?
Yes but that might mean having to pay a decent wage, which would defeat the whole idea.
I'm all for another bracero program to help the growers, as long as it means we can send the other 97% illegal aliens home right away.
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