Bush: 'Guest worker' plan will benefit U.S. employers

Houston Chronicle ^ | Augist 3, 2005 | Michael Hedges

[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.

[taxed2death]

"Bush bashers are out in full force today"

Well, if he wasn't selling Americans out, we wouldn't be "bashing" him. He's reaping what he has sown.

[taxed2death]

"...and the people who hire illegals currently - will continue to do so."

That's the NASTY part that the K00laid drinkers fail to realize.

There is NO incentive for the scumbag tax cheat employers NOT to turn around and hire MORE illegals...

You can pass all the laws you want to, but if the government won't enforce them, they're worthless.

[taxed2death]

"So what is to stop employers from using this reasoning to employ guest workers in IT, Accounting, Finance, Engineering, Medicine, any field where they can cut the salary 20 or 40 or 60 percent?"

That is precicely the plan!

You hire "temp" workers from offshore and bring them in here to work for 60 cents on the dollar. You burn them out in 18 months , send them packing and hire another one.
SCREW Americans!
Do you REALLy think there is a WORKABLE "plan" for government to "oversee" if a company looks for an American worker before hiring a non-resident? If you do, you're hallucinating. Our government can't find it's own a$$ with both hands. Now you'll see the middle class being decimated...especially in those fields you've just mentioned.

Oh yea.... not to mention these temp workers will be sending billions home...taking more money out of the local economy.

But... the k00laid drinkers all say... "this will benefit corporations"... sure....at the expense of the American middle class.

[taxed2death]

"I am not entirely against a fair guest worker program. However, this claim that there are jobs that Americans won't do is an outright lie. Its a way to avoid free market enterprise and flaut the marketplace laws. Quite simply, these are jobs that refuse to pay market price for labor and instead go to the black market, and even encourage the black market."

EGGGGGGGGSACTLY!


I've seen too many friends and acquaintances get their businesses blown out of the water by scumbag competitors who hire a bunch of illegals. How can one compete against a competitor who hires a crew of 10, 20 or 30 illegals? And to think that by simply waving a magic wand and making these illegals all of a sudden "legal" will solve the problem is so effing stupid it makes you question the sanity of those who propose it. That "solution" is just politically expedient, nothing more. What would stop the aforementioned scumbag employer from turning around and hiring MORE illegals. The legit business owner gets SHAFTED one more time by his own damned government.

[taxed2death]

"......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."

Keep dreaming amigo.

[F.J. Mitchell]

good idea. But like mine, most US jobs would be held by unpaid laborers. Where would we the tax-payers and product purchasers get the money to do our duty?

[taxed2death]

"The article specifically stated, "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."

HAHAHAH and WHO will be the person/ department / bureaucracy to oversee these "temps" to make sure they actually leave?


Keep dreaming amigo.

[philetus]

He's completely forgotten the overwhelmingly negative reaction he received when this scheme was first proposed last year."

I doubt if he forgot.


JUSTICE FELIX FRANKFURTER, U.S. Supreme Court Justice: "The real rulers in Washington are invisible and exercise power from behind the scenes."

[taxed2death]

re: post # 193
" 6. Illegal workers would be deported."

Are you a soon to be rising star on the comedy channel?

We can not even secure our borders NOW. GWB doesn't even have the desire or balls or a combination of both to make a DENT in the numbers of illegals coming in since 911.
Since 911 illegals have been coming in at a rate 25% HIGHER than prior to that sad day. Do you REALLY think he (or any President) will have the nads / money / political gumption to actually deport 20+ million illegals?

This "guest worker" plan is a scam on the American lower and middle classses.

[philetus]

I'm beginning to fear that Bush is really another of the "One World" nuts."

His dad is!

Bush spoke before Congress on Sept. 11, 1990, delivering a speech which he entitled "Toward a New World Order". Addressing the subject of his Gulf War, he made his first public utterance of his, and his rich cronies" plans for a world imperialism in stating that the war in Iraq was "...a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of coopera- tion. Out of these troubled times...a new world order can emerge."

[Reaganwuzthebest]

I doubt if he forgot

What I should have said is he's pretending to have forgotten. He knows full well very few in the country support new guest worker schemes that bring millions more in but just doesn't care.

[taxed2death]

re: post 280

"6. Illegal workers would be deported."

More mental masturbation in dreamland.

[taxed2death]

" Do you know any Americans who want to do agricultural stoop labor? Do you know any Americans who want to pay $3 for a tomato?"

Your freaking $3 tomato theory has already been THOUROUGHLY debunked amigo. Do a search here on FR as to what the COST to TAXPAYERS illegals represent.

[Polybius]

<"......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." Keep dreaming amigo..........HAHAHAH and WHO will be the person/ department / bureaucracy to oversee these "temps" to make sure they actually leave? Keep dreaming amigo.

See my proposal in Post 193

Look at the "penalties" that I propose when an illegal alien gets caught.

Not much is it? Just a free trip in an air conditioned bus back to the border.

It is the EMPLOYERS that are hammered............

" Employers would be subject to a $50,000 fine and/or 30 days in jail for every illegal worker discovered."

No employers stupid enough to risk a $50,000 fine and/or 30 days in jail for every illegal worker discovered = No work for illegals = No money = No earthly reason for an illegal to stay in a country where the cost of living is much higher than it is back home.

If you don't want ants in your kitchen, you don't waste your time chasing down and squashing each individual ant. You simply put your food away so that the ants have no reason to invade your kitchen.

[Polybius]

"6. Illegal workers would be deported." More mental masturbation in dreamland.

See Post 354.

When the Feds raid a business and discover illegal aliens, the Feds would drive the illegals back to the border and the employers would then be hammered with a "a $50,000 fine and/or 30 days in jail for every illegal worker discovered".

If the aliens sneak back in, fine. No problem.

They would simply serve as the bait to hook even more employers and get another "$50,000 fine and/or 30 days in jail for every illegal worker discovered".

Rinse and repeat as often as necessary until employers in the U.S. would not touch illegal aliens with a ten-foot pole.

You are laughing that it is impossible to hunt down every individual ant in a kitchen and squash it.

I'm laughing that you believe that that is how you keep ants out of your kitchen.

[Polybius]

Your freaking $3 tomato theory has already been THOUROUGHLY debunked amigo. Do a search here on FR as to what the COST to TAXPAYERS illegals represent.

What does the cost of illegal aliens have to do with my proposal to replace those hoards of illegal aliens with guest workers and targetting any employer that violates the program with draconian penalties?

Your "do-nothing" attitude is what is flooding this country with illegals and costing taxpayers a fortune.

I have provided a concrete plan to attack the root cause of the illegal alien problem.

You have provided nothing but claims that the problem can't possibly be solved.

[taxed2death]

I agree with most of your post 193... but the FACT still remains that our fearless leader has ENOUGH laws on the books right now... as "marine inspector" pointed out... to go a long way towards solving this problem.

GWB can't even stomach the thought of giving the BP more agents (in meaningful numbers) to secure our borders. You know... the government workers can feel a vibe right from the "Top dog" on down....and GWB has no desire, or intention to secure our borders, he's had 4-1/2 years and as I pointed out illegal entry has INCREASED 25% !

Now in the name of political expediency...he's determined to ram this "guest worker" program down our throats. I'm NOT patently AGAINST a guest worker program...but if it's not executed PROPERLY...it will SHAFT a whole bunch of Americans for the foreseeable future.

I just can't agree on any guest worker program that doesn't make a REAL, HONEST, CONCERTED effort to secure our borders and cut illegal immigration by at least 80%. When you see how much illegals are COSTING the US taxpayer... we'd be saving money in the long run by properly securing our borders. It just sucks that GWB (as well as Clintoon) are such elitists that they won't stick up for the "common" American and do what's right for all Americans.

If our borders are not secured... then the same scumbag employees who hire illegals now will continue to hire illegals in the future. If our President won't make an honest effort to secure our borders....why should I believe that he or his replacement would uphold the laws that would be passed in his "immigration reform package"?

[Die_Hard Conservative Lady]

bttt

[seemoAR]

Arkansas has produced a good crop of anti United States traitors lately. Clintoon was bad, but I am starting to believe that the hucksteer is more of a danger to our society and safety.

[Polybius]

I just can't agree on any guest worker program that doesn't make a REAL, HONEST, CONCERTED effort to secure our borders and cut illegal immigration by at least 80%.

I agree with control. Which is why my proposal targets the employers. Without that, we're pissin' into the wind.

If our borders are not secured... then the same scumbag employees who hire illegals now will continue to hire illegals in the future.

My analysis of the problem leads me to the conclusion that the employers are the root cause of this problem.

Growing up in Florida, I learned that it is almost impossible to seal every crack in your house to physically keep ants out. However, it is a very easy matter to eliminate the unsecured food in the kitchen so that the ants have no reason to bother coming into your house.

Right now, there is some need for some foreign labor which is why lobbyists have bribed Congress with campaign contributions to ignore the illegal alien problem.

A Guest Worker program allows the specifically designated workers to come in and then makes it possible to hammer the employers who don't follow the new rules.

As long as hiring illegal aliens gets you a scolding, employers will continue to hire millions of them.

As soon as you hammer employers with a $50,000 fine for each illegal alien caught in his business, the illegal alien ants will not find a single cookie crumb left out for them in America's house.