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 agree. I'm also starting to think that he's implementing daddy's 1000 points of light. If he gets his way, Canada and America's standard of living will swirl down the toilet, while 'the powers that be' will live like medeival lords. Don't ask about the poverty stricken people south of us : (
Ooops, someone forgot the sarcasm tag ;-)
How about the "carrot and stick" ploy? If you volunteer for working the fields, you will have money put into a savings account. If you do well and cooperate, you will also get a good job recommendation upon your release. If you choose not to participate, or screw up your assignment, expect to spend every lasting minute of your sentence behind bars.
It could work, and perhaps even rehabilitate certain types of criminals. We won't know unless we try.
I agree, but that will never happen. We have a better chance of getting Congress to deport all illegals, before they start putting businesses out of business.
I agree, but that will never happen. We have a better chance of getting Congress to deport all illegals, before they start putting businesses out of business.
With a Guest Worker program designed to allow businesses to acquire the labor that they truly need and cannot get out of U.S. residents, there is no reason for a business to claim that it needs to break the law in order to survive.
If they hire illegal aliens rather than legal Guest Workers to save themselves some bucks, then they should be treated as any other law breaker.
If you cook your company books to save $20,000 in income taxes, the Feds would not think twice about destroying your business.
When Martha Stewart got caught breaking the insider trading laws, the Feds didn't think twice about delivering a body blown to her company.
My proposal, as outlined in Post 193, would identify the labor shortages that legitimately need to be filled, provide a process to acquire legal Guest Workers to fill those jobs, give a grace period for everybody to "get with the program" and then, after the grace period, apply draconian penalties on any employer that refuses to obey the law.
If we take it for granted that companies cannot violate the law with impunity in regards to tax evasion, fraud, safety violations, licensing, insider trading, building permits, etc., etc., why should we take it for granted that companies should be allowed to violate the law with impunity in regards to hiring illegal aliens?
I spent three weeks travelling in the Yucatan last month and, as a Spanish-speaker, I had a long discussion with a Mexican business owner about all sorts of topics from Iraq to illegal aliens. (He was not too keen on invading Iraq but he did admit that many Islamic fanatics deserved whatever they got.)
I pointed out to him that Mexico has strict laws prohibitting non-Mexicans from working in Mexico and enforce those laws.
He agreed but put the blame squarely back on the U.S. by saying, "True. But the Americans send mixed signals. The Americans say that they don't want illegal aliens but then they look the other way when illegals are hired and even give them driver's licenses! No wonder Mexicans keep going there."
The solution is:
1. Write the law.
2. Have a grace period to allow compliance with the law.
3. Vigorously enforce the law with draconian fines.
4. Allow law-breaking companies to be destroyed as an example to others.
Good job? Now way. Make as hard as possible for the released convicts to get honest jobs. That way will will commit other crimes and will be back to provide cheap labor. We need to be tough in order to compete in the global economy!
Lol! I was talking about the criminals that are left, after the illegals are deported :-)
On a somber note, even people who have never had a parking ticket, have trouble finding work. I do love your sarcastic remarks, and I'm with you about what's going on, but this could work. Only if the government isn't involved though.
Post #73 - BTTT
Either welfare or find another job "Americans don't want to do", which if you listen to our government today is just about every occupation.
" 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. "
Nice to know our President is interested in assisting sweatshops and foreigners.
Who the hell does he think elected him?
W is turning out in his second term to be almost as incompetent as his father was in his first term.
Apparently employers and foreigners because that's all he appears to want to represent.
Somebody in the GOP needs to set his priorities straight but after the CAFTA vote I'm not sure that's going to happen anytime soon.
ping.
That one is great. Been smiling all morning. To bad it's probably right on the dime.
And the excuse for the 97% of illegals that never see a farm?
Die_Hard Conservative Lady,
Excuse my ignorance, but what does "bttt" mean?
"Too bad it's probably right on the dime."
That's the best/worst part of that damn map!
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