Posted on 08/16/2005 6:29:30 PM PDT by The_Victor
Immigrants, legal or otherwise, come to Texas to "put a roof over their heads" and Texas has a responsibility to provide them education and health care once they are here, Republican gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn told a conservative GOP group today.
In a week when the governors of Arizona and New Mexico declared states of emergency for counties along their border with Mexico, citing the "ravages and terror" caused by illegal immigration, Strayhorn took a conciliatory tone on the same issue. But she also said the state needs help from the federal government.
"I sympathize with those coming over who want to put a roof over their heads," Strayhorn told the Greater Houston Pachyderm Club. "We can't turn them away from the hospital steps."
Strayhorn, the state comptroller who is challenging incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in the March 2006 primary, made her remarks in response to questions from club members who wanted to know if she would be willing to take similar steps as those taken by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.
"We have to protect our borders from terrorists," Strayhorn said, noting that federal law requires states to provide education and health care to immigrants.
A spokesman for Perry agreed.
"The governor has and will continue to remind the federal government that border security is a federal issue, not a state issue," spokesman Robert Black said. "The state will do what it can and help in any way, but this is a federal issue."
Strayhorn, in taking a welcoming tone to immigrants from Mexico, is trying to find voters outside the traditional Republican primary-voting base, which is made up of conservative voters, said Bob Stein, political scientist at Rice University.
"There's a reasonable policy position on (illegal immigration), but it doesn't overlap with the passion" of GOP primary voters, Stein said.
Stein also theorized that Strayhorn, in search for campaign dollars, is unwilling to take a close-the-border stance and alienate large homebuilders and highway construction companies who use immigrant labor and contribute heavily in Republican politics.
The GOP challenger, whose prepared remarks excoriated Perry again for what she called a lack of leadership for the Legislature's failure to pass a school funding bill, pledged to make education the focus of her administration.
But Black noted that Strayhorn said she would issue a school finance plan last year.
"It's time for her to unveil her secret plan," he said.
Asked if she would "at least" do away with bilingual education, Strayhorn, a former school teacher and school board member, said that while total immersion in English is effective, "these kids go home to parents who speak Spanish."
"I can't make a blanket statement that bilingual education is bad," she said, adding that she favors school-based community programs that teach the whole
ping
After having watched Strayhorn for a few months, I'm convinced she's being paid by Gov. Perry to run a really bad campaign, shoot her mouth off every chance she gets, and keep anyone else from running against him in the upcoming Republican gubernatorial primary. < /tinfoil >
I think you are correct. With the current anti illegal sentiment, this probably sealed her future as a NON.
Kinky has what he calls the "Five Mexican Generals" Plan to solve illegal immigration. He wants to set up five zones along the border between Texas and Mexico then appoint five Mexican generals, one to each zone, to be in charge of preventing illegal border crossings. To insure compliance, he will deposit $1 million into each of five separate trust accounts and withdraw $10,000 every time a crossing occurs in the corresponding generals zone.
I love a good conspiracy theory, but having worked around government for ~20 years, I'm convinced that neither the government nor an member of it, is competent enough to carry off the vast majority of conspiracy theories.
Cute soundbite, but completely out of the realm of reasonable solutions.
Expect any less?????
Par for the course, where the Kinkster is concerned.
"To insure compliance, he will deposit $1 million into each of five separate trust accounts and withdraw $10,000 every time a crossing occurs in the corresponding generals zone."
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Only a million? That is chump change to the drug cartel. Besides, the general's bribe money accounts would be dry in less than a month.
Illegal immigrants? What federal law is this?
"What federal law is this?"
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At least Strayhorn's making her pandering to lawbreakers position known ahead of time. But if she wins we're in deep doo doo.
"Citizen-of-the-world types are resistant to the idea of tightening our borders, and especially resistant to the idea of making a distinction between people from different countries. But the real problem is not their self-righteous fetishes but the fact that they have intimidated so many other people into silence."~ Thomas Sowell
Thomas Sowell is a true patriot. I admire him greatly.
>"Thomas Sowell is a true patriot. I admire him greatly."<
Yes, he is a true patriot. With that statement, and his recent article about our uncontrolled (out of control) immigration situation, he will now be attacked by the OBL crowd as a moonbat, and etc.
She used to be a DIM but changed to get votes.
Quisling: a synonym for traitor, someone who collaborates with the invaders of his country.
ping
Why should Honest American taxpayers pay federal and state and local taxes to government administrations and those government officials paychecks who refuse to comply with the Constitutional requirement and federal, state, and local statutes to defend America and go after criminals - especially the illegal alien invaders who are ripping off American taxpayers and illegally getting more benefits and rights than the honest American taxpayer-citizen?
Think about it folks.
Illegal aliens and traitor Cindy Sheehan and their 501(c)(3) tax-exempts illegally refuse to pay their taxes - and you get to pay the heavy freight bill for them them and all of their kiddies!
Defund the SOB's!
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