Posted on 01/22/2006 5:10:52 AM PST by Liz
President Bush's announcement that he plans to meet with Cuban-American leaders to discuss U.S. policy for Cuban migrants couldn't be more timely.
Bush's move follows outrage over news that the Coast Guard returned 15 Cubans who thought they'd arrived safely in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.
Gov. Jeb Bush was vocal in his disapproval, and then came a much-publicized hunger strike by Ramon Sanchez, president of the Cuban activist group Democracy Movement. Sanchez ended his 11-day strike Wednesday, after he was notified of the meeting. U.S. policy is that Cuban refugees who "touch U.S. soil, bridges, piers or rocks" get to stay in America, while those intercepted at sea are returned to Castroland.
Unfortunately for the 15 who reached Old Seven Mile Bridge, its unattended state has left it eroded and disconnected from land. The Coast Guard used this to justify immediately sending the refugees back. "Because they reached an old bridge and not a new bridge, there's a judgment they didn't reach American soil?
The semantics used to return these men and women — who have risked so much to reach freedom and are now returned to an uncertain future — are an embarrassment," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), himself a Cuban immigrant.
This "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy for Cuban refugees was adopted in 1994 after Castro's encouragement of a mass exodus.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
That incident was a farce. They made it to the abandoned 7 mile brige footer, so they weren't technically in the US? BS.
Unfortuantely, they probably could have walked to the island. It's only like 2 feet deep there in many places.
So here we have a picture of a thoroughly muddled and contradictory policy that allows certain Cubans under certain conditions to legally immigrate while all Haitians, who are similarly opressed, are summarily thrown back to the fishes.
We have lost nearly 50,000,000 citizens from abortion. The argument that we can not handle unlimited immigration is nonsense. In our society population is a direct determinative of economic growth. Retail sales amounts to more than 90% of our GNP. Surely we can handle every person who is not a danger to society to immigrate to the Land of Promise.
I don't have a problem with immigration of any kind, as long as it's LEGAL.
So let's have a law that allows Haitians, or Mexicans, or whoever. No prob.
But when politicians are too scared to change the law and stand behind it, and suffer the consequences next election, that tells you that something is wrong with the idea.
it would be a total disaster to simply let everyone who wanted to come here immigrate without restrictions.
________________
Sir:
The earth is round and our economy is not a pie chart. If the illegals were legal and paid taxes there would be no shortfall of services.
You need to take Econ 101. I am a businessman, and understand all too well why the economy could not support that kind of shock.
_________________________
The shock, compared to current catastrophes, would be an increase of 20% in tax revenues.
Once again, cuban immigration is not illegal.
I'm a businessman and have taken several years of economics.
Opening the borders would ravage the economy.
You need to either have
A)Infrastructer that can support a mass influx or surge of population.
B)Thriving economic conditions to provide jobs for everyone or you will have massive unemployment leading to societal instability.
C)A build in mechanism for assimilation, a problem which means you have immigrants who don't speak the language and are unable to be employable for any kinds of jobs other them manual labor of the lowest skill requirements.
D)Social Services would be unable to handle such an influx in populace, in fact, its costing New York State money now, and this is with a much lower number.
And thats only a few economic impacts, we haven't even gotten to the whole list of other issues.
I know. Did you see my rant in post 2?
I know. Did you see my rant in post 2?
For further clarification, read post 2, 3, and 4.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.