Posted on 03/23/2006 10:19:12 AM PST by Reagan Man
As Congress prepares for a showdown over immigration policy, President Bush urged lawmakers Thursday to have a "civil debate" that respects people of all backgrounds.
"Ours is a nation of law and ours is a nation of immigrants, and we believe that we can have rational, important immigration policy that's based upon law and reflects our deep desire to be a compassionate and decent nation," Bush said.
He urged a serious debate on the issues at a time when advocates on both sides have been playing to voters' gut emotions.
"When we discuss this debate, it must be done in a civil way," Bush said during a meeting with groups pushing for changes to immigration laws. "It must be done in a way that brings dignity to the process. It must be done in a way that doesn't pit people against another."
Bush wants Congress to create a worker program under which participants could gain legal status for a specific time and then be required to return home. It would not provide an automatic path to citizenship.
"Our government must enforce our borders," Bush said. "We've got plans in place to do so. But part of enforcing our borders is to have a guest worker program that encourages people to register their presence so that we know who they are and says to them, `If you are doing a job that Americans won't do, you're welcome here for a period of time to do that job.' "
The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a bill with a guest worker program. If that measure does not move forward, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist planned to push debate on his bill. Frist's bill sidesteps the question of temporary work permits and would tighten borders, punish employers who hire illegal immigrants and provide more visas.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. has threatened to do everything in his power, including filibuster, to thwart the legislation.
Do not reward law breakers!!
How about just enforcing the laws that already exist?
Please call them INVADERS and don't compare them to people who are legal aliens!
President Bush has been great on most things except for our border.
He has been great on the war on terrorists.
But on the border he is a gross failure.
He acted fast and correct on the 3,000+ people murdered at the world trade center.
He ignores the many rapes, murders and robberies which might be larger than the murders and money loss at the world trade center.
More Americans are abducted on the border of Mexico than in Iraq!
Start building the fence.
It should be made a felony for Criminals who overstay their visas and Invaders.
I believe we should give amnesty to these poor CRIMINALS or INVADERS.
This should be a 2 week amnesty to get the heck out of our Country.
The ones who ignore this amnesty should be buried in a tent city jail and fined $10,000 or buried elsewhere.
All aiders and abettors of these CRIMINALS or INVADERS should get 1 year in a tent city jail and a $10,000 fine for each CRIMINAL aided.
Those in government should be the first ones charged.
After five years in office, Bush has done nothing on the open borders and illegal immigration issue. The Feds have increased the Border Patrol from 9500 agents to 9900 agents. BFD! Employers are still hiring illegals and taking jobs away from poor Americans. Lets enforce the IRCA of 1986 and prosecute and punish employers who hire these illegals.
"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government,
1. The act of invading; the act of encroaching upon the rights or possessions of another; encroachment; trespass.
Anything less than the deportation of these illegals and all their children born in this country is unacceptable to me.
Folks,
I've been making this point the last few days.
Deportation is a reward and must not happen. These are people who broke our immigration law. They must not be rewarded. They must be punished. Only a fine is a punishment that makes any sense.
If you deport these people, they take the money they made, or sent back to banks in Mexico, and they kick back on the beach at Cancun or Mazatlan the rest of their lives. This is not the sort of reward I want to see them get for breaking the law.
I want them punished. Punishment is taking money from them. Fine them. After they pay their debt to society in the form of a fine, they are shoved to the back of the line for citizenship. If they have a job and pay taxes, no reason they can't stay. The operative issue is the paying of taxes. That will fund their presence. Hell, an extra punishment might be nice. Let's have a surtax for people in this category and let them pay some extra taxes while they work. Without them, Social Security is doomed so might as well collect money from them while we can.
Deportation is REWARD. FR people need to understand this.
I am in favor of a civil debate on immigration just as soon as you secure the borders.
Don't ask me to trust you on immigration if you aren't willing to secure the borders.
Hmm...Bush is backtracking, a very little, from calling his opponents racists. But he's keeping his options open. When he doesn't get his way I think he will do it, just like he did on the DPW deal.
Is Rove whispering in his ear that Bush can be the "compassionate conservative" by labelling 80% of the American public as racists? Lots of money involved in the wage depression industries. Bush could rebel away from the money and be a hero. Or he could just continue fronting for the cheap labor lobbies. He'll do the latter.
No amnesty. No amnesty dressed up and repackaged as a "guest worker program". No more of OUR tax dollars going to pay for so much as a g*dd*mn BANDAID for these ILLEGAL invaders.
Raise the legal immigration quotas, expedite the process, make other changes, but STOP REWARDING ILLEGAL ACTIVITY.
It'd be different if like the Irish, the Russians, ect... before them if they were coming here to work hard, integrate, and make a better life for their families here. That isn't what is happening. They come here, suck up every welfare/medical resource they can, stay insulated in their communities (partially because of how they got here illegally in the first place), squeeze out anchor babies, and DEMAND we give them more. Billions of dollars of which gets sent back across the border.
No debate. Close the borders until we get this crap sorted out if we have to. It isn't just a good idea, it's the LAW.
Per the discussion on the thread you posted, I am running out of patience for "civil debate". I want the laws enforced without an amnesty before the lid blows off. May just be a day late and dollar short for that already.
You just know the Dems will call W a bigoted, racist, nazi for that comment.
Bush has a plan! hahahahahahahaha
Of course that does NOT include enforcing our laws, unless you are an American citizen.
Ours is a nation of legal not illegal immigrants. Notice how he tries to confuse the issue. Enforce the law protect our borders and quit crapping on the American people. We are tired of crime, disease, drugs, low wages, taxes, etc.....
Bush could care less about you and I - sad just like his spoiled and elitist daddy.
Ours is a nation of legal not illegal immigrants. Notice how he tries to confuse the issue. Enforce the law protect our borders and quit crapping on the American people. We are tired of crime, disease, drugs, low wages, taxes, etc.....
Bush could care less about you and I - sad just like his spoiled and elitist daddy.
Better get used to the loud UNCIVIL debate Mr. President, because it isn't going to go away until you take care of the problem. Stop the illegals. Kick them out of our schools, our hospitals, off our welfare rolls, build a fence to keep them out and fine employers who hire them. Enforce the law Mr. President, or you are going to see and hear a most UNCIVIL debate.
Bush's double-talk and elite-speak on this issue is very disappointing.
Bush could solve this problem tommorrow and mobilize his base just by taking action to control the border and presenting it as a National Security Issue.
If he supports/signs McCain-Kennedy, he will lose support and demoralize the base and gain *NO* votes for the Republicans.
Whenever the Republicans blur the differences between themselves and the Dumbocrats, look out because it will end in defeat.
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