Bush pushes guest-worker plan ahead of key debate

Reuters ^ | 3/25/6 | Caren Bohan

[goldstategop]

Raise wages to a level Americans can live on and you will see people begin to take those jobs or do it themselves. That's the way to combat illegal immigration - raise our standard of living and wages. What's really tragic is seeing liberals like Hillary Clinton support an approach that amounts to an on-going subsidy for Corporate America and the permanent institutionalization of a culture of poverty in this country.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[hodaka]

While the illegals protest in Californis and Arizona this would be the perfect time to round them up and ship them back.

[dagnabbit]

PRAY for the defeat of Bush on this issue.

Pray that no bill reaches his eager pen that will allow him to pour more of the third world and its maladies into our only homeland.

[Malesherbes]

"The liberals are waiting with baited breath for another attack on America." You are absolutely right. Some months ago, John O'Sullivan in National Review wrote a little scenario in which terrorists crossing into the USA from Mexico did serious damage, which event was followed by impeachment proceedings against Bush. The GOP is torn between the business wing which wants cheap labor, and the Tancredo wing which wants to preserve our society.

Some in the GOP even entertain the notion that as soon as the illegals become citizens they will start voting Republican. It's more likely that California will once again become "Alta California" and its citizens begin voting PRI.

[Mamzelle]

re: we must remember there are individuals here illegally, doing jobs at a rate of pay that Americans can't live on, and many of the business interests backing me make a killing off of that.)))

I think there's a Culture of Aristocracy going on here, too. You know, W speaks beautiful Spanish. He had to have had lots of Mexican servants growing up. If you ever hang with rich folks--they love being waited on so much that they start to identify personally with their servants and the whole Remains Of The Day thing. (The nobility of servanthood)

Bear with me--I know it sounds odd. But when you hire someone to swab your toilet because you're too good to do it yourself, you do feel a little guilty. If that person isn't even a legal resident, you also have to do a self-justifying dance in your head. "Poor hardworking folks. I'm just so charitable to give them a job. Because I'm such a good person for doing this, I need to sell this behavior."

When you do something wrong, sometimes you have to run around evangelizing for that behavior. Maybe psychologists have a name for it--?

[Mamzelle]

They've been enboldened to this protest because they think they have a hold over Bush. Bush can thank himself that they think this--if he'd enforced the law fairly from the beginning, the GOP would not be faced with this political dynamite now.

[CowboyJay]

"we must remember there are individuals here illegally, doing jobs at a rate of pay that Americans can't live on, and many of the business interests backing me make a killing off of that."

Yup. The disgusting part is that if it were stopped, the entitlement roles would start to thin out greatly as wages came back up to levels dictated by the laws of supply-and-demand. Who pays for illegal immigration? Why hard-working taxpayers, of course.

[georgia2006]

the big problem wit ha guest worker program is who says the "workers" will come from mexico, central america oe even latin america??

if a constuction company has to pay an american $20 per hour and can pay a mexican $12-$13 per hour, why not hire moroccans or algerians for $6?

peopel fear a guest work program will result in a influx of mexicans...i fear much worse

[Mogollon]

Dubya, the senators that vote for your amnesty plan will risk losing their cushy job this November.

[Serenissima Venezia]

We have to speak out loud and clear that there is another side to the story - by the people who can actually vote in this country. The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet on Tuesday (I think) to make a mockery of their constituents' desires and of the Sensenbrenner bill waiting for them.

Send free faxes at NumbersUSA

Send email or faxes at Federation for American Immigration Reform (faxes for a fee)

Send faxes to all Senate Judiciary Committee members and your 2 Senators for $14

Senate Judiciary Committee:
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) - 202-224-4254
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) - 202-224-5251
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) - 202-224-3744
Sen. Jon L. Kyl (R-AZ) - 202-224-4521
Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) - 202-224-2315
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) - 202-224-4124
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC) - 202-224-5972
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) - 202-224-2934
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) - 202-224-6521
Sen. Thomas A. Coburn (R-OK) - 202-224-5754
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) - 202-224-4242
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) - 202-224-4543
Sen. Joseph R. Biden (D-DE) - 202-224-5042
Sen. Herbert H. Kohl (D-WI) - 202-224-5653
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) - 202-224-3841
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) - 202-224-5323
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) - 202-224-6542
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) - 202-224-2152

[Serenissima Venezia]

When you do something wrong, sometimes you have to run around evangelizing for that behavior.

Good point. My brother-in-law, who makes a sinful amount of money as an attorney, hs an odd habit of talking about his domestic employees the same way. He'll talk about how the $10/hr he pays someone to take care of his ranch while he's gone is such a good wage. I can't believe he'd say that because it's obvious he would never work for that amount. But now it makes more sense...

[Borax Queen]

I think there's a Culture of Aristocracy going on here, too. You know, W speaks beautiful Spanish. He had to have had lots of Mexican servants growing up. If you ever hang with rich folks--they love being waited on so much that they start to identify personally with their servants and the whole Remains Of The Day thing. (The nobility of servanthood)

That is an interesting analysis!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The more Bush II speaks on this subject, the more he sounds like his failure father - a closet liberal.

In some ways, Bush's 2nd term is resembling Poppy's final months in office. Not so much as bitterness because Bush II isn't running again for office. But there's a huge letdown and regret on the part of conservatives, mumbling the coulda-woulda-shouldas, the endless possibilities, and underachievements, they've all been flushed down the toilet by Bush and the Republican Party.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Divided government worked very well as I recall between 1992 and 1994, Clinton got practically nothing through legislatively because the GOP acted like they were supposed to.

Uh, GOP didn't control Congress in 1992-1994.

[Dialup Llama]

A guest worker program will not help the illegal immigration problem - "Oh, they've got a guest worker program, so that means I'll decide not to sneak in now." It's nonsense.

Can someone explain why would an illegal alien willingly participate in this guest worker program and suddenly make himself more expensive to an employer? Without enforcement, why wouldn't more illegals come in to undercut those who sign up for the guest worker program.

Being a guest worker means you are applying for a job at market wages (an employer can't keep a lower wage scale just for Mexicans only). The employer has to pay social security, workers comp etc... The worker has to pay all taxes and so would try to get a higher wage to offset the taxes.

[The Foolkiller]

we must remember there are hardworking individuals, doing jobs that Americans will not do,
Needs work:

we must remember there are individuals here illegally, doing jobs that Americans will not do,

Hmmm ... still needs more work:

we must remember there are individuals here illegally, doing jobs at a rate of pay that Americans can't live on,

Almost there:

we must remember there are individuals here illegally, doing jobs at a rate of pay that Americans can't live on, and many of the business interests backing me make a killing off of that.

Now THAT is more like what the underlying issues are here.

---

BRILLIANT! 8^D

[freekitty]

Who is the President kidding?

[antceecee]

Maybe we need to send our dear President pictures of all the protests going on today by the illegal invaders??? Perhaps his advisors aren't sharing this information with him?

Sorry GW it doesn't look good. Time to wake up to what is really happening on our borders. It is way beyond 'good people seeking to do the jobs americans won't do'.

I pray President Bush can find a way to the truth on this issue.

[Mamzelle]

Himself.

Not that you're listening, GW--but, I'm populist enough to think that if you can't maintain your home without breaking the law and importing slave labor, maybe you have too darn much stuff. You sure ain't no saint of charity for exploiting this labor.