Posted on 03/27/2006 4:08:50 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee approved election-year immigration legislation Monday that clears the way for millions of undocumented workers to seek U.S. citizenship without having to first leave the country.
After days of street demonstrations that stretched from California to the gounds of the U.S. Capitol, the committee also voted to strip out proposed criminal penalties for residents found to be in this country illegally.
The panel's vote cleared the way for the full Senate to begin debate Tuesday on the emotional immigration issue.
"All Americans wanted fairness and they got it this evening," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), the Massachusetts Democrat who played a pivotal role in drafting the legislation, approved 12-6.
Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., voted for the bill but signaled that some of the provisions could well be changed by the full Senate.
In general, the bill is designed to strengtehn border patrol, create new opportunities for so-called guest workers and determine the legal future of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.
At several critical popints, committee Democrats were united while Republicans splintered. In general, GOP Sens. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, Sam Brownback of Kansas and Mike DeWine of Ohio, who is seeking re-election this fall, sided with Democrats.
That gave Democrats a majority that allowed them to shape the bill to their liking.
"America does not have to choose between being a welcoming society and being a lawful society."
This is what America always has done by welcoming legal immigrants. The president has forsaken the "lawful society" part by siding with the illegals against his own countrymen.
On the surface that really caught my eye - what if everyone did that?!?!? How awesome, but not everyone would get the word or understand what they were being asked to do. Some think that is paying their taxes - he he
Almost nobody on this site, stays home. We all vote. And we all like to bitch. Pity that events prove so intractible.
No.
By your logic nobody should vote because individual voting doesn't win elections.
Please point to the post where I said I would stay home. My representative is doing a good job and my senators are doing pretty decent - not great but not terrible. I'll examine each of their records more closely when they are up for election to see if I want to give them my support.
The governor is only decent so the jury is still out on him.
My client was supposed to move into his new home the next day, but since I was over an hour late taking care of some last minute business, it didn't happen. Now he has a story to tell. Great. I was left with a question - if you want to be here, what's with all the Mexican flags, anyway. If it's so great there, why are you here?
I am not in a position to anti-protest. But I give to the local Republican Party (hard to find in SoCal), I do LTTEs (they never get printed -- but I had one printed ab9ut immigration when I was 16 by the Herald), I support Ken and John and Handel.
Your F'ing high horse seems a little tentative. If you don't understand my references, then you are full of crap at the very least, since you are clearly NOT on the frontlines.
Frankly, I did not understand the idea of making it a felony to be an illegal immigrant.
What are we going to do, imprison them? That makes no sense.
I support the guest worker program, though I do believe border control needs beefed up as well.
But making it a felony to cross illegally was a really, really, really, really stupid idea.
Though it would not be to make it a felony to hire them.
You are being either naive or obtuse if you deny that money influences elections in a very significant way.
We're not in the 'in' crowd, thought I'd make a statement.
BTTT!
Yours is a GREAT post and on that worthy note, Good night, everybody!
Learn english.
"W-4". Post it everywhere. People will start to ask, "what's that all about". Maybe make it April 15th instead.
Good night to you onyx.
And your fishnets ;^)
Agreed. Employing illegals needs to be where the attention is focused.
It is time to stop giving money to the RNC, NRSC, and all Republican candidates who will not protect our borders.
When is DeWine's primary? If we don't get them in the primaries go 3rd party in the fall.
In Illinois we just had primary season and we have 2 Democrats running Judy Baar Topinka vs Rod Blagojevich
You are being either naive or obtuse if you deny that money influences elections in a very significant way.
I never said that money doesn't have the potential to influence elections. I did say that people have the power and the individual responsibility to overcome the influence of money on elections.
It's conservatism 101, really.
My guess is you're being obtuse.
Max Baucus' humungous political warchest (to the tune of around $16 million) hasn't persuaded me to vote for him. Conrad Burns' humungous political warchest hasn't persuaded me to vote for him either. Neither man has earned a vote from me ever since I became eligible to vote.
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