Boehner hints a back down on 'amnesty'

The Washington Times ^ | March 29, 2006 | Charles hurt

[surely_you_jest]

House Majority Leader John A. Boehner refused yesterday to rule out compromising with the Senate to expand the House border security bill to include a guest-worker program or provisions that opponents call "amnesty." "Let's wait and see what the Senate can produce," he told reporters yesterday when asked whether House Republicans would reject the Senate Judiciary Committee's proposal to allow the estimated 12 million illegal aliens now in the U.S. to seek citizenship after paying a fine.

[CowboyJay]

Wrong answer.

This isn't some fool little 'American Idol' spat being debated up on the Hill right now. Do you truly and fully comprehend what's at stake here? I want to hear your explanation of exactly what you feel would be produced by another amnesty.

I'd prefer your personal explanation, and your own words.

[taxed2death]

"Shapka isn't wrong. He's dead on the money. He's also espousing the same opinion the OWNER of this forum has expressed quite a few times over the past week.

So where does that leave you? Besides with slinging more insults against your betters?"

Never confuse Coop with any hard facts...he's just here to lob personal insults from the Peanut Gallery.

[American Quilter]

if we cut off all entitlements to ILLEGALS and encourage the socialist party in Mexico, we wouldn't have to force them to go HOME.

I'm completely in favor of ending "entitlements" to illegals, and if that encourages them to go home, even better.

[Junior_G]

Ah yes, gotta keep those funds flowing into FAIR, so you can keep your dayjob of trolling FR.

I'll be sure to Google FAIR when I'm done with my 8-5 trolling shift. I'm not too concerned about your opinion of me. Better to be pro-borders than be an illegal immigration apologist (I mean, "pro-business").

[Reagan Man]

Bush has never been serious about border enforcement or assuring employer sanctions are carried out. After five years its obvious Bush doesn't give a rats arse about protecting America's borders. If Bush was concerned with illegal immigration, he would have secured the borders years ago. That would have sent illegals and their family members packing for home a long time ago. Never happened and it never will happen under this POTUS. Bush wants to be remembered as the POTUS kept the borders wide open and the flow of cheap labor into the US ongoing.

[Beagle8U]

" I want to hear your explanation of exactly what you feel would be produced by another amnesty."

I haven't seen any Amnesty bills since Reagan signed one in the 80's.

Got a link for the amnesty bill you are referring to ?

[Southack]

"The reality is you're siding with the problem, not the solution. You're backing the enemy and the enemy's proxy in America."

No. The reality is that I have to keep correcting you on points of fact. That speaks poorly for you.

As to my side, I've said repeatedly to "BUILD THE FENCE!"

But you label me your enemy because I point out errors in fact, such as wrong-headed claims of Bush "doing nothing" or only hiring "210 new border patrol agents" when the reality is that he's hired more than 1,700 this year alone.

Well, if your views can't stand on facts, then you will eventually fall.

My views stand on facts. Build the wall. Convince illegals who are currently here to voluntarily register themselves with our government (this is what the gun-grabbers want to do with firearms, so that they can later ban them). Hire more border agents.

But my views also acknowledge that substantial progress on our border security has already been made (e.g. a 500% increase in deployed border agents, miles of new border wall built thanks to President Bush exempting the border fence from additional enviro lawsuits, nuclear detection monitors on all agents as well as at sea and all along our border, etc.).

[Dane]

I'll be sure to Google FAIR when I'm done with my 8-5 trolling shift. I'm not too concerned about your opinion of me. Better to be pro-borders than be an illegal immigration apologist (I mean, "pro-business").

#1 I am not pro-illegal immigration and #2 it was private business that built this country into the wealthiest nation on Earth.

I guess you would rather have the old soviet union with your posted anti-business rhetoric.

[samcgwire]

*As to my side, I've said repeatedly to "BUILD THE FENCE!"*

On that, we agree. The rest is all b.s.

[TheDon]

We tried amnesty back in 1986, and in 20/20 hindsight, it didn't work.

It didn't work, because it didn't address the problem. Amnesty is a way of cleaning up the mess we created by not enforcing our immigration laws in the first place.

Amnesty will never stop illegal immigration, but it can resolve the problem of what to do with the 12 million illegal aliens already here.

There are two different problems that must be dealt with: 1) stopping illegal immigration, 2) dealing with 12 million illegal aliens. I don't really care how the second problem is dealt with as long as the first problem is dealt with.

[samcgwire]

When O'Reilly quizzed Bush about border security during the last campaign, I cringed when Bush said "They can make 50 cents in the Mexican interirior and 5 bucks in the American interior". I voted for President "Better than Kerry" anyway, like Andy Card said I had to. No more.

[Types_with_Fist]

This isn't some fool little 'American Idol' spat being debated up on the Hill right now. Do you truly and fully comprehend what's at stake here? I want to hear your explanation of exactly what you feel would be produced by another amnesty.

I hate to nuance the point your making because we are on the same side. But, enough of this "amnesty" talk. What's being proposed is infinitely worse than amnesty.

Amnesty would excuse the 20-30 million or so already here and make them American citizens. More would be encouraged to come. The ones still coming, however, would still have to do so illegally.

What Bush and his followers want is to make it legal for all to come and stay without them even being American citizens.

If you think amnesty encourages more lawbreaking, just imagine what gold cards for all will encourage from south of the border and what it will do to our already overburdened systems, economy and middle class.

That's really the whole point of the guest-worker plan. We don't like how our government has turned its back on our national sovereigty and national security, while they aid business in driving down wages and benefits, and their answer to us is to legalize it and make it a bigger problem.

[Dane]

I'm an immigration zealot. I just happen to believe in coming to the states legally the way immigrants have for centuries but I guess breaking the law is alright when you can pay people next to nothing for the honor of building houses and cutting grass. Hey, where's my cheese?

Huh and where are they being paid "next to nothing"?

Brit Hume had a report about a jesse jackson bus tour going through different cities trying to pick up Katrina evacuees to come back to New Orleans to rebuild with jobs paying $20 an hour. In St. Louis he picked up three people, 2 of them spoke spanish.

[Southack]

"On that, we agree. The rest is all b.s."

No. The rest is all facts...backed up on this thread with links.

Build the wall. Convince illegals who are currently here to voluntarily register themselves with our government (this is what the gun-grabbers want to do with firearms, so that they can later ban them). Hire more border agents.

Monitor our borders with UAVs, too.

But don't go claiming that "nothing" has been done. Substantial progress on our border security has already been made (e.g. a 500% increase in deployed border agents, miles of new border wall built thanks to President Bush exempting the border fence from additional enviro lawsuits, nuclear detection monitors on all agents as well as at sea and all along our border, etc.).

This is good. That doesn't mean that it's enough, just good.

[Junior_G]

I guess you would rather have the old soviet union with your posted anti-business rhetoric.

Nice spin. I am opposed to US employers employing illegals to undercut wages. Not quite the same as being anti-business.

[Mr. Mojo]

"Look, let's be realistic here, this is a LOSE/LOSE proposition for Republicans. THey pass the Senate version they lose the right wing base. They pass the House version and they lose the moderate center."

Delusional. The majority of the elecorate (which inlcudes the "moderate center") is against anything even resembling amnesty. If the GOP steps up to the plate and does what's necessary - secure the borders, cut off all the taxpayer freebies to illegals, heavily fine employers who hire illegals, and rescind the anchor baby laws - they'll have no worries about either '06 or '08, for the electorate will be behind them.