Posted on 04/02/2006 7:55:32 PM PDT by RWR8189
MIDLAND, Texas — Cecilia Ochoa Levine was a Mexican trying to make it in America. But when she hit upon a promising business opportunity, to make knapsacks south of the border to sell in the United States, she could not get the trade permits she needed.
And so Levine asked for help from a longtime friend in Texas, where she had been a legal resident for many years.
The friend was George W. Bush.
Within a week, Levine was on a plane to Washington for a meeting with trade officials. And soon after, she had the papers to expand her business, creating dozens of jobs at plants in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Not everyone would have been willing to use his influence to help a Mexican citizen start a company, particularly one creating jobs in Mexico as well as in the U.S. But Bush's actions of 21 years ago help explain why today, as president, he is striking an unusually nuanced tone on the emotional question of immigration policy — a stance that has placed him at odds with the conservative Republicans who have long formed the base of his political support.
"Here was this single mother, Mexican, no money, starting a tiny little business," recalled Levine. She phoned Bush because his father was then vice president and "he was willing to use his connections in Washington to help me out. He understood it would mean jobs for poor people."
Long before the immigration fight that is rattling the nation, Bush developed a picture of immigration from his life in Midland, where he knew Levine and other Mexican immigrants personally and came to see both sides of the border as part of the same universe.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Your characterizations are ridiculous.
Are you a disciple of Richard Lynn and his adovocacy of Eugenics?
Sorry, fresh out.
Traditionally illegal were imported for migrant farm labor for products quite seasonal.
I agree, there's some seasonal stoop labor Americans won't do, or can't commit to.
Within the last eight years industries have been "newly" targetted like construction. This effects much more than only "10%" of the country.
If we truly needed labor the way to do it is not let in millions of illegals but have well ordered processes where foreigners are brought in, then they leave. No family benefits, no having an anchor baby to get welfare.
According to your stats, to Japanese and Koreans, Americans are morons. The fact is universities are discriminating against Asians because there are too many smart ones filling up our universities. There is never a surplus of people who want to work hard for cheap prices. They more than pay for themselves. It is not like there is a limit on the amount of work to be done.
: )
Peter Wallsten and Nicole Gaouette, “President George Bush to build immigration reform coalition to court Hispanics,” Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2005.
Immigration Rift in
GOP Up for Vote
January 20, 2006
By Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writer
July 25, 2005 12:43 AM
L.A. Times reporters Peter Wallsten and Nicole Gaouette discuss president Bush's new plan to sell immigration "reform" in "Immigration Rising on Bush's To-Do List". The White House is backing a new coalition called "Americans for Border and Economic Security"
Saturday, January 21, 2006
GOP panel backs Bush's guest worker initiative
Peter Wallsten / Los Angeles Times
Ah, yes. Peter Brimelow, founder of VDare, a website that the proprietor of Free Republic will not allow any links to or quotes from, due to the previous prominence on its site of the notorious bigot, Sam Francis.
It does need to be more orderly and controlled and we do need to make it where immigrants are not milking the welfare system.
Oh that poor man, how will he survive without illegal immigration? GAG!
"Liberal MSM is defining this issue as a matter of racism"
We need to control both borders... north and south. It's not only logical but also takes the thunder out of the MSM's playing of the race card
Because smart, intelligent people can't be as easily manipulated?
Surely you and Always Right don't believe Mexico is flooding us with their best and brightest, do you?
Common sense should also tell us that their worst criminals will come here. A more naive trusting population, More to steal, nicer jails, much greener pastures for the criminal north of the border.
Most of the illegals I observe (on TV of course) jumping border fences and cutting thru the desert look to be in their late teens or early 20s, not at all like I would envision fathers "desparate to feed their families", as you say.
Now, it is certainly possible some small percentage of these disheveled types could be fathers with plans to send money, but they are the abberation, not the norm.
As a newspaper writer in the East Coast, I can furthermore report first hand that most towns now have huge sections with homes stuffed with young single males, often 5 to a room, with many of them involved in drugs, gangs, and/or the most crude existance you could imagine.
Most police forces (I mostly cover crime) have suddenly found themselves overwhelmed with SPANISH ONLY speaking populations, and are unable to communicate or cope. Cops are scrambling to find or train interpreters just so they can investigate many of the knifings and shootings which occur nightly in most of the all-Spanish speaking sections. (huge populations from Guatemala, Nicaragua, not always Mexico)
Every time I hear McCain or Lindsey Graham or even Bush gushing on about some heart-tugging illegal immigrant case, I go livid. These politicians dont give a ratts butt about the danger that my daughters and grand-daughters are experiencing because of this ongoing flood of illegals, most of whom are continuing life in their third-world style, complete with cock-fighting and all.
There is a night and day difference between Murray's Bell Curve and Lynn's Eugenics.
Lovely story but that was then and this is now.
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.