Posted on 04/06/2006 8:33:43 AM PDT by STARWISE
WASHINGTON - In a last stab at compromise, Senate Republicans and Democrats reported progress Thursday toward agreement on legislation opening the way to legal status and eventual citizenship for many of the 11 million immigrants now in the U.S. illegally.
"There's been tremendous progress overnight," said Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) of Nevada, the Democratic leader, while Majority Leader Bill Frist also expressed optimism that a long-sought compromise might be at hand.
There was no immediate reaction from President Bush, who has made immigration legislation a key priority.
The developments occurred after Frist unveiled a new bill late Wednesday night on the subject as the Senate headed into a test vote on the most sweeping immigration bill in two decades.
In general, the legislation would provide for enhanced border security, regulate the flow of future immigrants into the United States and settle the legal fate of the estimated 11 million men, women and children already in the country.
It was the fate of the illegal immigrant population that proved hardest to legislate, and it has left the Senate on the verge of gridlock for days.
(snip)
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., as well as other key senators met before the vote to review terms of a proposed compromise.
In general, it would require illegal immigrants who have been in the United States between two years and five years to return to their home country briefly, then re-enter as temporary workers. They could then begin a process of seeking citizenship.
Illegal immigrants here longer than five years would not be required to return home; those in the country less than two years would be required to leave without assurances of returning, and take their place in line with others seeking entry papers.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I'm definitely not saying to vote for Democrats (people here who've been advocating that need to put away the crack pipe). But voting for the Constitution Party or someone similar can punish Republicans, make it clear why they're being punished, and signal to the Democrats (should they wind up in power) that they're on a very short leash.
You're a demagogue, dubbie. You rant and rave like a modern day Huey Long, confident that the dopes who pay attention to you believe all your blather.
Just read that sentence above, especially the last part.
It could have been written by Jesse Jackson, except that you're not talented enough to make it rhyme.
Open borders, illegal immigration and amnesty are destroying America, and We the People sit by and do nothing.
"Are you in favor of an impeachment?"
I'm only in favor of impeaching the President if he cheats to become President and it is proven. Other than that, I am NOT in favor of impeaching a President who was elected by the American people.
Are you implying that if I vote for somebody more conservative who is 3rd party that I support the impeachment of President Bush?
Drilling In Alaska
Smaller government
Not getting Social Security reform is a high crime?
That's the fault of the Democrats, not Bush. He was the only one talking SS reform last year.
That's a false analogy because you're rewarding the exact same person who will engage in future violations. Your analogy also contains no additional disincentive for the person to engage in that conduct. That's not the case with amnesty for illegal aliens.
The primary reason I would be willing to accept amnesty isn't because I think its a "good" idea on its own, but because its something I'd have to give up as part of a compromise to get proper border enforcement.
One small virtue to amnesty is that it would create a better database to control present and future immigration. Right now, illegals go to all length to avoid immigration authorities. That means they are completely unregistered and can move in society without being tracked. If you did an amnesty, then the current crop of illegals have an incentive to register officially, and give us some clue as to how many we have. And if you coupled an amnesty with significantly greater employer penalties for hiring illegals who haven't been granted amnesty, you make it much tougher for "new" illegals to get jobs.
As for Americans being too lazy, please, I want to scream when I see or hear that.
Here's the question...ask every native born working American you know...Would you pick lettuce all day for a nickel a head?
Then, if they say no, ask...Would you pick lettuce all day for $50.00 a head?
So....it's more about price than actual refusal to do the work. No, Americans aren't going to work for what those illegal immigrants are paid. But it's not that Americans WON'T do it (okay, some won't but I'm talking the American people that actually WORK), it's that Americans won't do it for the money offered.
I would point out their own President keeps saying that nonsense over and over...."work Americans won't do". Well that only tells part of the story don't it?
Because when Bush keeps saying this, he's giving the world the impression that Americans are lazy and imperialistic when go to hell we are the hardest working country on the planet. And two, he leaves out that part about the money. I'd argue this is to keep avoiding any mention of the businesses that employ these people at below living wages.
In short, it's not US ordinary working peons causing the problem. It's the politicians who do nothing about it and their big contributing businesses who keep those same politicians in power.
The middle class, we who carry this country on our collective backs, has nothing whatsoever to do with this immigration problem. We work, support our families, obey the laws and expect our government to encourage that same thing from ALL aspects of our populace.
LOL - I believe your post said something about jailing AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNERS, not high-school dropouts (plenty of which are U.S. citizens BTW).
Nope - just wanted to see where you're coming from.
More like Lou Dobbs, who doesn't get a bonus for defending the interests of Americans.
Those "dopes" are in the majority-both here and in the country at large-so I'd stop swigging the Bush Kool-Aid and start paying attention to their concerns, Sinky.
By the way, how do you like the results of the newest FR poll?
The GOP is the majority. Not the democrats
Bush bots unite! He did it again!
It already has been written into law. There is an immigration quota associated with all classes of visa (including resident alien visas). Resident aliens are people that have NO intention of applying for citizenship. Ever. The problem is that the laws of supply and demand were not written by politicians. And our economy is creating jobs, and expanding. I could buy in to the premise that illegal aliens were taking jobs, deflating wages, and causing problems with welfare if the economy was tanking and welfare rolls nationwide were expanding. The healthcare point I do buy into. But healthcare costs and service levels have been a problem since before Slick Willy's first term, and several congressional terms later; we still have not collapsed the entire healthcare system. Education is a push for me. Since anchor babies are citizens, it does not make sense to exclude them from education. Even though there is a higher drop-out rate for majority Mexican school districts, I do not see anything that shows conclusively that these drop-outs are first-generation children of illegal immigrants. Education improves the quality of life for all Americans, and most Americans consider education important. The arguement that illegals and resident aliens do not pay taxes, or use bogus SSN's fails after visiting the irs.gov and socialsecurity.gov websites and searching ITIN.
Keep your racial slurs out of this.
Nice input------workers with verifiable proof they've been paid without corroborating evidence that employers reported the payouts-----damned if they do, and damned if they don't.
Serves them right. They screwed-up with short-term gains, and now the truth will out.
The piper must be paid----we will make damn sure of that.
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