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Posted on 04/12/2006 7:47:29 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The Senate's top Democrat asked Majority Leader Bill Frist on Wednesday to return to work on immigration legislation immediately after the Senate completes a bill with more money for military operations in Iraq and hurricane relief.
Congress is on a two-week recess and the Senate is scheduled to consider the war spending bill when it returns April 25.
Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said in a letter to Frist that the need for an immigration bill was highlighted by rallies across the nation this week protesting a House bill that would subject illegal immigrants to prosecution as felons.
Reid labeled as "confusing" Frist's position on a compromise put together by Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Mel Martinez, R-Fla., that collapsed last Friday after Democrats refused to allow votes on several amendments to it.
"I can only conclude that you had second thoughts about Hagel-Martinez after right-wing members of your caucus made known their strong opposition to it," Reid wrote.
Frist, R-Tenn., responded with a statement saying Reid "needs to stop clogging up the Senate with procedural gimmicks and let members have fair up and down votes on amendments"
"Every day he stalls, we are less safe and less secure," said Frist, who is on a congressional trip in Eastern Europe.
Before leaving last week, both party leaders had embraced a compromise that would let the majority of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants remain in the U.S. and get on a path to citizenship but require those in the country less than two years to leave.
Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., issued a statement Tuesday saying they will seek legislation that would subject illegal immigrants only to misdemeanor prosecution or fines as an alternative to the sterner measure passed by the House last year.
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I like it!! What do you think? You did that fast!
Because they are just now finding out that they are on the wrong side of this issue and they can't back out. They need to find a way to hold this off until after the November elections.
After all this time, they still think the Dems will play nice, GOP ain't called the stupid party for nothing.
ping
LOL!!!
What? I thought he was proud of the fact that he ''killed ''this immigration bill. Wasn't this the same jerk that was saying ''we killed the patriot act bill''? Now he wants to reschedule? Make up your mind dingy. Your wearing on my nerves!
(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.")
"Yeah, Harry, let's just roll over and play dead for the protesters in the streets..."
Another Democrat cut and run tactic. Gee, the Republicans were pitched a softball. My bet is they once again hit it foul.
You make too much sense.
Harry Reid is the worst kind of crap politician.
He's a liar of the first degree and he skulks around behind his public words doing just the opposite more often than not.
He only gets re-elected with his political machine- ala Mayor Daley- that is based in Las Vegas. Northern Nevadans hate him.
Posturing and duplicity on manifest display.
Because "Guest Worker" has always been a euphemism for Amnesty, and in the bill it was made clear. Bush would have eagerly signed that bill, what does that tell us?
Reid and the Dems still want the issue, not the bill. They want the Dems to be the pro-immigration party and the GOP the mean-spirited anti-immigrant party. They see the Senate bill as a way to split the GOP. The Senate will eventually pass the McCain-Kennedy "amnesty" bill after defeating GOP attempts to amend it. Then the "nasty" GOP bill in the House will cause the Senate version to die in conference or on the Senate floor thus giving the Dems a mid-term election issue.
Why are both parties hell bent on getting the illegals on track for citizenship? It should be just the opposite; anyone entering our country illegally should be eliminated from ever being granted citizenship. That should cause a few million in the future to stand in line and follow the proper procedures.
In essence what these bozos are saying is, that if a person breaks into our house and stays long enough without being evicted, we should put that person on the title.
It tells me this...
The Senate, House and White House are seriously confused about what is at issue and what is at stake here.
The issue of a guest worker program is completely separate from the issue of illegal aliens.
We have a guest worker program. It may need to be reformed but illegal aliens are those who have not applied to be guest workers. There are 11 million of them. (or more) The only thing needing reform now concerns illegal aliens and border security. We need to enforce the existing laws respecting the presence and employment of illegal aliens and border security.
Border security is the number one problem in this debate. The flood of illegal aliens is a major factor in relation to our lack of border security but it is only one factor. There is also a matter of national security in a time of war and in an age when terrorists have set their sights on inflicting mass destruction on our society.
After the issues of border security and millions of illegal foreign nationals on our soil the matter of guest workers is very small. Until the first two problems are thoroughly and firmly addressed the guest worker issue should not even be discussed.
The President the Senate and the House need to get that message with unambiguous resolve.
Border security! No employment for illegal aliens!
Immigration and a guest worker program are separate issues from the above.
Now is the time to put the pressure on!
"Guest workers" that leave are a fantasy. Never has happened anywhere in the world, and won't happen here. They are equivalent to seeing a pretty fish through the window of your submarine. You can't open the window, grab the fish, and close the window.
Such is the crushing pressure for Dem votes and cheap labor, that Blanket Amnesty will flood in through the slightest crack created by any guest worker program.
He looks like Lon Chaney's double in the original "Phantom of the Opera"! BTW -- has anyone ever seen Harry Reid and Frank Lautenberg in the same room?! Dead men walking!
ping
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