Posted on 05/26/2006 3:50:15 AM PDT by IrishMike
After months of debate and public outcries from supporters and critics of illegal immigration, the Senate voted 62-36 tonight in favor of a plan that nearly all conservatives are calling a massive amnesty. By doing so, the Senate has effectively declared war on the House of Representatives, which last December approved a plan emphasizing border security.
Four Republican senators who are frequently mentioned as potential presidential candidates in 2008—Majority Leader Bill Frist and Senators Sam Brownback, Chuck Hagel and John McCain—disregarded the concerns of the American people in favor of a bill praised by the Democratic Party and liberal lion Teddy Kennedy.
I’ve just finished sorting through the dozens of statements that have poured into my e-mail inbox throughout the night expressing approval and disapproval for the bill. I’ve broken them down into the following four categories. I believe these statements—particularly those of the bill’s supporters—will have a profound effect on these politicians, particularly the Republicans. Twenty-three Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and perhaps they won’t be turned out of office in 2006, but this vote won’t be one they soon forget. Conservatives should make it a point to remind them.
(Excerpt) Read more at humaneventsonline.com ...
From NRO:
Let's take it slowly, folk.
—-"They have to pay a fine." Less, in many cases, than what they paid the smugglers to bring them in.
—-"They have to undergo a criminal background check." Don't worry, folks, we have complete access to the criminal justice databases of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. .... Which, by the way, are scrupulously maintained. We have their governments' assurances on that. Oh, and we have the several million federal investigators needed to carry out those background checks already under training, and their salaries and expenses all appropriated in Congress.
—-"They have to pay back taxes." Based on their own, unverifiable statements about how many crumpled dollar bills were pressed into their hands at the end of each day's work. (Are they allowed to deduct the cut they pay to the jefe? Come to think of it: is the smuggler's fee tax-deductible?) And note, note well, poor citizen: They only have to pay taxes on three of the past five years. This is a deal YOU CANNOT GET. "IRS" now stands for "Immigrant Relief and Sustenance."
—-"They have to learn English." No they don't. They have to show they have signed up for an ESL (English as Second Language) course, that's all. They don't have to, like, attend. Test of proficiency? There's supposed to be one already for citizenship. Friend, I have attended two citizenship ceremonies (me, wife). There were people taking the oath who could barely manage "Hello." One of the new citizens could not understand any of the Marshal's instructions; fortunately he had a relative at hand to translate them into Cantonese for him.
—-"They have to go to the back of the line." What line? The only line that matters to illegal immigrants is the one for lawful U.S. residence. (You know, the one Filipinos wait 24 years on, sitting back home in Manila.) And even that line doesn't matter to them any more because THEY ARE ALREADY HERE. Citizenship? Eh, maybe... mañana. The kids got it by birth, that's the main thing. And jury duty is, you know, a real drag.
There, in fact, you have what is perhaps CIRA's most glaring weakness: its utter failure to take any account of immigrant psychology. Given this particular set of sticks and carrots, how will immigrants behave? Nobody in the Senate, so far as I can see, has given a moment's thought to this. Lots of illegal immigrants, for example, will rationally choose to remain illegal, trusting—surely correctly—that business groups will swiftly gut the employer-sanction provisions, as they did after 1986, and that by being illegal, a worker can undercut the wages of legal residents. As they do now.
Similarly with employer psychology. Which, among other things, may mean Adios, Mexicanos! If a sweatshop employer cartel can bring in planeloads of workers from Indonesia, Bangladesh, or Ethiopia, for half what Mexicans cost, do you think they won't? They will. Current GDP per capita in Mexico—-around $6,000. In Ethiopia—-around $100. You want "willing workers"? We got 'em.
I'm just scratching the surface here. The stupidity and rottenness of CIRA is really beyond the ability of a single human mind to encompass it.
And for Republicans, the most shocking, most shameful thing of all, is that this act to vastly swell the number of future Democratic voters, to bring about "the greatest expansion of the welfare state in 35 years" (Robert Rector), to kick working-class Americans in the teeth, to render meaningless the very concepts of our nation and our citizenship — in fact, to shove U.S. citizens off the sidewalk so that foreigners can be awarded special privilieges not available to us — this appalling monstrosity was cheered through by a Republican Senate at the urging of a Republican president. For shame, for shame, for shame.
I will not vote for any politician who helped pass this bill; I will not vote for any politician who says so much as a word in its favor — make that a syllable — and I will not even vote for any politician who agrees to go into conference on this horror. How big are Capitol Hill garbage bins? That's the only place this heap of dreck belongs.
[Kathryn: I didn't sugar the pill too much there, did I?]
Oh I'll vote. It just won't be for any of the RINO's. Solid conservative Republicans will get my vote, or ocnservative 3rd party candidates.
I'm ashamed of Kay Bailey Hutchison--and have let her know my feelings!
Dingdingdingdingding!
Since Uno de Mayo, "party" means "the guys who suckered me for almost thirty years."
No, No, No, No! We never let the rats win because even though the rinos vote with the rats on the big issues, they still increase the count in the senate/house so that we can have leadership of all committees. Leadership of all the committees is crucial for us to set the agenda.
If what I hear about this bill is true, it is patently unconstitutional, as it violates the 14th amendment rather greviously. This needs to be investigated, and if true, the Senate bill will be DOA at the House steps.
""I'm ashamed of Kay Bailey Hutchison--and have let her know my feelings!""
Senator Hutchinson voted NAY!!!! youre either an open boders fanatic or you have no clue how your Senator voted..in either case I am ashamed youre a Freeper
I'm for shipping all of them back where they came from!
Fortunately, not everyone in Maryland is painted a deep shade of blue and disregards the people's will. I'm the Republican candidate for Congress running against Steny Hoyer, and I've made my position on illegal immigration crystal clear:
http://www.ronmillerforcongress.com/townhall/viewtopic.php?t=20
http://ronmillerforcongress.com/itsmillerstime/?p=6
Please help me get the word out throughout the blogosphere. The people need to know there's an alternative to arrogant politicians who think they know better than the American people. Thanks!
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