Posted on 05/26/2006 2:31:43 PM PDT by VU4G10
WASHINGTON - The White House on Friday said a Senate bill that would grant legal status to illegal immigrants is analogous to a traffic law that allows a speeder to pay a fine and continue driving.
"If you had a traffic ticket and you paid it, you're not forever a speeder, are you?" White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said in response to questions from The Examiner.
"So the fact is, you have paid your debt to society," he added. "And we have come up with a way to make sure that the debt to society gets paid. Then you move forward."
The "traffic ticket" analogy raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill, where many House Republicans regard illegal immigration as a grave crime.
"I don't know if Tony meant to trivialize it or not," said Will Adams, spokesman for Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo. "But it's certainly misleading."
"The penalty for a speeding ticket is a fine," he added. "The penalty for being here illegally is being removed from this country. But the president doesn't want illegal aliens to go home."
Snow emphasized that illegals would have to pay fines, learn English and wait years for a chance at full citizenship. But Adams called that "a slap on the hand" compared to deportation.
"Here's a more apt analogy," he said. "You get stopped for speeding, and you say to the cop: "Hey listen, you're about to give me a $300 ticket. How about we make it 20 bucks and just call it even?"
Snow predicted that House Republicans would eventually drop their opposition to the Senate bill, which passed Thursday. The bill, which includes a guest worker program that would grant legal status to aliens, is headed to a conference committee for possible reconciliation with a House bill aimed at beefing up border security.
Snow suggested the guest worker program could be sold to even ardent opponents like Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
"Chairman Sensenbrenner, who's got some real problems with various aspects, has said publicly that the temporary worker program has merit," Snow said.
"There are areas in which members of the House are going to agree with the president," he added. "I certainly don't want to be speaking for Chairman Sensenbrenner, but the fact is, you know politics."
But Sensenbrenner appeared unmoved.
"What's going on now, in calling it a pathway to citizenship or earned legalization, is not honest because it is amnesty," he said at a news conference.
I would gladly agree to built a 2000 mile wall if abortion was outlawed.
That's funny - you posted several times on that very thread I linked to above, including the following:
"Legal immigration is not necessarily the panacea everyone pretends it is. I am not proposing a permanent stop to legal immigration. I propose a moratorium on it until we can control who is actually coming through our borders and working in our country and then we'll start letting in legal migrants on our own terms and only when it can be proven to benefit America first and not benefit a foreign nation, and multi-national corporation who no longer owes their allegiance to America, or any other entity other than red, white, and blue Americans."
165 posted on 04/04/2006 6:55:42 AM PDT by Spiff
Even so, what does that have to do with the topic of this thread?
You, among others, were contending that I was the one who can't differentiate between "legal" and "illegal" immigration - I actually want NONE of the latter - others here want to stop BOTH.
Were we discussing the opinions on immigration policy of a few unnamed FReepers and I missed it?
See above link.
Anything over 100 mph is a felony in many states... Also, what is the average fine for speeding 20 mph over the limit???
Illegal immigration is in no way comparable. Now, if they would apply my speeding fines to my health insurance.
Of course, my health insurance premiums are going up. Why? Illegals using the hospitals and not paying their bills.
I love analogies. That one was brilliant!
I noticed (after I posted) that in my haste the spelling and sentence structure suffered -- a lot. At any rate, seems it fell on deaf ears.
I liked your "house-cleaning" analogy too, but I objected to very first premise: that I was the one who does not understand the difference between "legal" and "illegal" immigration - so, I'm not ignoring it. There are people here at FR who want to stop all the illegal house-cleaning as well as all LEGAL house-cleaning. Apart from that, what I would object to in my private home is very different from what I would object to in my country as a whole. The reason(s) I have walls in my private house, for instance, are very different - sometimes the opposite - from why this country should have walls. Does that help?
Are you still around?
No, because other than the walls you site, there is no difference, and if the Senate version stands we are about to significantly expand the size of our govenment and their intrusion into our lives. Little by little the RINO's are helping the Dems turn us into a socialistic utopia (utopia for the government, not the people).
Really?
U.S. Code
TITLE 8
CHAPTER 12
SUBCHAPTER I
§ 1101. Definitions
(a) As used in this chapter
(3) The term alien means any person not a citizen or national of the United States.
SUBCHAPTER IIIMMIGRATION
Part VIIRegistration of Aliens
§ 1302. Registration of aliens
(a) It shall be the duty of every alien now or hereafter in the United States, who
(1) is fourteen years of age or older,
(2) has not been registered and fingerprinted under section 1201 (b) of this title or section 30 or 31 of the Alien Registration Act, 1940, and
(3) remains in the United States for thirty days or longer, to apply for registration and to be fingerprinted before the expiration of such thirty days.
(b) It shall be the duty of every parent or legal guardian of any alien now or hereafter in the United States, who
(1) is less than fourteen years of age,
(2) has not been registered under section 1201 (b) of this title or section 30 or 31 of the Alien Registration Act, 1940, and
(3) remains in the United States for thirty days or longer, to apply for the registration of such alien before the expiration of such thirty days. Whenever any alien attains his fourteenth birthday in the United States he shall, within thirty days thereafter, apply in person for registration and to be fingerprinted.
(c) The Attorney General may, in his discretion and on the basis of reciprocity pursuant to such regulations as he may prescribe, waive the requirement of fingerprinting specified in subsections (a) and (b) of this section in the case of any nonimmigrant.
§ 1306. Penalties
(a) Willful failure to register
Any alien required to apply for registration and to be fingerprinted in the United States who willfully fails or refuses to make such application or to be fingerprinted, and any parent or legal guardian required to apply for the registration of any alien who willfully fails or refuses to file application for the registration of such alien shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not to exceed $1,000 or be imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
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