If this were just about votes and cheap labor, both parties would win by letting this bill die . They already HAVE open borders and a de facto amnesty, so why this bill? Is it just GWB’s stubbornness? If the bill dies, the Democrats and (presumably) the Republicans who want it (ie, GWB) get the credit for trying, Big Business still has what it wants, the aliens can continue to enter and not leave, and the 80% of Americans who are against this bill would be placated (or so they think) . But he insists on pushing this bill! And the only reason I can see (besides stubbornness to the point of mental illness) is to send a signal to those heads of state who were afraid of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, because they feared DC would dominate such a union, and manipulate it in favor of Americans at every turn. After all, if a monstrous bill like this can be passed over the objections of 80% of Americans, then plainly we’re already nothing but a peasant class to be taxed, sent off to wars when needed, and otherwise ignored. Therefore the prospective members of the FTAA/AU have nothing to fear re: US favoritism towards its own citizenry.
“Therefore the prospective members of the FTAA/AU have nothing to fear re: US favoritism towards its own citizenry.”
Excellent post, and your last sentence above speaks volumes!
First off...we may never know the real reasons why Bush does (or doesn't do) ALL the things he does (or doesn't do..like secure the border post 9-11 for example). Perhaps he doesn't know himself.
Yes they may be purely psychological, or even pathological. It may ultimately take somebody with the intellectual horsepower and professional (pre-political) expertise of a Krauthammer to someday dissect who Bush the man really is...and yes the answer may not be very pretty.
But, I can think of three base reasons for this bill:
1) It legitimizes untold numbers of illegal Latino people (plus their families now in Mexico), thus permanently changing the demographic of the country for a future leader like a George P. Bush. Once done...it will never be undone.
2) It sets up a mechanism via the guest worker program of importing millions of people AT ALL SKILL LEVELS, via large multinational JOB SHOPS and SERVICE CONTRACT COMPANIES. I guarantee you that when you buy a door or window fromm Home Depot at some point in the future, the price will already include installation via a subcontracted large service company using cheap imported labor from Mexico or Central America. At the white collar level, the engineering and Computer Science professions will virtually disappear for American workers. Already, the engineering schools have few Americans enrolled.
3) It provides TAX AMNESTY for the BUSINESSES who have employed these illegals over the years, plus immunity from future RICO lawsuits.
4) Perhaps most importantly...it tells the people of Hazelton Pa, and Lou Barletta to go pound sand. All their laws are now meaningless.