Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 17 June 2007

Various big media television networks ^ | 17 June 2007 | Various Self-Serving Politicians and Big Media Screaming Faces

[Alas Babylon!]

The Talk Shows

Sunday, June 17th, 2007

Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:

FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq.

MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Carl Levin, D-Mich.; former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group.

THIS WEEK (ABC): Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; actor Martin Sheen.

LATE EDITION (CNN) : Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari; Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jack Reed, D-R.I.; investigative reporter Seymour Hersh; Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

[Cedric]

“Do you support a higher minimum wage?”

“So how are they going to find workers if they deport 12 million of them??”

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Where are we gonna find 12 million seeing eye dogs and who’s gonna point them toward the border after we poke the eyes out of all these illegals?!?!

[kabar]

You posted something similar last week. Same old song.

So, what are any of you willing to compromise on to get some things done on this issue?

I am not willing to compromise national security. Why are secure borders, including monitoring, tracking, and repatriating visa overstays being held hostage to comprehensive immigration reform? We need to shut off the supply of illegals and gather reliable data on those who are here before we can make good public policy.

So, without all the usual histrionics, can some explain to me what you all want? Cause basically you are demanding action and refusing any action less then perfection which you don’t have the votes in DC to get.

First, I would secure our border to reduce the flow of illegals. This would include a better system of monitoring, tracking, identifying, and deporting visa overstays. Similar to what is done in many European countries, we would have a system of registering and reporting in on a periodic basis those here on long term visas, i.e., student visas, H1B visas, etc. This could be done at local government offices or police stations. More of a burden would also be placed on employers and universities to confirm to the USG the whereabouts of these visa holders on a regular basis. We would also have a system to reconcile debarkation and embarkation cards to track people who come and go.

Second, I would require/enlist all law enforcement agencies, federal, state, and local to verify the citizenship of those who are arrested. There would be a mechanism to deport them immediately once it is ascertained that they are in the country illegally. Some laws would have to be changed to enable USG immigration authorities to make deportation rulings without appeal. There would be no sanctuary cities.

Third, I would enforce the laws currently on the books against employers who hire illegals. The federal government will establish a system to assist employers in making these determinations, including checking the validity of SS numbers, driver's licenses, outstanding warrants, etc.

Fourth, I would establish a data collection system using schools, hospitals, and welfare agencies to gather information on numbers, personal data, etc. of illegals so that we can have a better basis on which to make public policy on how to deal with the illegals here. We could legalize the status of some based on some criteria developed from the data. There would be no path to citizenship for any illegal alien who entered this country as an adult. It may be possible for minor children to acquire citizenship if their parents meet the criteria developed to grant legalized status. The other alternative is benign neglect and let the current crop of illegals die out presuming we can reduce the flow of illegals to a trickle. I see no real sense of urgency is dealing with those already here.

Fifth, I would revise the existing legal immigration laws to eliminate chain migration [except for the nuclear family], anchor babies, and other policies that are not merit based, e.g., the visa lottery program that brings in 50,000 immigrants a year. There is a connection between legal and illegal immigration.

We need a flexible policy to bring in people with the talents, skills, and numbers we need. Half of those acquiring advance degrees in the hard sciences are foreign students. One quarter of all medical residencies are filled by foreign doctors. We can have our pick of the world's best and brightest. There is no reason for us to be importing large numbers of high school dropouts. If we could develop a tightly controlled guest worker program, I would consider it, but such programs usually result in the worker staying.

That is my first crack at the problem.

[PerConPat]

My fear is that is another 911 or worse or a string of 911’s,that is my biggest fear.

And this is my first concern. The terrorists will strike the homeland again. And it may take some time if the interval between the WTC attacks are any indication of likely events. The lack of effort to take strong measures for border security in the years since 911 have no basis in conventional logic. However, since when did anything take precedence over the maneuvering for votes when a political prize was at stake? I know, my cynical nature is showing today.

[eeevil conservative]

A SURE FIX to Illegal Aliens, Security, and Pork!

I have spent countless hours reading, researching, and writing on the Illegal Alien issue.  While I have found many proposed "bills" by people like Inhoffe and others to be better than the one currently being steamrolled down the throats of the American people; they seem to fall a tad short of forcing Washington to truly get serious about the issue or truly solving the problems we face. 

I have consistently maintained the stand that we do NOT need ANY new bills.  All we truly need is ENFORCEMENT of our present laws.  It has takem me a while, but I admit it, I was wrong.  We DO need another bill to solve the problems we face.  In the border security section of this bill, the measures laid out all seem to hinge on pending the availability of funds.  This leaves a HUGE loophole for those in Washington to play yet more political games with our security.  Not GOOD ENOUGH!  Hence, here is my proposal:

No Bill shall be passed through the US House, the US Senate, or signed by the President that includes ANY earmarks (aka: pork or “legislative directives”) until the following is completed:

• The Southern and Northern Borders of the Contiguous United States of America are fully secured.  (The fences are built)
• All efforts to proceed with the SPP (the truth about SPP found HERE) cease until the American people can fully investigate this plan and have the opportunity to vote on this plan.
• The backlogs are cleared; such as (list compiled courtesy of Michelle Malkin)

                     *The backlog of 600,000-plus fugitive deportee cases.

                     *The backlog of 4 million immigration applications of all kinds.

                     *The backlog of an estimated 100,000 FBI background checks for legal immigrant applicants.

                     *The disappearance of 111,000 citizenship applications.

• A bill is passed that requires any business found guilty of hiring or employing illegal aliens is not only fined, responsible people arrested, and is forced to pay ALL costs incurred by the investigation, costs incurred by incarceration and holding of those illegals in their employ, and costs incurred to the actual deportation of each illegal back to their HOME country.
• 25% of the (alleged) 12 million illegals in United States of America are physically deported.

Very simple!  This will solve several problems; such as lack of enforcement, dissolving any interest or advantage for businesses to employ illegals, stop the SPP without the American people's permission, and a DEAD STOP TO Washington, DC's addiction to pork!  (Below is a snip - and a link to- a must read article on the "pork" issue)

So the majority of the public appears to agree with Walker that the deficit is a serious problem, but only when they're made to think about it. Walker's challenge is to get people not just to think about it, but to pressure politicians to make the hard choices that are needed to keep the situation from spiraling out of control.

To show that the looming fiscal crisis is not a partisan issue, he brings along economists and budget analysts from across the political spectrum. In Austin, he's accompanied by Diane Lim Rogers, a liberal economist from the Brookings Institution, and Alison Acosta Fraser, director of the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

"We all agree on what the choices are and what the numbers are," Fraser says.

Their basic message is this: If the United States government conducts business as usual over the next few decades, a national debt that is already $8.5 trillion could reach $46 trillion or more, adjusted for inflation. That's almost as much as the total net worth of every person in America - Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and those Google guys included.

A hole that big could paralyze the U.S. economy; according to some projections, just the interest payments on a debt that big would be as much as all the taxes the government collects today.

And every year that nothing is done about it, Walker says, the problem grows by $2 trillion to $3 trillion.

[MNJohnnie]

You still are not reading my post. You are still responding to what you think my opinion of the bill is. about CF whatever is etc etc etc. All those are irrelevant to the point here

Guess I approached this the wrong way.

OK, Let work from the assumption that this bill is dead. What do you all do next?

As for the rest, well YOU are the one who said I just like to argue. :-)

But that ok, I love you any way. You wouldn't be you if you were not flying around here at Mach 30 .....:-*

[eeevil conservative]

ROFLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!

You just know me tooo well!!!

LOL!

as for what I would do?

see above post!

;-)

[Cindy]

You’re very welcome rodguy911.

[MNJohnnie]

Yes dear, your right dear. Have I told you lately you not only beautiful but brilliant?

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- Funny thing happened to me just now driving home from work. Coming around a blind curve there is a lady cop standing directing traffic around a stalled truck. She wags here finger and me and makes a stifling motion at me. I am assuming that is God's way of telling me to quit bedeviling his dearly beloved Eeevil Conservative and get some home work done. Big wet sloppy kiss. I am SO glad you are back.

[eeevil conservative]

I fall more and more in love with you with every post!

LOL!

even when you challenge me! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

makes me......

red.

;-)

[Alas Babylon!]

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!!!

[eeevil conservative]

YUM!!!!!

THANKS!

[gov_bean_ counter]

Was listening to Baby Wallace's glass half empty check list and was prompted to wonder...

How does the Iraqi government's progress compares the the US during reconstruction?

[rodguy911]

Brilliant post, I especially like the “local” content it’s the only way this thing will ever be solved.

[rodguy911]

YOu maybe cynical but very accurate.

[Mo1]

Please read post 325 if you want to take part in this. Sorry I misunderstood, you were posting on the topic, I though you would like to be part of the discussion.

No problemo .. as for taking part in the discussion?

It all depends .. if it's civil? sure .. if it's name calling like Jorge or everything is the mexican/hispanics fault?? .. I'll pass and not interested

[BusterBear]

Can someone explain to me what you want?

What I would like is for the Executive and Legislative Branches to step back and do some thinking and fact checking about what the real problem is before they jump in with a "solution." Once the problem becomes clearer the solution should become more evident. For example,

We are told that the illegal immigrants are doing jobs Americans won't do. Is this the case? There were stories after Hurricane Katrina that rebuilding contracts for American workers were cancelled because "the Mexican workers had arrived." Why was that?

Or, technical companies can't find qualified American engineers. Is that right? I remember, back on 2004, American engineers were being laid off in droves, while technical companies were hiring Green Card workers. So what is the problem here? American labor costs are too high? Can overall business costs be reduced only by reducing the cost of labor or in some other manner, such as process improvement or more efficient management?

Or, we cannot fix the problem of illegal immigration until more legislation is enacted. Has an examination of existing legislation been performed to see if it is adequate? Has an organizational analysis been performed on the existing bureaucracy to see if proper management controls are in place and being enforced?

Or, illegal immigrants who come here just to work hard and make a better life for themselves and their families deserve our help and a path to American citizenship. Why is that? Would we be doing more good by working with the countries from which they come, to make a better life for their citizens?

I have so many questions about this whole issue that I cannot propose a "solution." I would just like some more facts and some more thought from the people we hire to work on these problems, please.

[txradioguy]

It’s that and the fact that since the president isn’t striking back in the press at these horrible things...they really can’t either.

[MNJohnnie]

Remember, it is Goverment of the people, by the people, for the people. Doesn’t work to tell them “go figure this out” and then demand veto power over what they figure out.

[BusterBear]

I don't have the resources to do investigations and figure out the implementation details. All I can do is demand that those running for office enunciate a vision of what they think the direction of the country should be; define the problems clearly and provide me with some factual backup which would seem to support those definitions; and then come up with an implementation plan that sets priorities and has a reasonable chance of working.

As far as I can see, there are too many people right now running around like chickens with their heads off telling us things which we see from our own personal experience don't seem to correspond to reality.

My own personal view is that this issue should be broken up into parts - for example,
Businesses are having trouble finding qualified American workers - is this true?
What are Latin American countries doing to help the poor in their countries?
Are illegal immigrants to this country oppressed and treated like slaves?
Do illegal immigrants take jobs away from American workers?
What can be done about improving border security?

Then linkages between the parts should be looked at and various alternative solutions considered. I don't see any of this going on.

Furthermore, a series of SMALL projects should be implemented, in accordance with priorities. I am not a believer in "big bang" all-at-once solutions to issues as complex as this one, where so many lives are affected.

[Bahbah]

Mercifully for me, last Sunday's Talk Show Thread was lighter than usual, probably because it was Father's Day.

Going through the comments, it was clear that the runaway star and hero of the day was General David Petraeus who impressed everyone with his intelligence and directness of manner and speech.

The hot topic was *drum roll* immigration.

I want to say a special thanks to snugs for the lovely Father's Day card at #120

And we are always thankful to anita for her wonderful nuggets at #120

So here we go...

10. MNJohnnie, who is always a great participant, and this week I especially liked how he laid our the MSMs trick of conflating issues to confuse rather than inform. at #104

9. rodguy911 at #84points out some deficiencies in Harry Reid's thinking abilities.

8. Late in the day, BusterBear popped in with some very good questions about the immigration situation and how we got in the mess we're in at #356andat #359.

7. kabar, who, in addition to the usual punch and jab back and forth with bray, gives us his thoughts on a serious program to address the illegal situation at #342.

6. Bernard, who pointed out some of the Social Security implications and problems caused by illegals using the numbers of others at #44.

5. SE Mom brought to our attention a video of the immigration lawyer instructing his audience how to cheat the system and deny Americans jobs which has since spread all over the news. Here at #50.

4. bnelson44 and VRWC For Truth teamed up with #152and#175for an interesting couple of posts.

Coming soon, last Sunday's top three, and thanks to everyone for making the Sunday talk shows bearable...fun even.