Posted on 03/19/2013 6:58:12 AM PDT by EXCH54FE
I wonder what this will do to his standing among some conservatives? For the most part, his libertarian base won't let it deter their support of him, but conservatives might be a little miffed.
Conservatives may want to pay close attention to Paul's ideas about a path to citizenship because it appears what he is proposing is a long and torturous process for the illegals.
Paul's path to citizenship would come with conditions that could make it long and difficult for illegal immigrants. Chief among these, Congress would have to agree first that progress was being made on border security.
Nonetheless, Paul's endorsement of allowing illegal immigrants an eventual way to become citizens puts him in line with a growing number of Republicans who are embracing action on immigration as a way to broaden the GOP's appeal to Latinos. On Monday, a Republican National Committee report called on the GOP to support comprehensive reform, though without specifying whether it should include a pathway to citizenship, which is decried by some conservatives as amnesty.
Paul's move also comes as a bipartisan group of senators is nearing agreement on sweeping legislation to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, an effort that could get a boost from Paul's stance. In an interview, Paul said he could foresee backing the Senate group's emerging bill, although he plans to try to amend it on the floor with some of his own ideas.
Paul's speech is peppered with Spanish phrases from his youth in Texas, references to his immigrant grandparents and praise for Latino culture. He says his party must adopt a new face toward Hispanics and says conservatives must be part of it.
"Immigration reform will not occur until conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation,"
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
It just goes to show you that NOBODY in Versailles on the Potomac is to be trusted or believed.
I still have one question that no POS in Versailles on the Potomac is able to answer, namely: “What laws do I get to break?” When and if I ever get an answer, we can start talking.
It's called the INS.
Look it up.
Not actual progress, mind, you. Just the appearance thereof.
BO has actually made a lot of progress in reducing the number of illegal aliens who sneak into this country.
By turning America into a third world sh*thole, he's reduced the difference in standard of living between America and Mexico and, with it, the incentive to leave one third world sh*thole just to go to another.
Instead of this "path to citizenship" crap, how about a green card program which grants working visas to people who actually work, pay taxes and learn English in exchange for deportation of criminals, wards of the state and those who refuse to do so?
The problem would be a lot easier to solve if it wasn't the all or nothing proposition it was presented as. By separating the desirable and undesirable illegals, there would be a lot lower number of those in the middle to argue about.
LLS
Here’s an idea that may likely appeal to conservatives, but will unnerve liberals, because it is shades of “Starship Troopers”. If you get the reference, it is that “Military Service offers (if not “guarantees”, in this case) Citizenship.”
What does this imply? First of all, that the illegal aliens are *capable* of military service. This means no diseases like HIV or Hepatitis, VD or handicaps, and healthy and fit enough to meet physical standards. It also means no felony criminal convictions, no foreign oaths or affirmations, and nothing that would preclude them from overseas service.
And it also means 4 or more years of good military behavior before citizenship. If the military kicks them out, they fail and go back to their home country.
About the only adaptation to be made is for the military to provide them an intensive, six month long English language and American studies course, which they must also complete.
If they accomplish this service, they should be welcomed with open arms, as they are the “cream of the crop”, and show very good potential to be high quality citizens.
The flip side to this, also important, is to cull the freaks, losers, radicals, sickly, and otherwise dross. Because from the moment they are under military control, there is no going back to hiding in America. If they fail, they are escorted out of the US, without even fussing with ICE, other than to send their records to them for retention.
NNTTM
:)
I trust your discernment implicitly.
My response was for the benefit of the folks who don’t get it.
Wake up! The path to citizenship must happen. If you are a true conservative you better wise up. It is the path that is important. Only a real damn fool is so blind that belives sending them back to their Country of origin is possible. Don’t be so dumb. It is this kind of thinking that got us in the last election mess.
Rand Paul is committing political suicide and wants others to jump off the cliff with him.
No Thanks.
There are a lot of people who voted for him that won’t do it again.
And he won’t get any Hispanic votes out of this at all.
He’s descended into mania.
Yep, failure on this issue means conservatives will simply remain out of power that much longer. The Perfect candidate is the enemy of the Good Candidate.
The problem is what to do in the interim. I don't think it will ever be possible to "secure the border". We couldn't do it during Prohibition, and we can't do it during the War on Some Drugs. It's too large, and more importantly: the incentives are too attractive.
The only real solution is to make illegal immigration undesirable: for the immigrant. Right now, an illegal immigrant from any Central American country can have a better life in the US, simply by being here. There is a vast array of free services available from both public and private sources: food, housing, medical care, education, etc. Compared to life at home, even the worst conditions in the US is living like a king or queen at home.
Then, there's the consequence of the 14th Amendment that was intended to guarantee citizenship for slaves brought to the US against their will. "Birth tourism" is a large draw for pregnant women. Some public hospitals in the border states host almost entirely births to undocumented immigrants.
Unless those incentives are removed, illegal immigration will always be a problem. And if there is no penalty for being in the US illegally, there's no reason for them to leave, or even stop entering.
One possible solution: illegal immigrants are welcome to apply for citizenship.... from their home country. If they are caught in the US illegally, their application is revoked and they are permanently banned from the US.
However, none of this will make a bit of difference as long as we continue to feed, educate, clothe and house them at our expense.
No, not with the abundance of open borders liberals we have in both the major parties.
All we want is to have the same policies towards immigrants that Mexico has.....Who can argue with that?
You would reward them for breaking the law, and just how many of them do you think will vote conservative?
We need to know the details. It is not simply, let them stay. Rubio’s conditions were very onerous, fines, back taxes, get back in line, etc. The only other condition I would add, is what Rush brought up, “they can’t vote for 25 years” once they get in—which would likely be 8-10 years down the road.
This is so unnecessary. Why make them follow a tortuous path, when there's a nice, straight one that leads south to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and points beyond?
It’ll be just like the last elections...vote for the lesser of 2 evils, not for a good candidate.
Rand Paul is a libertarian - many of his positions are to the LEFT of Obama on virtually everything but abortion.
I’d never vote for him and thank God he’ll never be President.
The article doesn't really address Paul's entire speech.
I read an article elsewhere about it, and he essentially agreed with you: their path to citizenship would be the same as for everyone else, and in line with everyone else. No short cuts, no fast track.
However, I still have questions about what he proposed to do in the interim. And, as I posted earlier, I don't think the border can ever be "secure".
Not that there's anything inherently wrong with Mexicans ~ but the current process is not very selective, and Paul's future process is even less selective ~ it favors the Mexicans who can make the big bucks ~ and that'd be the illegal labor brokers, coyotes and dope dealers under narcotrafficante control.
In short it's a typical Libertarian cop out on morality, fairness and the American Way of Life.
Others may be even more disturbed by this perfidy than I am so you are free to cut loose on this DA Kay-wackian!
I am old enough to remember a time when Americans prided themselves on being a nation of laws and having a government that enforced the law impartially.
In fact, that concept was taught in schools, beginning in grade school, where every student learned to be proud that we were steadfast in respect for our laws and were not just another Banana Republic, ignoring or changing our laws to suit the whims of a dictator or the desires of a special interest group.
Today we have a president who has been a rule breaker and a law breaker his entire adult life. He sees the enforcement, or non-enforcement, of laws as a tool he can use to further his own agenda.
And they call this charlatan a professor of law.
Today we have a republican party that has already capitulated to the idea of forgiveness and amnesty to anywhere from 12 to 30 million arrogant foreign lawbreakers.
Their immediate concern is how to manipulate its own voters to follow along with their surrender. They have little concern with the actual idea of upholding our laws and keeping their own oath of office.
But they still haven’t mastered the arts of lying and spinning as well as democrats so they have not yet been able to fully sell voters on the ideas that disregard of the existing law and rewarding law breakers is a good thing.
But they are working on it.
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