Bush's food stamp plan called ethnic pandering

San Antonio Express-News ^ | January 18th, 2002 | Gary Martin

[Sabertooth]

Metro and State
Bush's food stamp plan called ethnic pandering

By Gary Martin
Express-News Washington Bureau

Web Posted : 01/18/2002 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON Ñ A Bush administration proposal to restore food stamps to legal immigrants is being attacked by conservatives who accused the president of trying to buy votes from traditional Democratic groups in an election year.

"It's plain to see that the president has chosen to steal a page from the Democrats' playbook," said Rep. Tom Tancredo, chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus.

"His attempt to expand our political base through surrendering to the Hispanic vote is usually the Democrats' job. Votes can't be bought with welfare," said Tancredo, R-Colo.

Congress banned legal immigrants from receiving food stamps in a sweeping welfare reform bill in 1996.

President Clinton supported that bill, causing a furor within the Democratic Party and an outcry from minority-rights groups.

The administration plans to restore food stamps to legal immigrants who've served in the U.S. military, or those who have been in the country for at least five years.

"This is election year pandering to ethnic voting blocs, plain and simple," charged Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates strict limits on legal immigration.

"The sensible political thing to do is to cut immigration levels and change the immigration policies that allow far too many people to settle here who lack the skills necessary to make it on their own," Stein said.

Bush is proposing to restore the food stamp benefit to legal immigrants in his budget for fiscal year 2003, which begins Oct. 1, said Jean Daniel, spokeswoman with the Food and Nutrition Service, the agency that runs the food stamp program.

The Bush proposal is expected to cost $2.1 billion over 10 years, and provide food stamps to more than 363,000 immigrants who are in the country legally and meet the criteria of the program but aren't citizens.

The president called the restoration of benefits the right thing to do, and now the right time to do it, Daniel said.

A similar proposal, one that would lower the eligibility to those who have been in the country for four years, is under consideration by the Senate, which must still pass an agriculture bill that authorizes spending for this fiscal year.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, said lowering the eligibility requirements in the 1996 welfare reform bill would trigger a provision that he tucked into an immigration reform bill that year that requires a sponsor of a legal immigrant to pay for public benefits, such as food stamps.

gmartin@express-news.net

01/18/2002

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[verboten]

Obesity is usually caused by cheep bulk type foods. Pasta, bread, cakes...All the things that are unhealthy usually are the cheapest.

Straight from the DNC playbook. Actually obesity is always caused by consuming more calories than one needs. You can eat less cake, pasta, bread etc. if you are getting large because you are then clearly consuming more calories than you need. So it would seem that these moronic poor folks could buy less bread and therefore afford more meat and fruits as they dont need the number of calories they consume and therefore the quanitity of these 'bad' foods they are purchasing.

And notice the poor dont need the calories they consume. As usual, when something is free to you, you tend to overconsume it. And the poor are obviously no more noble in not taking more than what the need.

If you want to say that the poor eat these foods because it makes them feel full then maybe we should realize that the reason why they are poor is that they have not learned to put feelings below thinking! And giving them handouts will not help that situation one bit.

[verboten]

Something else, not affecting many of us.....hard times. I'm surprised people on the right are so quick to criticize President Bush for having the compassion he campaigned on.

Something most Americans forget, planning ahead. By planning ahead one does not get caught in a bad spot. Our government does its best to turn us into consumers for the materialist machine of godless capitalism. So of course we are not going to then plan ahead. Our purpose in the world, according to government, is to produce and then spend and consume. If we dont have the money now for an SUV or DVD player, then get a loan!

Guess what, the government may make some drugs illegal, but they get us hooked on just as dangerous a drug, itself. After you've done government long enough you forget how to take care of yourself. You forget that in order to be prepared for tomorrow you forgo some things today. You forget that actions have consequences. You forget that you dont have a right to use the police powers of government to extract money from someone else.

[Capt.YankeeMike]

why dont we just give them $1000 buck apiece to LEAVE???

[thirst4truth]

No one could ever come close to doing as much harm as the Clintons. Ever.

Thankyou! Last night I saw an interview of a former CIA agent. He was working in N.Iraq with the Kurds in 1995. When he arrived back in this country Clinton had him arrested by the FBI and charged with attempted assination of Saddam Hussien!! He wrote a book, I cannot remember its name.

[isthisnickcool]

I'm afraid to say that this is the returning to his dimbulb

Bush a dim bulb? Where I have I heard that? Who else thought he was stupid? And was wrong? Oh yea! Ann Richards, the Texas Dems., the Texas Media, Texas Dem. pundits like Molly Ivans and others, the National media and National pundits, James Carville, Begalla, etc., the National Dems, the national media types like Dan Rather, Sam Donaldson, etc, Terry McCauliffe, John McCain and the rest of the Rep. presidntial candidates, Al Gore, Joe Lieberman, the FL. Dems. and FL. Supreme Court, the leaders of Europe and the European media, many in the US Congress, etc,etc,etc.

In the game/science/reality of American politics I'd say that a smart person is one that beats the people that are trying to beat him or her. In the case of George W. Bush he has taken on all comers and beat them all. And he has done so in a very short political life. I'd say that make him smarter than those listed above and anyone that thinks he is a "dim bulb" might be one themselves if they can't look at the reality of what the man has done.

[MissAmericanPie]

I did kinda notice no one addressed the issues. Some people need a band wagon and will hang on for the ride over every rut even if it throws them fifteen feet into the air, lol. Some of us living in border states have seen a quadrupling of an illegal alien nation in our cities, towns, and neighborhoods, some may not find that alarming, me, I'm the nervous type.

But that is ok, everyone is entitiled to their own opinion I guess, even if they don't care to back it up with details.

[YaYa123]

You mentioned H 1B. I wonder how both sides of the H 1B Visa debate have changed their positions since Sept 11. Do you know? I don't.

"-1B Visa Bill Passes House by Pete Danko
Sep. 23, 1998 PDT
The House approved legislation on Thursday to allow the US computer industry to bring in more than 300,000 high-tech foreign workers over the next three years to meet a shortage of skilled employees.

The vote follows feverish negotiations late Wednesday between The White House and Senate Republicans to reach a compromise agreement on a bill. The bill is now expected to move quickly to the President for signing.

. A bill by Abraham to expand the H-1B visa program easily cleared the Senate in May, but similar legislation had stalled in the House, where the White House joined a mostly Democratic coalition in calling for fewer visas and stricter protections for American workers. With the White House threatening a veto, scheduled votes were put off twice: once before Congress recessed in August and again last Thursday.

Wednesday's deal, brokered between the White House's National Economic Council, or NEC, and Senator Abraham's office, still figures to face some opposition in the House, where labor unions hold more sway than in the Senate. But the White House said gains it made over the pending Republican bill, along with the president's support, should win enough Democratic support for the bill to gain passage.

"They were tough negotiations, and obviously in tough negotiations you don't get everything you want," said NEC staffer Jake Siewert. "But all along we've said we wanted to help the industry address the labor-shortage issue, and we think this bill will do that while also providing the necessary protections, along with the funding for training and education that we think is so important."

Under the new deal, the number of H-1B temporary worker visas will rise from 65,000 in the fiscal year ending 30 September to 115,000 in 1999 and 2000, before falling to 107,500 in 2001. The visa limit would return to 65,000 in 2002.

The return to current levels comes a year earlier than what Republicans had sought. Wording in the GOP legislation called for limits of 95,000 in 1999, 105,000 in 2000, and 115,000 in both 2001 and 2002, before returning to 65,000 in 2003.

While the White House was able to gain ground on the number of new visas allowed -- 142,500 over the next four years instead of 170,000 -- its gains on worker protections appeared more modest. It had hoped to give the Labor Department broad new powers to investigate abuses of the H-1B program, but had to settle for strict language.

For instance, in the absence of an actual worker complaint, the Labor Department will need to have "specific and credible evidence" to launch an investigation of suspected abuses.

"That was definitely the toughest issue (in the negotiations)," said McMonigle, the Abraham aide. "We were able to get language that we think ensures that companies aren't going to be plagued by hordes of investigators looking into their every move. That would have just left them in a worse position than they are now."

The bill does require "H-1B dependent" employers seeking to hire H-1B workers to attest that they tried to recruit US workers and that they have not displaced qualified US workers. However, most companies with fewer than 50 employees, along with larger companies with less than 15 percent H-1B employees, are not subject to that requirement.

The bill does call for stiffer penalties for violations of the law, and assesses a US$500 fee for each H-1B petition and renewal. That fee is expected to raise about $75 million in each of the next three years for education and training programs."

Did this have anything to do with Senator Abraham's defeat? So many philosophical considerations on even a single subject like this one.

[1 FELLOW FREEPER]

""the republicans are self-destructive when placed in positions of leadership, sad to say.""

Very sad to say. If I were President Bush, I would have DESTROYED Daschle weeks ago.And I would never pander to the P.C. crowd, the teachers unions, or illegal immigrants.

[1 FELLOW FREEPER]

""I'll judge them on what they do, thank you. 177 posted on 1/19/02 12:02 AM Pacific by poet""

The ONLY thing that matters, thank you, poet.

[1 FELLOW FREEPER]

""I think Bush make a deal with Kennedy on food stamp for immigrants to get his Education bills pass""

Bush didn't pass the bill he campaigned on, he passed the pro teachers union KENNEDY BILL.I think Bush whored himself, by himself, on the food stamps.

[american spirit]

This Navarrette character that writes for the DMN is about as arrogant and pompous as they come. He is the local illegal immigrant apologist whose sole purpose is to lay more "white guilt" on anyone who DARES to object to this re-colonization of Texas and the Southwest. In the true tradition of liberal rags like the DMN, this useful idiots' sole purpose is to paint the PC side of illegal immigration without ever mentioning the downside such as crime and the exhorbitant costs we taxpayers incur by housing, feeding, educating, incarcerating and medicating these people. This useful idiot needs freeped in a big way.

[1 FELLOW FREEPER]

I havent been a FAN of any president since Reagan.I approached the election of Bush with cautious optimism. But all he did was throw us a 300 dollar bone to knaw on, and proceeded to do the dirty workfor the liberals, all under the guise of the "cooperation"...total bull$hit.

[poet]

Here's part of a reply I sent to someone else in rhyme:

I'll restate my case
explaining what I've seen in my 68
political betrayals are the norm
when dealing with buddies from the dorm
they pretend to be on our side
and then take us for a ride
They tell us what we want to hear
then they put us to sleep
after they win it becomes clear
once again, they fooled the sheep

[ppaul]

Bush's food stamp plan called ethnic pandering

What else can you call it?

[BOBTHENAILER]

Write a letter, start a petition...I'll sign it and forward to my friends in AZ, NM, TX and CA

[marajade]

So the definition of a conservative is to let people starve to death? If that's the definition count me out.

[bam]

This Navarrette character that writes for the DMN is about as arrogant and pompous as they come

Not only that, I think his statement " Study after study has confirmed that immigrants have a lower rate of participation in welfare programs than the native-born." is a lie. I just read a study that certain groups, like Asians, use welfare a lower rate than the native-born, but Mexican immigrants use it a much higher rate, like twice the number of foodstamps and 20% higher on the cash. Overall the rate is higher for immigrants. Maybe not if you go back 20 years or more to get the figures, but now yes. And they have gotten some of this stuff moved into the schools, like the dental clinic so that it is not included in the normal welfare stats.

[SBeck]

George W. Bush is the vassal that every supposed conservative politico pours his/her brand of brew into. The true test of conservatism is whether an individual passes the Barry Goldwater test. Bush and his minions definitely fall short of that and the lower minions are particular to quaffing the Koolade. (The upper minions cheer the lower on as they gleefully pick the later's pockets).

[marajade]

You have to seek employment if your children are over six years old and have someone to care for them. You are giving out misinformation.

[marajade]

Have you ever been to a professional nutritionist? Believe me, it costs more to eat healthy than it does to eat poor.