Immigration service reassigns several employees after hijacker visa foul-up

AP ^ | 3-15-02 | TED BRIDIS

[Oldeconomybuyer]

WASHINGTON (AP) --

[detsaoT]

How about term limits for government employees?

Since government employees aren't really elected, I think it'd be hard to pass some sort of "term" limitation on them. I do think that a few things would remedy the situation (not that ANY have a chance of passing in our Communist Congress):

• Immediately repeal ALL civil service (non-military) statutes, and remove ALL employment protection from these employees. Explicitly grant to the Executive branch the authority to fire personnel who do not meet certain codes and standards (which can be determined either by Congress or by the Executive).

• Cut and strip ALL agencies from the Executive branch which are not explicitly related to inter-state and international relations. Socialist experiments cost too much, and take too much of the Federal government's time and budget, to be worth the cost of keeping at the Federal level. Let the states which wish to offer such programs offer them.

• Finally, cut the Federal government's income drastically by completely repealing the Federal tax code (26 U.S.C, iirc). This would require us to repeal the 16th amendment, which doesn't stand a chance in hell of happening unless enough states get bold enough to try (not bloodly likely), or until we get rid of the 17th amendment.

It's starting to look hopeless to me. Our entire Federal government is designed to be a very legislatively-strong system - so all solutions to the problems we're having these days MUST come from Congress, in the form of repealing useless and/or outdated laws, etc. The Executive branch has very little control over what it is able to do to its departments, by design (it's bound to fully execute the laws which our Congress pass, it's not able to act of its own will, including the President, who more than anything, serves only as the head of the Military...)

Unfortunately, the Socialists figured out how to take advantage of this design in the early 20th century, and we have yet to take our Government back from them. As long as more Americans care about this week's episode of Ally McBeal than they do about preventing us from becoming the Soviet States of America, we're in deep doo, unfortunately.

Now I'm depressed again...

:) ttt

[detsaoT]

ONLY IN AMERICA!!!

Fear not, the European Fraternal Socialist Union is still much worse off in this respect than we are. Something like one-third (1/3) of France works for their government, and that number's constantly on the rise.

(Thanks for cheering me up, though. Maybe we aren't as bad off as I keep feeling that we are... The EU is STILL closer to being the CCCP than we are! :)

:) ttt

[Uncle Bill]

"There’s a real question about whether you put every single person on the federal payroll, whether or not, if they fail to do their jobs, can [they be fired]," said Fleischer on Friday.

But heck, let's federalize them anyway.

Bush: Don't Federalize Air Screeners

Bush Caves - Signs Airport Security Bill

In a shift, the federal agency supervising aviation security has decided not to displace thousands of current screeners by requiring them to be high school graduates. After stoking high expectations that the federal takeover of airport security would lead to a new breed of airport security screener, one who was better educated and more qualified to assume a position of increased responsibility, the Department of Transportation has decided not to impose rules that would displace thousands of current screeners. Most significantly, the department will not insist that screeners be high school graduates, a requirement that would have disqualified a quarter of the present work force of 28,000.

The Bush administration, in the biggest contract disclosed so far in the federal takeover of air-safety programs, will pay more than $100 million to a test-scoring company to collect and process job applications from prospective air-passenger screeners.

80% of airport's screeners non-citizens

Airport Screeners Sue Over US Citizenship Requirement

Airport Screeners Protest New Rules **ACLU Alert**

Experts: Federal airport security no better

Read shocking airport memo Congress ignored: FAA agents penetrated screeners 446 times

[browardchad]

Don't you read? What do you want Bush to do -- bomb the INS? HE DOESN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO FIRE ANYONE IN THE INS. The Attorney General is also prevented from firing anyone by CONGRESS. Bush proposed breaking up the INS months ago, and Congress opposed him, because they didn't want him to have that "power" over one of their bloviated bureaucracies.

Yesterday, a group of Congressional hypocrites held a press conference calling for guess what? Breaking up the INS. (Don't hold your breath, they're just waiting for this to blow over.)

[Uncle Bill]

November 15, 2001 - The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, criticized for failing to keep terrorists out of the country, will be overhauled to improve security and efficiency, the Bush administration said. The plan will separate the agency's enforcement and immigration responsibilities, said Attorney General John Ashcroft. One division will oversee border patrol and inspections and will be responsible for stopping violators, and the second branch will handle such matters as visitors applying for permanent residency and students and tourists seeking to extend their stay, the Justice Department said. ..He said the changes will begin in the next 30 days

George W. Bush in Tune With The American People on Immigration

Bush blasts anti-immigrant forces .....wants more immigration

Democrats hail Bush's immigrant-amnesty plan

Bush's gift to Fox (Amnesty for illegals) Passes House
Note: PRESIDENT FOX GUARDING NARCO-HEN HOUSE

Tancredo doubts he can block amnesty-extension bill

Congress OKs Amnesty for Illegal Aliens {ITS PAYS TO BREAK AMERICA LAWS}

Immigration Amnesty Passes House

INS APPREHENSION INFORMATION

President Bush urged Congress to extend a deadline for illegal immigrants to remain in the United States while they pursue legal residency.

White House Shifts on Welfare Law; Food Stamps for Legal Immigrants

Bush calls for relaxed immigration rules: 7-10-2001

"If we can find a way to move illegal immigrants into legal channels, we would enable the border patrol to focus on the bad guys coming across the border rather than the people coming across to work."
James Ziglar (1-202-514-1900)

Bush Nominates J.W. Ziglar To Head INS

INS Website: Their Mission

Maintains control of U.S. borders. The Border Patrol is responsible for securing the 8,000 miles of international boundaries in vehicles, aircraft, or boats, as well as on horseback or on foot.

Identifies and removes people who have no lawful immigration status in the United States. The INS also works with other Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to uphold the laws of the United States. Source

George W. Bush and James Ziglar Still Support Amnesty and Section 245(i)

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) says it has no plans to round up the 250,000 to 300,000 illegal aliens that it admits are still in the country even though they have already been ordered deported by federal judges - October 22, 2001

'Arab terrorists' crossing border: Middle Eastern illegals find easy entrance into U.S. from Mexico

"You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror."
George W. Bush - Source

[FirstFreedom]

CONTRACTOR SENT VISAS TO TERRORISTS

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—Federal employees working in the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) should not be held responsible for the visas that were mailed to terrorists, says the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

AFGE, which represents 24,000 INS employees, is outraged and also not surprised that the Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), Inc., sent Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi student visas six months after they hijacked two airplanes and fatally flew them into the World Trade Center.

Representatives Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) and James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) wrongfully say the INS is to blame, employees and all, instead of the contractor. Tancredo called the INS “completely and totally dysfunctional” and “the Mickey Mouse Club of federal agencies.” Sensenbrenner said the mailing of the visas “shows once again the complete incompetence of the immigration service to enforce our laws and protect our borders.”

“There are two worlds in the federal workforce—the world of unaccountable contractors, such as ACS, and the world of dedicated federal employees,” said AFGE National President Bobby L. Harnage. “And, the only Mickey Mouse Club I am aware of are the Goofy’s in Congress who continue to blindly support the privatization of the federal government for campaign contributions and increased profit margins for corporations at the expense of taxpayers.” “Experienced INS workers who have been working 12-hour shifts to fight the war on terrorism should not be wrongly accused for a contractors’ serious error,” added Harnage.

ACS, which is headquartered in Dallas, has over 900 federal contracts in 21 agencies that total more than $380 million dollars, according to 2000 figures. According to a corporate profile, the company’s aggressive growth strategy has resulted in its acquisition of more than 50 companies since its 1988 inception, including its $825 million purchase of Lockheed Martin's IMS subsidiary.

And now we know the rest of the story

[detsaoT]

sent Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi student visas six months after they hijacked two airplanes and fatally flew them into the World Trade Center.

Actually, this is factually incorrect. They were granted student visas in the summer of 2001 (July and August, respectively, if I remember correctly). It was only the notice which went out to their school which arrived late.

Now, that doesn't excuse the fact that our bureaucracy is grossly inept and totally incompetent..

:) ttt