Posted on 12/15/2004 7:26:47 PM PST by nanak
If President Bush is going to keep his promise to spend political capital on a bold second-term agenda, he should include comprehensive immigration reform that offers deserving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
To do so, he'd have to face down a noisy, but not large, anti-immigrant claque in the Republican Party that's determined to use the threat of terrorism as an excuse to, in effect, erect "Stay Out!" signs at the U.S. border, even to restrict legal immigration.
In reality, creating a process to legalize illegals would help homeland security by allowing law enforcement agencies to concentrate on border security and tracking down criminals and potential terrorists — rather than chasing after millions of ordinary undocumented aliens, especially Hispanics.
This logic seems to have impressed border-state Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has told immigrant-rights groups that comprehensive immigration reform is his top priority for the next Congress.
McCain has begun working on reform with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who favors granting legal status — and, eventually, citizenship — to illegals who have been in the country for several years, have jobs, pay taxes, maintain clean records, learn English and pay a fine.
Bush has a record of favoring immigration reform, but it remains unclear how far he's willing to go with it. In 2001, he seemed to favor a process that would allow illegals to earn their way to citizenship. This year, he's advocated a worker-permit program that may or may not lead to permanent legal status.
It's a good sign that the administration worked to exclude language sought by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., from the intelligence reform legislation that recently passed Congress.
Bush will face a new test when Sensenbrenner's measure — which would bar states from giving drivers' licenses to illegal aliens — comes back for consideration next year. He and other restrictionists argued that, because some of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists gained access to aircraft using drivers' licenses as identification, all illegal aliens should be denied them.
But this is simply a device to make life more difficult for illegal aliens. The 9/11 terrorists, or any terrorists, just as easily could have used their passports — or could use phony passports, or drivers' licenses — to board aircraft.
The commission that investigated the 9/11 disaster specifically declared that its report called for "strong federal standards for the issuance of birth certificates and other sources of identification, such as drivers' licenses, to avoid the identity fraud that terrorists can exploit. We did not make any recommendations about licenses for undocumented aliens. That issue did not arise in our investigation, as all hijackers entered the United States with documentation ... (and) were therefore 'legal immigrants' at the time when they received their drivers' licenses."
To foster humane and effective immigration reform, Bush will need to re-educate the public, which tends to hold (according to polls) that America would be better off with fewer immigrants, both legal and illegal.
In fact, most serious studies show that immigrants are a net asset to the country. Illegal immigrants tend to take menial jobs that Americans won't. They pay taxes. But because they live in the legal shadows, they often get exploited by unscrupulous employers.
On Sept. 6, 2001, with Mexican President Vicente Fox at his side, Bush said, "There are many in our country who are undocumented, and we want to make sure their work is legal."
Soon after, in a White House briefing, officials told immigrant-rights groups that the administration leaned toward allowing illegals to earn their way toward citizenship.
But all work on immigration reform stopped after Sept. 11. It resurfaced this year as Bush worked to expand his support among Hispanic voters. At one point, he called for a work-permit system for illegals and told the League of United Latin American Citizens, "We will keep working to make this nation a welcoming place for Hispanic people, a land of opportunity para todos (for all) who live here in America."
On the other hand, apparently in a bid to appease restrictionists in the GOP, administration officials also indicated that workers would have to return to their home countries when their work permits expired. This provision almost surely would discourage illegals from signing up.
Though analysts differ on the quality of exit-poll data on Hispanics, the Election Day numbers do indicate that Bush gained anywhere from five to nine points among Hispanics. Future growth for the GOP in this demographic depends upon who calls the shots on policy — Bush and McCain, or restrictionists such as Reps. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., Elton Gallegly, D-Calif., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.
Even though Tancredo and company get wide publicity — and have been aided recently by anti-immigration television and radio hosts, such as CNN's Lou Dobbs — their legislative power in Congress has actually been waning.
In 1995, by a vote of 257-173, the House passed an amendment offered by Gallegly that would have required public schools to expel the children of illegal immigrants.
By contrast, this May, the House defeated, by a vote of 331-88, a Rohrabacher proposed amendment that would have prevented hospitals from being reimbursed for medical care provided to undocumented immigrants unless they reported them to the Homeland Security Department.
On the other hand, this November, Arizona voters approved ballot Proposition 200, a measure designed to squeeze illegal immigration, by almost 60 percent. (Its implementation is being held up in court.)
McCain cited Prop. 200 — plus vigilante action by Arizonans against illegals and the deaths of illegal border-crossers in the Arizona deserts — as his motivation for making immigration reform his top priority.
In the 108th Congress, McCain sponsored, along with Reps. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., legislation similar to Kennedy's that would have granted a path to citizenship to qualified illegals.
Kennedy's legislation, however, also would have expedited citizenship for the spouses and children of legal immigrants, clearing backlogs of five to seven years, depending on the country of origin.
It's not clear whether Bush will propose his own legislation next year or wait for Congress to act and get involved, as he often does, when House and Senate conferees are hammering out final legislation.
On this issue, though, having Bush's leadership early on would be welcome. He could also order the Homeland Security Department to use judgment before it summarily expels illegals who are parents of small children or locks up asylum-seekers whether they present a terrorist threat or not.
Restrictionists will charge that "amnesty" simply encourages illegal immigration. Bush can respond that "earned legalization" recognizes the reality that 9 million illegal aliens are not leaving — and that authorities should stop chasing them and focus on terrorists.
Kondracke just lost his wife after a long battle with a terminal illness. MS I think. That's why he favors embryonic stem cell research.
Mort's been in the Beltway far too long.
"In this country there are no "white" jobs and "brown" jobs."
Absolutely mon.
I worked my way through school doing two things...working in rock bands and having my own LANDSCAPE BUSINESS.
I worked every bit as hard...probably harder than most illegals today. Didnt harm me a bit...got a good tan out of it too!
I would hate to see the opportunites I had denied to young people today who also want to work grunt jobs to get through school.
So why not let law abiding guest workers do the work?
Why are you so hot to reward illegal aliens at their expense?
I have had several hundred employees in about a dozen businesses. All have been paid in accordance with the law and what they were worth to me as an employer, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
If some were out of status at times while employed by me I did not know it.
Currently I don't have any employees as I am working for another company.
Here's a little reminder to jog your memory from a few months back. This is how you answered then.
1. Do you employ Illegal Aliens, as you've implied?
Not currently.
2. Do you have Illegal Alien gardeners, as you've implied?
Probably.
42 posted on 07/08/2004 7:25:44 PM PDT by bayourod (Kerry, the human downer, knows the words to "optimism" but can't quite get the tune right.) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]
97 posted on 12/15/2004 9:51:09 PM PST by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."---President DWIGHT EISENHOWER
If you only value you BOTTOMLINE(e.g. hiring illegals) above your country, your will soon loose both.
That's what I would prefer. But I didn't think you supported President Bush's guest worker plan.
Even the middle class from Mexico has a problem with that ---- they might make $2 or $3 an hour --- but they're still too good to do the work that they believe is meant for the brown ones. They might envy an American for what looks like wealth but are bewildered that the American doesn't consider himself or his kids "too good" for honest jobs. They just don't know where to place you then --- you picked fruit as a teenager???? That means you must be poor.... but you lived in a 2000 sq foot house and your family owned 2 cars and several televisions??? That means you must be rich. How confusing. I know kids of doctors and lawyers who worked those so-called menial jobs that would be unheard of for even a Mexican middle class --- much less well-off kid to ever do.
You knoe what disgusts me? Seeing rich American teenagers lounging by their private pool, while illegal aliens trim the hedges and mow the lawns right around them.
Growing up, that never happened. Our parents raised us on Great Depression tales, and we did our own damn yards, ourselves. It was expected.
Now the teenagers have known only cell phones and Playstations all their lives. They think yardwork is something brownskinned short folks do for them.
I don't like where this "master and servant" mentality is taking America.
Americans also don't want to do the high tect IT jobs, bring in more and more professional IT workers on H-1B/L-1 visas(companies are doing it right now, and make these workers work 12-14 hours/day, six days/week, and $25,000/year) I think the companies pay these professional guest IT workers according to what they deserve.
Me too --- I've done all kinds of jobs --- some just for the fun of it and the extra spending money we liked to have as kids. No one from the American middle class is that un-connected with the reality of middle class to think that all "white" kids will not work until they have a professional degree and a high paying job or that no middle class American parent would allow their kids to work such jobs. That's totally outlandish --- but it reveals much about those who make these statements.
Not currently.
What did you mean by that, then? Hard keeping all those stories straight....good thing for us FR is searchable.
"The shop owner programs the machine and the operator feeds and lubes it for hour after hour.
It's boring, tedious, dirty work that you don't want your children to do all their lives, but which immigrants take great pride in being allowed to do."
You are making my point. Thanks for the help!
If this owner had to pay a decent wage for his menial labor, he would entertain the prospect of buying a somewhat more expensive machine from ME, an American manufacturer of high tech, which allows him to employ less unskilled workers, but more SKILLED workers instead, increasing his productivity.
With the new high tech machines, he doesnt want or need unskilled people who dont speak the language, he wants people with a basic education who can at a minimum read and understand English directions, most likely program the machines themselves.
Then, the owner concentrates on doing things to market and grow his or her business.
Why?
Come on Rod, you forgot to mention how they move on to owning and operating those shops.
Are you saying American citizens don't want to work their way up and own a lucrative franchise?
"Growing up, that never happened. Our parents raised us on Great Depression tales, and we did our own damn yards, ourselves. It was expected. I don't like where this "master and servant" mentality is taking America."
If we expect all physical work to be done by illegal immigrants, and we "outsource" all our factories to China, how prepared is our nation going to be if WW2 were to reoccur? You don't win a war with a computer video game.
I actually think some of our current problems in Iraq stem from the deconstruction of the military, and the neglect of its physical assets as we pursued the "army of the future."
I still remember when the Internet was going to put the "old economy" out of business. We saw where that went.
Oh, I get it, Bayourod. Coolie labor, right?
And what happens when the current generation of illegals is too sick or old to work, and their children become too assimilated to take those feather-plucking, road-tarring jobs? Why, import more desperate third-worlders. You've made the case for keeping the third world uneducated and poor...after all, we've got to ensure that they keep providing the apple-pickers and chicken-slitters so necessary to keep our own economy going.
Pathetic.
Did you ask your gardener if his workers were documented?
A typical Amigo de Fox.
How do you know? They might have been paid very well for manual laborers.
And since you have no reason to believe they were illegal what difference does it make? Would you want your children to do that type work for the rest of their lives?
There are many reasons why an employer would prefer to hire one person over another other than simply the difference in pay scale. If you were an employer you would know that attitude is one of the most important factors.
Did the think the laborers building your wall exhibited better attitudes about doing the work than your neighbor's 22 year old daughter would if she were forced to do that type work?
They won't need to be imported they'll come for the promise of amnesty, just as the current crop have.
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