Posted on 02/01/2006 12:04:11 PM PST by Icelander
Advocates on both sides of the immigration debate said President Bush missed an opportunity in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to direct Congress on immigration reform, weeks before Senate lawmakers begin to tackle the divisive issue.
Breezing by the issue in just a few sentences, Bush endorsed a program that would allow foreigners to work temporarily in this country, saying the nation needs orderly and secure borders but that the economy couldn't function without immigrants.
His brief mention drew a disappointed rebuke from Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who has led an effort to tighten the nation's borders and enforce immigration laws.
Bush could have "broken the Washington stalemate and secured the most significant immigration reform in a decade," Tancredo said.
Angela Kelley, deputy director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum, also said Bush fell short. "It's really important for him to step up and provide some leadership on this issue," she said.
Senators are expected to take up immigration legislation in the coming weeks.
Immigration has featured heavily in Bush's State of the Union speeches in past years. But with his own party deeply divided over the issue, he devoted just over a paragraph to the subject Tuesday.
Still several lawmakers praised Bush.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, said he was pleased Bush "called for an immigration system that deals with the influx of illegal immigrants realistically. Now it's time for both the House and the Senate to rise to the president's challenge and enact meaningful, comprehensive immigration reform."
How to deal with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country now _ and the thousands crossing the border each year _ has divided Congress and is becoming an increasingly volatile issue at the state and local level.
Even non-border states are wrestling with how to provide government services, such as health care, to illegal immigrants and whether to restrict drivers' licenses and withhold benefits to illegal workers.
Jennifer Allen, who directs the Border Action Network, based in Tucson, Ariz., said immigrants she works with are watching anxiously as Congress talks about building walls at the Mexican border and increasing the penalties for being in the country illegally.
She and other advocates are loudly calling for Congress to fix the nation's troubled immigration system.
This summer, Democratic Govs. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Janet Napolitano, of Arizona declared a state of emergency in their border counties to free up money for immigration-related needs.
Richardson said Bush's brief mention in the State of the Union was a signal the White House would not make it a major issue in the coming months.
"The message I received is that on immigration, we're going to leave the burden on the states like New Mexico and Arizona, and it's sort of like 'You're on your own,'" Richardson said.
In the Senate, Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., have proposed programs that regulate when and how immigrants can come to the U.S.
Kyl said Tuesday that he would have liked to hear more from Bush about immigration, but he was glad "the key elements were there" in his speech.
"It is a very serious problem for Arizona," Kyl said. "I think everyone in the Senate wants to get something done ... whether the president mentions it or not."
yeesh! That's a scary thought. I need a drink...
I am here today because I had some time to kill.
But I never come on these threads anymore, just like the other 50,000 people registered at this site.
Because of stupid posts just like yours.
We just leave the 100 or so of you that inhabit these threads to continue to post the same inane drivel back and forth to each other like you've been doing for the last seven or so years.
And a bad joke at that.
The President is adamantly principled about defending the country and world from "tyranny," yet in the case of illegal invaders, he purposely and enigmatically engages in distorting the truth in both economic and sovereign terms.
And what about the law of the land and security issue??
A double? :-)
How can there be any respect for the Rule of Law in America if millions disobey it yet get away with the wholesale breaking of it - and the ones specifically charged with the responsibility for upholding those very laws chuckle and look the other way?
Okay (laughing while typing).
LOL! I've been saying that this may come down to some raw Buford Pusser action. My swing's not so spry anymore but if someone could somehow put Senator Ted's noggin in the batting zone...
Threatening an elected official is a crime so perhaps he could part with a third of his weight via liposuction and donate that to a charity bash-off. The participants would tire long before the material was expended.
Seriously though, Rep. Tancredo's coming back to my state next month to another Tennesseans for Reform of Immigration Policies meet. Hopefully he will have his plans ready for the upcoming elections ready for feedback. If Tom doesn't run the next staunchest reformer of immigration policy would be...McCain? Can you imagine a factual, literal "Manchurian Candidate" becoming President? What clues about being unhinged are his supporters not getting?
Keep laughing, PC. It keeps you looking forward for the next amazement to round the corner.
Because of stupid posts just like yours.
We just leave the 100 or so of you that inhabit these threads to continue to post the same inane drivel back and forth to each other like you've been doing for the last seven or so years.
Are you citing official Free Republic policy? You mods are so reluctant to let us know what that is while it's so much easier to ambush us when we aren't able to read your minds. If you and you're co-moderators wouldn't mind, we "Border Wedgies" need to know how far we can express our views and opinions before you're Californian knot-headed sense of "Political Correctness" (aka The Frankfurt School) makes you ban us because your twisted panties causes you discomfort.
I've seen time and again brilliant minds thrown off this forum for the sole reason that their questions couldn't be answered honestly. Through all that I kept the faith that FR (JR) was just indulging in too much Wall Street Journal or the counsel of those who are raking it in because of illegal labor. Perhaps your lifestyle leads you to believe that a self-respecting individual wouldn't stoop to menial labor and that "other people" need to be employed for those functions, especially so because "no American would do it".
You have the cart before the horse on the entire situation (if you aren't part of the corrupt Cheap Labor pushers). American wages were always an earned reward for superior service and innovation, not at all an enemy of corporate profit. When that "corporation versus the yokels" attitude set in, thanks to the nickel-grubbing standards set by boards running scared after the dot com failures, outsourcing and utilization of "questionable yet defensible" labor became standard while our government (through effective lobbying) relaxed the laws to let this happen. What was Halliberton about to begin with...mining I think.
Screwing American labor has not gone unnoticed by the laborers, a group who has been told to reeducate themselves to adjust just to see the rug pulled from under them again. The Blue Collar class is HUGELY angry to see their jobs replaced by aliens who accomplish them by living three families to a house and offshore contracts that never deliver quality. They have been betrayed for the profit margin by real traitors and the chickens are coming home to roost.
Bottom Line: Get with what's good for America in the long run or get gone. Short-term profiteers are scummy pirates not even deservikng of the name (as pirates shared the booty and governed themselves democratically). Installing a sub-class of menials for the convenience of high-contributing donors and their pampered wives insures that sub-class eventually running violent in revolt somewhere down the line.
Learn to operate your mower. Employ the local kids for menial jobs. Report illegals to the authorities - most of them are steeped in criminality when you encounter them - note the multiple IDs they have with their face but different names. If you folks who are doing well don't help in this effort to repudiate corruption it will come back on you. People see who goes on your property.
If you're doing right you have no problem. If you're part of the corruption you are the problem.
Well said, Mr. Mojo.
Apparently they are; if so, letting in tens of thousands of future welfare-recipients and democrat voters is a good strategy.
Seriously, though, I believe in (essentially) free immigration, but I also believe in enforcing the laws. Scofflaw non-citizens should, at the very least, find it especially difficult to get in.
The reason I don't drink the libertarian kool-aid on this is that I do believe in some sort of screening. I don't think criminals, or folks carrying dangerous diseases, should be allowed to waltz across the border.
open border types, and border advocates, alike do not like his idea...
Guest worker, makes me draw these thoughts,
What about the illegals alreaady here?
If they cannot control the situation now, what makes me think they will will his new policy...
Ok.
I live in the Dallas Texas (DFW) area. Population 5.2 million. We do not have slaughter house industries, hog farms, cotton fields, lettuce crops, peach orchards, grapes, tomatoes, etc.
What we DO have is about 800,000 illegal aliens. So, tell me, what the hell jobs do the illegals have here? Off the books, illegally, no Social Security, no taxes, etc. That's what kind.
Jobs like I used to have... LEGALLY, paying all taxes and spending the money in this local economy.
If 25 MILLION illegal aliens ain't enough to "pick lettuce" then to hell with lettuce. I will pay "$6.00" the one time a year for the average amount of lettuce I require.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Thanks for your support, howlin.
FR would be a dull place without your sweet and well reasoned discourse.
Of course, I've also been known to appreciate nails on a chalkboard, burning tires, and chewing on tinfoil.
smooch
With a beer chaser!
We already have a "Guest Worker Program" - all those H1B Visas in High Tech fields. Ostensibly, they fill jobs for which there are no Americans. In reality, it is a giant gift to big business to keep the salaries of high tech workers low!
I think Senor El Presidente Jorge Bush must have his sombrero on too tight! He just doesn't seem to get it when it comes to borders and illegal immigration!
Bush doesn't care that the normal american hates his guest worker plan. He doesn't care that in a few months after becomeing legal that these guest workers will be entitled to social security benefits. He doesn't look forward to the fact that we are not going to get SS when we retire and it's even more of a given fact that we'll get absolutely nada if the guest workers are in the soup. this whole thing makes me sick. I'll give them a guest worker program - it's called "Put on these little orange jumpsuits and drag the line, pick up the trash and don't let the door hit you on your a*% on the way out the American door.
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