Posted on 05/19/2007 6:12:26 PM PDT by Reaganwuzthebest
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made these statements on comprehensive immigration reform plan.
General Thoughts:
"Over the last few months, I have spoken with President Bush almost every week and met with him twice about immigration reform. Secretary Chertoff and Secretary Gutierrez have been there every step of the way. There would be no bill without their hard work.
"Today we charted a new path for our nation's immigration policies.
"We break the cycle of chain migration by placing a premium on the education and job skills of new immigrants coming to the United States. This new merit-based system is a major change in our nation's immigration policies and allows us to attract the best and brightest in the world.
"We reclaim control of our nation's borders by adding new Border Patrol agents and technology to stop illegal border crossings.
"We establish a new comprehensive employee verification system - for all workers including Americans -- to ensure people are in the country legally and eligible to work.
"We establish a temporary guest worker system to meet our nation's future labor needs. Temporary workers can come here and work for a defined period of time, but they must return to their home country.
"And we establish procedures to deal with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, allowing them to stay under our rules - not theirs. They will be placed on probation and pay fines, learn English, and assimilate into American society. If they want to become citizens -- a minimum 13 year process -- they will be forced to leave the United States and return to their country of origin. Only from there will they be allowed to apply for citizenship.
Is the Legislation Amnesty?
"Amnesty is a pardon and means all is forgiven. This legislation is not amnesty. President Bush made clear today he does not view it as amnesty and I agree with him.
"I hope all Senators, particularly those who were not part of the negotiations, will become more informed about the details of the bill before making incorrect statements.
"Here are the facts. Illegal aliens will have the opportunity to come forward and be fined, punished and placed on years of probation. Illegal aliens will not be allowed to jump in line for citizenship ahead of those currently waiting. If they want to become citizens they must pay fines, learn English, pass a civics exam, undergo background checks and leave the United States and return to their country of origin. The punishment is fair and just.
"The public expects Members of Congress to speak their minds, but be informed in their opinions. I would ask for everyone to take time to understand how the bill works."
Did you hear what Graham said at his speech to La Raza? Funny, but the newspapers didn’t cover it very extensively.
This POS has been a majory diappointment. During impeachment of Clinton I thought he was great. Then McInsane got ahold of him and he became a real RINO jerk who tells his base to “shut up.” He makes me puke right along with GWB.
Good people of SC there are plenty of good candidates in the GOP that can run against this clown. Time to take him out.
Say. That's pretty good. I'm interested in Merit-Based Bank Robbery. Can the good Senator help me? I agree to pay a $1,000 fine after I'm caught, after a few years of being a bank robber. So, as long as I'm good at it, It'll be merit based, and it's ok, right?? I mean, what's a couple of felonies between friends, right Senator?
Your wish is granted. At least the legal and open donors.
With all due respect, you and the President are full of fecal matter. We are not fooled by your sophistry and recognize clearly your betrayal of America. If you continue this course of action, history will remember how, like Vidkun Quisling, you aided and abetted the invaders of your own nation. Such will be your shameful legacy no matter what other successes you may have achieved or imagined.
In sincere revulsion,
Spiff
Gay as an Ungaro spring frock
“We break the cycle of chain migration by placing a premium on the education and job skills of new immigrants coming to the United States. This new merit-based system is a major change in our nation’s immigration policies and allows us to attract the best and brightest in the world.”
We don’t need amnesty to do this. In fact amnesty undermines this by keeping the low-skilled people and their entire families, possibly over 20 million, people here. This is a huge number, as compared with the less than 100,000 per year on the H1B.
“We reclaim control of our nation’s borders by adding new Border Patrol agents and technology to stop illegal border crossings.”
We don’t need amnesty to do this. Amensty undermines border security.
“We establish a new comprehensive employee verification system - for all workers including Americans — to ensure people are in the country legally and eligible to work.”
We don’t need amnesty to do this. Amnesty undermines immigration law enforcement by makign a mockery of past efforts and making deportation nearly impossible.
“We establish a temporary guest worker system to meet our nation’s future labor needs. Temporary workers can come here and work for a defined period of time, but they must return to their home country.”
We don’t need amnesty to do this. Amnesty undermines these programs as well, because any rules about returning will be deemed ‘onerous’ and the immigrants will stay irregardless of the law, assured that amnesty will come once again to bail them out.
Senator Graham, it may be a good idea to have more border security, employment verification, and temporary visas. But dont sell this pile of cr*p bill on that basis, it undermines everything we need to do to make immigration law better.
GOOD ANSWER. Now get every other GOP Senator to say the same thing.
GOT ROPE?
bump
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
How Mr. Fancy-boy ever got elected in a state like South Carolina is a mystery to me.
Agreed Tuxedo. I think Lamar is still surprised that he was even elected in the first place. Didn't he once make a remark somehing like "I'm not even sure what I'm doing here"?..Probably referring to that race he barely won in 2002. I'm sure if Fred was still in that seat we would no EXACTLY where he stood.
Lamar seems to have the same 'back problem' as most of the current republicans.
oops no=know. I'm a better speller than typist. No kiddin.
You do not think voters should have a right to see who owns the Senator?
Thanks
Yep, According to Mr Graham we are just a bunch of bigots for wanting to secure our borders and protect the very nature and fabric of our country.
He also stated that no one owns America and that America itself is “just and “idea”. All it takes to be American is to embrace the “idea”.
I’m tired of all these name callers. I am tired of these politicans working against us as in U.S. I wonder how many soldiers and other American patriots who have died for this country thought they were fighting for something they didn’t “own” or that they themselves are not important? When Mr Grahmn says that America is just an idea he also is implicitly saying that the people themselves, the blood and toil, the culture is insignificant. Only the idea is all that it takes to be American. The “idea” is sacrosanct not the people. If it is ONLY an idea then you could replace us all with 300 million other people because the idea can be implanted in anyone just like a borg. You could replace Patrick Henry, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson because the idea is all that matters. If that is what an American is then that is what I am not and will NEVER be! I am an American. It is in my blood. It is about those who came before me not JUST an idea. It is about the character, honor and sacrifice of the PEOPLE who fought and died so that WE could be here today.
That is not to say we don’t welcome immigrants who wish to join us. But it is to say we don’t just hand out citizenship like it was a discount card. Just having the “idea” is not enough. While ideas are important the reasons and people behind the ideas are just as important if not more so. That to be an American you must not only understand our laws and customs and be willing to embrace them but must also appreciate our history and the PEOPLE who created that history and sacrificed with their blood, not their ideas, so that America and IT’s PEOPLE could presevere.
Sorry for the rant.
Lindsay’s doing the ‘chicken dance’!
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