Obama says immigration overhaul still needed

AP on Yahoo ^ | 3/18/09 | Charles Babington - ap

[NormsRevenge]

COSTA MESA, Calif. – President Barack Obama said Wednesday he still supports "comprehensive immigration reform," even though he rarely mentions it anymore. Asked about the emotional and politically delicate topic at a town hall format in Southern California, the president said the nation must find a way to strengthen its borders while also giving about 12 million illegal immigrants a path to possible citizenship.

"If they stay in the shadows," he said, some employers will exploit them, hurting wages and work conditions for all American workers.

Obama said illegal residents who have been in the United States a long time and have put down roots should have a mechanism for achieving legal status. They would have to learn English, pay a significant fine and "go to the back of the line" of those applying for legal entry, he said.

Obama has not listed immigration reform among the ambitious programs he is pushing this year.

[musicman]

"Looking for new Voters?"

[musicman]

"Obama says immigration overhaul still needed "

[musicman]

[Rastus]

They aren’t in the gated communities where these pols live. They’re in our neighborhoods—yours and mine.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Damn straight Bammie! We need to start importing more conservative immigrants. We’ve already got all the freeloading Commie ‘RATS that we need!

[Calpernia]

bump

[Kevmo]

Here’s one for the AFIRE ping list. It can’t be good news.

[MamaDearest]

I was in Iowa yesterday, and I talked to a guy that at one time had 100s of people working for him in a concrete company. And he pointed out that guys like him, he went bankrupt incidently, that play by the rules, when they hire people, fill out all the appropriate paper work, do all of the employer contributions, and get all the insurances that are required and do everything accordingly, therefore pay a lot more for their labor. They get put out of business by the companies that hire lots of illegal folks and just pay them a flat fee in cash and don’t pay any of the overhead costs that American employers have to pay employees under the law. So I think there are lots of folks in the economic system that appreciate having lots of cheap labor and that is certainly a factor.

Most of my neighbors are former Californians. They moved away from California because of illegal aliens ruining their state. Some were skilled professionals who were competing for work with paid-under-the-table illegals. Years later illegals have moved east and north to take whatever jobs they can wrangle via employers who Nancy Pelosi would call patriotic.

[Ev Reeman]

What does Obozo have to hide? Must be something big Ima thinkin’...

[jimt]

Walking around, heads held high with their hands out for every freebie they can get: subsidized housing, subsidized utilities, food stamps, free health care, free breakfast and lunch for the multiple kiddies, free education for the multiple kiddies, free day care, free legal assistance, ad nauseum.

Cut off the freebies and they'd leave.