Posted on 09/25/2011 10:37:58 AM PDT by Clairity
In this week's GOP Presidential debate, Governor Mitt Romney and Senator Rick Santorum both repeated untruths about Governor Rick Perry's immigration position. It is time to set the record straight.
First let me say, I've not endorsed a candidate and though I've predicted a Perry win in 2012, it is not based on a personal desire, but rather the assessment of all the data that I believe the general election race will be dependent on. I did the same thing in 2006, predicting a Barack Obama win, but by no means endorsing his candidacy.
Second let me also say, this week's debate performance by Governor Rick Perry was bizarre and seemed to run out of complete steam in the final thirty minutes. In fact I was so curious as to the Governor's performance down the stretch I inquired to the Perry campaign to see if the Governor had taken ill, or had some other medical issue arise in the final half hour.
But on Thursday evening it did become clear that the GOP opponents intend to rhetorically bloody Governor Perry as best they can until they begin to be eliminated from the race.
In the debate, Chris Wallace asked a direct question to Mitt Romney regarding the in-state tuition rates of children who live in the state, but happen to have parents who came here illegally.
Mitt Romney replied, "I don't see how it is that a state like Texas--to go to the University of Texas--if you're an illegal alien--you get an in-state tuition discount. D'you know how much that is? It's twenty-two thousand dollars a year. Four years of college you're almost a hundred thousand dollar discount if you're an illegal alien--if you go to the University of Texas. If you're a United States citizen, from any one of the other forty-nine states, you have to pay a hundred thousand dollars more. That doesn't make sense to me. And that kind of magnet, draws people into this country, to get that education, to get that kind of hundred thousand dollar break, it makes no sense..."
I was disappointed that Chris Wallace didn't stop him and make him answer the question he had actually asked him.
Maybe Mitt Romney doesn't realize that many children of illegal aliens aren't illegals themselves. And as long as birth-rite citizenship is the law, anchor babies are protected under the law with equal benefits to all other American citizens.
Maybe Mitt Romney doesn't realize that nearly all of the rest of children of illegals had no choice in whether to live in Texas or not. If they were brought there by parents who were illegal--how is that the child's fault? Is Romney ready to charge those children with crimes? Mass deportations? Even Romney has not pledged to go that far.
Maybe Mitt Romney somehow missed the point that Governor Perry's problem is one that the Federal Government created for him. By refusing to enforce current immigration law, the Obama administration has made life for border states unbelievably difficult. And in some cases the Federal Government is even attempting to choke out state's rights to react to border issues in any way whatsoever.
Maybe Mitt Romney is completely ignorant of what the reality of dealing with the border actually means--in real terms. Gov. Perry had to raise $400 million in state taxes to attempt to shore up the border and do the job that the Feds should be doing.
Or maybe Governor Romney believes he doesn't need any votes from legal Hispanics and legal immigrants who are wrestling with the real issue of being in a position where their family's future is in question.
But to set the record straight, it was the state of Texas, and most specifically its lawfully elected legislature that drafted the legislation and passed it with only 4 votes of 181 possible to vote against it. Yes, Governor Perry signed it into law, but it was a definitively bi-partisan initiative that the people of Texas clearly wanted to see become law.
Additionally, Governor Perry has actual compassion for these children who ended up in his state, outside of their own doing. Educating them gets them working and contributing to the state's treasury faster, and is more meaningful than letting them sit on the sidelines.
And despite what the unusually angry Rick Santorum offered, all the legislation did was allow those children (NOT ILLEGAL ALIENS AT LARGE) to get the same "starting point" in state institutions that all of their classmates got. The stupid argument that Romney and Santorum grew red-faced and spittle-spewing over didn't seem to hold true against Texas where non-Texan students would have to pay $88,000 more than other Texas-raised children. And states discriminate that way against other children from other regions of the country--all the time.
President Obama will need to re-energize the American Hispanic vote in order for him to win re-election. They had left him on the economy, and they were never with him on his values. But Mitt Romney--who vows allegiance to a church that had at its core a racist doctrine until only a couple of decades ago--is verging on alienating other ethnic groups, in part because he is not telling the truth about the Texas legislature's law to allow children (not illegal aliens who crossed the border--the children of) to simply pay the same amount of tuition as the kids they sit next to in class.
In short Perry knows this problem intimately. And it will be a cold day in Hades before he ever signs a federal version of the DREAM Act. He believes in fencing, technology, state's rights, and workplace incentives.
Which more or less means he believes in the same enforcement techniques as all the rest of the GOP field.
And for Santorum and Romney to pretend otherwise is sanctimonious and dishonest.
You raise a number of good points although it was not my intention to critique the Texas program. Nor am I in a position to argue the case for Perry or Romney and have not listened to their debates. My concern was with the tone, structure and validity of the author’s article.
In a real sense, the circumstances of the students in any such tuition program have transcended those of the anchor baby. These near-adult students should not be liable for their parent’s actions, purportedly have satisfied state residency requirements, presumably have done well in high school and it appears, seek citizenship.
On the other hand, it is unclear whether their parent’s are required to seek citizenship in the normal manner. Do we extend tuition benefits to the student and deport the parent? Or, do we allow them to remain? If so, isn’t that a form of amnesty? Are the parents allowed to go to the head of the immigration line? If so, isn’t that a reward that will attract more illegality?
How about for balance we immediately deport any illegal high school drop out and his or her parents?
Our nation dropped its guard on border enforcement. And, liberals are demonstrating their willingness to relax their concept of zero tolerance when it suits their agenda.
Link to the Texas law at www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2782666/posts?page=264#264
The sections of Texas Education Code are 54.053(3) and 54.052(a)(3).
There is no requirement to apply for permanent residency or citizenship.
There is no requirement to be in a Texas school for 3 years - the requirement is to prove residence.
A strong and responsive Congress would restrain a POTUS's dumb ideas, and Conservatism also has great momentum at the state level. So the key is not to fret over the shortcomings of a Chief Executive, because he or she must remain responsive and accountable to We the Shareholders of the Republic. Our energies must be focused toward defeating the Thug in Chief and his army of zombies.
There is no requirement to take any action toward legal presence. The requirement is to say you WILL do so, when the federal government makes it possible. Link to Texas law in a post just above.
“policy has the 3 year rule which is the same as the requirements for a student coming from another state.”
I could be wrong on this but I thought I read that a student from another state can get in-state tuition after being in Texas for 1 year.
“They are pursing citizenship while a student...”
If they are in the country illegally, there is no mechanism for them to pursue citizenship.
Therefore, they will never be legal and lever be able to work.
‘as long as anchor babies is the law . . .’
Talk about running over the core problem at 100 MPH and not stopping to ask what the ‘thump’ was.
Idiot.
You don’t live in Texas, do you.
The river in many areas are deep and wide.
Texas land owners own the properties going to the river.
Cattle ranchers use the river. Farmers use the river.
There are Apache Indian descendents who own land going back to the 1700’s when Spain gave their ancestors the land.
Are you going to tell them you are taking their land?
There are very large dams and two large lakes.
There are multi million dollar resorts.
There is Big Bend National Park.
Many many recreational areas people go to to vacation.
There are mountains and steep tall cliffs.
Besides all of that, it is almost the distant from Texas to New York City and it would take at least 10 yrs or more to build it at the cost of many billions.
And it does not work. Ask people from Arizona.
Only our military can secure that massive of a border.
Then you REALLY have a problem with reading comprehension.
Perry has made it clear to those that understand that this whole issue is about children of illegals that have GRADUATED from Texas Schools. It is a long time before the primaries and the lies only hold up for a very short time.
The Perry haters better take that into consideration before continuing this charade.
Especially when Americans clearly understand this is not about some kid. This is about NATIONAL SECURITY and the REFUSAL of Zero to protect America from the murdering Cartels of Mexico. Especially since they are the REAL road into America for the terrorist.
Intersting how the RINOs and the Admin. is gearing up for a 4th WAR with Pakistan.
BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW AND PUT THEM ON THE BORDER.
Everytime they buy something in Texas, they pay sales tax that goes to the county, district, city and the state.
and the border is a river...
then a fence is not the answer.
A fence on the U.S. side will cut off access for farmers and ranchers to the only water within 50 miles. And it will leave the river fully accessible to farmers and ranchers on the Mexican side.
A surveilled fence is the best possible answer from San Diego to El Paso.
A surveilled river is the best possible answer for the 1200 miles of Texas-Mexican border.
It's called "geography".
You have a problem understanding what illegal means. Illegal aliens violate the law and for some reason this very simple concept escapes you.
You don’t live in Texas, do you.
The river in many areas are deep and wide.
Texas land owners own the properties going to the river.
Cattle ranchers use the river. Farmers use the river.
There are Apache Indian descendents who own land going back to the 1700’s when Spain gave their ancestors the land.
Are you going to tell them you are taking their land?
There are very large dams and two large lakes.
There are multi million dollar resorts.
There is Big Bend National Park.
Many many recreational areas people go to to vacation.
There are mountains and steep tall cliffs.
Besides all of that, it is almost the distant from Texas to New York City and it would take at least 10 yrs or more to build it at the cost of many billions.
And it does not work. Ask people from Arizona.
Only our military can secure that massive of a border.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Any military officer will tell you that fences are great force multipliers. It’s why the Israelis built a wall to
partially separate the west bank from Israel. It’s why the East Germans built a fence along the entire border separating East and West Germany. And damn few East Germans escaped to the West across that border.
Ya. A barrier fence is gonna pizz “some” people off. “Some” of those folks have land that runs right to the border.
Guess what... Any good real estate agent will tell you to take caution when buying a home that backs up to undeveloped
land because you NEVER know what might be put on it.
You pays your money and takes your chance.
What happens when your next door neighbor sells to a family with loud obnoxious teens who leave empty soda cans in
their driveway and then they blow into your yard.. etc.. etc
Their not doing anything violent or illegal. You can’t call the cops.
You either STOP bitc#ing and put up with it.. or you sell and MOVE.
Same with border land owners. Farmers.. Ranchers.. whatever. They complain about illegals crossing their land and leaving trash everywhere.
Then... When a border fence was proposed... they said WHOA!!! we can’t do THAT. I’ll have to give up some land
for that. And it will “ruin” the historically open border
commerce.
Okay. Whatever. Put up or shut up. Or move. Or live with it. Or hire some unemployed Mezzican ZETA’s to protect you.
Mexico used to be stable... Border was stable too....
Nothing stays the same... Change happens... $hit happens...
There’s a LOT of illegals who would take minimum wage to build the damn fence too. Better yet.. put those illegals we have in prison to work building it for less than minimum wage and then catapult thier dirty azzes over it when it’s done.
I’d personally like to see some Americans who can’t seem to make a big enough profit employing U.S. citizens, put to
work supervising their Mexican illegals building that fence, since they love them so much.
Ranchers need water? run a pipe under the fence and buy a pump. Jeez... no big deal. And you obviously won’t need the fence in Santa Elena Canyon. You CAN build it everywhere else where the river is accessible.
We just have to want to do it. That is unless you’re a Perry supporting RINO.
FYI... I been in Texas 40 years.
I agree with you 100 percent. I cannot stand all these ignorant people who critize Gov. Perry for subsidizing illegal aliens, for rejecting a border fence, and for rejecting e-verify. Mexican nationals have just as much right to live in the USA as so-called “Americans”. Only those without a heart would think otherwise.
And as you and I know too, the fact that somone is incoherent and unable to express clear thoughts is no reason he shouldn’t be the GOP nominee. Stupidity, after all, is exactly what independents and wavering Democrats will be looking for next fall.
“Is Romney ready to charge those children with crimes? Mass deportations?”
How about we not give them breaks on higher education for starters?
“Perry sucks in a debate and the anti-Perry hordes come out saying it’s over. It’s a ways til the primaries. We’ll see.”
Sucks in “A” debate? He’s been in thre and in each one he’s gotten progressively worse. In the last one he went out of his way to insult 81% Of the electorate.
No I have actually READ the College requirements for these young people. Your saying that these children that have gone to american Schools, AS DECREED BY THE SUPREME COURT, somehow are not allowed to apply for citizenship and college?
Gee, so now we start punishing people for the Sins of their parents. this shold get interesting.
apparently you do not know geography. but worse then that you sound quite in line with the National socialist Movement.
“”Putting Family, Race and Nation First while Fighting to Secure American Jobs, Manufacturing & Innovation””Fighting for White Civil Rights”NSM
FYI everyone:
http://www.nsm88.org/
You are so blinded by your hatred you can’t even see the reality of the situation.
This is the truth. I am from TX and lived there when this Legislation was passed. They are also correct that some of these kids are actually citizens. Just because you don’t want to believe it does not mean the information is not true.
Arizona or any other state would not give TX children in state tuition, so why should TX?
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