"Now that there is funny I don't care who you are..."
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.
Ditto!
(b) Effective date
This section shall apply to benefits provided on or after July 1, 1998.
Your child can get the same rates in Texas without having to meet the high level of qualification that these children of illegals get.
Any Kid in America can take advantage of Texas in state tuition if they move here, become a resident and offer proof of working here for one year.
The number of kids born to illegals in Texas that qualify is tiny, and the legislature passed this matter into law by a margin that could not be vetoed by Perry.
Beyond that, I can’t understand why people in Oregon or any other state feel ripped off.
Texans pick up the slack for the in state tuition fees, not America at large.
The Texas legislature passed this law with only 4 dissenting votes and they did so because it was the judgement of them and of the people that it was in the interests of Texans and of the general welfare to do so.
I’m not worried about Perry, he’ll be fine. I expect he’ll regroup a little, but I don’t expect any major shakeup in his organization. What I do like is the bump Cain will get out of Florida. A Perry/Cain ticket looks formidable. Those two men share a common philosophy and are natural allies.
Seeing as Perry has the debating skills of your average toddler, either he’ll lose the nomination or he’ll lose the general election. He can’t win.
Yes...
It is a shame that he isn’t clean and articulate like that silver tongued Obama.
Wow. The Perristas will justify anything their candidates do.
All of us heartless racists should probably just start shunning those oh so superior RINO’s.
So that's what they're calling the truth these days? "Lipstick"?
I’m not making any kind of statement on the candidates themselves. I do believe that Perry would get destroyed by Obama in a debate based on his poor performance in the debates thus far. That will seal it for him.
Another Perry (Amnesty) apologist.
Funny how amnesty and cash for illegals isn’t a big to some as long as their guy has an R next to their name. Party hacks will never learn.
Illegal aliens don’t have to satisfy any residency requirements. They can jump the fence and immediately start in state tuition. The language concerning residency is there to appease those that don’t know any better
you don’t think there is a practical problem for border state governments if the federal government refuses to deal with the problem?
"Now that there is funny I don't care who you are..."
Remember that you’re dealing with the middle 20% of the electorate, the absolutely braindead cross-section of the American public that honestly hasn’t made up their mind. Those people don’t care that Obama does things like you posted.
What he ought to do is keep highlighting his experience with border issues, and keep explaining his reasoning on what he did and why.
What he never should do is insult those of us that have a serious interest in the border issues. Twice in a row he has insulted people that he needs to vote for him. First we are racist then in the very next debate we are heartless. We have proven we can compromise on border issues, we really don’t need insults. I can agree to disagree on issues, being insulted is another matter.
Debates show you who a person is and it is not about how good they performed but who they are. Perry said I am heatless because I do not agree with him. I am a conservative and I will take that from Obama and counter it. I will not take it from someone who needs my vote to represent my party. He is Texas Toast period no question.
Including a large percentage of those who post here. Another good-sized percentage are fans of other candidates just taking advantage of a chance to jump on the other guy.
And once the tax payers of Texas pay for an illegal alien to be educated at a university, how is that college educated illegal alien of any use to the State of Texas or the United States?
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