Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg
Por favor disculpen mi Espanol. Como creCI en Houston -es un poco ‘espanglish y un poco Tex Mex. I lived, worked, played and grew up alongside Latinos. As a teenager I worked alongside immigrants mowing lawns and putting in landscaping around businesses.
I remember once asking one of the immigrant workers how much he was being paid. “Cuanto le Pagan por el trabajo?
He responded “tres dolars.”
I responded, “Yo tambien. Tres Dolars, por hora . . . ?”
He shook shook his head, “No tres Dolars, por dia!”
At a young age, I came to understand that it makes a difference whether you are a documented immigrant or an undocumented immigrant, that the existence was not easy for the undocumented but that opportunity in America somehow trumped even the poor living conditions and low pay.
I wondered what circumstances must have been like in his country to choose an admittedly tough life in the shadows.
Growing up in Texas I never met a Latino who wasn’t working.
In school, everyone took Spanish. I sometimes wish I had paid more attention in class. As a teenager, I was not always the model citizen that I am today…
In my middle school Spanish class, my exuberance sometimes overcame my restraint and I would be asked to go to the principal’s office. My Spanish teacher would scold me,
“En boca cerrada no entran moscas!”
Cuando no lo escuchaba, I would often be sent to the Principal’s office.
In those days we had corporal punishment. After a few such trips to the principal’s office, I discovered that my Spanish teacher was married to the Assistant Principal and they were getting a divorce.
So when I was sent to the principal’s office, I would make the decision to go instead to the Assistant Principal’s office. He and I would commiserate: Oh man she’s crazy! You’re right kid, just sit here today and go back tomorrow.
As a consequence, I never became as proficient with my Spanish as I would have liked because I spent a great deal of time in detention.
I read Miguel de Unamuno in college. I think he gives Republicans some good advice,
He wrote, “Miremos más que somos padres de nuestro porvenir que no hijos de nuestro pasado”
Republicans need to become parents of a new future with Latino voters or we will need to resign ourselves to permanent minority status.
The Republican Party has insisted for years that we stand for freedom and family values. I am most proud of my party when it stands for both.
The vast majority of Latino voters agree with us on these issues but Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration.
Immigration is a contentious issue in American politics. In our zeal for border control, we have sometimes obscured our respect and admiration for immigrants and their contribution to America.
Republicans have been losing both the respect and votes of a group of people who already identify with our belief in family, faith, and conservative values. Hispanics should be a natural and sizable part of the Republican base.
That they have steadily drifted away from the GOP in each election says more about Republicans than it does about Hispanics.
Whether we are discussing hard work, respect for life or the quest for freedom, immigrants bring with them the same values that previous generations of immigrants did.
Defense of the unborn and defense of traditional marriage are Republican issues that should resonate with Latinos but have been obscured by the misperception that Republicans are hostile to immigrants.
Somewhere along the line Republicans have failed to understand and articulate that immigrants are an asset to America, not a liability.
My German great-grandparents didn’t speak much English when they came to America. They didn’t have much, but they also didn’t ask for much-all they wanted was an opportunity.
They began in America peddling vegetables. They finally got that opportunity when they started a dairy business in their garage, scraping together a living, raising a family, and constantly working to give their children a better life than they had.
My great-grandfather came to America in the 1880′s. His father died after only six months in America. At 14, my great-grandfather was alone.
He survived and ultimately thrived in his new country with a new language. In their home and their church they spoke German.
Republicans who criticize the use of two languages make a great mistake.
As the son of immigrants, my grandfather, who only had an 8th grade education, would live to see his own children all go to college. They became ministers, professors, doctors and accountants and one of them became a Congressman.
My family’s story is like that of millions of others who came to this country. Every generation of immigrants wants these opportunities.
Many have faced intolerance and bigotry. It was not always easy to be German American in the face of two world wars started by Germans. Intolerance is not new, and it is not limited to one language or skin color.
But through our rich history, and for many millions of immigrants who came to America, such sacrifice and hardship was worth it. They wanted what all Americans want-better lives for themselves, their children and grandchildren.
For the American Dream to be achievable for all, we have to have an educational system that believes that all students have the capability to succeed.
Unfortunately, the education establishment seems to casually discard Latinos, blacks, and others into crummy schools with no hope.
I argue that the struggle for a good education is the civil rights issue of our day.
I love the story of Jaime Escalante.
In the area of East Los Angeles, in 1982, in an environment that values a quick fix over education and learning, Escalante was a new math teacher at Garfield High School determined to change the system and challenge the students to a higher level of achievement.
Escalante was at first not well liked by students, receiving numerous taunts and threats.
As the year progressed, he was able to win over the attention of the students by implementing innovative teaching techniques.
He transformed even the most troublesome teens into dedicated students. While Escalante was teaching basic arithmetic and algebra, he realized that his students have far more potential.
He decided to teach them calculus. To do so, he held a summer course in pre-calculus.
Despite concerns and skepticism of other teachers, who felt that “you can’t teach logarithms to illiterates,” Escalante nonetheless developed a program in which his students can eventually take AP Calculus by their senior year.
Taking the AP Calculus exam in the spring of their senior year, his students were relieved and overjoyed to find that they have all passed, a feat done by few in the state.
My dream is that we transform the education monopoly into a thriving, competitive environment where Hispanic students get to choose what school they attend and that no student is forgotten or ignored.
America’s strength has always been that we are a melting pot with room for those who dare to dream. I’ve seen firsthand what it is like for new immigrants in Texas.
I’ve never met a new immigrant looking for a free lunch.
The question is: How do we now reflect this in our 21st century immigration policy?
It is absolutely vital for both the success of our immigration policy and for the purposes of national security that we finally secure our borders.
Not to stop most immigrants from coming-we welcome them and in fact should seek to increase legal immigration.
The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.
Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.
Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.
Let’s start that conversation by acknowledging we aren’t going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.
If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you.
In order to bring conservatives to this cause however, those who work for reform must understand that a real solution must ensure that our borders are secure.
But we also must treat those who are already here with understanding and compassion.
The first part of my plan – border security – must be certified by Border Patrol and an Investigator General and then voted on by Congress to ensure it has been accomplished.
This is what I call, Trust but Verify.
With this in place, I believe conservatives will accept what needs to come next, an issue that must be addressed: what becomes of the 12 million undocumented workers in the United States?
My plan is very simple and will include work visas for those who are here, who are willing to come forward and work.
A bipartisan panel would determine number of visas per year. High tech visas would also be expanded and have a priority. Special entrepreneurial visas would also be issued.
Fairness is key in any meaningful immigration reform, but this fairness would cut both ways:
The modernization of our visa system and border security would allow us to accurately track immigration.
It would also enable us to let more people in and allow us to admit we are not going to deport the millions of people who are currently here illegally.
This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.
Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
Conservatives, myself included, are wary of amnesty. My plan will not grant amnesty or move anyone to the front of the line.
But what we have now is de facto amnesty.
The solution doesn’t have to be amnesty or deportation-a middle ground might be called probation where those who came illegally become legal through a probationary period.
My plan will not impose a national ID card or mandatory E-Verify, forcing businesses to become policemen.
We should not be unfair to those who came to our country legally. Nor should we force business owners to become immigration inspectors-making them do the job the federal government has failed to do.
After an Inspector General has verified that the border is secure after year one, the report must come back and be approved by Congress.
In year two, we could begin expanding probationary work visas to immigrants who are willing to work. I would have Congress vote each year for five years whether to approve or not approve a report on whether or not we are securing the border.
We should be proud that so many want to come to America, that it is still seen as the land of opportunity.
Let’s make it a land of legal work, not black market jobs. Let’s make it a land of work not welfare. Our land should be one of assimilation, not hiding in the shadows.
On immigration, common sense and decency have been neglected for far too long. Let’s secure our borders, welcome our new neighbors, and practice the values of freedom and family for all to see.
Some say to generalize about any ethnic group is be a racist. There is a hilarious Seinfeld episode where Jerry admits that he loves Asian women but he frets and worries, “Is it racist to like a certain race?”
So it is with trepidation that I express my admiration for the romance of the latin culture. I am a fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
In Love in the Time of Cholera, Marquez gives some advice that Republicans might consider,
“. . . human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, . . . life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.”
Likewise, Republicans need to give birth to a new attitude toward immigrants, an attitude that sees immigrants as assets not liabilities.
No one captures the romance of the Latin culture more than Pablo Neruda.
I love how Neruda in “Si tu me Olvidas” issues a passionate threat but ends by saying,
“Pero
si cada día,
cada hora,
sientes que a mí estás destinada
con dulzura implacable,
si cada día sube
una flor a tus labios a buscarme,
ay amor mío, ay mía,
en mí todo ese fuego se repite,
en mí nada se apaga ni se olvida”
How can we not embrace such passion. How can we not want that culture to merge with and infuse the American spirit. They are not called the romance languages for no reason.
As we move forward on immigration reform, I for one will work to find a solution that both adheres to the rule of law and makes room for compassion.
My hope is that today we begin a dialogue between the GOP and Latinos.
A dialogue that shows that the GOP sees all immigrants as assets and that Latinos can come to see the GOP as the party of opportunity, the party of the American Dream, — El partido del sueňo Americano.
Well if its already illegal to bring them then it seems like a condition of those victims getting some sort of legal status, beyond the Obama one they have now, is that they identify those who brought them here illegally, if it is a crime.
And those people get prosecuted for it.
Now some may not apply if that is the condition if say its relatives.
Besides Dems absolutely wont support a immigration bill that has no citizenship, they will kill it. Their base demands it. So why join them?
Illegals don't equal Hispanics. We have lawbreakers from all over the globe. There is a large number of illegal aliens from China and India.
You are using the term "trafficking" incorrectly. Illegal aliens bringing in their children are not guilty of trafficking which is against the law and is defined in that law.
Is a great way to make sure they go out and vote. And they did vote. They didnt vote in 2010 but that talk sure got them out in 2012
Hispanics comprised 10% of the vote in 2012 compared to 13% for blacks. The number of all voters was much greater in 2012, a Presidential year, than in 2010. The Hispanic vote was important in a few states, but it is not the reason why the Reps lost WI, MA, Iowa, Ohio, PA, etc.
My problem is I rarely agree with anyone else 100% of the time. And many here demand 100%
Back August 2011 I joined those here laughing at Perry as Romney took the tough guy approach (I didnt trust Romney at all), I must admit it. I judged Perry badly
But given Mr 47% got Hispanics out to vote in big numbers to deport him(with others too) , showing Romney as the clueless elitist loser he is, he was sooo sure he was winning, Rush was sure too,
I am much more understanding of Perry's positions now.
Perry was talking reality not the GOP POTUS primary fantasy world. He has to live in the real world.
That was what I am suggesting. The next reform bill needs to make it a crime.
Reagan's bill should have done that.
The failed Bush/MCcain bills should of done that.
Those who bring them over illegally are creating this situation. The kids are the victims. Their parents leave them belonging no-place. That should be a felony
Make it a felony to create this problem, instead of going after the victim kids.
But if they are bringing up mass deportation which no one elected suggests as a straw man for amnesty, that is different and changing the subject.
Bringing up history is never a stray man. The current coversation is liberal position A and hard left position B.
As I said, kids trafficed to here and raised here with the support of the government as the courts now entitle them to (the kids) public school and then they get that degree, are seen as victims and they will aways be seen as such. Romney learned that the hard way.
The proper thing is to speak to the America people past the corrupt corporations and to say "Children do not benefit from the crimes of their parents in America. I I break into your home and drop off my kid, he does not become your responsibility or a member of your family without you having a say so."
These kids aren't victims. They beneficiaries of a crime. They should not be punished in any way. They should simply be sent home.
Even Michelle Bachmann was opposed to deportations and had a plan similar to Rand’s yet no one here has called her out.
Cite Bachmann’s plan that called for amnesty.
I agree with this.
What Rand Paul is proposing is a form of blanket amnesty. He preconditions it with a secure border, which is good. If he also preconditioned it with a federal law requiring photo ID to vote, and proof of citizenship to register, it would be even better.
But allowing millions of people to stay here and harvest the fruits of their lawbreaking is unacceptable. As a bare minimum, we need to be a lot more selective than Rand Paul: no burglars, no street gang members, no prostitutes, no drug addicts, no drug dealers, no welfare queens. No con men or credit card scammers.
They qualify for a path to citizenship only if they've been working or going to college more than they've been collecting government benefits, they've been here at least ten years (perhaps this could be reduced to five years for entrepreneurs, people with high tech job skills, and immediate family members of citizens), and they've never even been arrested for anything other than immigration violations. If the local anti-gang or anti-drug task force identifies them as gang members or drug dealers, they get deported even if they've never been arrested.
The path to citizenship should require that they learn English, continue to stay out of trouble, continue working or going to college, and generally continue being an asset to the community (rather than a liability) for five more years.
And this program should have the two preconditions I mentioned at the top: (A) a secure border, and (B) a federal law requiring photo ID to vote, and proof of citizenship to register. (Don't worry, Reverend Sharpton. If they can't afford the $5.00 fee for a photo ID, all they have to do is bring in proof that they're on food stamps or whatever, and we'll waive the $5.00 fee.)
This is just a suggestion, and a starting point for further discussion, don't tase me bro etc.
I am pleased to see than 90% of the comments on this post got it right: Rand Paul is NOT Conservative and IS peddling Rat Poison.
Oh, one other thing.
They need to waive the right to bring in more family members.
The proponents of the 1986 amnesty promised that it would be a one time affair never to happen again. It was to be the first and only amnesty. Now 27 years later we have 12 to 20 million or maybe more illegal aliens. We are told this will be the last amnesty. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I can't understand what the urgency is to legalize those already here illegally. The best approach is to enforce our existing laws and make this country as unwelcoming as it can be to illegal aliens. Instead, we are offering in-state tuition, food stamps, driver's licenses, etc. and even a backdoor amnesty. Why reward people who thumbed their noses at our laws brazenly flaunting them. They work illegally, commit ID theft, drive illegally, appropriate SSNs, lie on employment applications, evade taxes, etc. Are these the kind of people we want as citizens?
The problem with Rubio and McCain is that they are so desperate for a deal w Dems that they are willing to give in to stuff like citizenship(voting) before negotiations start. And Obama will get the credit for it, they wont.
Another one is ID fraud. How many false IDs did they use here?
I cant tell from what Paul said if he is serious, and the promise of border conditions alone strikes me as lame.
Paul sounds to me like he wants Hispanics to see him as the next compassionate conservative by claiming they are all conservatives who would be insulted if the gub offered them or their kids anything for free.
He is talking to them when he says this.
They are all scared.
The Heritage Foundation concluded that the cost of amnesty would be $2.6 trillion just for increased entitlement program costs. And the number of additional LEGAL immigrants who would join those who were the recipients of amnesty through chain migration, i.e., family reunification, would approach 70 million over a 20-year period, assuming there are only 12 million illegal aliens. We cannot assimilate such numbers. An amnesty would destroy the United States of America with the stroke of a pen.
“Republicans need to become parents of a new future with Latino voters “
What???? Parents???? IF they need PARENTS, we don’t need them! Not very libertarian of you, Sen.Paul. Just another GOP sell out.
BTT
As another FReeper has put it so eloquently: all I want to know is which laws I get to break without penalty.
Hannity says Paul is on his show today.
That was a hell of a post. Thank you.
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