GOP moves to force immigration vote

[housewolf]

Source: JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - House Republicans are trying to force action on a Democratic-written immigration enforcement measure, the latest GOP attempt to elevate the volatile issue into an election-year wedge.
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Republican leaders hope that by pushing the bill — endorsed by 48 centrist Democrats and 94 Republicans — they can drive Democrats into a politically painful choice: Backing a tough immigration measure that could alienate their base, including Hispanic voters, or being painted as soft on border security in conservative-leaning districts.

The plan is fraught with political risks for both parties. A full-blown immigration debate could call attention to Republicans' divisions at a time when their expected presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, is fighting to gain the trust of the GOP base.

The move would be a rebuke to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who opposes the Shuler bill unless it's paired with measures to allow undocumented workers a chance at legal status and allow legal immigrants to bring more family members to the United States. Democratic leaders have been working behind the scenes to craft an alternative that could dissuade their more conservative members who back Shuler's bill from joining the GOP effort to press forward on it.
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more at the link



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080311/ap_on_go_co/congress_immigration

[williesgirl]

1. This is a winning issue for Repukes, now and in Nov. When are Dems going to wake up and realize

many Americans, especially those living in areas where illegals are rampant, have had it? This issue will cause losses at local and state levels where there is no other reason for the loss.

As the economy worsens, it's going to get much worse. Americans are and will be scraping for any job, and the illegals will still get them because the criminal companies don't have to pay taxes on them. Forget benefits, most jobs out there now are part time with none regardless, thanks to * and his cronies.

I'm really thankful that at least it won't hurt us at the federal level with SCOTUS a big issue, unless McSame flip-flops again between now and Nov. If he does, we're toast.

Flame way if you must.

[mac2]

3. If the Democratic leadership listened to the "mandate" of

many election cycles they would know Americans are upset about illegal immigration and security. Most don't support the amnesty policy of Democratic candidates (I saw a Green Party guy do it too). They do it for corporate interests not ours.

[housewolf]

4. Amnesty

Not meaning to pick on you, but this is something that just drives me nuts.

The word "amnesty" means "exempt from punishment; pardon". If you require someone who is currently here illegally to pay any back taxes, learn English and pay a fairly good-sized fine, that's not amnesty. I know the right LOVES to call it so - that's another of their word-distortions like "death tax". It's a distortion, it is not the truth. Amnesty would be telling them "go, you are forgiven, you are now legal in this country" without asking anything of them.

Grrrrrr.... my b.p. goes up every time I hear someone say that. No one in this country, in eithr party, is suggesting an amnesty program.

[cstanleytech]

8. Well, I dont consider myself on

the far right.
In fact I've voted for a democrat for president at every election since the 80s but still even to me it kinda does smack of amnesty, maybe not in the exact way its meant to be used but its pretty darn close.

[housewolf]

9. Well...

The word "amnesty" means "you are exempt from puishment; you are hereby pardoned and no restitution is required" (look it up if you're unsure). How does making people pay back taxes & a good-sized fine and learn English, and possibly other requirements, "smack of amnesty"?

Isn't layinng requirements on people to pay back taxes & substantial fines, learn English, maybe making them move "to the back of the line of those trying to gain citizenship, etc. punishent and restitution? And if there is punishment and/or restitution, by the definition of the word "amnesty", what's being talked about cannot be considered "amnesty", can it? (I conceed the point that the punishment and/or restitution may not be as severe as some would like; however that does not make it an amnesty program.)

That's why I say the meaning of the word has been intentionally distorted - people are trying to use it to suggest a situation that does not match the meaning of the word.

For the program to be "amnesty", it would have to say to all the illegals currently here something like "ok, you are now legal to be in the US permanently, to work and live, and you don't have to do anything except let us know that you're here. All if forgiven." That's what an amnesty program would look like. Not fines and other requirements.

[cstanleytech]

10. Hmm perhaps but what are

you willing to support to punish those who fail to turn themselves in and what about new illegals, how do we deal with them in 20 years? Another bill that lets them become legal when they knew they were breaking the law before yet again?

[housewolf]

15. Any sort of "path to legality" program will only work as part of a

comprehensive program encompassing strengthening the borders and enforcing current laws. Once we get those in place find out who is here and get those who have been here on a path to legality, then going forward, I think it would be correct to return future illegals to their home country.

[cstanleytech]

16. Return them to their home country?

We already do that and its not working.

[housewolf]

17. What would you like to see done?

n/t

[cstanleytech]

18. Well I dont support them breaking our laws, do you?

As for what needs to be done perhaps harsher penalties on the people and or companies that can be proven to knowingly hire people in the country illegally, maybe companies would get the point then that they should not support people who break the laws.
Anyway thats one solution the other is to make it easier for people who want to work come here thus cutting down on the incentive to come illegally, they should also have to learn english if they intend to work here more than 3 months out of the year.

[Megahurtz]

20. We haven't done it enough.

It would work if we did.

[Windex]

5. I agree

I lived in NM for 12 years and learned a lot about the Mexican gangs. My daughter was 19 yrs and 7 months pregnant working a waitress job when her car (the most valuable thing she owned) was stolen and totaled by 3 illegals. Their aqes were 13, 11, and 11 year olds. They actually knew how to break in and hot wire cars. She then had to quit her job because she had no other transportation for the 15 miles to work. We were lucky to just lose the car. Others were victims of totally random drive by shootings. For a while there we were hearing of people being hit every week. It makes you long for the good old mafia. At least they had targets picked out..not just whoever happened to be in their sites that day. Random drive by shootings were a popular way to get cemented into a gang.

This isn't a hate issue. It's an issue of laws. It's a fact that we have the most generous immigration system already of any country. We need to come down on the employers who bypass Americans for cheap labor and if someone is here illegally they need to go home and we need to make our streets safe for law abiding tax payers.

[jamesinca]

13. I agree with you on the employers part

I have lived here in CA for a few decades and drive by shootings, car theft and a host of other crimes have been committed by citizens. California was the victim of a $13 billion scam by Enron back in 2000 - 2001. It does not take an illegal, it takes a person to commit a crime. Saying that it is "those people" is a tactic used by the right wing to motivate their base and absolve them of any responsibility regarding the condition of the world. Ronald Reagan called them "welfare queens" and talked of people that came here to have children with no intentions of working, just milking the system. He blamed those people. Pete Wilson did it with prop 187 (if I remember correctly) and he was re-elected because of it. What he did for future Republicans is piss off the populace and no Republican was elected to state wide office again until Arnold won election in 2006. Nazi Germany had it's own version of this and they refered to the Jewish population as sub-human.

[jamesinca]

14. I agree with you on the employers part

I have lived here in CA for a few decades and drive by shootings, car theft and a host of other crimes have been committed by citizens. California was the victim of a $13 billion scam by Enron back in 2000 - 2001. It does not take an illegal, it takes a person to commit a crime. Saying that it is "those people" is a tactic used by the right wing to motivate their base and absolve them of any responsibility regarding the condition of the world. Ronald Reagan called them "welfare queens" and talked of people that came here to have children with no intentions of working, just milking the system. He blamed those people. Pete Wilson did it with prop 187 (if I remember correctly) and he was re-elected because of it. What he did for future Republicans is piss off the populace and no Republican was elected to state wide office again until Arnold won election in 2006. Nazi Germany had it's own version of this and they refered to the Jewish population as sub-human.

[cstanleytech]

7. Well, I'll agree with you on the companies part

atleast.
The only way I can see stopping it though are harsher penalties for getting caught hiring people here in the country illegally.

[Ordr]

12. You're dead on.

n/t

[Megahurtz]

19. No flaming here,

you do have a point. :(

[SoCalDem]

2. red meat for the hungry junkyard dogs.. they never get tired of this schtick

Nancy needs to shut them down....oh wait.. she won't:(

[trthnd4jstc]

6. Strange thing is Bush's Immigration Plan, was actually the closest thing...

To possibly solve the problem. There needs to be a bi-partisan solution. It is such a shame that gotcha politics drives our Federal government.

[Orsino]

11. Isn't it funny how the minority party can force a vote...

...while our fightin' Dems can only force jack and squat?

[jazzjunkysue]

21. What? Don't we have baby-killers and gays to pick on?

Is it the mexican's turn?

Funny, how people always discuss mexico but never the asians who come over here on airplanes and never leave. They're not the problem.....It's those mexicans!