Amnesty bill may be dead

[Jim727]

Finally some good news.

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSWAT00768920070607

Sen. Reid has been saying that if the vote to limit debate fails, he plans to move on to other legislation and that there is only a small chance the Senate would return to this abomination.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Thank whatever deity you believe in. . .

Now if someone would just shoot Ted Kennedy once and for all, or better still send him swimming in the Chappaquiddick again with some concrete shoes on, we could look forward to the prospect of a bill being passed in the future that revamps immigration policy by STRENGTHENING it, not weakening it to the point we no longer have a country.

[tabs]

I got a nice e-mail letter in response to my e-mail oposing the Bill from my Senator Harry Reid. He said he was working very hard to improve the Bill and that it was important legislation. I still havn't heard from my other Senator, last e-mail to him I got a call from an aide, informing me of the status of the project I was asking about. In some ways its nice to be in a small state as U have a bit more access to the elected officials.

[Jim Richards]

So tabs, you used PayPal, eh?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Although that's nice, I'd be VERY surprised if it weren't an auto-generated letter. Still kinda' cool though.

[Rick Lee]

They're most definitely auto-generated letters and few senators read their mail. Their staffs do it and give them a weekly summary of the issues they hear about. I wrote my senators and congressman and heard back from all of them. Warner and Webb sounded like they were against the bill, but gave themselves some wiggle room. My rep., Tom Davis, pretty much wrote a letter like I would write and concurred with me.

[techweenie]

How about this simplified proposal?

--------------------------
Legalization applicants have to prove to INS adjudicators that they have resided in the U.S. since January 1, 2003; they have to pay a $185 fee for principal applicants, $50 for each child, with a $420 family cap; accept ineligibility for most public benefits for five years after application; and complete an 18-month period of temporary residency. After that, and only after successfully completing an English language and civics requirement within a year-long one-time window, and the payment of an $80 fee per applicant (with a $240 family cap), they will be eligible to apply for permanent residency. In exchange, the applicant will be authorized to work, travel, and after becoming a permanent resident, petition for the immigration of certain family members.
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[Rick Lee]

That's also amnesty and even more so than the current bill.

[Jim727]

Originally posted by techweenie
How about this simplified proposal?

--------------------------
Legalization applicants have to prove to INS adjudicators that they have resided in the U.S. since January 1, 2003; they have to pay a $185 fee for principal applicants, $50 for each child, with a $420 family cap; accept ineligibility for most public benefits for five years after application; and complete an 18-month period of temporary residency. After that, and only after successfully completing an English language and civics requirement within a year-long one-time window, and the payment of an $80 fee per applicant (with a $240 family cap), they will be eligible to apply for permanent residency. In exchange, the applicant will be authorized to work, travel, and after becoming a permanent resident, petition for the immigration of certain family members.
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Tech-

That fails on a number of counts:

1) It still rewards illegal entry;
2) Rewarding illegal entry is a de-facto punishment for anyone who entered legally;
3) Fines/fees are basically picking the pockets of the payers and are irrelevant to the problem;
4) It fails to vet undesirables (murderers, drug dealers, spousal abusers, etc.) which must be done on their side of the border;
5) It fails to require our politicians to secure the border;
6) It does not provide for a good guest-worker program - it just encourages more illegal entry;
7) It authorizes immigration of family members of illegal entrants (further encouragement for future illegal entrants).

I could continue, but have a forestry meeting to get to. I have a much more comprehensive comment in the amnesty thread.

[Rick Lee]

With so much of the world aching to come here, we should be taking only the best and the brightest. Instead, we take the opposite and their familes. We deserve what we get.

[rrpjr]

Thanks Jim727.

Here is the capital switchboard number for those want to call their senator, or any senator, to help kill this abomination.

202/224-3121

[Rick Lee]

It's already dead.

[speeder]

Originally posted by techweenie
How about this simplified proposal?

--------------------------
Legalization applicants have to prove to INS adjudicators that they have resided in the U.S. since January 1, 2003; they have to pay a $185 fee for principal applicants, $50 for each child, with a $420 family cap; accept ineligibility for most public benefits for five years after application; and complete an 18-month period of temporary residency. After that, and only after successfully completing an English language and civics requirement within a year-long one-time window, and the payment of an $80 fee per applicant (with a $240 family cap), they will be eligible to apply for permanent residency. In exchange, the applicant will be authorized to work, travel, and after becoming a permanent resident, petition for the immigration of certain family members.
-------------------

What would be the process for rounding up and deporting the criminals, (drug smugglers, pedophiles, gang members, et al...), who do not abide by your proposed regulations?

That's what I thought.

[Rick Lee]

The whole "we can't deport 12 million people" argument is crazy. We can't catch every murderer or rapist, but we don't give them amnesty and no politician would ever think about giving them any kind of official path back to good citizenship, other than through serving their sentences in prison.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

We can't deport 12 million people? Bull*****. I say we at least try. Then set up a REAL border complete with surveillance cameras, fences, razor wire, walls, machine gun turrets, ass-bitin' dawgs, mine fields, alligator-filled moats and subsurface monitoring equipment to find tunnels. That'd be a good start.

[speeder]

Exactly. When they say that, my response is that we haven't even tried. Let's give it a go! A 40% success rate would be outstanding! Put some sport in it for those law-breakers.

I've lately been pondering the excuses people on the pro-illegal side give for Mexico's failure as a nation. The word corruption comes up repeatedly, as though that is a barrier to any prosperity. We here in the USA have one of the most corrupt governments on earth, as evidenced by our politicians' willingness to give a controlling share of our nation to Mexico in exchange for some cheap labor and votes, (ignoring any and all long-term and macro costs). It doesn't stop the $$ from moving around here.

And there is the tired saw about Mexicans being "harder workers" than lazy gringos. Yeah, that sounds right. Mexicans have always been known for their incredible work ethic. Wait a minute...

The implication is always that there are two distinct types of Mexicans; the nameless and faceless "corrupt" Mexicans who are keeping their brothers and sisters down at home for some nefarious and unexplained reason, and the 20 million(WTF knows how many) here "good Mexicans" who just want to pick fruit for us and feed their ever-growing families.

I am currently in Minneapolis, which besides being outer Caucasia and relatively unmauled by illegal migration is the absolute world's capitol for Politically Correct socio-fascism, truly a "no thinking allowed" zone where no special interest is too obscure to have its own support group and bumper sticker brigade. "No person is illegal" in English and espanol is a real winner, WTF does it mean? Can I steal your riding mower and take a schit in your oven? No charges or civil penalties?

Whatever... I hate this goddamn place. It could make me such a redneck. I want to get a gun rack and NRA sticker for the truck and just glare at these little cock-knockers. It's the rebel in me, I guess.

[techweenie]

Just checking.

That "simplifed proposal" was actually Ronald Reagan's amnesty law, with only the dates changed.

I find it amusing that the 'little tin god' of the right -- RR -- was on the wrong side (according to current thinking) of immigration, spending and dealing with terrorist states, but is still the standard of comparison for conservative presidential candidates.

[Rick Lee]

Reagan was 110% WRONG on that amnesty and ditto for W. on the current one. I have no problem saying it.

[speeder]

Originally posted by techweenie
Just checking.

That "simplifed proposal" was actually Ronald Reagan's amnesty law, with only the dates changed.

I find it amusing that the 'little tin god' of the right -- RR -- was on the wrong side (according to current thinking) of immigration, spending and dealing with terrorist states, but is still the standard of comparison for conservative presidential candidates.

If you are saying that Reagan was wrong, I'm with you all the way.

If you are trying to deflect or shuck and jive that it's a Dem/GOP issue to wedge with, blow me.

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by speeder
If you are saying that Reagan was wrong, I'm with you all the way.

If you are trying to deflect or shuck and jive that it's a Dem/GOP issue to wedge with, blow me.

+100