President Bush yesterday moved aggressively to resurrect his plan to relax rules against illegal immigration, a move bound to anger conservatives just days after they helped re-elect him. The president met privately in the Oval Office with Sen. John McCain to discuss jump-starting a stalled White House initiative that would grant legal status to millions of immigrants who broke the law to enter the United States.
From a hugs and kisses standpoint, I've never quite understood why free trade agreements between nations don't allow for improved freedom of peoples to move across borders as well. That said, protecting oneself from dramatic labour market shifts (which is what this will amount to; see West Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall) is an understandable concern.
Which of course begs the question: why are they doing this, especially in light of the heightened security levels at the present? Seems a total contradiction, unless you consider that perhaps they are trying to attract manufacturing back into the US and have set the stage to be marginally more competitive (against Canada, Mexico and India, at least) in the labour market. Initially, I thought this was designed to court the Hispanic vote, but that seems less plausible now.
Which of course begs the question: why are they doing this, especially in light of the heightened security levels at the present? Seems a total contradiction, unless you consider that perhaps they are trying to attract manufacturing back into the US and have set the stage to be marginally more competitive (against Canada, Mexico and India, at least) in the labour market. Initially, I thought this was designed to court the Hispanic vote, but that seems less plausible now.
guys there are quite a bit of people working under the table as illegal immagrants. i actually applaud the move becuase they will now be accounted for and will start paying taxes. the temptation to become a legal citizen is too much to pass up. as long as he doesnt ease up on those enterting but i think this is designed to get tax payer dough and accountability for those already here.
it is better than wasting our money to deport them when they have already established a life here.
it is better than wasting our money to deport them when they have already established a life here.
bblight:
What I now love about the Republican party ... MUST BE A LIE!!! Cant be true so lets call em names like Liars or Traitors ...
Go blame the Drudge Report and call someone else a liar ...
I dont hate Bush .. I hate what he stands for and his tactic since 94 is not run on issues as much as character assassinations of others ....
Again, I wont stoop to your level of name calling
What I now love about the Republican party ... MUST BE A LIE!!! Cant be true so lets call em names like Liars or Traitors ...
Go blame the Drudge Report and call someone else a liar ...
I dont hate Bush .. I hate what he stands for and his tactic since 94 is not run on issues as much as character assassinations of others ....
Again, I wont stoop to your level of name calling
The citizens of Arizona voted by a 56% to 44% to cut off benefits to illegal aliens. I'm sure plenty of illegals voted against this, since proof of citizenship is not currently required when registering to vote in the state of Arizona.
Every time a poll is taken on this issue or it's put to a vote of the people, a majority of Americans are against illegal immigration.
Notice how the writer of this article lists the only county in Arizona where it didn't receive 51% support.
11/03/04
HOT-BUTTON PROPOSITION 200 INITIATIVE PASSES
But Pima voters say no; foes vow legal challenge
By Lourdes Medrano
THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Arizona voters Tuesday approved Proposition 200, the controversial measure that will require Arizonans to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote and evidence of legal status when seeking some public services.
The success of the measure is owed in great part to Maricopa County, where voters gave it resounding support. The measure also won big in the border counties of Yuma and Cochise, where illegal immigration is a growing concern for residents.
Voters rejected the initiative in Pima County.
Even as the ballots were being counted late Tuesday, opponents of Proposition 200 were gearing up for a legal challenge.
"We are going to take this fight to the courts and we are going to continue to work so that Proposition 200 is found unconstitutional," said Alexis Mazon, chairwoman of the Tucson-based Campaign to Defeat Prop. 200.
"We will not stop until Prop. 200 is a memory. Fear and hate-mongering manipulate voters in all sorts of elections."
Randy Graf, a Republican legislator from Green Valley and leading proponent of the measure, said its approval was "the first step toward sanity."
He discounted concerns that the proposition would unduly impact people in emergency situations, saying, "We're not talking about firefighters, we're not talking about public safety. It's just not there."
Prop. 200 opponents said it was premature to detail the planned legal challenges, but Attorney General Terry Goddard said he expects a request for a legal opinion on Prop. 200 before ballot measures take effect when the vote is formally certified on Nov. 22.
Goddard said he thinks proponents of the measure have a point. He said the initiative seems to be focused on welfare benefits.
Much of the Proposition 200 campaign centered around the meaning of "public benefits," with the two sides disagreeing on exactly what type would be affected.
Known as the Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act or Protect Arizona Now, Proposition 200 also dictates that state employees report to immigration authorities people who apply for benefits while living in the country illegally. Failure to do so could result in a misdemeanor charge.
Goddard said issuing an opinion restricting the scope of the measure has a specific benefit for government employees administering other programs. "We hope to be able to give them some security" that they are not going to be affected by the new law, he said.
Both proponents and opponents of the measure ran a fierce campaign to try to sway voters. With legal challenges by opponents struck down before the election, the decision was left up to voters.
Although it was opposed by unions, health-care alliances and many elected officials, including Gov. Janet Napolitano, the message of proponents that illegal immigration causes an enormous financial burden on the state resonated with voters, judging by the election results.
"We shouldn't spend our tax dollars on people who are here illegally," said Wayne Cash-man, a retired business owner who voted for Proposition 200.
But Karen Lutrick, who voted against it, said its approval sends the wrong message.
"It's highly racist and divisive. It's a proposition that was created to feed off people's fears and misconceptions."
When I did a search for this, one of the headlines was " McCain seeking ways to help defeat Prop. 200"
Most of the elected leaders of Arizona didn't want this to pass. I'm sure they'll do everthing in their power to get a Judge to declare it Unconstitutional. That's what happened in California a few years back.
MOST OF CALIFORNIA'S PROP. 187 RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL
LOS ANGELES (AllPolitics, March 19,1998) -- A U.S. District Court judge has declared most of California's Proposition 187 unconstitutional.
Approved by voters in 1994, the proposition would have denied health care, education and welfare benefits to illegal immigrants. Almost immediately, Judge Mariana Pfaelzer granted its opponents' request for a restraining order, which prevented it from taking effect.
In her final ruling, Pfaelzer rejected California's attempt to regulate immigration, which she said is the federal government's responsibility.
Judge Pfaelzer's ruling strikes down portions of the initiative that would have required law enforcement, teachers, social service and health care workers to verify a person's immigration status. Under Proposition 187, they would have had to report illegals to authorities and to deny them social service, health care and education benefits.
The American Civil Liberties Union's Southern California chapter was one of the five groups which sued to stop Proposition 187. In a statement, ACLU spokesman Mark Rosenbaum said Pfaelzer correctly denied California's attempt to regulate immigration.
"[It is] not a matter for individual states to attempt to formulate their own rules and procedures," Rosenbaum said. "School teachers and doctors are not substitutes for INS agents."
But California Gov. Pete Wilson, who supports Proposition 187, vowed to appeal, "so that the will of the people can be upheld."
It's pretty obvious that our elected leaders are not in favor of what the majority of Americans want, when it comes to the issue of illegal immigration.
Is it possible for a state or a citizen to sue the Federal Government for not enforcing it's own immigration laws?
Every time a poll is taken on this issue or it's put to a vote of the people, a majority of Americans are against illegal immigration.
Notice how the writer of this article lists the only county in Arizona where it didn't receive 51% support.
11/03/04
HOT-BUTTON PROPOSITION 200 INITIATIVE PASSES
But Pima voters say no; foes vow legal challenge
By Lourdes Medrano
THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Arizona voters Tuesday approved Proposition 200, the controversial measure that will require Arizonans to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote and evidence of legal status when seeking some public services.
The success of the measure is owed in great part to Maricopa County, where voters gave it resounding support. The measure also won big in the border counties of Yuma and Cochise, where illegal immigration is a growing concern for residents.
Voters rejected the initiative in Pima County.
Even as the ballots were being counted late Tuesday, opponents of Proposition 200 were gearing up for a legal challenge.
"We are going to take this fight to the courts and we are going to continue to work so that Proposition 200 is found unconstitutional," said Alexis Mazon, chairwoman of the Tucson-based Campaign to Defeat Prop. 200.
"We will not stop until Prop. 200 is a memory. Fear and hate-mongering manipulate voters in all sorts of elections."
Randy Graf, a Republican legislator from Green Valley and leading proponent of the measure, said its approval was "the first step toward sanity."
He discounted concerns that the proposition would unduly impact people in emergency situations, saying, "We're not talking about firefighters, we're not talking about public safety. It's just not there."
Prop. 200 opponents said it was premature to detail the planned legal challenges, but Attorney General Terry Goddard said he expects a request for a legal opinion on Prop. 200 before ballot measures take effect when the vote is formally certified on Nov. 22.
Goddard said he thinks proponents of the measure have a point. He said the initiative seems to be focused on welfare benefits.
Much of the Proposition 200 campaign centered around the meaning of "public benefits," with the two sides disagreeing on exactly what type would be affected.
Known as the Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act or Protect Arizona Now, Proposition 200 also dictates that state employees report to immigration authorities people who apply for benefits while living in the country illegally. Failure to do so could result in a misdemeanor charge.
Goddard said issuing an opinion restricting the scope of the measure has a specific benefit for government employees administering other programs. "We hope to be able to give them some security" that they are not going to be affected by the new law, he said.
Both proponents and opponents of the measure ran a fierce campaign to try to sway voters. With legal challenges by opponents struck down before the election, the decision was left up to voters.
Although it was opposed by unions, health-care alliances and many elected officials, including Gov. Janet Napolitano, the message of proponents that illegal immigration causes an enormous financial burden on the state resonated with voters, judging by the election results.
"We shouldn't spend our tax dollars on people who are here illegally," said Wayne Cash-man, a retired business owner who voted for Proposition 200.
But Karen Lutrick, who voted against it, said its approval sends the wrong message.
"It's highly racist and divisive. It's a proposition that was created to feed off people's fears and misconceptions."
When I did a search for this, one of the headlines was " McCain seeking ways to help defeat Prop. 200"
Most of the elected leaders of Arizona didn't want this to pass. I'm sure they'll do everthing in their power to get a Judge to declare it Unconstitutional. That's what happened in California a few years back.
MOST OF CALIFORNIA'S PROP. 187 RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL
LOS ANGELES (AllPolitics, March 19,1998) -- A U.S. District Court judge has declared most of California's Proposition 187 unconstitutional.
Approved by voters in 1994, the proposition would have denied health care, education and welfare benefits to illegal immigrants. Almost immediately, Judge Mariana Pfaelzer granted its opponents' request for a restraining order, which prevented it from taking effect.
In her final ruling, Pfaelzer rejected California's attempt to regulate immigration, which she said is the federal government's responsibility.
Judge Pfaelzer's ruling strikes down portions of the initiative that would have required law enforcement, teachers, social service and health care workers to verify a person's immigration status. Under Proposition 187, they would have had to report illegals to authorities and to deny them social service, health care and education benefits.
The American Civil Liberties Union's Southern California chapter was one of the five groups which sued to stop Proposition 187. In a statement, ACLU spokesman Mark Rosenbaum said Pfaelzer correctly denied California's attempt to regulate immigration.
"[It is] not a matter for individual states to attempt to formulate their own rules and procedures," Rosenbaum said. "School teachers and doctors are not substitutes for INS agents."
But California Gov. Pete Wilson, who supports Proposition 187, vowed to appeal, "so that the will of the people can be upheld."
It's pretty obvious that our elected leaders are not in favor of what the majority of Americans want, when it comes to the issue of illegal immigration.
Is it possible for a state or a citizen to sue the Federal Government for not enforcing it's own immigration laws?
Like I said all along Bush gave me 50% of what I wanted and Kerry gave me ZERO. Bush-Kerry-Kerry-Bush both the same on the issue, made not difference. Neither would lock down the border, both parties want the votes one day. Looks like the sheople will lose this battle. I hear they want to make it where the illegals pay their own heathcare instead of receiving all the freebies, there's no easy answer.cussin'it said:
im not in favor of the actual entrance of illegal imagrants. thats just straight up criminal to me. my arguement is, once they are here they should be paying taxes and have to be accounted for like all other americans.
these II's really know how to work the system once they are in the country though boy, and I dont like the idea of encouragement. which is exactly what this does.
in a lot of cases these guys are coming in on visas and hunt for under the table work and just let the card expire or they pay somebody off to marry them, which also gives them citizenship.
these guys come from all over too. they arent just spanish speaking immagrants, they are everything under the sun.
what bush is doing is to try and get them out of hiding, but I hope they did the math on how many new immagrants this may encourage and I hope there is a tremendous upside in terms of goverment revenue, and not just further system abuse.
these II's really know how to work the system once they are in the country though boy, and I dont like the idea of encouragement. which is exactly what this does.
in a lot of cases these guys are coming in on visas and hunt for under the table work and just let the card expire or they pay somebody off to marry them, which also gives them citizenship.
these guys come from all over too. they arent just spanish speaking immagrants, they are everything under the sun.
what bush is doing is to try and get them out of hiding, but I hope they did the math on how many new immagrants this may encourage and I hope there is a tremendous upside in terms of goverment revenue, and not just further system abuse.
