WP: Bush Immigration Plan Meets GOP Opposition

[kskiska]

Lawmakers Resist Temporary-Worker Proposal

President Bush's plan to liberalize the nation's immigration laws to allow millions of undocumented workers the opportunity for legal status appears to be on a collision course with newly aroused sentiment among House Republicans pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration.

Bush describes his immigration proposal as one of the top goals of his second term, calling it a humane way to get a handle on the nation's mushrooming illegal immigration problem. Republican strategists, led by White House chief political adviser Karl Rove, also see the proposal as an important element in their plan to expand the party's base among the nation's fast-growing Hispanic population.

The key prong in Bush's plan is a temporary-worker program that would offer the nation's estimated 10 million illegal immigrants a chance to earn legal status that would allow them to stay in the country as long as six years. Once they register as temporary workers, they would be eligible to begin the long process of applying for citizenship or permanent residency.

"It's a compassionate way to treat people who come to our country. It recognizes the reality of the world in which we live," Bush said during a news conference last week. "There are some people -- there are some jobs in America that Americans won't do and others are willing to do."

But an increasingly vocal group of House Republicans is threatening to undercut Bush's vision, which the president has discussed with passion but has not formally advanced since taking office in 2001. Many House Republicans oppose any effort to grant legal status to undocumented workers, saying it would have the effect of rewarding law-breakers. Instead, they are seeking to ratchet up enforcement efforts against undocumented workers, an approach with proven voter appeal if unproven results when it comes to slowing illegal immigration.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41340-2005Jan1.html

[barbaraann]

1. "...which the president has discussed with passion but has not formally

advanced since taking office in 2001." (last paragraph quoted above)

In other words, he has DECEIVED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE about this just as he has lied about everything else.

[hansolsen]

2. There is dignity in all work and no jobs Americans won't do. This is just

one more Orwellian lie from King George. The guest worker program is a poor substitute for legalizing the present level of immigration.

A guest worker program would guarantee that employers can pay these immigrants slave wages, thus pulling down all wages for unskilled labor and blue color jobs.

The great lie here is these slave laborors will do jobs no American wants. That is false. These 10 million immigrants are allready working at every level in the economy and are heavily concentrated in construction jobs coveted by every union member in the country.

[VegasWolf]

3. True, you just can't beat a terrified illegal worker if you want to save

money.

[CHIMO]

4. I Presume

Your reference is to a fellow named Charles Dickens?

[Supersedeas]

30. corp cronyies have been waiting on this for some time now

[noamnety]

Not only slave labor

Also, now he can have the illegal aliens enlist to fight his wars.

His compassion is touching.

[TahitiNut]

8. Absolutely.

Maybe they'll give them 3/5ths of a vote? (They only get 2/5ths of the value of their labor.) We'll count 'em as 3/5ths of a person for Census purposes. There's also the question of Social Security, but it's abundantly clear this is another battle in the War Against Labor.

"Aw, shucks. Here I am an agribusiness with millions of acres I can't move to China like my buddies moved their plants. What am I to do? If they actually close the borders, I'm screwed. I got it! Just keep doing the same thing but change the law to make my criminal practices legal! That's how it worked in the good ol' slave days."


When organized crime stopped bribing the cops and bought the guys who write the laws, they legalized crime and criminalized honest labor. Cheaper is better, in both labor and bribes. Cheaper to bribe 100 legislators $50,000 each than 10,000 cops for $1,000 each. Cops can't arrest you for breaking a law that doesn't exist.

The GOP: making crime legal for the wealthy. (Next movie: "The GOPfather")

[The Judged]

12. * meant, but omitted to add: "at $2.00 per hour and w/o benefits!"

[Barkley]

5. More (immigrant) troops in Iraq?

Do legal residents applying for full citizenship get fast track processing if they enroll in the military?

I read that about 40,000 (of the 1.5 million) of all US soldiers are not US citizens.

[noamnety]

6. I guess if we post the same thing

Whoever phrased it best gets the post #, eh?

*looks at my poor numberless post*

*sobs*

[genieroze]

29. Maybe we should have our military soldiers outsourced. lol eom

[DBoon]

7. This is the perfect issue to split the republicans

What can we do to help? Shall we fan the fires on both sides?

After this is done, I hope that no hispanic with half a brain ever votes republican.

[No Exit]

13. Yes! You are so right!

Even in the heat of pre-election discussions, I noticed that when a Bush cultist was absolutely intent on defending Bush, all I had to do was say something like, "Fine... oh, and be sure to learn to speak Spanish, y'hear?" That's when I could see all the air go out of the sails of even his most diehard supporters.

(Incidentally, I have so far felt indifferent to whether or not there are Mexican illegals, or legal immigrants, living/working in my area. I am sort of open to both sides of this issue.) Most strong Bush supporters are absolutely infuriated by the fact that Bush is letting "illegal immigrants" stay in the country, and "take over" and is even talking of granting amnesty so they'll never leave! Good! Let them stew in it for a while. It was clear long before the election that Bush wasn't going to slam the borders shut--so how stupid did these people have to BE to vote for him anyway?? (The same people, of course, are supremely unconcerned about the fraudulent Iraq war, the corporate rape of the US and of Iraq, etc....)

The truth: the Bush cultists who rail about "illegal immigrants" are REALLY concerned about ALL immigrants who are not of the same race as they are. They just SAY they are "against illegals". They are actually against ALL of them. Their complaints against "illegal immigrants" are code for their real feelings, which are: "I don't want any more non-whites in this country". Bush cultists are shortsighted, provincial-minded idiots, of limited intelligence--just my opinion.

[Child_Of_Isis]

19. Republicans may despise the non-white, BUT,

they also see them as a status symbol. You know you have arrived when you have one to clean your house, do your yard work, and one to care for your children. And then comes the bragging rights. About how it all only costs pennies a day. I can only imagine how many shrubfucko has at 'the ranch'.

[DBoon]

24. Actually, you have only really arrived when you find a white to do this

I've heard the real status symbol in the Chicago area is to have illegal Polish household help instead of Hispanics.

Of course you are right about owning slaves as a status symbol - I bet it worked that way in the 19th century too.

[No Exit]

27. Yes--it's pathetic.

Let them sit smugly and imagine themselves to be some sort of ruling class. They wouldn't be the first "ruling class" that was taken down, wayyy down!

[snippy]

18. I agree. Democrats need to exploit this.

Not only will it create a huge rift within the republican party, it also will reveal some of the true nature of the ugliest hate mongering bigotry the GOP relies on.

[lovuian]

9. 10 million Immigrants and they get to vote MexiUSA soon!!!

that will tilt the balance to making us a predominantly Spanish speaking nation... This of all his plans is the most fascinating to me of all. But clearly its to bring cheap workers but actually these are not cheap workers. thats whats so puzzling!!!

[No Exit]

14. They are perceived to be (comparatively) cheap workers, and

our business people really, really want to sell them stuff. You should hear all the good ol' boy businesses running ads in Spanish on the local Mexican/Spanish-speaking stations. Makes me laugh every time I hear it. I bet a lot of these car lot owners and real estate people voted for Bush and think he will preserve their status quo (in which they fancy themselves the ruling class)--yet these same people are literally kissing the feet of the immigrants to get them in to their businesses to spend money.

[wordout]

23. also predominantly roman catholic

and the 'king of the holy roman empire' visited crawford recently..

[AstronautGirl7]

26. I know what you mean....

[OutsourceBush]

10. This issue must tie the Repukes in knots

On the one hand they want cheep labor. On the other hand they hate anyone non-white.

[Ilsa]

11. Maybe if we drastically cut *'s salary, we could find an immigrant

to do it for him. I suspect the immigrant would do as well, also.

[Jack_DeLeon]

15. I sort of agree with Bush on this...

I dont know the specifics of his plan, that being said thats probably what is most wrong with his plan the specificis.

We definately need to allow more legal immigration from Mexico. The US and Mexico need to be more connected, it is something that would benefit us all.

[tsuki]

16. Looks like the Republicans will form their own opposition party, since

the Democrats (other than Rep. Conyers & his group)seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth.

[Sandpiper]

17. GOP desire for stoop labor vs. GOP bigotry/xenophobia

Should be fun to watch.

I'm just going to grab my popcorn, sit back, and watch them eat their own over this one.

[salin]

21. Sorta lets the "base" see which is really his base... big biz or social

conservatives.

[Brundle_Fly]

20. this allows them

to drop the standards for jobs on US citizens.

[rodeodance]

22. keep the opposition acoming!!

[sistersofmercy]

25. I agree with Bush on this issue

I don't care if it's done in some measure for political purposes (what isn't?), to gain favor with the hispanic voters etc, it's a very good thing imo and it should have been done long before now.

[No Exit]

28. That's fine. But do you agree with Bush being your president?

I sort of lean in the direction you expressed. But I do NOT agree with Bush as president! So my personal feelings (whether he's doing the right thing with his so-called amnesty plan) don't matter. What I want to do is to use the huge disagreement on this issue to drive a big wedge between his Stepford-wife-like supporters. This is one issue on which his "base" disagrees with him. Good! May they tear him to pieces (figuratively speaking) over it!