Kucinich Questions Bush Immigration Plan

[redqueen]

January 7, 2004
Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich released this statement today:

"The net result of President Bush's proposal could be disastrous. His approach will solidify second-class status for low-wage immigrant workers, because their rights will be dependent on the whims of their employers. You can imagine what will happen if workers try to organize.

"I support and will work to implement the cause of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride that crossed this country in September, including legalization and a road to citizenship for all immigrant workers in this country, the right of immigrant workers to re-unite their families, protecting the rights of immigrants in the workplace, and protecting the civil rights and civil liberties of all."

[Wetzelbill]

1. great post my fellow DK supporter

[redqueen]

2. Thanks!

He provides great material, doesn't he? :D

[revcarol]

3. Go, Dennis!!

Hit hard, now.

Fight for the rights of ALL workers. IMMIGRANTS(all of us who aren't native Americans) UNITE FOR DENNIS!!

[picus9]

4. Did you expect him to support it?

[redqueen]

6. Who me? No.

But many DU'ers apparently agree with Bush, so I guess, once again, DK and we Kucitizens are not 'in line' with today's Democrats. (free trade, continued occupation, for-profit healthcare insurance, etc., etc., etc.)

[ThirdWheelLegend]

11. "not 'in line' with today's Democrats."

True...

I guess putting people ahead of corporations, globalization and war-for-profit just isn't hip these days.

:)

TWL

[Rainbowreflect]

5. Just one more reason to love him.

GO DENNIS!

[damnraddem]

7. Wonderful response!

I like Kucinich. He's the only candidate who will have even noted the IWFR. My family supported it as it came through town.

Maybe by 2008 or 2012 Kucinich will have a chance at the presidency. He's getting the increasing name recognition by his current (doomed) campaign.

[mmm]

8. There he goes making perfect sense again!

How can you argue with Dennis?

[Jim Sagle]

9. Uh, how about booting illegals out of the country?

It's not as if we had a labor shortage,m or anything.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

10. feel the love!

TWL

[Jim Sagle]

12. No love, just fact.

[cryofan]

13. or at least stopping the influx of surplus labor that is fueling the race

Dennis should call for stopping the influx of surplus labor that is fueling the race to the bottom on wages, on medical benefits, and that is turning American into a goddam third world nation. And do you know who it will help the most? The illegal aliens who are already here! Their wages will go up, and they may get medical benefits. It's called the law of demand and supply. Restrict the supply of labor and the price increases. As it is now, the supply continually increases above what is demanded, thus wages drop.

[wheresthemind]

14. and what of these words that reside on the base of the Statue of Liberty?

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breath free,
THe wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I will lift my lamp beside me."

People die trying to come America... We have to think, why is it that people immigrate here? It is to escape political persecution, exploitation and poverty. Who are we, a nation almost entirely made up of immigrants to turn our backs on them? How can we preach Democracy when we'd turn people away from ours, and returning them to the injustice they fled from. America has to set the example, take the higher ground. OUr constitution tells us our union establishes justice, insures domestic tranquility promotes the general welfare, and secures the blessing of liberty. How can we claim to be such a nation when we turn away those most in need...?

[cryofan]

15. we used to have slaves, too, but we also changed that policy

Change is sometimes good. The people of the USA do not want as much immigration as we have. Period. That is shown by the results of poll after poll poll after poll poll after poll poll after poll poll after poll...60-75% of Americans want LESS immigration. If DK is half the Presidential candidate he thinks he is, he would back up the Ameican people and represent their views. It is what they want, and it would be good for the pocketbooks and quality of life of both longtime Americans AND recent illegal immigrants.

Now is the time for DK to ACT on this immigration subject. With the recent flurry of broadcast news reports on this subject, there is a window of time available when DK can get a really good and fair and unbiased hearing on this subject from the news media by breaking from the pack of politicans and advocating something different. DK should advocate swift amnesty for all illegals currently here, and also a swift imposition of large fines on employers hiring illegals. Also he should call for institution of use of the software and telephone system that can be used by employers to check the SSN given by applicants.

The fact is that there is a Race to the Bottom going on in America right now. And it is fueled by immigration, both legal and illegal. A lot of it is also legal immigration where employers are importing professionals on L1 and H1B visas.

DK should promise to stand between Americans and the race to the bottom on wages and labor.

[wheresthemind]

16. Just because the majority believes something does not mean it is right...

When has immigration been all that popular anyways (aside from the expansion period)? Immigrants always came and filled the lease savory of jobs in this country, and the former-immigrants that had become more situated in their American lives resisted.

You want to know what to do? You get rid of NAFTA and the WTO, you bring American jobs back to America. You let honest hard working, law abiding immigrants gain their legal citizenship. You give America a full employment economy so no one that wants to work every goes without. You give them universal healthcare, you give them a pre k-college education, you show the world what a real democracy can do. Then maybe when we're not letting oppressed people die in the deserts trying to reach here, or starving families shot by border patrols, we can speak to Democracy all over the world with more legitimacy.

[LWolf]

17. Great plan.

Let's elect the guy who will get it done.

[Jim Sagle]

19. Who the fuck are you to tell the American people what's right?

If we don't stop this tidal wave of illegal immigration, it will destroy our middle class.

Period.

[Loonman]

18. Dennis has it right

n/t