The President On The Immigration Bill
In His Own Words
By Dan McLaughlin Posted in Immigration — Comments (26) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
President Bush gave a speech today at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia addressing criticisms of the immigration bill. He had strong words for critics of the bill:
This reform is complex. There's a lot of emotions around this issue. Convictions run deep. Those determined to find fault with this bill will always be able to look at a narrow slice of it and find something they don't like. If you want to kill the bill, if you don't want to do what's right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it, you can use it to frighten people. Or you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all, so the people who wear the uniform in this crowd can do the job we expect them to do.
Read below the fold for the President's full discussion of the most controversial aspect of the bill, its treatment of illegal immigrants:
If you're serious about bringing hardworking illegal immigrants out of the shadows of our society, it makes sense to support legislation that will resolve their status without animosity, and without amnesty.
Others -- I don't -- they estimate 11 million to 12 million people have been here for, some, quite a while. They're in an underground in America. It's not right, as far as I'm concerned. That's not what this country stands for. I know there are some people out there hollering and saying, kick them out. That is simply unrealistic. It won't work. There are some people saying, give them automatic citizenship. I oppose that. It won't work. I don't think it makes any sense to do that.
Amnesty is forgiveness for being here without any penalties -- that's what amnesty is. I oppose it. The authors -- many of the authors of this bill oppose it. This bill is not an amnesty bill. If you want to scare the American people, what you say is, the bill is an amnesty bill. It's not an amnesty bill. That's empty political rhetoric, trying to frighten our fellow citizens. People in Congress need the courage to go back to their districts and explain exactly what this bill is all about, in order to put comprehensive immigration reform in place.
Let me explain how it works. Under the bill, those who want to stay in our country who have been here can apply for a Z visa. At some point in time, those who are coming to work will get temporary work visas. Those who have been here already can apply for a Z visa. To receive the visa, illegal workers must admit they violated the law and pay a meaningful penalty, pass a strict background check, hold a job, maintain a clean record, and eventually earn English -- learn English. That's how it works.
It says, if you want to be here, here's what you have to do. There is a consequence for having broken the law. As a result of a recent Senate amendment, they have to pay back taxes if they haven't paid taxes, too. You're working hard, you pay taxes. People who have been here in this country ought to pay taxes. That's what it says.
The hurdles to citizenship are going to be even higher. In other words, if somebody says, fine, I'll take my Z visa, I'm out of the shadows now, I've got an opportunity to not hide in America. I'll continue doing the work I'm doing, I'm going to keep my record clean. I'll pay the penalties necessary so I can stay here -- that's what it says -- but if you want to be a citizen, there's more hurdles. It says, the Z visa worker would first have to pay an additional fine. In other words, you have broken the law and there's a consequence for breaking the law. That's what the bill says.
Secondly, you've got to return home to file an application for your green card. If you want to be a citizen, you pay a fine, you touch base home to apply for a green card, and then you take your place behind those who have played by the rules and have been waiting in line, patiently, to become a citizen.
Read the whole thing, and have at it.
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The President On The Immigration Bill 26 Comments (0 topical, 26 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
proposed regulations and rules would be enforced? Especially considering the federal government's track record.
The President is wrong.
Immigration reform is not complex, it is politicians who make it complex. First, secure the border and enforce existing laws. No moving to step two until step one is well under way. Stop trying to jam a multi-course meal down our throat all at once. The politicians want a one step 'solution' that gets this issue off the table for the next few years. What the Country needs is an ongoing process that is continually adjusted - keeping politicians accountable.
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"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm." -- James Madison
What fools he thinks we are....to believe the new bill will be enforced while existing law is ignored...by him....
Republican since Goldwater...disgusted with RINOs...and Jorge Arbusto has gone way over to the dark side writing bills with Teddy (I didn't know she was naked in the back seat) Kennedy
Its a thing of beauty.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
"Or you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all"
Has the US government and the US Congress EVER fixed a problem once and for all? (I'm thinking Polio and Smallpox, but to claim to have fixed it FOREVER is a bit of a stretch.) Didn't Kennedy say the same in 1986, this will fix it forever? The reason these things are never fixed is Congress never has the courage to follow through and enforce the laws they've written, they use lax enforcement to create a NEW law that will "fix" their lack of followthrough and conviction.
"Cowards cut and run, Marines never do"
As a supporter of President Bush, it has saddened me to watch this man get bashed for over six years now and not defend himself. He has tried to stay above the fray and not bring the office of the President down with petty politics.
By not fighting he has allowed conservatives to be framed on television and the other media outlets as the liberals would like to frame us. The entire time I have been praying that he would just stand up and fight back, but he has not, until now.
Of all the things that he could stand up and fight for he picked immigration. It is a slap in the face to the people who have stood with him through thick and thin to be dismissed over this issue.
The people of America want comprehensive immigration reform, after the border is secure, PERIOD. Why is that so hard to understand?
Why would he allow us to get bashed for six years defending him to throw us under the bus now? It breaks my heart to have to fundamentally disagree with President Bush, but he needs to remember the people who got him to Washington in the first place, it was not the illegals who he wants to legalize. It is the red blooded Americans who want to keep the America our founders created and not give it over to illegals who don't want to become Americans in the first place, they just want to create a smaller Mexico within American borders.
Please Mr. President hear us. CLOSE THE BORDERS, then we can have a discussion on comprehensive reform.
The first time he stands at the bully pulpit is to bash the people who elected him?
Hey Kerrie (or whoever from the WH is reading today), how about we build more jails and courthouses in the southern part of the country and every law enforcement official catches 1 illegal alien PER YEAR. That would clean up the place pretty quickly.
If you're bound and determined to shove amnesty (as in waving the fact that they are in the country illegally) down our throats and make us the bad guys, could you at least go the extra mile and fence the whole border FIRST instead of just a few hundred miles of it?
Romney or Fred.
Currently writing non-political stories over at first-cut-stories.blogspot.com
and with Oz's comment downthread...he has fought back:
Dubai
Miers
Farm bailout
Social Security reform
to name a few...problem here is we forget the fights he loses...hopefully we will forget this fight of his as well.
haystack's 12th:
Conservatives (and Presidential Candidates especially) shall offer no aid and comfort to the opposition in times of legislative conflict (and ensuing political campaigns).
here's an '05 story about a Dakotan farmer complaining about Bush trying to CUT subsidies...
in the meantime, with no "proof", me recollection is that Daschle insisted on the ORIGINAL bailout, and Bush resisted before relenting...only to come back a couple years later looking for cuts he never got.
haystack's 12th:
Conservatives (and Presidential Candidates especially) shall offer no aid and comfort to the opposition in times of legislative conflict (and ensuing political campaigns).
In two of those four, he was fighting his OWN PARTY. Conservatives revolted against both Dubai Ports and Harriet Miers. Strange how he doesn't seem to hesitate to beat up his own supporters, but he doesn't have the 'nads to fight back against the *real* enemy - the Dems.
Mr. President,
This amensity for illegals would give a get out of jail free pass to the thirty thousand illegal gang members who reside in this country.
This bill is bad on every count.
Dear God, I'm starting to think he is. What a pathetic fool we elected as President of the United States.
but if you remove the sheer hatred and cynicism, much of what the left has been saying about the president is accurate. Not the part about him being a liar, but the part about his being stubborn, a supporter of cronyism, and not too bright.
I would have been skewered on a pike for saying that even a year ago, but now, I don't think there is much anyone can disagree with.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
"...they estimate 11 million to 12 million people have been here for, some, quite a while. They're in an underground in America. It's not right, as far as I'm concerned. That's not what this country stands for. "
This country used to stand for the rule of law. We did not bring these people here, they stole thier place in our society.
"If you want to kill the bill, if you don't want to do what's right for America,..."
I am beyond tired of being painted as some mean-spririted person because I want the laws enforced! ENOUGH!
Fix border NOW!
Enforce our laws NOW!
If you do that we can discuss what to do with the 12-30 million illegals in our country. Never before then.
I have been insulted by people for standing up for your policies and expressing my respect for you when you would not defend yourself (or me by association). Never again. You and your administration underlings deliberately insult me, and many like me, who see this bill as a travesty of justice, an affront to every American and the end to all we hold dear.
At this point you may rightfiully consider me an opponent.
Oh, and BTW, that legacy thing? Not gonna work out too well for you at this rate.
You would be wise to heed Fred Thompson when he said a few eeks back ... "I don't think the Whitehouse gets it, immigration is connected to Iraq".
How hard can it be Mr President, to enforce all the laws already passed with the same glowing promises to enforce and then after that is done we can talk about AMNESTY. Lets start with the 2006 fence bill.
Failing that, I am left to assume ...
Oh, and I have read the whole twisted bill, and it throughly sucks for America. I wish I could get such a deal on my taxes, fines and other law breaking that the illegals get. What a sham.
It seems so strange to me that the supporters of this legislation (referring to "conservatives" here- since they are supposed to be reasoned folks) don't make much of an attempt to respond to questions brought about subsequent to thorough analysis of the proposed legislation. This is what the left does- engage in empty "reasoning"/spin. Instead the administration exerts energy into attacking its own supporters.
Bottom line is that they have some strange, mysterious motivation to enact this compromised immigration "reform". Understanding motivations is key to understanding people and movements, and for the life of me I can not figure out what GWB wants when it comes to immigration reform, nor why he wants it.
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"Grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou dost desire." -Augustine
So the President thinks that anyone who opposes his amnesty plan doesn't want what's right for America. What apalling arrogance!
If that's not bad enough, opponents are just using the issue as political rehtoric. What apalling gall!
He and his senatorial cohorts want to sell-out this country to big business supporters and illegal invaders and we're the ones who don't want what's best for America? I think that the man has lost his mind.
They haven't done anything in 40 years to secure our borders and they want us to trust them now? How dumb do they think we are?
I hope that the true patriots in our Congress will ignore his rehtorical comments and stick to their guns. The American people will certainly back those that do and send the rest home in short order.
I'm glad to see that the president has decided that even illegal aliens should pay back taxes. After all, even Kennedy had that in the draft legislation and it was stripped out at Bush's request (I assume, of course, this isn't another lie and payment of back taxes has been reinserted).
The worst part of this legislation isn't even the illegal entry amnesty. It is the amnesty for forgery, identity theft, document fraud, failure to register for the Selective Service, and other crimes committed to come and stay here illegally. It is the amnesty for the employers who also evaded taxes, failed to file 1099's, or to keep I-9's on file.
There really is no bottom with this man, and there is no reason for the GOP and Republican officeholders to go down with him. Hopefully they have begun to realize what a liability his absolute lack of credibility is for them. If not, the bloodbath the GOP is about to experience not only is tragic, but in a sense richly deserved.
"There really is no bottom with this man, and there is no reason for the GOP and Republican officeholders to go down with him. "....
Jorge Arbusto, John McKennedy, Lindsey Graham, Arlen Specter have already sunk the GOP, and if we let them, the USA...
Republican since Goldwater...disgusted with RINOs...and Jorge Arbusto has gone way over to the dark side writing bills with Teddy (I didn't know she was naked in the back seat) Kennedy.
I'll even give you the link:
Moe
PS: Yes, we have banned for 'Jorge Arbusto' in the past. No, I don't particularly care if you're bothered by this.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
It's sort of like when somebody brings up depleted uranium.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
GWB's attitude is a big part of what has killed the GOP. It is also a huge part of the reason that Republicans got their clocks cleaned in 2006. They were unable to get meaningful legislation passed while in power for six years because of his my way or the highway attitude.
The GOP needs to wake up or we are in for a LONG time under total democratic leadership.
Hopefully someone will come along who can energize the party. Nobody currently running for President can do the job. The party is fractured very badly right now.
Newt Gingrich came out and said that the Bush administration is the GOP's eqivalent of the Carter administration. Tragically, Newt is exactly right. We must do anything we can to defeat this bill or our country's doomed; it'll be a socialistic third world country in fifty years (or sooner). Bush does not give a damn about this country. He's a socialist through and through. Conservatives bailed his legacy out by helping defeat Miers now they must defeat this bill. ALL illegal aliens are evil and should NEVER be given amnesty; ALL those in favor of this bill are American-hating leftists. Bush loves evil-why else would he prosecute and fail to pardon the innocent border agents while giving the illegal alien drug dealer immunity? I cannot tell you how much I lament voting for Bush in 2004; I should have done a write-in for Tancredo (which I was seriously considering). In 1986 El Sayyid Nosair, terrorist who attempted to blow-up the World Trade Center in 1993, received amnesty and eventual citizenship. We cannot afford to give terrorists amnesty in 2007 (or later). Mr. President-NO TO AMNESTY-secure the borders and save or nation for future generations. Stop your American-hating policies (e.g. signing McCain-Feingold; putting unqualified cronies in high positions; spending like a drunk (oh wait-you are); saying Islam is "a religion of peace" when it is clearly a terrorist religion; prosecuting innocent border agentss, amnesty, etc.) You are totally morally repugnant-Mr. President. SECURE THE BORDERS and fulfill your constitutional duty of protecting or nation against invasion of illegals. Stop pandering to these anti-American assholes.
You do not need any new bills to enforce the laws we already have on the books. Start enforcing those laws (and show progress on this front) and then we can talk about amnesty for those already here.
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