Bush shrugs off amnesty critics

[CitaDeL]

http://washtimes.com/national/20070523-021721-1433r.htm

Bush shrugs off amnesty critics

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration urged the Senate on Wednesday to approve controversial bipartisan immigration legislation, despite fresh criticism of presidential hopefuls and rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties.
"The proposal offers a much-needed solution for our nation's broken immigration system. This proposal would deliver an immigration system that is secure, productive, orderly, and fair," said a statement from President Bush's budget office.
Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democratic presidential candidate, denounced the measure's new point system for evaluating future immigrants, saying it gave too little weight to family ties.
The scheme "constitutes at minimum a radical experiment in social engineering and a departure from our tradition of having family and employers invite immigrants to come," Obama said, adding that he would work to phase it out.
Republicans worked to toughen the measure as the Senate continued a freewheeling debate on the bill - written in close consultation with the White House - which would give millions of immigrants quick legal status.
Democrats planned an attempt to slash the number of foreign workers who could come to the U.S. on temporary visas under the measure's new guest worker program.
"The bill anticipates letting way too many people into this country in a new, untested program," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who offered an amendment to cap the temporary worker program at 200,000 a year.
Architects of the immigration deal said they would oppose the amendment, but did not consider it fatal to their compromise.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said he felt "sort of compelled" to reject the proposal given the pledge he and other key players have made to protect their agreement from modifications. But he added, "It ought to be considered."
The Senate also planned a vote on a proposal by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, to allow visas to be revoked without court review.
"Current law allows aliens to run to the steps of our country's courthouses and take advantage of our system," Grassley said, warning that potential terrorists could stay in the country if his change was not adopted.
Also expected was an effort by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to crack down on illegal border crossers with mandatory prison sentences, as leaders in both parties sought to alter elements of the broad agreement that are drawing criticism from their core supporters.

It seems to me they really dont care about the details... The whole feeling I get is that the powers that be want 1) new legislation 2) that puts a band-aid on the problem, or 3) that makes things worse by eliminating any responsibilities for the illegal aliens-- all in spite of the fact that what the nation is screaming and stamping their feet over is enforcement of existing laws. I suppose this way, congress can point to 1,100 pages of new policy and say look how productive we were... while having devastated the United States with 50 million 'new Americans' who will vote in representatives who will give them new and ongoing entitlements on the backs of taxpayers.

[AyatollahGondola]

On Monday, May 21 st the acrid air of a back room plot to deliver amnesty for up to 20 million illegal aliens on the eleventh hour leaked out the “Grand Bargain” nest at the Whitehouse and into the Senate Gallery for an unveiling followed by a rushed vote.



Neither the dismaying secretiveness nor the slight-of-hand haste with which it was presented was designed to allow the majority of Senators to know the hidden elements of the amnesty bill much less to give the American public a chance to weigh in with opinions.



The plotters, lead by Republicans Senator John Kyle, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Saxby Chamblis, speaking to the body of the Senate vowed to muzzle amendments that would dilute the main trust of the bill: (1) to offer amnesty to 20 million illegal aliens and having accomplished that, (2) to increase the number of cheap foreign workers with increased legal immigration and guest worker schemes.



These goals are designed to benefit transnational and domestic employers of illegal aliens some of whom stand out as generous political contributors to seemingly outstanding Senators.



On Tuesday the plotters blocked an amendment offered by North Dakota Democrat Sen. Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota who is a friend of the American worker and organized labor.



Sen. Dorgan’s amendment would have removed 600,000 annual guest workers that the labor unions shout depress wages. The labor union’s concerns are well documented by research by Harvard University world renowned economist George Borjas and from U.S. Labor Department statistics that show that, for example, cheap foreign workers depressed the salaries of meat packers from approximately $19 per hour in the 1980’s to about $9 today.



...Almost to a Senator, all agree that Senator Ted Kennedy’s inspired 1986 Comprehensive Immigration Bill has made it highly unlikely that the current amnesty bill gain traction. Why? Because the 1986 immigration made three promises of which it only kept one – Amnesty.



The 1986 immigration bill (1) gave amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens (to “permanently” end illegal immigration); and (2) promised that our border would thereafter be secured and (3) that employers of illegal aliens would be severely prosecuted. The result was predictable: The government gave amnesty to 3 million law-breaking aliens but it neither secured the border nor enforced employer sanctions.



In order to pass with popular support the 2007 Amnesty Bill would require that the people trust that the senate will not lie nor sell their votes as many suspect they did on the 1986 amnesty bill.



On the basis of TRUST in GOVERNMENT alone, this 2007 amnesty bill does not have a prayer of a chance to fool the American people. Do Americans trust the government?



The Ring Leader of the secret maneuvers in the Senate (the Grand Bargain) is the free-fall unpopular strongman George W. Bush. Mr. Bush’s war-time ruling style is increasingly characterized by arrogance and arbitrariness in dealing with domestic issues.



The secret negotiations’ tyrannical tale-tale signs include (1) restricting details of the plan on a “need-to-know” basis, (2) demanding an immediate vote in the Senate without a fair opportunity to read and analyze the bill and (3) chucking amendments that threaten the “Grand Bargain”, such as the rejection of Senator’s Byron Dorgan’s amendment to scrap the guest worker scheme. These bruising tactics are best reserved for dealing with the enemy in war entanglements.



The highest law enforcement official in the land, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, has taken an oath to abide by the Constitution of the United States and enforce the law. The most critical responsibility of Alberto Gonzales, especially since the terror attack of 9/11, is to protect our borders. Several MILLION illegal aliens have entered our country illegally since Attorney General Alberto Gonzales took his oath of office in February of 2005.



Any number of those clandestine illegal border crossers could or are terrorists according to a House Committee on Homeland Security, see the report here: (http://www.house.gov/mccaul/pdf/Investigaions-Border- Report.pdf)



The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reports that “Other than Mexicans” (OTMs) known to originate from countries that harbor terrorist has steadily increased (see the numbers below). The chilling fact is that Alberto Gonzales has released these thousands of dangerous illegal aliens on their own recognizance – a sign of madness or worse a sign of how our government yields to the transnational and domestic illegal alien employers that today employ 1 in 5 workers in America! As you can expect, these illegal aliens benefiting from the government’s “catch and release” policy are fugitives at large and there are over 150,000 of them.



30,147 OTMS apprehended in FY2003, 44,614 in FY2004, 165,178 in FY2005 and 108,025 in FY2006. The implication of double, triple or up to nine times the number who slipped through.



DHS has reported a 41% increase in apprehensions of Special Interest Aliens (aliens from countries such as Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan, Cuba, Brazil, Ecuador, China, Russia, Yemen, Albania, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan)



While we slept last night approximately 5000 violated our southern border as they did the night before and the night before that. Mr. Bush has complicated Attorney General Alberto Gonzales job by giving Gonzales two competing responsibilities; one as a law enforcer and another as a lobbyist for the Mr. Bush’s failed border security policy.



Michael Chertoff is the Secretary of Homeland Security. Chertoff controls a budget of $44.6 billion and has 185,500 tax-paid employees at this disposal to secure our borders.



Mr. Chertoff has also been given two jobs by Mr. Bush. Chertoff is increasingly playing a public relations role to justify Mr. Bush’s open-borders, pro-amnesty, pro-guest worker schemes.



This put Mr. Chertoff in the difficult position of both managing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and at the same time given a role in putting a spin on why our borders have been surrendered to the control of drug cartels; traffickers in drugs, arms and humans.



Why? In order to maintain the low level enforcement needed to keep a steady supply of cheap and docile illegal alien workers flowing to the meat packers, the carpet manufacturers, the hospitality industry, the restaurant owners associations, the construction industry and many other profiteers.



The secret negotiations for an amnesty bill excluded every senator except the handful that brokered the deal for the Whitehouse over a four months period.



Essentially Mr. Bush kicked off his amnesty offensive immediately following the defeat of SB 2611, the amnesty bill that was defeated in 2006.



Mr. Bush’s self concept does not allow him to accept the immense unpopularity of amnesty for foreigners who have jumped over the fence to get in front of the line – aliens who commit identity and tax fraud every day of their unlawful stay in the United States.



Whereas the small number of senators that were allowed in the secret negotiations game were few and some of them jumped off temporarily because they were facing election and the wrath of the voters, Alberto Gonzales and Michael Chertoff held fast and loyal to their boss, the strongman Mr. Bush.



By employing Gonzales and Chertoff as lobbyist for his amnesty plan, Mr. Bush has demolished the credibility of the two lawmen and added to the growing suspicion that Mr. Bush likes to surround himself with cheerfully agreeable appointees and to stonewall opposition to his unpopular projects.



A number of Federal Attorneys have recently felt the knife in the back for being less than cheerfully agreeable to the political demands of their jobs. All of them except the notorious Federal Attorney Johnny Sutton a long time acquaintance and the hammer that intimidates border patrol agents (i.e. Compean, Ramos) who are selected for prosecution by the Mexican government.



For five years we have waited for Mr. Bush to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and secure our borders. He has failed to do so or perhaps more accurately, he has refused to do so.



When citizens have pointed out his failures he has called them vigilantes. When the House and Senate passed a bill authorizing the building of a 700 mile fence along the border, he signed the bill which made it the law of the land and yet he has refused to build the fence. Mr. Bush will not give up.



When the House of Representatives refused to consider the Senate’s 2006 amnesty bill, he launched the plot and lead the choreography of a new amnesty bill from the Oval Office without losing a step.



Please circulate across the USA.