When Reagan pushed the first amnesty program for those in the country illegally, there were provisions to prevent people here illegally from being able to to find gainful employment. Legislators in states and DC were influenced by agriculture in particular and other industries in general to soften those laws, especially those that would punish the people HIRING the illegals.We are now aware of several elected officials who had illegals in their employ but that is just a the tip on the top of a very deep iceberg.Unless Congress is willing to severely punish/fine those who hire illegal aliens there will be no real solution.Respectfully,C.
And R Troll. Amnesty was done in 1949. Then again in 1978. Each time was to end the problem and start over with proper immigration protection. Anybody notice a pattern here?
Scott, every department in the US gov’t is having to cut back man power because of sequestration, in addition, the US Coast Guard is talking about putting some of their ships and other resources into their home ports because of cutbacks to their budget. States and localities are also cutting back on police and if we use places that have cut police pay to the bone as an example, the temptation to supplement incomes illegally increases as pay decreases. What good are police if they turn a blind eye to crime?I agree that our borders are porous, but where is the money to pay for “beefed up security” supposed to come from? How will we afford the construction and maintenance of the Great Wall of America? And how do you prevent people from coming in by sailboats and kayaks if the Coast Guard and Police boat units aren’t in place?Walls aren’t the answer. Access to pay, healthcare, credit cards, and other vital services are AN answer. When I go to the hospital or a specialists office, I have to show an i.d. and my insurance card so they know I’m the person requesting service and will have help paying the bill. States and/or the federal gov’t should give a free i.d. card to residents and people who are in the country legally. For residents, this card should be sufficient to those seeking a driver’s license, permit for hunting, fishing, applying to college, work, and for voting. If I’m driving without my license, I don’t go to jail, but I do go to court. Happened once to me and once to my wife. With computers nowadays, a police officer could go to his car’s computer or cell phone and a picture of me could be sent to him from the DMV’s data bank.But as long as people are able to get jobs and money, they will find a way to live in the shadows. And as long as employers feel they are immune to punishment, they will use illegal labor in order to save money and increase profits at the cost of our nation’s security and rate of employment.I remember the amnesty program debate in ‘78. The need to find a way to make illegals from Mexico WANT to stay in Mexico was one of the arguments for NAFTA. The congress took that apart as well and created an opportunity for businesses to open factories in Mexico that could then ’export’ to the USA. It did NOT raise significantly raise the quality of life in Mexico the way it was supposed to and it DID lower the quality of life in industrial cities all over the USA, and still does.Beef up border security so that jobs stay IN the USA and illegals have NO opportunity of finding any legal pay or future in the USA and you bring jobs back to Americans and make employers afraid to hire anyone who is in the USA illegally.Walls aren’t the answer, regulation, supervision, and inspection are.Respectfully,C.
You are correct Mr. Bane, however, under Mr. Obama, Mexican truck drivers are now legally allowed to drive cargo all across the nation. Their vehicles and drivers do not have to pass the same stringent tests of US semi drivers and quite frankly, there’s no telling what is in the containers being carried in those trucks without inspectors. We don’t have enough inspectors, but there are lots of trucks putting American drivers out of work and according to the truck driver’s unions, endangering American drivers on roads all over the country.However, that change in the law had plenty of Republican backing as well as Mr. Obama’s.Frustratedly,C.
Just a word of advice to you Republicans out there, avoid using terms like “demoncrat” and “lame-stream media.” It seriously makes us seem way less intelligent. You do nothing but tell liberals you dont want intelligent debate.
Hello Ansonia, I’m familiar with Sheriff Arpaio and the reasons he is charged with profiling go much further than the one you mentioned. ^I am curious, I know he has arrested undocumented workers his officers found at job sites, but have any charges been pressed against the American citizens who hired the undocumented workers? This is where I find the flaw in our nation’s treatment of illegals.Stop them from getting a paying job to begin with and they have no reason to be here. ^Even in my city, there is a corner where a group of people sit and wait for trucks to come and hire them for whatever cash job they can get. No taxes, no permits, no employment papers, nothing. Why isn’t there a police car out there recording these American citizens who are avoiding hiring American citizens legally?Did Sheriff Arpaio arrest any employers?Curiously,C.
@ Kallaeum & Ansonia – I totally agree with both of you on the use of “puns” to insult those with whom we have disagreement. It lowers the tone of the debate. It makes the user’s message less valuable. ^I find myself more apathetic regarding the nicknames given to media outlets. Fox and MSNBC have become lobbying arms for “their sides” though I am impressed by how many more democrats are willing to appear on Fox than Republicans willing to appear on msnbc. All of the networks are afraid of losing access to people they can interview and in the long run spend more time interviewing their own staff members than anyone of real importance. ^I find NPR, BBC, and PBS Newshour to be much more informative in that they spend 15 minutes or more on a story while everyone else spends less than five minutes. ^Thank you both for challenging this forum to avoid name calling. There are too few of us encouraging civility and respect among our neighbors here.Sincerely,C.
Tell me deerflatener,Is it just the socialists who are lacking common sense with whom you can’t talk, are you unable to find thoughtful socialists with whom to debate issues? If you are willing to concede there ARE socialists with commonsense, then we have a starting point. It will also be useful if you will link me the definition of socialist you find most appropriate.Sadly, it doesn’t take much scrolling through GC before one sees a relatively equally partisan number of posts that indicate, not a lack of common sense, but a lack of the kind of respectful civility that allows a debate to occur in the first place.Is it possible for a true democracy to vote into being ANY form of gov’t as long as the system remains constant? As long as elected officials step down when legal and open elections replace incumbents?Also- your comment to Ansonia is too general. As one who spent many years between the ages of 1 and 12 in a small southern Mississippi town, it is with regret you should know there are many racists who will deny any racism is even occurring no matter how blatant or even convoluted it may be presented. Heard a sermon of a white minister talking about “how people should stay to their own” after a single family of four blacks came into the church because it was a thunder storm outside and raining and they had another mile to walk to their church.Racism comes in so many forms, reverse racism always amazed me. Learning from history allows us to do better.Learning from personal experience demands we do better.Respectfully,C.
kennethcwarren64 almost 11 years ago
(To repeat myself – here is the problem)
Boston, Newtown, Aurora, Tucson, 9/11, all make it clear that our current lenient policies have failed.
We have to face the truth about our situation, and act!
All of these acts have one thing in common! They were committed by MALES!
MALES are our greatest danger!
All males must be registered!All males must be monitored
If necessary we must make sure that they cannot reproduce!
(Please note tongue in cheek
chazandru almost 11 years ago
When Reagan pushed the first amnesty program for those in the country illegally, there were provisions to prevent people here illegally from being able to to find gainful employment. Legislators in states and DC were influenced by agriculture in particular and other industries in general to soften those laws, especially those that would punish the people HIRING the illegals.We are now aware of several elected officials who had illegals in their employ but that is just a the tip on the top of a very deep iceberg.Unless Congress is willing to severely punish/fine those who hire illegal aliens there will be no real solution.Respectfully,C.
Olddog1 almost 11 years ago
And R Troll. Amnesty was done in 1949. Then again in 1978. Each time was to end the problem and start over with proper immigration protection. Anybody notice a pattern here?
chazandru almost 11 years ago
Scott, every department in the US gov’t is having to cut back man power because of sequestration, in addition, the US Coast Guard is talking about putting some of their ships and other resources into their home ports because of cutbacks to their budget. States and localities are also cutting back on police and if we use places that have cut police pay to the bone as an example, the temptation to supplement incomes illegally increases as pay decreases. What good are police if they turn a blind eye to crime?I agree that our borders are porous, but where is the money to pay for “beefed up security” supposed to come from? How will we afford the construction and maintenance of the Great Wall of America? And how do you prevent people from coming in by sailboats and kayaks if the Coast Guard and Police boat units aren’t in place?Walls aren’t the answer. Access to pay, healthcare, credit cards, and other vital services are AN answer. When I go to the hospital or a specialists office, I have to show an i.d. and my insurance card so they know I’m the person requesting service and will have help paying the bill. States and/or the federal gov’t should give a free i.d. card to residents and people who are in the country legally. For residents, this card should be sufficient to those seeking a driver’s license, permit for hunting, fishing, applying to college, work, and for voting. If I’m driving without my license, I don’t go to jail, but I do go to court. Happened once to me and once to my wife. With computers nowadays, a police officer could go to his car’s computer or cell phone and a picture of me could be sent to him from the DMV’s data bank.But as long as people are able to get jobs and money, they will find a way to live in the shadows. And as long as employers feel they are immune to punishment, they will use illegal labor in order to save money and increase profits at the cost of our nation’s security and rate of employment.I remember the amnesty program debate in ‘78. The need to find a way to make illegals from Mexico WANT to stay in Mexico was one of the arguments for NAFTA. The congress took that apart as well and created an opportunity for businesses to open factories in Mexico that could then ’export’ to the USA. It did NOT raise significantly raise the quality of life in Mexico the way it was supposed to and it DID lower the quality of life in industrial cities all over the USA, and still does.Beef up border security so that jobs stay IN the USA and illegals have NO opportunity of finding any legal pay or future in the USA and you bring jobs back to Americans and make employers afraid to hire anyone who is in the USA illegally.Walls aren’t the answer, regulation, supervision, and inspection are.Respectfully,C.
chazandru almost 11 years ago
You are correct Mr. Bane, however, under Mr. Obama, Mexican truck drivers are now legally allowed to drive cargo all across the nation. Their vehicles and drivers do not have to pass the same stringent tests of US semi drivers and quite frankly, there’s no telling what is in the containers being carried in those trucks without inspectors. We don’t have enough inspectors, but there are lots of trucks putting American drivers out of work and according to the truck driver’s unions, endangering American drivers on roads all over the country.However, that change in the law had plenty of Republican backing as well as Mr. Obama’s.Frustratedly,C.
Justice22 almost 11 years ago
Self-deportation was Romney’s idea of solving the illegal alien problem, not President Obama’s.
elizabeth83522 almost 11 years ago
Have any of you guys ever been into Mexico and seen how so many of the people live? Of course they want to come here to work and live.
Kallaeum almost 11 years ago
Just a word of advice to you Republicans out there, avoid using terms like “demoncrat” and “lame-stream media.” It seriously makes us seem way less intelligent. You do nothing but tell liberals you dont want intelligent debate.
chazandru almost 11 years ago
Hello Ansonia, I’m familiar with Sheriff Arpaio and the reasons he is charged with profiling go much further than the one you mentioned. ^I am curious, I know he has arrested undocumented workers his officers found at job sites, but have any charges been pressed against the American citizens who hired the undocumented workers? This is where I find the flaw in our nation’s treatment of illegals.Stop them from getting a paying job to begin with and they have no reason to be here. ^Even in my city, there is a corner where a group of people sit and wait for trucks to come and hire them for whatever cash job they can get. No taxes, no permits, no employment papers, nothing. Why isn’t there a police car out there recording these American citizens who are avoiding hiring American citizens legally?Did Sheriff Arpaio arrest any employers?Curiously,C.
chazandru almost 11 years ago
@ Kallaeum & Ansonia – I totally agree with both of you on the use of “puns” to insult those with whom we have disagreement. It lowers the tone of the debate. It makes the user’s message less valuable. ^I find myself more apathetic regarding the nicknames given to media outlets. Fox and MSNBC have become lobbying arms for “their sides” though I am impressed by how many more democrats are willing to appear on Fox than Republicans willing to appear on msnbc. All of the networks are afraid of losing access to people they can interview and in the long run spend more time interviewing their own staff members than anyone of real importance. ^I find NPR, BBC, and PBS Newshour to be much more informative in that they spend 15 minutes or more on a story while everyone else spends less than five minutes. ^Thank you both for challenging this forum to avoid name calling. There are too few of us encouraging civility and respect among our neighbors here.Sincerely,C.
chazandru almost 11 years ago
Tell me deerflatener,Is it just the socialists who are lacking common sense with whom you can’t talk, are you unable to find thoughtful socialists with whom to debate issues? If you are willing to concede there ARE socialists with commonsense, then we have a starting point. It will also be useful if you will link me the definition of socialist you find most appropriate.Sadly, it doesn’t take much scrolling through GC before one sees a relatively equally partisan number of posts that indicate, not a lack of common sense, but a lack of the kind of respectful civility that allows a debate to occur in the first place.Is it possible for a true democracy to vote into being ANY form of gov’t as long as the system remains constant? As long as elected officials step down when legal and open elections replace incumbents?Also- your comment to Ansonia is too general. As one who spent many years between the ages of 1 and 12 in a small southern Mississippi town, it is with regret you should know there are many racists who will deny any racism is even occurring no matter how blatant or even convoluted it may be presented. Heard a sermon of a white minister talking about “how people should stay to their own” after a single family of four blacks came into the church because it was a thunder storm outside and raining and they had another mile to walk to their church.Racism comes in so many forms, reverse racism always amazed me. Learning from history allows us to do better.Learning from personal experience demands we do better.Respectfully,C.