Obama's immigration situation

Obama "has not explictly endorsed or opposed" the immigration bill.

Now there's the kind of fearless leadership we've come to expect from IL's junior senator.

I'd just like to know how a population can be "undocumented" if they have overstayed their visas? Is not a visa a document whether it is expired or not? I understand that the word "undocumented" has somehow become interchangeable or even preferred to the term "illegal" when referring to immigrants, but please, at least use it appropriately.

Where's the obligitory Bruce post?

The bigger question is now that the Democratic leadership has blinked on a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq, will Obambi back up his rhetoric and vote against funding our troops in the field as he's said he would without the timetable? Or will he get in line behind Harry Reid as he's done in nearly every other vote he's made in his novice political career?

Folks, I just turned the TV on and Obama was speaking, but it doesn't matter who is speaking because they all talk in generalities.

I kept saying the word, "HOW" to his speech. And to be fair I've been doing that to all of them.

When listening to this debate check to see who says "this is how we're going to do it", not "we're going to secure the Border", HOW.

We're going to bring them out of the shadows, HOW.

I bet you start to say to yourself, these Washington Politicians, aren't saying anything on HOW to fix the problem, HOW much money it's going to cost, etc..... Do they think we're that stupid.

That's why they need to be continually contacted, all of them.

Jeff,
Maybe Obama will follow the wonderful leadership example set forth by Sen. McCain and sit on the sidelines unless "he's needed to either carry or reject the vote in question".

I think we're all forgetting just how insignificant one vote in the Senate can be. This bill hasn't made it out of the Senate yet. And just wait until it gets to the House of Representatives. That group is really hard on immigration reform. It doesn't take psychic powers to see the whole bill go down in flames there whether Obama likes it or not.

Where's the obligitory Bruce post?

Posted by: kg123 | May 23, 2007 10:29:47 AM

The post you seek can be found above "JFK Democrat."

I wonder how many illegals work at the pickle company that Mrs. Obama just recently resigned from the board on?

How much of her directors fees would paid for by the blood and sweat of illegal workers making below a living wage?

Here is an immigration bill that could pass:

1) Build a fence
2) Beef up the border patrol
3) Require a high-tech tamper-proof ID card
4) Toughen sanctions against employers who hire illegals.

Someone should ask B.O. if he would vote against these things and, if so, why.

THE IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION ON US AND OUR COUNTRY
Obama hasn’t said any more than those before him. It is our time to tell our government what we want.

By bringing in more immigrants, it reduces the benefits that many of the low income families today are receiving. Many Americans feel that bringing in millions of mostly impoverished people from third world nations is a generous and ethical thing to do, a way to share the wealth. But this generosity is having unintended consequences which are very destructive to this country and to the rest of the world, and it does nothing to empower third world people to solve the problems in their native land. Saving people is not the same thing as empowering people to save themselves.
Importing unskilled workers helps fill menial jobs at low wages, but these immigrants also impose substantial costs, mainly by being disproportionately on welfare.
The National Academy of Sciences estimated in 1997 that the typical native household pays somewhere between $195 and $265 in additional taxes (in 2003 dollars) because of immigration. Since the number of households has increased to over One Hundred and Twelve billion during 2008 this puts the national fiscal burden somewhere between $21billion and $29 billion per year or more if we were to increase the above additional tax figures per household . According to Peter Brimelow, there is little support for the argument that immigration is a great boon for the country. One solution would be to have a ten-year residency requirement for welfare recipients; those who planned to immigrate for welfare would then be much less inclined to do so. Welfare reform legislation passed in 1996 prohibits immigrants from receiving welfare as long as they are noncitizens. Becoming naturalized takes at least five years. I am uncertain as to whether this legislation has remained the same.

Immigration levels are determined solely by Congress, and Congress is free at any moment to alter the number of immigrants. For example, the current level of immigration is about four times greater than we averaged throughout most of this century.

Immigration laws have usually been written in response to the demands of special interests who profit in some way from this policy. Their profit is extremely expensive for the rest of us. Many immigrants and recently naturalized citizens are using: Medicaid, SSI, Social Security, subsidized housing, fuel assistance, food stamps, TANF, bilingual education, subsidized legal aid, and earned income tax credits. The disparity between what immigrants pay into these programs and what they use in services runs into billions of dollars every year. Can any of us imagine living in America when every city has double its present population, and is still growing? Double the traffic, double the number of houses, schools, prisons, etc? Is this the future we want to leave to our children? Last year, in a speech on immigration, President Clinton stated, "No other nation in history has gone through demographic change of this magnitude over so short a time". "Mark my words: Unless we handle this well, immigration of this sweep and scope can threaten the bonds of our union."

Our current immigration policy is making it increasing difficult for our most vulnerable populations—blacks, minorities, recent immigrants, and the poor to earn a living wage. Immigration on our current scale has been hugely profitable to certain sectors of our population, but never have we seen such disparity between rich and poor as we see in America today. Our natural resources cannot sustain an infinite population growth without seriously impacting our quality of life and that of our children and future generations. Government must begin weighing the impacts of unabated population growth and we must become more involved to make sure this is accomplished.

Do we have an obligation to protect the living standard of unskilled workers in this country, or are we going to require them to compete with third world wages? And if we decide not to protect our workers, then who are we as a nation and what are the values we stand for? There is nothing more powerful than putting our own house in order, stabilizing our population, lowering our consumption, planning for the welfare of our descendants, and setting an example of enlightened self government for the world.

If we are motivated by true compassion for mankind, then it is time to step up to the plate—forego the empty humanitarian gesture of "saving" a handful of outsiders—and commit ourselves to a world in which all people are empowered to provide for their families. This is the future we want.

Some of the feelings expressed above are exerts from Jonette Christian and are those I also agree with..