Obama takes on immigration. Intends to fix, NOT fortify. - Polidicks

[url]http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-05-10-obama-immigration_n.htm[/url] [release]President Obama laid out a plan in El Paso on Tuesday that would continue to strengthen security along the southwest border, make it harder for businesses to hire illegal immigrants and overhaul the nation's visa system to attract better-educated foreigners to study and work in the United States.Critics pounced on one aspect of the president's first push to overhaul the nation's immigration system: [b]a path for legalization for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.[/b] [b]Obama's plan would require illegal immigrants to register with the government, undergo criminal background checks, pay back taxes and fines, learn English and get in line behind people who have already applied to enter the country. Then, they would be eligible to become legal permanent residents in eight years, and full U.S. citizens five years later.[/b] Obama argued that correcting the nation's broken immigration system and legalizing the country's illegal immigrants who "live in the shadows" [b]would bolster the U.S. economy.[/b] "Immigration reform is an economic imperative," he said. [b]"One way to strengthen the middle class is to reform our immigration system, so that there is no longer a massive underground economy that exploits cheap labor while depressing wages for everyone else,"[/b] he said. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, responded by calling the plan an [b]"amnesty"[/b] and said more needed to be done to secure the border. And Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., who chairs the House subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, said simply: [b]"Amnesty will not pass Congress, Mr. President."[/b] The plan could see some action in Congress, as Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he and others were working on a similar proposal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will lead a group of senators today as they announce the reintroduction of the [b]DREAM Act, which would allow some children of illegal immigrants to gain legal status.[/b] But not many see Obama's proposal making headway before the 2012 elections. "He's teeing this up for legislative success in 2013," said Jim Kessler, co-founder of the centrist organization Third Way. He said Obama also needs time for his argument — that the economic benefits of legalizing illegal immigrants outweigh the costs — to take hold not only in Congress, but in the general public. That will be a hard sales pitch to make, said Roy Beck, founder of NumbersUSA, a group that advocates for lower levels of immigration. Obama's proposal includes several ways for workers, including those who would work in restaurants and farms, to stay in the United States. [b]Beck said that ignores the high unemployment still rampant throughout the country. "This proposal looks like it was written at a time when we had full employment," he said.[/b][/release] A higher flow of cheap labor heads into the U.S.? I'm a die-hard liberal, but right now can he at least focus on spending on getting jobs for the already unemployed Americans first?

Finally, Immigration is in the spotlight. It's been ignored for far too long.

I bet Bush is pissed.

Sounds like a step in the right direction.

:siren:ILLEGAL MUSLIM PRESIDENT TO RUIN COUNTRY BY EMBRACING FLOOD OF ILLEGAL AMERICA HATING ALIENS!:siren: This is going to majorly piss off the wingnuts (the entire right), because they want nothing more than to just kick all those gawtdamned wetbacks out of this great country, and the idea of actually trying to make them proper citizens is just anathema.

It's going to suck when the whole amnesty thing fails like the last time we did it

This is exactly what we need. Props to Obama for having some balls. I hope this fucking gets through

He's right about it not passing congress though. Anything that doesn't cater to the most extreme right-wing will be blocked faster than people can make them. Lovely stagnant system right now.

bravo, now he's doing some fucking presidenting

Can someone explain how immigration stimulates an economy?

[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;29750778]Can someone explain how immigration stimulates an economy?[/QUOTE] More viable workers work for more businesses which produce more goods, and these workers are paid more money which they pay back into the economy through taxes and purchases.

More removing the competition of underground markets who don't have to follow all the rules everyone else does. Plus they will be paying taxes so that's a bonus.

[QUOTE=thisispain;29750747]bravo, now he's doing some fucking presidenting[/QUOTE] He wants a second term.

Allowing rights for people living in the US illegally... haha yeah that's going to get through Congress. At least it's a step in the right direction.

Why do they need to learn English if its not America's official language, Obama is such a prick.

Hopefully Obama can follow through on this one. I'd be surprised if he doesn't "compromise", and by that I mean side with the Republicans.

No thank you obama please just go home and stop focusing on getting reelected just so you can sit around the white house not doing jack shit again for the next 4 years. :smug:

[QUOTE=Gaza Pen Pal;29750920]Why do they need to learn English if its not America's official language, Obama is such a prick.[/QUOTE] We're not switching to Spanish.

[QUOTE=Gaza Pen Pal;29750920]Why do they need to learn English if its not America's official language, Obama is such a prick.[/QUOTE] Political reasons, Republicans feel better if the illegals can actually speak english. Also practical reasons, it's not the official language but most of the country speaks it so it helps them integrate better.

[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;29750943]Hopefully Obama can follow through on this one. I'd be surprised if he doesn't "compromise", and by that I mean side with the Republicans.[/QUOTE] You can't get a Democrat-only supported bill through a Republican majority House of Representatives, genius.

[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;29750956]We're not switching to Spanish.[/QUOTE] Nobody said we were.

[QUOTE=DSG;29750867]He wants a second term.[/QUOTE] I believe most First-Term presidents would.

[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;29750943]Hopefully Obama can follow through on this one. I'd be surprised if he doesn't "compromise", and by that I mean side with the Republicans.[/QUOTE] That's like trying to get Hitler to like Jewish people. The government is nearly divided, the only way he can get passed the house is to agree on their terms. Lest he has his proposals die in a bunch of crappy committees the GOP sets up.

[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;29750956]We're not switching to Spanish.[/QUOTE] Such a shame everything in life is a binary choice and we can't choose something, in- between?

[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;29750978]That's like trying to get Hitler to like Jewish people. The government is nearly divided, the only way he can get passed the house is to agree on their terms. Lest he has his proposals die in a bunch of crappy committees the GOP sets up.[/QUOTE] Precisely. He [B]has [/B]to compromise if he wants to get any part of it through.

[QUOTE=Megafanx13;29750965]You can't get a Democrat-only supported bill through a Republican majority House of Representatives, genius.[/QUOTE] I'm just saying that I'd rather not see Obama give the Republicans exactly what they want like he has in the past. I don't want to end up with more troops on the border and less opportunity for immigrants and none of the stuff in the article.

fortifying borders is stupid fuckery anyway, you can't build a giant fence made of fuck-off materials and you can't kill them either because that's ethically wrong. anyone who suggests anything like that shouldn't be compromised with, they should be told to fuck off

[QUOTE=Gaza Pen Pal;29750997]Such a shame everything in life is a binary choice and we can't choose something, in- between?[/QUOTE] Well, they have already come here illegally. Isn't it only fair they at least try to learn English?

[QUOTE=Gaza Pen Pal;29750920]Why do they need to learn English if its not America's official language, Obama is such a prick.[/QUOTE] Cultural assimilation. It'll help them fit in and actually integrate into the rest of society by taking away the language barrier. It's actually a pretty smart thing to do.

[QUOTE=Gaza Pen Pal;29750997]Such a shame everything in life is a binary choice and we can't choose something, in- between?[/QUOTE] We're not doing Spanglish either.