Things to Like in the Immigration Bill - What conservatives are missing.

The Weekly Standard ^ | June 1st, 2007 | Fred Barnes

[JohnLocke23]

Conservatives are sometimes blind to what's in their own best interest. This is especially true on immigration, all the more so on the narrower matter of the bipartisan immigration reform bill now before the Senate. The bill gives conservatives a large chunk of what they've wanted for years, plus some things they don't want. The balance is heavily in their favor, though, and they're crazy to oppose this once-in-a-lifetime chance to stop illegal immigration and enact sensible policies for legal immigration.

At the top of the list of what conservatives can get is significantly beefed-up security along America's southern border. And that's just what's in the initial bill negotiated by Republican senator Jon Kyl and Democratic senator Ted Kennedy. Without blowing up the Kyl-Kennedy compromise, border enforcement can be further strengthened through amendments. Indeed, it was strengthened, in the first week of debate in May, with an amendment by Republican senator Judd Gregg that requires "demonstrated" operational control of the entire border with Mexico.

Then there's the "trigger," a brainstorm of Republican senator Johnny Isakson. It delays further reform--including issuance of Z visas allowing the estimated 12 million illegals in the United States to stay indefinitely--until all the steps to tighten border security have been taken.

[Bogtrotter52]

“Even lefties are outraged from this idea of allowing amnesty to millions upon millions of invaders.”

Take it from me (see my tagline), you are dead on right. Even the DUmmies are running overwhelmingly against the bill. And that fact alone is more than telling. On this issue we are practically joining hands and singing kumbaya. LOL

[kabar]

At the top of the list of what conservatives can get is significantly beefed-up security along America's southern border.

Since when is a secure border negotiable? Why is it even held hostage to comprehensive immigration reform? A secure border is not a conservative issue, it is a matter of national security for all Americans. Barnes is such a transparent shill.

[Dick Bachert]

What’s the difference between Fred Barnes and the sun?

One is a hot ball of expanding gas.

The other is a minor star 93 million miles from earth.

[kabar]

No the October bill called for 854 miles of fencing.

[deaconjim]

He’s right, there is something to like about this bill... namely that it hasn’t passed yet. I personally don’t care what he finds to like about it. It’s like finding a puppy in a bed of rattlesnakes. The puppy’s ok, but it ain’t worth getting killed over.

[vaudine]

You mention that to date the present laws have not been enforced; there are no plans to deport; businesses are not punished (per the law). In fact, you just made the conservativwe case.

Barnes is listing THE PROMISES made in the bill. As mentioned by someone else—former promises made into law have not been kept or implemented, so why should we fall for more of same.

As my Rep pointed out in an email to constituents, once this bill is passed,
millions become legal with the “chain” reaction of multiplying 12,000,000 by 10 when they brng their family over=120,000,000. Libs are fighting like crazy to keep that in. Then there is nothing to keep the next Congress from passing another bill doing away with the promises made to make this palatable to conservatives.

Senator Sessions of AL and his staff have gone over this bill and he listed only a handful of the most promising items being held out to conservatives and then showed where and how these were negated a few paragraphs down or in another section.

The Simpson-Mazolli bill to end immigratioin problems, passed about 25 years ago,gave us about 3,000,000 new citizens who were uneducated,
didn’t speak English and are only interersted in taking from the US. It, too,
had Teddy K’s fingerprints all over it. Making these people citizens was all it did. The problems multiplied in spite of promises.

Hey! I like the sound of the promises Barnes lists, but I like the sound of Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow—
just haven’t seen any hard evidence that they exist or will exist any time soon.

vaudine

[kabar]

The fact is that Bush has so far more than doubled spending on border security, from 4.6 billion in 2001 to 10.4 billion in 2007; border patrol agents have been increased from 9,000 to 12,000, and thousands more will be added just in the coming year; thousands of beds have been added to detention facilities, eliminating the decades long practice of "catch and release;" deportations have gone up dramatically; and so on.

Bush has been forced kicking and screaming into doing this. Why have only 11 miles [single fence] been constructed since the Secure Fence Act was passed in October, which authorized 854 miles of double fence. This is a matter of national security. The BP folks say we need 36,000 agents. It has been almost 6 years since 9/11 and still the border has not been secured.

FBI's Mueller: Hezbollah Busted in Mexican Smuggling Operation

Illegals from terrorist nations are crossing the border into Arizona.

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, who has pushed a tough border security bill through the House, accused President Bush on Wednesday of abandoning the legislation after asking for many of its provisions. "He basically turned his back on provisions of the House-passed bill, a lot of which we were requested to put in the bill by the White House," Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., angrily told reporters in a conference call. "That was last fall when we were drafting the bill, and now the president appears not to be interested in it at all."

[Desron13]

"sensible policies for legal immigration"

Translation"

"insane policies for national suicide"

[sonic109]

Correct , most don’t give a damn about being a citizen. Most hate this country and want to milk it dry. Lets see if we need to start the draft again in case of serious war. They would jump the wall back home so fast you wouldn’t even see them . This article is all bullsh*t . They wont secure anything . they just want to automatically make illegals legal. In a post 9/11 world this is suicide , not to mention that there are ZERO health issues mentioned in the amnesty proposal.

[kaehurowing]

You’d only like them if you’re stupid enough to believe they will actually happen.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

[Desron13]

Things to like in the Immigration Bill...

There were probably things to like about the Waffen SS as well. That doesn't mean it would be a good idea to bring them back.

[EverOnward]

"Conservatives are sometimes blind . . . they're crazy to oppose this once-in-a-lifetime chance to stop illegal immigration and enact sensible policies for legal immigration."

Yeah, spank us again, Barney. The list goes on: bigots, lazy, blind, crazy -- what other names have the Republicans called conservatives?

[TADSLOS]

Pound sand, Fred, you clueless beltway RNC shill.

[EverOnward]

"If President Bush ever comes to a sudden stop your nose will be lodged so far up his backside it'll take his entire Secret Service detail to pry you out."

LOL

[Calvin Locke]

My hyperbole is certainly closer to the truth than whatever Bush and his staff have been spewing the month.

I don't want to reward lawbreakers or their families.

I don't want a balkanized US.

And I don't want this influx of the great unwashed used as an excuse to take away my constitutional rights and enslave me for "the common good".

[EverOnward]

"I disagree with Barnes, but we really need to give him credit for discussing the actual features of this bill instead of simply calling opponents of the bill names and leaving it at that."

Like this tripe:

"Admittedly, Washington has a credibility problem on border security. Illegals have been sprinting across the border for decades, all but unimpeded.

So it's understandable most Americans don't trust Washington to choke off the flow of illegals and cut it to an acceptable trickle.

Here again, the bill CAN BE improved, notably by adopting a suggestion of columnist Charles Krauthammer that success in securing the border be quantified--he suggested a 90 percent reduction in illegal immigration--before the trigger is activated."

-----------

So, Barney, you expect Krauthammer's suggestion to be included in the bill? And you expect me to believe that? You really do believe the peasants are blind and crazy, don't you.

[dforest]

As soon as we rid ourselves of the “Rights in Pink Satin” crowd, we will regain strength and control over the great Reagan Coalition.

Goodbye, good riddance, Ken Mehlman, GOP, pretenders.

Please just go away!

[Old Professer]

Where does this idiot live, Mexico City?

[Let's Roll]

You know what, Fred? What’s in the bill just doesn’t matter anymore - because they’re just words.

We want deeds. Action. We want to see a serious fence/wall along our southern border and then we want to see serious attempts at enforcing existing laws against hiring etc.

I would even like to see the stopping of all money transfers to Mexico.

After some years of deeds, then, MAYBE, we can talk.

[EverOnward]

"gang of thugs"

The epithets just keep coming, don't they? Is it the latest teaching tool of the snobbish business interests behind this bill? The disdain republicans have for conservatives is glaring. They think if they can insult us enough, we'll see the light and once again become the republicans willing lap dog.