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Congress acts to promote U.S. to foreign visitors
Philly.com ^

Posted on 03/04/2010 9:11:12 AM PST by Blue Turtle

International travel to the United States took a significant hit after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, research shows.

Efforts to reverse this trend culminated in Senate approval last week of the Travel Promotion Act, which President Obama is expected to sign today. The measure provides close to $200 million annually to create a national agency - the Corporation for Travel Promotion - modeled after successful tourism-advancement organizations in this country and in other developed nations.

(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: acorn; aliens; badlaw; bureaucracy; foreigners; harryreid; obama; otms; pandering; seiu; senate; tourism; travelagency; visas

1 posted on 03/04/2010 9:11:12 AM PST by Blue Turtle
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To: Blue Turtle

We don’t need this agency, we just need to make traveling here more friendly.

What is wrong with everyone in government?


2 posted on 03/04/2010 9:13:33 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Hypocrisy: "Animal rightists" who eat meat & pen up pets while accusing hog farmers of cruelty.)
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To: Blue Turtle

I OBJECT to this constitutionally unauthorized and unjustified use of my money.


3 posted on 03/04/2010 9:16:47 AM PST by American Quilter (Mourning Capt Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie.)
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To: Blue Turtle

People are climbing over each other to come to this country, as visitors and as settlers. Who benefits from this latest boondoggle?


4 posted on 03/04/2010 9:18:35 AM PST by La Lydia
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To: Blue Turtle

A year later and there are still `rats owed favors,
expecting patronage sinecures.
So what do Zero & Co. do? They create something out of
whole cloth, and there go more millions of tax dollars.


5 posted on 03/04/2010 9:21:13 AM PST by tumblindice (nucking futz)
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To: Blue Turtle; All

“Senate approval last week of the Travel Promotion Act, which President Obama is expected to sign today.”

I hoped we could stop this thing. It’s a BAD bill introduced by Harry Reid to buy off his casino/travel buddies in Vegas.
It will open up more visas for terrorist sponsoring countries and cost the taxpayer billions to form yet another new agency.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Harry Reid strikes again - new bureaucracy & more Aliens-Travel Promotion Act

From the Christian Science Monitor:

“Democrats plan to continue the strategy with a tourism promotion bill, The tourism bill, especially helpful to states such as Nevada, which has been hard hit by a drop-off in visitors, proposes creating a nonprofit corporation to promote travel to the United States and correct “misperceptions about US entry policy” since the 9/11 attacks. It would be financed by an annual assessment of $20 million from the tourism industry and $100 million a year from taxpayers. “

Let’s dissect this, shall we?

“The tourism bill, especially helpful to states such as Nevada, .......

Harry is behind in the polls for his re-election...just buying some votes!

” proposes creating a nonprofit corporation to promote travel to the United States....

Nonprofit? Since when has any government bureaucracy been for profit?? Will this be another cabinet level department? Yet another Czar? ‘non-profits’ will likely be in charge of handling this department....can you say ACORN???

“to promote travel to the United States and correct “misperceptions about US entry policy” since the 9/11 attacks. “

In other words, let ‘em all in! 40% of foreign aliens become visa overstay illegal aliens. Foreign women, even the well to do, come here to drop their anchor babies and then take them home to grow up as “US voting citizens”, where they don’t even have to be here to vote in our elections..... Or they stay here and get the benefits of any US Citizen. This directly effects countries who sponsor terrorism.

“It would be financed by an annual assessment of $20 million from the tourism industry and $100 million a year from taxpayers. “

Tourism industry....that would be Harry’s big donors at the Vegas casino’s. He must keep those big donors happy! $20 million to them is a great investment to get the rich Saudi’s, etc. in their casinos who can’t get here now because they sponsor terrorism. And the employees? Can you say SEIU???

“and $100 million a year from taxpayers. “ That one speaks for itself!

By the way, John McCain gets most of his money from the big casino boys in Vegas. Let’s see if he’s one of the republicans who help Harry out with this dangerous legislation.

Harry is real good at spending other people’s money, isn’t he??

But remember, this is from the guy who says the income tax is ‘voluntary’.

http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/2010/02/harry-reid-strikes-again-wants-new.html


6 posted on 03/04/2010 9:25:41 AM PST by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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To: Blue Turtle
We got enough "foreign visitors".

Y'all can go back now.

7 posted on 03/04/2010 9:27:20 AM PST by gitmogrunt ((.))
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To: gitmogrunt

>>We got enough “foreign visitors”.

The kind of visitors whom you thought left..is sleeping on your coach, raiding the fridge and taking a shower.


8 posted on 03/04/2010 9:41:54 AM PST by max americana
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To: Blue Turtle

Congress should work on making the U.S. more friendly to its citizens


9 posted on 03/04/2010 9:43:36 AM PST by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: La Lydia

“People are climbing over each other to come to this country, as visitors and as settlers. Who benefits from this latest boondoggle?”

See post 6

People just don’t understand how perfectly awful this legislation that was sneaked through is.


10 posted on 03/04/2010 10:29:50 AM PST by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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To: AuntB

People don’t understand how perfectly awful this is, in part, because MSM outlets such as the Philadelphia paper aren’t reporting it completely.


11 posted on 03/04/2010 10:39:30 AM PST by La Lydia
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To: BookmanTheJanitor

“Congress should work on making the U.S. more friendly to its citizens”

SEIU, ACORN and Harry Reid’s casino buddies will profit from this.


12 posted on 03/04/2010 10:48:51 AM PST by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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To: Blue Turtle

“To oversee the new Corporation for Travel Promotion, the Commerce Department will create an 11-member board composed of representatives from the hospitality and hotel industries, as well as state tourism commissions.

I bet they’ll all be union! Can you say SEIU??


13 posted on 03/04/2010 11:19:15 AM PST by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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To: La Lydia; Liz; Clintonfatigued; bcsco; rabscuttle385; All

Breaking:

U.S. travel promotion bill signed into law
By Marnie Hunter, CNN
March 4, 2010 1:37 p.m. EST

President Obama signed legislation into law Thursday to create the United States’ first national travel promotion program.

“By signing the Travel Promotion Act, President Obama has acted to support the power of travel to serve as an economic stimulant, job generator and diplomatic tool,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.

The act will create a nonprofit Corporation for Travel Promotion that will promote the United States as a travel destination and explain travel and security policies to international visitors.

The bill received final passage in the Senate last week.

A $10 fee charged to visitors from countries included in the Visa Waiver Program will partially fund the public-private organization. These visitors will pay the fee every two years when they register online using the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

The rest of the funding will come through a matching program of up to $100 million in private sector contributions. If the corporation is able to raise the projected $200 million annually, the organization would be the largest national tourism communications program in the world, Dow said.

The Department of Commerce will soon begin to fill the 11 positions on the corporation’s board with representatives from all corners of the travel industry. That process is expected to take two to six months, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security will be tasked with establishing the mechanism for collecting the $10 fee from visitors who do not have to pay for visas — a process that could take five to 12 months, the association said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/04/travel.promotion.act/

This bill is going to be a disaster and will only help ACORN, SEIU, foreigners who shouldn’t be here and Harry Reid.


14 posted on 03/04/2010 11:25:41 AM PST by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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To: AuntB

I know personally many people who have “overstayed” their tourist visas. People who think that many of these travelers are just here to see the Grand Canyon and The Rat in Orlando are kidding themselves.


15 posted on 03/04/2010 11:27:12 AM PST by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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To: Clemenza

“I know personally many people who have “overstayed” their tourist visas. People who think that many of these travelers are just here to see the Grand Canyon and The Rat in Orlando are kidding themselves.”

Not to mention the anchor babies foreign women come here to have and then take home to become US voters and influence our elections.


16 posted on 03/04/2010 11:30:32 AM PST by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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To: La Lydia; All

Interests who did want this bill to become law (such as Chambers of commerce and Entertainment Industry/Broadcast & Motion Pictures) gave an average of:

*
$42,358 to each legislator voting Yes
100%
*
$31,265 to each legislator voting No
73.8114048938%

http://maplight.org/map/us/bill/83127/default/votes/vote-376064


17 posted on 03/04/2010 11:35:15 AM PST by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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To: All

MAPLight.org reports that the following organizations have taken a stance on this bill:
Support
U.S. Travel Association
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Walt Disney Company
Carlson Hotels Worldwide
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1023


18 posted on 03/04/2010 11:37:15 AM PST by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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