When Rick Perry says he wants to “legitimize" the "economic contributions” of illegals he can only be talking about ILLEGALS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES NOW. It is only the illegals here now who it can be argued are "making an economic contribution" to the US economy.
So it cannot be clearer that Rick Perry wants to legalize the illegals here now. He would do this by waving a magic wand over their heads and calling them "guest workers."
But IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT WE CALL THEM. If we legally give the right to live in the U.S. to people who have broken our laws and invaded our country by the millions and are costing us tens of billions of dollars every year in our schools, emergency rooms, jails and prisons, court system, welfare payments, identity theft, gang activity, drunk-driving deaths and numerous other social costs, then THAT IS AMNESTY!
Maybe you are telling yourself that you are NOT lying for Rick Perry when you deny that he wants amnesty because Rick has said that it is not his intention to give them citizenship, only to let them live here legally.
BUT THAT IS STILL AMNESTY! Amnesty by definition means allowing people who have broken the law to not receive the penalty prescribed by law for their law-breaking.
Under our laws, these people are required to be deported. But Rick Perry would NOT deport them, he would let them live here legally as "guest workers."
AMNESTY.
Actually Amnesty would make them citizens and give them voting rights. Legitimizing illegals (12 million of whom Sarah Palin said it would be inhumane to deport) contributions means you get them on the rolls, collect income taxes so they pay their fair share.
Herman Cain is for "the current path to citizenship". Don't believe me? Go look on his website. He also stated it in the same statement where he charged Perry with being soft on border security. (Perry spent 400 million of Texans tax dollars to do so, Cain has done ZERO!)