Posted on 05/06/2013 5:31:26 PM PDT by markomalley
Are snowboard instructors key to American immigration policy? Well, they're important enough to be specifically included in the Senate bipartisan Gang of Eight immigration reform bill.
How did that happen? The original 844-page Gang of Eight bill, released in mid-April, granted a break to certain foreigners who come to the United States to work but do not wish to settle here. The Gang -- which includes Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet from the nation's skiing capital of Colorado -- gave one of those breaks to anyone who is "a ski instructor seeking to enter the United States temporarily to perform instructing services."
That was in mid-April. A couple of weeks later, the Gang released an 867-page substitute bill filled with changes large and small. Among those changes was new language adding snowboarders to the ski-instructor clause.
In the revised bill, the break goes to anyone who is "a ski instructor, who has been certified as a level I, II, or III ski and snowboard instructor by the Professional Ski Instructors of America or the American Association of Snowboard Instructors, or received an equivalent certification in the alien's country of origin, and is seeking to enter the United States temporarily to perform instructing services."
So now the American Association of Snowboard Instructors has been recognized in historic legislation that could bring profound changes to the United States.
The bill has been public for all of 21 days, and the substitute version for just six days. Only now are analysts beginning to go through all of its details, and only now are those details surfacing in the public conversation.
For example, in another overlooked portion of the bill, as conservative writer Yuval Levin points out, the Gang of Eight "defin[es] the hourly wages of immigrant farm workers to the second decimal place."
It's true. Among other things, the bill sets pay scales for "Animal Breeders; Graders and Sorters; Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse; and Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch and Aquacultural Animals." The Gang dictates, for example, that graders and sorters will be paid $9.84 an hour in 2016, equipment operators $11.58 in 2015, and nursery and greenhouse workers $9.64 in 2016.
Despite the bill's far-reaching scope and extraordinary level of detail, Democrats are trying to move it through the Senate with unusual speed. This week marks a new stage of that effort. On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin considering amendments to the bill -- work that chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has promised will be finished, with a final committee vote, by the end of this month. After a few initial sessions, Leahy said recently, the committee will meet "every day and evening" to make the deadline.
Democrats are hurrying because they can. They outnumber Republicans 10 to eight on the Judiciary Committee, which means Democrats can by themselves shoot down any unwanted amendments. In addition, two of the committee's eight Republicans, Lindsey Graham and Jeff Flake, are members of the Gang of Eight, giving pro-reform forces even more strength, should they need it.
They probably won't. If Democrats remain united -- and on the committee they are a very liberal group -- they will be able to dispatch with Republican amendments in short order.
Then the bill, with whatever amendments Democrats on the Judiciary Committee approve, will go to the full Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has vowed to keep the rush on. Again, Democrats enjoy another big numerical advantage, with 55 members. Add to that the four Republicans on the Gang of Eight, and you've got 59 in a body in which 60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster. Getting that 60th vote from Republicans still panicked by last November's election results will likely be no problem for the pro-immigration forces.
Unless things change. One key indicator of immigration reform's prospects in the full Senate will be positions taken by Democratic senators -- Mark Pryor, Mary Landrieu and Jon Tester -- who voted against reform in 2007. Back then, they were voting against a Republican president, George W. Bush, who favored reform. Now, they would be crossing a president of their own party.
In addition, there are other Democrats up for re-election next year in states won by Mitt Romney in 2012. Together, what they decide to do could shape the final bill.
But the bottom line is that in the Senate, Democrats have an advantage that will be hard to beat. That makes what happens in the Republican-controlled House, which still has not come up with a plan, crucial to the future of immigration in America.
Conda,who is an immigration lawyer,went to work for George Soros before becoming Rubio’s Chief of Staff.
Cesar Conda worked on the editorial advisory board of George Soros magazine,The International Economy Magazine.
Cesar Conda had been spinning lies about the amnesty bill about how illegal wouldn’t get welfare,wait more than 10 years for citizenship,etc. Those lies have been completely debunked.
How about Jamaican bobsledders?
Screw this Marxist government disaster and every idiot who attaches his name to it. Traitors all!!
What should be done with an outlaw government.
The original 844-page Gang of Eight bill, released in mid-April, granted a break to certain foreigners who come to the United States to work but do not wish to settle here.
***There certainly are plenty who would wish to settle here. It’s a pork barrel... as usual.
If this passes your Reps have sold the country for the vote!
This 8 Gangsta Nuke needs to be passed as quickly as the commie ‘RATS can ram it down our throats. Somebody might decide to take a sneak peak and find out what’s actually in it. We do know that, so far, it contains trillions of dollars worth of spending on 33.1 million foreigners. There is also a provision for the commie DemocRATS to pick up 33.1 million new voters who will join the other 52% living here who don’t pay taxes in this country (except for the taxes on cigarettes and beer). Good news for the commie ‘RATS.
It never ceases to amaze how these members of congress, more importantly, the Senate, come from all these upper-level backgrounds. Lawyers, doctors, business owners, folks that have always been looked at as some of the so-called “smarter” members of society. I don’t agree with putting any of the aforementioned on any type of pedestal, but it is what it is.
But, DAMN!!!! They are some of the dumbest MotherFu**ers on the planet. It always makes me think that it can’t be all that hard to become a doctor, lawyer or governor.
Pass the bill to find out what’s in it. Gee,... where have we heard that before?
This monstrosity had better be KILLED.
So, what are we going to do about it, besides sit and bitch here. These parasites will continue on destroying our country because they know we can. Call them, most times you can’t get through, write and you get a form letter. Something better must be done to get their attention.
Well, not much we can do about the RINO bitches McCain and McGrahamesty seeing as how their constituents keep reelecting them, but I believe Rubio pretends to be a conservative to get votes. All Florida conservatives should let him know that his betrayal will cost him their votes and $$$ support. Rubio needs a visit to the woodshed. Hopefully the doddering old fool McCain will be let out to pasture soon. And the house sure as hell better reject this steaming pile of nation wrecking dog poop or we’re going to be left in dire straights. Impeach the LIAR Obama!!
IMPEACHMENT has to start somewhere. It started on FR with Clinton, maybe we can get it started again. The more people discussing it, writing about it and calling for it, the better.
IMPEACH Obama!!
This entire mess is going to be shoved down our throats.... damn them all.
Marco Rubio has always been Amnesty Liberal. When he was Speaker of the Florida House he killed a number of bills that would have given Florida tough anti-Illegal Alien laws
He has always been this way
He was never a Conservative. Never. It was just so hard for folks to get over the cheerleaders and rah rah people. The Florida version of the Tea Party was the worst and weakest of any in the US..and did the worst job vetting Rubio
And, I voted for the Libertarian in 2010, Alex Snitker. He actually was more conservative than Libertarian
I think we need to spend more time on these politicians RECORDS and not what they say.
Okay time to put out the word - how many unemployed American animal breeders, graders and sorters, farmworkers, equipment operators, etc. do you suppose could be found before this bill gets voted on? Do you think they might have something to say about this legislation?
Just what the agricultural industries need: a mandatory pay scale, complete with government micro-management and bureaucratic interference. Do you think Marco Rubio might have some 'splainin' to do?
Many of us here in Texas, (anyway those that live around me) have always thought of politicians as (with some exceptions)second rate citizens that really couldn’t do anything productive. We’ve had enough laws, for the most part, since Eisenhower was president, so there isn’t much for them to do but invent ways to waste money to garner favor for themselves,just so they can keep their (as in Blazing Saddles) phoney baloney jobs. In years past enough voters paid attention to what was going on to keep it somewhat in check. That no longer seems to be the case and we teeter between anarchy and tyranny.
Rubio, like the phony Barack Obama, can sure pick ‘em proof of which is in the selection of a Soros henchman Cesar Conda. Rubio is now rotting at the head and his credibility now sinks by the hour!
Instead of enforcing the laws against illegal immigration Rubio and his NWO crony Conda attempt to foist this 844 page bill loaded with non- immigration “pork” spending that adds 6.1 trillion in money the central socialist government steals from us in order to fund this and other swinish, gluttonous totally worthless programs. Sounds like a left wing hard core Democrat wrote the bill that the gullible Rubio claims as his effort.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
