Senate immigration overhaul in doubt

Reuters ^ | 4/6/06 | Donna Smith

[SUSSA]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate compromise on an overhaul of immigration law appeared to get bogged down late on Thursday in the face of opposition by some Republicans who say it would give amnesty to lawbreakers.

It appeared unlikely the Senate would approve before a two-week congressional break on Friday the radical immigration reform that would give millions of illegal immigrants a chance to earn U.S. citizenship.

The bill's backers expressed fear that failure to enact the legislation before lawmakers leave for their spring break could hurt its chances in a congressional election year.

Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada earlier hailed a "breakthrough" on the compromise bill that would include a guest worker program sought by President George W. Bush.

But the two leaders were unable to agree on how many amendments to the bill would be allowed.

[goldstategop]

Its a joke. I'd rather have no immigration reform this year than have one that basically says America Is Lost.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[nj26]

"Maybe the Senators noticed the angry mobs of Americans with pitchforks and torches massing outside their offices."

Word is that calls are running 3:1 against amnesty at Senate offices.

[MarcusTulliusCicero]

Agreed, but Specter's comment (for whom, as a resident of Pa I must constantly apologize for foisting upon the nation - although in my own defense I haven't voted for him since 1984) that essentially translates to at least something is better than nothing embodies the mindset of the Senate

[Cato1]

I believe that immigrants are not criminals and that those who have come here should have the opportunity to come out of the shadows for many reasons.

1. this will open and help the party gain many more members
2. what makes this country great is how we treat our immigrants
3. lets solve this now
4. God loves the immigrant and will judge us how we treat strangers

[MissAmericanPie]

When we first became active, the politicians stopped accepting emails, they would just shut it down. Now they are not taking phone calls, all you get is a recording.

At least that was my experience with Cornyn's office. Kay Baily's office number was busy all day, so she may be taking calls, but then she votes pretty much like a conservative should, and I have never found her to be a disappointment.

[goldstategop]

Sure... if they are legal immigrants who desire to become U.S citizens and acculturate as Americans and integrate into the American mainstream... they ought to be welcomed. I am a first generation legal immigrant and U.S citizen myself. This isn't controversial.

What Americans do oppose is granting the privilege of U.S citizens and related public benefits to people who have broken our country's laws, who demonstrate no loyalty towards it and who have no desire to become Americans in language, culture and habits. So when we hear Congress ponder giving illegal aliens special treatment, we're mad precisely because we're giving people who don't deserve to be citizens that status for free. And that my friends, goes by another name: socialism. Make no mistake, an amnesty for lawbreakes is just another form of government entitlement.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[SUSSA]

We need to keep increasing the pressure during the break.

Redouble your efforts. Phone, fax, email. Pound on them good. We must keep the pressure high.

###

877-762-8762

Call tomorrow. No amnesty. No Guest workers until the border is secure.

Visit the bastards' local office during the break.

[Cato1]

does that apply to people who are lawbreakers who speed? or break other laws?

judge not lest you be judged?

[SUSSA]

I believe that immigrants are not criminals

###

What part of "ILLEGAL" do you not understand? NAMBLA believes child molesters are not criminals. What you and they believe does not change the facts.

[flashbunny]

"I believe that immigrants are not criminals and that those who have come here should have the opportunity to come out of the shadows for many reasons.

1. this will open and help the party gain many more members
2. what makes this country great is how we treat our immigrants
3. lets solve this now
4. God loves the immigrant and will judge us how we treat strangers
"

Are you really that dense or is that sarcasm???

Point 1: They will vote more for democrats than republicans. So if the GOP gains members, the DNC gains more. That makes as much sense as GM's business plan: Lose money on every car, but make it up on voume!

Point 2: We treat our legal immigrants fine. But they are treated worse than our illegal immigrants. That needs to change.

Point 3: This won't solve a damn thing. All it will do is reward lawlessness. Combined with no enforcement and no border security, all that will happen is that the amensty elligible will get citizenship (and welfare benefits) and the other illegals will stay here. And more will come hoping for another amnesty.

Point 4: God loves people who use their brains. So he's probably having doubts about you right about now.

[vox humana]

You practiced medicine. Don't you know where the spine is located?

LOL

Good one!

[goldstategop]

People speed, people abuse drugs and people commit murder but I haven't heard any one invoke those instances as excuses to avoid enforcing the laws that forbid people from doing these things. But its only when its illegal immigration that enters into the picture that people decide because illegals keep on coming here, that's all the excuse we need to stop enforcing our immigration laws. What really makes this excuse an insult to the intelligence is the fact we've never even tried to enforce our immigration laws in the first place.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Lancey Howard]

as with the Gang of 14 compromise

???
Surely you realize by now that the "Gang of 14" deal was a Republican masterstroke that paved the way for a slew of conservative Bush judicial appointments, including Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen, Bill Pryor, and two conservative Supreme Court justices? I mean, c'mon.... There's plenty of things to criticize the Republican Senate for, but the "Gang of 14" ultimate con job on the flummoxed rats isn't one of them.

Regards,
LH

[olinr]

"To say I am disappointed is an understatement. This dooms our country to another 20 years of uncontrolled borders (the cost of paying for this compromise would be astronomical, and therefore unfeasible), and then having to go through passing yet another immigration bill at that time, when we will be Atzlan, rather than the U.S.A."

Does this mean that WE can ignore any law we want to? How about paying taxes, or stopping at a Stop Sign? Any further ignorance of the laws will render this county into Anarchy.

[truth_seeker]

Which Senators have voted which way, yet? All I read about are a handful of Senators in a dark room, after hours.

There are 100 Senators, 55 of whom are Republicans. Only 41 Senators can block anything.

Meanwhile, this handfull of Senators KNOW the peoples' house has passed a vastly DIFFERENT bill.

The bottom line:

They have NOT enforced the present law for the last 20 years. Lax borders. Zero employer prosecutions. Forged documents galore.

So regardless of what they wind up caving to, expect more of the same.

A week ago I didn't take a Tancredo Presidential run seriously. Now I do.

[Hank Rearden]

At this very moment, the Man Show repeat on G4 is running their Politics episode, wherein the Juggies (bountiful babes in bikinis) are mud-wrestling in a pit placed in front of the podiums of the two candidates - so we can choose whether to watch the debate or the Juggies.

The lot of them are making far more sense than Republicans and 'Rats. Plus, of course, there are wet, mud-covered babes in bikinis.

Let's see Bush Jr. top that!

[planekT]

Amen. The RINO Quislings are going to be wiped out in 2006, and they are going to wonder what hit them.

I hope you're right about that. We only unseated one incumbant in our primary, and she was only defeated by 44 votes.

And get this...the old bag wants a recount. We still may not be rid of her.

I would have thought that we'd have gotten rid of a few more, especially considering that we just had the biggest tax hike foisted on us in the history of the county (ten and and a half percent). These folks have also ran up 10 million in debt over the last 6 years, and that doesn't include the 2 million surplus they ran through. Even with the new tax hike, they STILL can't balance their budget.

Most of these RINOS will run unopposed in November because this county is about as red as they come. They won't elect a donk, but why they won't throw these bums out I'll never know. It makes no sense to keep electing these people unless you just love the feeling of their hand in your back pocket.

If Americans won't fight back at the ballot box this year to protect themselves from the RINOS and DIMS who want to turn this country into a third world socialist cesspool, Lord help us.

[edcoil]

This is not hard, we see the world and don't want it here - we want it to improve there -- our government takes 200 Billion dollars a year of our money to give to foreign lands in hopes of making it so.

We have to stop it somewhere - might as well be here.

[catholicfreeper]

Keeping fighting the fight. Depending on the details of this bill in the Senate it sounds something like I can live with. Your right on treating its absurd to treat these people in the same class of criminals like Child molesters. This is has always been treated as a civil violation basically with a fine. I too believe this needs to be solved now. Hopefully a few in the House want listen to the mad herd and a bill will get through. If it doesn't the problem will just get worse I ma afraid

[olinr]

Wow! You certainly don't live in California. The Illegals have caused the closing of our ER's and a Third-world education for our children; while taxes continue to go up-- support our children! Yeh, and every illegal child.

Tell me how can a Catholic Cardinal profess to be a good Christian by calling for anyone to disobey our laws?