Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Who Is this Mario Alessi? | Constance McMillen on CBS This Morn… »

Friday, March 12, 2010

Politics Senators give Obama a [Stupid] Bipartisan Plan on Immigration

Posted by Charles Mudede on Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 7:59 AM

LA Times:

Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), in a 45-minute meeting Thursday in the Oval Office, also asked for Obama's help in rounding up enough Republican votes to pass an immigration bill this year.

Although details of their blueprint were not released, Graham said the elements included tougher border security, a program to admit temporary immigrant workers and a biometric Social Security card that would prevent people here illegally from getting jobs.

..."We're not going to mass-deport people and put them in jail, nor should we," Graham said. "But we need a system so they don't get an advantage over others for citizenship."

In a statement after the Obama meeting, Graham predicted that their effort would collapse if Senate Democrats proceeded with a strategy to pass a healthcare bill through a simple majority vote — a process known as "reconciliation." Senate leaders say they are committed to doing just that.

"I expressed, in no uncertain terms, my belief that immigration reform could come to a halt for the year if healthcare reconciliation goes forward," said Graham, who portrayed the document handed to Obama as "a work in progress."

Graham makes no sense at all. This immigration bill is a cruel joke. Bipartisanship is also just a joke. Bipartisanship only goes one way—the way of the GOP. It never goes the other way around. And how can any mind place healthcare and immigration on the same plane? The Healthcare issue is vastly more important than aiding funds to the stupid wall on the border with Mexico. How can he even compare the two issues? This is total madness.

Comments (9) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Um....Lindsey Graham is a dude, Charles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsey_Gra…

Posted by Collin on March 12, 2010 at 8:08 AM

Haha. Type your shit into a search engine before you publish the shit. Shit.

Posted by furburger on March 12, 2010 at 8:14 AM

Given that there are almost no details on the plan available except some general (decent sounding, for a "bi-partisan" plan) ideas, and a REPUBLICAN is explicitly talking about not pushing idiocy like deportations...

...and it's stupid? I'm as liberal as anyone and an immigrant myself from the 70s, and that sounds like an actually decent starting point*. What's wrong with it?

* Explicitly as a starting point

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on March 12, 2010 at 8:44 AM

THis is crazy! White, middle and upper middle class liberals need illegals to cut our lawns, clean our homes and do cheap remodels. I'm not going to pay 'livable' wages for that shit.

Posted by Limousine Liberal on March 12, 2010 at 8:46 AM

@4 I'd rather have limosine conservatives scrub my toilets. They eat shit too!

Posted by Bon Bon on March 12, 2010 at 9:08 AM

something i've never understood about the immigration issue - why is it important to put illegal immigrants to the "back of the line" when it comes to immigration reform? i mean, i understand the theory - give the priority to the people who are "doing it right" by applying and appealing their rejections before actually coming to the united states. it's what nice guys do, let the rule follower go before the rule breaker. but that's theory. in reality we have anywhere between 10-15 million undocumented workers in this country. and that's what they are, by the way, WORKERS. putting them to the "back of the line" isn't reform at all. it's status quo. they remain in danger of life-ruining and family-separating detainment and deportation while working and paying taxes and buying the shit that stimulates our shitty economy. seems to me that finding a way to get these folks documented should be the FIRST priority. but maybe i'm bonkers. can anyone explain this to me?

Posted by AmyC on March 12, 2010 at 9:35 AM

@6 Unless that documentation came with legally-enshrined protections that you--as an undocumented worker--wouldn't be detained or deported, why would you even want to participate in such a thing?

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on March 12, 2010 at 9:42 AM

@7 that's what i was talking about - essentially creating a program whereby illegal immigrants can become legal without having to leave the country, or other unduly burdensome requirements. something along the lines of what the US did for tax-evading millionaires with swiss bank accounts a few months ago. in exhange for turning themselves in to the IRS, they only had to pay back taxes on all that money instead of having to pay back taxes AND huge penalties and fines. it saved the rich people a lot of money, and it saved the government a TON of money by not having to go after these folks. similar to that plan, in exchange for a guarantee against deportation or detainment, illegal immigrants could turn themselves in and agree to pay any back taxes owed, get set up for residency papers, things like that.

Posted by AmyC on March 12, 2010 at 10:32 AM

@8,

Yes, but, you see, that shit makes sense. The government could make it easier for undocumented workers to get work visas, which are temporary by definition. But instead they're going to dick around (and waste a lot of money) trying to set up a separate program.

Posted by keshmeshi on March 12, 2010 at 11:08 AM