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Immigration and Polls

With all of the comments posted in response to my posting about Ron Paul's anti-immigration ads, I figured that some hard data on what Americans actually think on the immigration issue is in order. Thanks to the Krieble Foundation, there is now some hard data showing that Americans are not really as anti-immigrant as is said and they actually support a guest worker program.

Hopefully, this neo-nativist wave will soon pass and Americans -- and candidates for office -- will again view immigration as the positive that it is. That's a New Year's resolution I'd like to see.

Posted by Paul Gessing on January 1, 2008 02:15 PM |

Comments

If the Republicans are going to win this election, the agenda they are offering is not motivating Republicans to give money and that is a hard fact.

In the Third Quarter of 2007, Hillary raised $27 Million dollars by herself without breaking a sweat. She raised $100 million in 2007. When you add in Obamas $21 Million you start to realize that all of the Republicans in the third quarter raised half as much as the Democrats. Huckabee is leading the polls but only has $2 million in the bank as of last week? That lack of funding will not win an election against Hillary or Obama. Paul was able to entice 130,000 voters to give him $19.5 million in the last 3 months. The other Republicans better stop looking at the polls and start figuring out what part of the Paul message they can use to raise real money from real voters or they will lose the general election in November.

The question that no one is asking is why dont the other Republican candidates have 130,000 people giving them money?

We see a CNN Poll of 300 people or 1000 people that still use land lines and assume that is important. Real people giving real money is what is important now. Hillary and Obama have both.

The problem is not very many real people gave money to the other Republican candidates. Romney giving himself money does not represent real votes. People that give money to candidates are motivated by a message and have a tendency to talk to others and show up on election day. That wins elections. The Republicans are fighting a loosing battle this time around if they don’t change some messaging. The math don’t lie.

Posted by: Yukon Dave | January 1, 2008 02:35 PM

Criminals did NOT build America; Citizens and LEGAL immigrants built it. Illegal Aliens and Immigration is NOT the same thing. 80% of the American people want an end to anarchy! This is NOT a Democrat, Republican, Independent issue. It's an American Issue.

Illegal aliens are criminals, those who hire them are criminals and those who aid-and-abet them are criminals.

Illegal aliens in America have NO rights. We are required by law to arrest and prosecute, deport them. (Title 8 U.S. Code) To report illegal aliens call the DHS National Hotline 1 866 DHS 2ICE. (1-866-347-2523)

No, matter your political party affiliation, and setting aside your thoughts on issues. We all need to remember what it is to be an American Citizen. We need to make sure our elected representatives obey their Oath of Office and keep their Oath of Allegiance. See http://tinyurl.com/2znnvl Know whom you are voting for.

Posted by: Dr Coles | January 1, 2008 03:06 PM

Paul, you're right. We are definitely going to need a ton of cheap labor to keep up with the demand for all those cheap exports we'll be producing pretty soon. The shift has already started; the dollar is a bargain on the world market.

And Dave, what are the odds that more than 10% of a candidate's supporters would give money to their campaign? Do the math on that one, and you'll see that RP has to have more than 5% support. He might have only 5% of the people who voted for Bush a second time. Isn't that who they're calling in those telephone polls?

Posted by: Tracker | January 1, 2008 03:08 PM

Dr Coles, your copy paste message does not bring anything positive to this debate. Please be a little more creative, nobody really buys the fact that undocumented workers had nothing to do in the building of America, ask any farm owner or construction contractor amongst many other business people, get the facts straight, a pathway is needed, get real.

Posted by: thenerd2009 | January 1, 2008 03:53 PM

What is so wrong with wanting people to follow the legal immigration process? I don't get why you people are so adamant to push for a wide open border policy. There is nothing "neo-nativist" about it. Someone wants to enforce a law, and you want to label them some kind of a biggot. You fail, and most people see through it...

Posted by: DavidThePatriot | January 1, 2008 04:27 PM

Paul,

I wanted to add that the Hispanic American Center for Economic Research (HACER) has a paper with the Krieble Foundation detailing how a guest worker program would work and how it would be far superior for all concerned than our current immigration mess.

Additionally, I object to blanket denunciations of illegal immigrants. Is illegal immigration truly a crime of moral turpitude?

Certainly, we agree that having fewer lawbreakers than more lawbreakers is a generally good condition, but the laws should be evaluated as carefully as the people living under them.

A guest worker program would reduce the number of people who would have to choose between doing what is best for their families and complying with the law.

/KDR

Posted by: Kevin D. Rollins | January 1, 2008 05:19 PM


This is basically the gist of Huckabee's immigration plan touchback provision:

He would repeal the multi-year baring of illegals to re-enter the U.S. for illegals who register during a 120-day period with Homeland Security and temporarily exit the country (for only a few days, at most). It is also highly likely that many would not even leave the country but would be allowed to go to their nearest consulate on American soil for paperwork.

They would face no penalty if they apply to immigrate back to U.S. (they'd be back in within just days). He would not utilize the current legal immigration law process for immigration to the U.S. but would set up special processing for these ‘special case formerly illegal’ immigrants. He also would reward these lawbreakers (and their law-breaking employers) by allowing the aliens to keep the very jobs they broke into the country and took. He wants them back in quick to slide back into the same jobs they had before their quick exit and return (touchback).

Huckabee will utilize every trick in the book to legalize illegal aliens. He's just a bit more deceptive, shifty and crafty in how he hides the fact that he will provide amnesty. By all means, don't take my word on this if you are skeptical. Dig deep on Huckabee and look at the man behing the curtain. I'm betting you won't really care for what you see.

Huckabee has stated that our economy would collapse without the presence of illegal aliens here. Really? My oh my...how did we manage to survive as a nation and grow our economy these past two centuries and well into the 1970's before the accelerated mass entries of illegal aliens? In 1986, our spineless Congressmen and Senators decided instead of dealing with the problem, they'd just give amnesty to the illegals so their incompetence, corruption, greed and dysfunction could be just swept under the rug. Then in 2007, they tried the same thing, but this time an educated, forceful, awake and fed up public citizenry stopped them in their tracks. Now their tookus is in a sling as they don't know what to do, so basically they are doing what they've been doing over the last 30 years...nothing as far as border security and immigration enforcement.

2008 is a pivitol year, likely even a tipping point, in the history of America. Will we continue to be a strong, sovereign nation ruled by law or will we let the invasion continue until America's slide into anarchy is unstoppable?

We need to elect a leader as President who will protect the value of U.S. citizenship, work for the citizens of America, fiercely protect our sovereignty, stop the march to globlism and the formation of the NAU, and solve our illegal immigration problem. That does not involve granting amnesty to illegal aliens. Huckabee is not your man if you care for those issues. Neither is McCain, Ghuliani of any of the Democrats.

Just remember to pick a candidate to support not on what they say they will do but on what they have actually done.

Posted by: zeezil | January 1, 2008 06:54 PM

Latin Elite

The U.S., nor her citizens are here to “solve the illegal immigrants plight”. The best way to solve the poverty and cultural deficit plight of the illegal immigrants is to enforce our immigration laws to ensure they are returned to their homeland and to prevent others from entering. Our open borders policy has enabled America to be the safety relief valve of Latin America, primarily Mexico as these third world countries have been able to actively export their citizens here and burdened us with their education, health care and employment. Had these disenfranchised people not been allowed to illegally immigrate here, they would have remained in their own countries and effectively been able to band together and demand reforms and an end to rampant corruption within their own governments that effectively shuts them out of any prosperity in favor of the Latin Elite (ala Mexican Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world). Why do you think the Latin Elite so actively promote illegal immigration to the U.S.? It keeps them from having to assume any responsibility for any of their welfare and they are able to send their angry poor who band together here, demonstrate in our streets and demand amnesty (citizenship) as a reward for their illegal entry. They much prefer for us to bear the brunt of their anger than it be demonstrated at home. And, they also love the remittances of all the billions of dollars (24 billion dollars sent back to Mexico in 2007) that their nationals send back to the homeland. Be advised that this money is effectively taken out of circulation from our economy and directly transferred to Latin America, primarily Mexico (due to the fact that we have 14% of Mexico’s population now living in the U.S. and 20% of their work force is in our country).

Mexican Remittances (billions of dollars):
1995- 3.7
2005- 20.6
2006- 25
2007- 24

Mexico has the second most vibrant economy in Latin America (Brazil is first).
Remittances from the United States are the second largest source of income to the Mexican economy (oil revenue is first).
Greater than 50% of Latin American billionaires are in Mexico.

Posted by: zeezil | January 1, 2008 07:00 PM

Immigration Terminology 101

With the vitriolic immigration debate roiling in all parts of our country, it is important to understand terminology. Be prepared to dispel the half-truths and no truths of the way those who are illegally in our country are described by their advocates. Knowledge is power:

ILLEGAL:
1.) Unlawful; illegitimate; illicit; unlicensed.
2.) Illegal, unlawful, illegitimate, illicit, criminal can all describe actions not in accord with law.
3.) Illegal refers most specifically to violations of statutes.
4.) Prohibited by law

ALIEN:
1.) a person who is not a citizen of the country.
2.) in the United States any person born in another country to parents who are not American and who has not become a naturalized citizen. There are resident aliens officially permitted to live in the country and illegal aliens who have sneaked into the country or stayed beyond the time allowed on a visa.

INVADE:
1. to enter like an enemy: Locusts invaded the fields
2. to enter as if to take possession: To invade a neighbor's home
3. to enter and affect injuriously or destructively, as disease: Viruses that invade the bloodstream.
4. to intrude upon: To invade the privacy of a family.
5. to encroach or infringe upon: to invade the rights of citizens.
6. to permeate: The smell of baking invades the house.
7. to penetrate; spread into or over: The population boom has caused city dwellers to invade the suburbs

Those illegally in a country are not "immigrants". There is no such thing as an "illegal immigrant". An immigrant is involved with an established and orderly procedure of immigration (entering a country to which one is not native in order to settle there by legal process).

They are not immigrants, not undocumented immigrants (Kennedy, et. al’s favorite), not undocumented workers, not undocumented Americans (Harry Reid’s favorite), not economic immigrants (Big Business and Wall Street favorite) not immigrants without work papers, not people who are working (Enrique Morone’s favorite), not migrant workers, and not day laborers.

The government has defined them as "illegal aliens" and explicitly uses that term in all its laws and statutes. So keep it simple…a spade is a spade…they are illegal aliens. Or, if you’d prefer, another term that would be just as correct to use is "invaders". I would consider the two interchangeable.

One other definition is exceedingly useful since you’ll hear with every piece of amnesty legislation, the open border lobbyists and invader advocates will declare that it isn’t amnesty in the hope that you will think so. Here’s the definition of amnesty so you can decide for yourself:

AMNESTY is legislation to forgive the breaking of immigration laws and to make it possible for illegal aliens to live permanently in the United States. Amnesty represents a system of federal rewards and assistance for illegal aliens, and they entice an even greater number of foreign nationals to invade a country.

AMNESTY:
1. A general pardon for offenses against a government
2. An act of forgiveness for past offenses, esp. to a class of persons as whole
3. Forgetting or overlooking any past offense

There you have it, folks. Knowledge is power…use it wisely.

Posted by: zeezil | January 1, 2008 07:05 PM

A number of bleeding heart types and illegal aliens advocates try to minimize the fact the even though illegal aliens are here illegally, there really is no crime involved. Here are some facts below so you can decide:

(1) Violating the immigration law is a CRIME
(2) Forging documents is a FELONY CRIME
(3) Passing forged documents is a FELONY CRIME
(4) Stealing ID is a FELONY CRIME
(5) Using stolen ID is a FELONY CRIME
(6) Re-entering the country after being deported is a FELONY CRIME

Under Title 8 Section 1325 of the U.S. Code, "Improper Entry by Alien," any citizen of any country other than the United States who:
-Enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers; or
-Eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers; or
-Attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact;
has committed a federal crime.

Violations are punishable by criminal fines and imprisonment for up to six months. Repeat offenses can bring up to two years in prison. Additional civil fines may be imposed at the discretion of immigration judges, but civil fines do not negate the criminal sanctions or nature of the offense.

In addition to sneaking into the country in violation of the immigration law that requires that aliens be documented for legal entry (referred to as "entry without inspection -- EWI"), others enter with legal documentation and then violate the terms on which they have been admitted by taking jobs that are not authorized or overstaying the authorized period of stay in the country.

"Any alien who is present in the United States in violation of this Act or any other law of the United States is deportable."

Posted by: Anonymous | January 1, 2008 07:24 PM

The dollar slid across the board on Friday as data showing a 9 percent decline in sales of new U.S. homes last month heightened concern about the economy, putting the greenback on track for its worst week in more than a year.
The housing report, which was weaker than economists had expected, also bolstered the case for more Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in 2008. Earlier this week, the S&P/Case-Shiller index showed a record decline in U.S. home prices in October.

This is what's happening to YOUR house. All the 'money' and 'equity' you thought you had saved - eliminated! The equity through falling house prices - and the money because we are DEBASING OUR CURRENCY. That low fed rate you're reading about gets created by printing money and lending it to people. With more money, the money YOU have is worth LESS. So your money is worth less and your property is worth less - where can you turn to keep ahead of inflation? I think you BETTER turn to Dr. Paul. He's the ONLY one running that has a HOPE of being able to deal with this.

Posted by: Louis Nardozi | January 1, 2008 08:39 PM

I respond to Anonymous's comments
here.

Posted by: Kevin D. Rollins | January 1, 2008 09:21 PM

Zeezil,

Thank you for your comments about Mike Huckabee's immigration plan. It certainly makes me more secure in my decision to SUPPORT him. Supply and demand brings workers here. You are right that Mexico should change the way it does business internally. Eventually, it will and then America will have a real labor shortage.

As to the slide in the dollar cited by Louis - this comes from the political inability to raise interest rates, which would exacerbate the housing crash. The housing crash came about because predatory lending was allowed by finanical regulators in response to criticism about redlining and because interest rates were allowed to stay low to keep consumer spending alive. This strategy did not delay the inevitable crisis, it exacerbated it - right before an election.

Posted by: Michael Bindner | January 2, 2008 12:34 PM

Free-for-all (frfr-ôl) -- n. A disorderly fight, argument, or competition in which everyone present participates.

from Dictionary.com



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