ISSUES AND ANSWERS

Had three or four requests to do some "issues" things before IOWA, but hadnt really got back to the bloggin' thing. So here goes with some pretty watered down "read-unbiased" stand of the candidates. Ill try to keep the same format each time, a personal overview of how important the issue will be and then where the candidates stand, per se'.

Issue today Immigration:
Personal Overview: This campaign wont turn on this Issue because the three candidates all have similar viewpoint. McCain has acknowledged that his bill (labeled McCain-Kennedy) lacked proper support for a border fence/border security in order to gain the necessary cover for Republicans to vote for it. McCain being from a border state couldn't survive politically (Even Bush and current Texas Governer Rick Perry supported the abortive bill last summer), if he came off as ANTI-Mexican, which is all the opposition to the bill is.

There are currently 12 million =/- 500K illegal immigrants in the US about 6 million (estimated by the Commerce Department) from Mexico. about 2 million from other Central and South American countries and a staggering 1 Million from China. Personally being from a Border State (in fact border region) of the country. There isn't anything we can do UNLESS we start cracking down on Businesses that hire them. The Republican Party is LOATHE to do anything that infringes commerce and Clinton (liker her hubby) and Obama are bascally pro-busines DLC type Democrats. There is no way to round them up (because 300 million people cannot round up 12 million). There is no place to process and keep them, no place to hold them, the list goes on and on. The Governers of Arizona and New Mexico are the most ACTIVE at trying to control the border (and they are DEMS) while the Governers of California and Texas (REPS) are aware that any control on business could mean a collapse (yes collapse) of that states GDP.

The roots of our current immigration dilema dates back to WWII when the border states entered into contracts (SIGNED YET!) with Mexican citizens to allow them to come to america to work the fields and fill other jobs. SO the decendents are just following the pattern, as the states never got over their thirst for those jobs to the filled. My Prediction here is that McCain (whose Senate seat is up in 2010) will decide in his mind that this will be his last election. And that he can convert more conservatives for whom this issue will matter than will cost him in the southwest. After all He wont win CAlifornia, and his wont LOSE Texas, so the only swing state is NEw Mexico, and with the Entire ELigible Congressional Delegation Up in that state, it will be hard to win that as well. SO he will go for broke with a MORE ENFORCEMENT stand. If you hear him talk about "work place enforcement" you can go to the bank that he will not run for reelection should he lose the Presidential election. Obama and Hillary, will count on the residual "anti-mexican" sentiment that backlashed on the Republicans (the lost two House seats in Arizona because of that stand alone). They will remind hispanic voters how much talk radio, etc, railed against them and then hit Univision and the Hispanic Talk Radio with ads to that effect.

For those of us from Southern California it was a laugh-riot to hear the hotheads from other parts of the country, go on about the "people with mexican flags"etc. and talk about how they "walked out of school", when in fact for those of us that grew up there, we were schooled on the walkout movement of the sixties, started by the Chicanos in Los Angeles, for us/them it was just a tradition ressurected (to great political effect I must say). The Republicans lost a valuable voting block with their reaction to those weeks of protest, and thats not conjecture, its seen in the exit polls of 2006. Short story long, McCain could use the issue wisely in emphasizing enforcement, while Hillary and Obama will use the Spanish Language stations (and surragotes) to emphasize the Republicans overeacton. Here are the stands

Hillary:
On the Border Fence and Border Security
"It is unconscionable to think that in a post-9/11 world we do not know precisely who is entering and exiting our country. Our homeland security requires that we know the identities of all people who cross our borders. In reforming our broken system, our efforts must be multifaceted and comprehensive."— Statement, March 8, 2006
"A comprehensive solution to our immigration crisis must include strengthening our borders."— Statement, May 1, 2007
On Illegal Aliens Already in the Country
SUPPORTS A PATH TO LEGALIZATION FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THAT INCLUDES LEARNING ENGLISH AND PAYING FINES; TOUGHEN PENALTIES FOR EMPLOYERS WHO HIRE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Make it easier for immigrants to bring families. Supports agricultural jobs program; opposes guest worker program that can lower wages of American workers or exploit immigrants. Create new system to verify employment eligibility. Opposes driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.
"I'm in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, which includes tightening our border security, sanctioning employers to employ undocumented immigrants, helping our communities deal with the costs that come from illegal immigration, getting the 12 million or so immigrants out of the shadows. That's very important to me.
After 9/11, we've got to know who's in this country. And then giving them a chance to pay a fine, pay back taxes, learn English and stand in line to be eligible for a legal status in this country."— Democratic debate, April 26, 2007
Actions on the Issue
Co-sponsored the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2007, which would lift the current waitng period of five years for federal health care benefits for legal immigrants.— More information
Voted yes on the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006," which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.— More information
Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.


McCain:
Supports a path to legalization for illegal immigrants that includes learning English and paying fines; voted for fence along Mexican border.
On the Border Fence and Border Security
Says border security is the "first and foremost priority."
"One thing we would all agree on, the status quo is not acceptable. We have to secure our borders. But we also need a temporary worker program, and we have to dispose of the issue of 12 million people who are in this country illegally. This issue is an important and compelling one, and it begins with national security. But we also need to address it comprehensively."— Republican debate, May 3, 2007
On Illegal Aliens Already in the Country
SUPPORTS A PATH TO LEGALIZATION THAT INCLUDES LEARNING ENGLISH AND PAYING FINES
"We need to have a guest worker program. ... Our proposal is basically you can get a tamper-proof visa after your job has been proven that it cannot be filled by an American citizen. ... What do you do with the 11 million people that are already here? ... Make them earn citizenship because they have broken our laws. My friends, thats not amnesty. Amnesty is forgiveness. We're not forgiving anything."— In New Hampshire, April 7, 2007
Actions on the Issue
Co-Sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2007, which would allow states to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition for higher education and let the homeland security secretary confer legal resident status on some illegal immigrant students.— More information
Co-Sponsored and voted yes on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.— More information
Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.

OBAMA


Supports a path to legalization for illegal immigrants that includes learning English and paying fines; toughen penalties for hiring illegal immigrants; voted for fence along Mexican border.
On the Border Fence and Border Security
"We're going to have to secure our borders. And this past year, the Senate invested billions of dollars in improving border security. I think that's important because I think all Americans think that we should be able to regulate who comes in and out of this country in an orderly way, not only for the sake of our sovereignty, but also to avoid the hundreds of people who have been dying across the desert, the enormous costs that are placed on border states and border towns. I also think that we've got to be serious about employers' obligations to check to see whether somebody is here legally or not...There hasn't been a serious program of employer sanctions. That has to be put in place."— "Larry King Live," March 24, 2007
On Illegal Aliens Already in the Country
SUPPORTS A PATH TO LEGALIZATION FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THAT INCLUDES LEARNING ENGLISH AND PAYING FINES; TOUGHEN PENALTIES FOR EMPLOYERS WHO HIRE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Create system to verify employment eligibility. Supports guest worker programs but would like immigrant workers to be less dependent on employers to stay in the country. Supports granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
"[We] have to recognize that we've got 12 million undocumented workers who are already here. Many of them living their lives alongside other Americans. Their kids are going to school. Many of the kids, in fact, were born in this country and are citizens. And so, it's absolutely vital that we bring those families out of the shadows and that we give them the opportunity to travel a pathway to citizenship. It's not automatic citizenship. It's not amnesty. They would have to pay a fine. They would have to not have engaged in any criminal activity. They would have to learn English. They would have to go to the back of the line so that they did not get citizenship before those persons who had come here legally."— "Larry King Live," March 24, 2007
Actions on the Issue
Co-Sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2007, which would allow states to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition for higher education and let the homeland security secretary confer legal resident status on some illegal immigrant students.— More information
Co-sponsored the Citizenship Promotion Act 2007, which would require the federal government to freeze the fee that legal immigrants pay for each application for services at current levels and called for $80 million a year to promote citizenship.— More information
Voted yes on the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006," which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.— More information
Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.