It would appear that the White House is willing to compromise on the immigration reform plan and would welcome a phased approach with border security first and other issues being addressed once those goals are met.
In a sign of that willingness, the White House last week invited a leading conservative proponent of an enforcement-first bill, Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana, to present his ideas to Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the Oval Office.
Ms. Wolff said the president found the Pence plan "pretty intriguing."
In an interview Tuesday, Mr. Pence said the president used precisely those words in their talk. Mr. Pence said that the meeting was scheduled to last 10 or 20 minutes but went on for 40, and that the president "was quite adamant throughout the meeting to make the point that he hoped I would be encouraged."
Mr. Bush has little choice but to negotiate, although he is on delicate terrain. Some House Republicans remain deeply opposed to even a guest worker program, and any move closer to the House could upset the delicate bipartisan compromise that enabled legislation to pass the Senate.
Polls show the public is deeply troubled by the problem of illegal immigration, and Mr. Bush, who has made the issue his domestic policy initiative, is eager for a victory on Capitol Hill. But a carefully constructed White House strategy to prod the House and Senate into compromise collapsed last month when skittish House Republicans opted for field hearings instead.
This, I think, is a good sign. The reality of the out of control border situation needs to be the first priority. Once that issue has been successfully addressed, many other ideas become more open to compromise and resolution.
Funny thing, that while you sit neck deep in immigrants, I got three mails urging me to find the dream life, to live a life I can only dream of – please, enter the green card lottery, apply for a green card, etc.
Every mail showing a happy, carefree family, smiling, going to Disneyland, sitting before a nice house, etc.
Now, I don’t have an urge to swim through the ocean, I have a rather comfortable life here – so far
– but I can see, that some people would rush for it. After all, all your worries will disapper, the Immigration Office can’t lie.
I think that one of the important steps would be cutting back on this kind of advertisement.
Roland, I have received such email spam, and I was born and raised here. Personally, I have been fighting wave upon wave of spam here since I stated this blog. More than 3,500 in a few weeks time. I’d love to catch the spammers and force feed them every byte!
Isn’t Green Card Lottery and official thing?
Never really looked into the matter, if I wanted to work in the US I would apply for a job. As an IT professional I could find something.
Personally, I would “shoot” every spammer be it WalMart, Viagra or any of the dozen spams I receive.
My blog does not get that many visitors as yours, but I catch about 15 spam comments every day. I hate them….
Now my point was that, that spreading this message, you tell the world: We Need You! Please, do come to the US!
So, people will come. Not neccessarily through a legal channel.
Well, having a desperate situation, starving and living in poverty sure helps to make that decision.
But I hope you will have some results, before mexicans reconquer Southern USA
There’s a process for applying which I have never had occasion to look into for obvious reasons. I don’t think there is a lottery, though.
U.S. Program of Green Card Lottery – 2006
Roland – that is a commercial site, not a US program per se. It appears to be misleading people about what the lottery is and what it is for. See the US INS site here:
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/services/residency/index.htm
Yes, that is a commercial site.
But you see, the bait is set.. Hopes rising high.. People getting a message..
This seems an official site:
U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery
And how many people will read this site Diversity Visa Lottery:Read the Rules, Avoid the Rip-Offs, what do you think?
Which also states that there is a visa lottery, also called green card lottery, which is official.
I think, that beside building the wall, and posting the troops, there should be some messages that won’t draw people to the US in such a great flock.
“America the land of poverty. Tens of thousands dying of hunger, inadequate health-care. High level of infant death, tens of thousands of homeless people.”
Now, that would show a picture you wish to avoid, as opposing to the current picture “come here, this is Heaven on Earth”.
Ok, I am exaggerating, but you know, for a lot of people to get a chance at living in the US. well, that worth the risk of being shot dead.
And it is a problem that won’t be solved only by reinforcing the borders. It won’t be solved until there are such poor countries around you.
To feed your children, you would do anything.
Roland:
I have received several emails from many people in Nigeria, offering to let me in on a “business deal” with them. Does that mean it is an official policy of the Nigerian government to help spammers swindle people out of money?
That spam you get is from somebody trying to make money by “helping” people fill out the forms to be a part of the Visa Lottery.
The issue is not that we sit “neck deep in immigrants.” The issue is that we sit “neck deep in illegal immigrants.” Especially in my neck of the woods. (Rimshot!) Although the Visa Lottery is, in my opinion, a broken system, it is still a LEGAL method for obtaining entry, and maybe citizenship, to the United States. Giving somebody citizenship for jumping a fence/swimming a river/violating the rule of law is not only asinine, it is unjust to those who have waited for a lot longer, and probably live under far worse conditions.
You did not get the point.
Telling the poor of the world, that all their problem will be solved by simply going to the US will result in legal and illegal immigrants flocking to the country.
I did not propose giving any illegal immigrants citizenship.
I said, that it’s okay to reinforce the borders, but the problem will stay as the risk of being shot is acceptable to someone whose family is starving.
Having a perceivedly rich neighbour while your kids go hungry for days is really tempting.
Reinforcing the borders is a sane thing to do.
Reinspecting and reforming immigration rules is a wise thing to do.
But removing the reason to immigrate is the only lasting solution.
And that can’t be done by the US alone.
That’s my point.
As I have said all along, first we need to control the border, then we can start working on a lot of other issues.
On avoiding Spam:
I finally dumped my keachie@swland.org as the ratio was up to fifty to one, bad to good, even with filters. As I have a website with up to 250 mialboxes, I am taking advantage of the situation. I have an email for casual friends which ends in 2006, a subtle hint that it will change in 2007. I have individual boxes for paypal, ebay, each bank and credit card, so that I can tell immediately who’s been compromised, and then change the email one more time.
It give me great joy to download a half days worth of mail in less than 30 seconds, and have all of it useable. Especially when I think of the spammers getting the hard bounces and the heck I will cause them as more and more people figure out this system. The is a one time investment in setting up the accounts, and Eudora makes it pretty painless.