at 7:02pm the bill passed 80-19, with one non-vote The 19 nays are: Akaka d-HI Bingaman d-NM Cantwell d-WA Chafee R-RI Durbin D-IL Feingold D-WI Inouye D-HI Jeffords I-VT Kerry D-MA Lautenberg D-NJ Leahy D-VT Levin D-MI Leiberman D-CT Menendez D-NJ Murry D-WA Reed D-RI Reid D-NV Salazar D-CO Sarbanes D-MD Guess who didn't vote???? Kennedy D-MA LOL! The funding for the fence passed as well. Bush has said he will sign the bill. Michelle
The solution is very simple...take all the money that you are going to spend on the fence and us it for the US Boarder patrol. You take all of the illegal immigrants living in the US and give them jobs protecting the border of Canada/US as well as the coastlines. Non-Latino illegal immigrants you post on the Mexico/US border (this means there is no controversy over Latinos letting in Latinos). By doing this you document all illegal aliens, provide jobs for immigrants as well as poeple born in the US. You stimulate economic growth and better relations with Mexico and Canada. Just a thought and am not trying to start any rascist backlash. I'm still waiting for the world to look around their environment and notice how everything is so uniquely different, yet co-exists in harmony. When will the human race understand that it is infinite diversity in infinte combinations that is the underlying theory of our planet, galaxy and universe. In other words no frnce is needed.
See Mike, diversity is not the problem or the issue. Yeah there are some extremist on every side of an issue. But for most folks that's not the reason for protecting the borders. Why do you lock the door to your apartment? I mean if we are all supposed to just get along? You lock it because you don't want everyone and their brother sleeping in your bed when you get home. You lock it because you want to make sure your stuff is there when you get home. You lock it because when you open your frig, you want to know that your last beer is still there. So how is that different from countries wanting to protect their citizens? Wanting to make sure that what people pay for is available to them? The US has an immigration policy. Flawed yes, but it has one. So why not try knocking at the door rather than climb through the window? I have a real problem when someone breaks into my house and then complains that they don't like the type of food I stock in the frig. How would Mexico react if I crossed their border illegally showed up at the local court house and demanded that they teach all their classes in English for my kids? Or print all their election documents in English so I, an non-citizen, would be able to vote in their elections? If I showed up at their emergency rooms to be treated and then was not able to pay for their services? Yes American citizens show up at the emergency rooms for treatment and are not able to pay. The government and hospitals set aside money to cover those situations. But those set asides come from taxes and paying people. When the demand for free services outstrip the set aside, the hospitals run out of money and have to close. School budgets are not infinite so bi-lingual class funds have to come from somewhere. Basically the system becomes overloaded and begins to crumple. They become overloaded because there is no way to plan or fund unexpected arrivals. So people have to control the unexpected. Hence border patrols and fences. The same way you lock the front door of your apartment. Jamie
I am not to sure what it is like in your neck of the woods there Michelle, but I do know that in my area (the Niagara Penninsula in Ontario), the wine makers and the grape growers cannot get enough local people to pick and process their fruit, (they are paid by the basket and not hourly so it can become a stipend, however the farmers cannot even get students to do it). Where it has developed is that the farmers hire migrant workers out of Jamaica and bring them up here, pay for their transportation and lodging, they work here from April until November, they get one day a week off which they use to go shopping at local discount and thrift stores and then send it home and return as wealthy (relative as compared to the local community) people. There is some people that have returned to the same farm for over twenty years, even the federal/provincial/local socialist political party (The NDP) does not bat an eyelid. They have come to the realization that the farmers can't get good, quality work from the local population. And no, I wouldn't do it either.
You think it's a bunch of bunk? Then why is it that farmers can't find workers to replace the illegal ones that are being stopped at the border? If the US's jobless rate is 0 then I guess I'm wrong. after reading this http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4225943.html I can only conclude that some American's (just like here in Canada) don't want to do manual labour. Even for increased pay and benefits.
There are 100 sides to every story but here's my 2 cents worth.... Border, no because the $ they're spending on that should be spent to get the people we have here right now off the streets, give me one reason why New Orleans is still a disaster site and why there isn't something in the place of Ground Zero in New York.....My son's Uncle is a member of the US Coast Guard, want to know why we have to many illegals jumpin the fence, because there's not enough manpower which means simply-money. We have a local packing plant/in other words a big slaughter house...they pay minimum wage, guaranteed its 99% immigrants that work there, why because no one can work for minimum wage anymore....you cant even work for $10 an hour anymore and $15 your still barely making $30K a year....but for immigrants making $5.25 an hour scrapin guts off the floor its like making a million a day....you find me one, just one american person that will work for 5.25 an hour thats unemployed right now scrapin guts off the floor or doing the slaughtering....cant think of one? Or everyone says, there's always McD's for employment, my friend tried that also....walk into a place where they are paying $6 an hour they look at your application, see that you've graduated, been to college and just got eliminated from your job making $22 an hour.....you think McD's is going to hire you at $6 an hour? nope.....and another point, we have a local restaurant here that is run by the nicest most pleasant Hmong people that have busted their ass with this restaurant for the past 5 years, they have tried to hire teenagers, single moms, even desperate family men they all dont want to work...they dont show up, they quit on the spot or they think they should be paid double what they're getting because they have to mop the floor at night....bottom line, Americans do not want to work for minimum wage.....and I dont blame them Do I think that illegal immigrants need to be taken care of, yes I do....but a fence????? Not that it matters anymore because its a done deal, but I wonder if the people building that fence will be paid minimum wage or a respectable salary?
That sounds like a pretty good program. But the difference is that the people they hire are more than likely not sneaking into Canada illegally (im not sure about this...just guessing). I think a documented worker program in the US would be a good thing. As lond as they are not recognized as US citizens, something could be worked out to keep the farmers happy with lower minimum wages. If they are willing to work for half of what Americans are, let them. Besides, I dont want the price of produce doubling.
Tina, don't you see it as a problem that people without jobs ($0 income) won't take a minimum wage job? I see it in Canada here and am guessing that it's the same in the US from what I've read. We (as a society) are wanting to make more for less work. When even teenagers won't work for minimum wage there's a problem and if US citizens won't fill the jobs then what do you do? Farmers and other manual labour employers need to get their product out.
I dont know about Canada or surrounding states what they're minimum wage is....ours is $5.25 an hour......flippin burgers, crap hours, most w/different shift work, no benefits, no sick days, if you or your kids get sick and you cant go to work-you're fired.....not to mention, its crap work, granted not every place is like that but would you work scrapin slaughter for $5.25 an hour if you had no job? no income and no place to live?.............nope me neither With the way gas got jacked up this summer, anyone working across town at a minimum wage job, after paying for a sitter, and gas to get there, prolly didnt make any money at all!!! My son's father was "eliminated" in his job making very good money, he applied at 35 different business's in a month, he got call backs and some interviews with the best offer at $8.50 an hour......here in WI, we have unemployment that you dont have to "settle" for a lesser paying job within reason....he was going to take it until he realized after insurance, child support and taxes, he made more $ on employment and opted to pass....I dont blame him, I wouldn't have done it either.....they're raising our minimum wage up to like $6.80 or something within the next few years, whoopty doo......I'm not into politics, dont have to be to be a rocket scientist to realize that making $6.80 an hour and trying to survive is a crock of sh*t.....drop every politicians paycheck to minimum wage for one week....then have them tell me its enough to live on
