| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: WoT |
| AZ Governor Vetoes 2 Immigration Bills |
| 2005-05-21 |
| Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed two proposals Friday aimed at confronting the state's immigration problems, rejecting bills that would have prohibited illegal immigrants from receiving child care assistance and given police the power to enforce federal immigration laws. The Democratic governor said the police-powers proposal would not have provided any additional money to fund the new duties, saying it would cost city officials $19 million in Phoenix, the nation's hub for transporting illegal workers. The other bill would have prohibited illegal immigrants from attending adult education classes, receiving child care assistance and paying cheaper in-state tuition status at public universities. ''While I agree that public programs should not be available to those who consciously decide to come here illegally, this bill goes too far by punishing even longtime residents of this state who were brought here as small children by their parents,'' the governor wrote. Arizona has been dogged by a heavy flow of illegal immigrants since the government tightened enforcement in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego during the mid-1990s. While immigrants provide the economy with cheap labor, Arizona and other states shoulder huge health care and education costs for illegal workers and their families. Republican Rep. Tom Boone, sponsor of the immigrant-restriction bill, said it's wrong to let immigrant students take advantage of in-state tuition when out-of-state students who are legal citizens must pay more to attend college in Arizona. ''The illegal immigrant has in Governor Napolitano (his or her) best friend in the state,'' Boone said. Supporters of the police-powers proposal said state and local law enforcement agencies need to get rid of ''sanctuary policies'' that, in some cases, discourage or prohibit officers from inquiring about a person's immigration status. Many police agencies rejected the idea, saying a massive undertaking would detract from the traditional roles police have in protecting communities from crime. Also Friday, the governor signed into law a bill that bars local governments from putting taxpayer money into day labor centers that help illegal immigrants find work. |
| Posted by:too true |
| #9 Oh, and we need someone good to run against Napolitas or we'll have more of this stuff until 2011. C'mon guys, someone run who has a chance. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-05-21 22:59 |
| #8 It's less true than it was 'moose. The border is 60 miles from where I live. You can listen to Mexican radio stations (not sure about TV since I don't have one), read Mexican papers, and so on. You are basically a tourist (who can vote Democrat) for 30 years. Of course, the liberal multiculturalists are also to blame. They hate the US so much, that they can't stand the idea of "indoctrinating" immigrants (including legal ones) in American values and culture. Many decendents of Mexican immigrants are indeed as American as anyone here, but the corrosive counter-effect of La Raza and others is making the process harder for each generation. This was never a problem for the Italians and Poles. They did have their own radio stations and papers, but still there was no real-time link to the old country. Mexico is different. Frank G: I think there are two problems that are entangled here. Let's assume a miracle and we cut illegal immigration down to zero and expell all current illegals. Now, from a blank slate, how many legal immigrants from Mexico should we allow? I suspect the number will be much higher than the current value. This is not an excuse for illegally invading the country, but is a partial explanation. I don't know what the proper number should be, but I would guess a quota of maybe 1/10 the number of illegals would be a order-of-magnitude approximation. And of course, assimilation should be enforced. OTOP, what about true guest workers? Do we need a program for them, distinct from true immigrants? |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-05-21 22:58 |
| #7 If they wanted to come legally, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Th eproblem is they don't, and when your first action on American soil is to spit on our immigration laws, don't call me racist if I say they should get the F*&k out and start legally. Not referring to you, ma'am, but the general liberal first defense |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-21 22:33 |
| #6 Some from Mexico are traditional immigrants, others are commuters, others are irredentists, revanchists and reconquistadors. The later will be ther problem down the road if we do not ditch multiculturalism and force assimilation. If they want to be Americans and come legally, Welcome! If not, send them back. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-05-21 22:12 |
| #5 agreed - it's an urban thang - East LA, So LA County, barrio logan San Diego and SF. The stats don't lie tho' - english immersion works (still, after 200 yrs, go figure) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-21 20:00 |
| #4 Frank, the problem is more than fads. It's an established political constituency (the ESL/bilingual programs, 'caring' Hispanic activists, etc.). Not in my district, fortunately. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-05-21 19:54 |
| #3 the third generation speak english, only because they've been yanked out of teh bilingual racket set up to keep them ethicized and alienated/victimized. The education establishment has a lot to answer for with fads and opposition to reforms that now have been proven to work |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-21 15:53 |
| #2 This issue really only has one blanket solution: stopping the flow of illegals into the US. But beyond that, once they are here, it is a completely different paradigm. Hispanics behave as a group like every other immigrant wave that has come to the US, except that they are all not coming here at once. First generation and they are still foreigners, keeping their native tongue and culture. Second generation is a problem, because they are neither here nor there; this is when immigrants form criminal gangs, etc. Third generation are wholly American in language and outlook, becoming more and more distant from the "old country". I see this pattern in the used-to-be illegal Hispanics in a nearby neighborhood. The grandparents (1st gen.) are very hard working, took a run-down house and made it the nicest one on that block; they send a lot of money to relatives back home. The parents are half-and-half, are so-so with either language, dress like anglos yet still wholly affiliate with Hispanic culture; they do not work as hard and expect more from life. The grandkids are completely American, absolutely integrated, still like Mexican food and that's about it, speak some Spanish but can't read it; their future is middle class technical or professional jobs. They have republican sensibilities. Ironically, because of the continual wave of illegals up from Mexico for many years now, there are all three generations co-existing. The third generation don't really care for the old country and are somewhat embarassed by first generation immigrants, but they also feel guilty for "neglecting" their culture. The first generation also does a lot of back-and-forth across the border, which does not help them assimilate. The bottom line is that the US is getting a heck of a lot of good people with these illegals, and if it can just stem the flow, and reduce the back and forth traffic, in 20 years or so they will all become typical Americans, more or less. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-05-21 14:06 |
| #1 --''The illegal immigrant has in Governor Napolitano (his or her) best friend in the state,'' Boone said.-- And they vote, too! |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2005-05-21 12:46 |