Which Presidential candidate has a clue on the boarder?

[Bob]

Which front runner on the Repub side has a clue on the boarder security issue? Who on the left running for President do you think has the best solutions to deal with a problem that most Americans want dealt with? Do all the front runners suck on this issue? It is more and more difficult to find unifying issues that Americans can rally around – this may be one of the last, so who seems to want to deal with this problem? Thoughts?

[Bronco Bob]

They all pretty much just seem to say what the want the people that will
vote for them want them to say. If someone recommends a candidate,
ask them who they plan on voting for.

[Cito Pelon]

Well, do you want an opinion on the Mexican boarder, or the Mexican border? The Mexican boarder many candidates don't mind them. Now, the Mexican border, that's a different matter.

[W*GS]

The xenophobes and populists will rally around whomever says that they will construct a neo-Berlin Wall and kick all the Mexicans out. Tom "Let's nuke Mecca" Tancredo seems to me to be their choice.

The rest of us (the sane people) will listen to others.

[Bob]

Well, do you want an opinion on the Mexican boarder, or the Mexican border? The Mexican boarder many candidates don't mind them. Now, the Mexican border, that's a different matter.

I am just sick of all of those Canadians sneaking over -- actually, what do you have against imigrants? :welcome:

I think there a few worthwhile ideas about imigration besides just "shutting it down" that might have a real impact. There is good and bad about folks coming over here to work -- but at this point because of strains on healthcare, crime, and the importantance of the rull of law -- I think the scale is tiped to one side right now -- thus the majority of Americans are seeing this issue for what it is, not racist issues of Brown vs white, but of what is best for those Americans living her now. I am Just asking these questions, as from the last poll that I heard -- Americans as a whole (at about 70%) want more aggressive steps at curtailing illegal immigration, yet neither party has a front runner that seems willing to tackle the issue. I imagine one has to take the good with the bad -- but on this issue I wonder if some on the left are as upset at being ignored on this issue. Ron Paul has been mentioned as being strong on this issue, we know Tom Tencreado is (but I think he may be the devil --according to the vibes I get from you guys.) But as i dont know how the Dem canadates stand on this issue -- I thought you guys might know? I have not heard one person on either side talk about making it possible for someone who wants to come legally to be able to do so in less than a year -- instead of several-year process it is now. Yes, I am far right on this issue, but also see that it is hard to expect compliance to law, when those who try to follow the law seem to get punished by waiting forever, while those who sneak in dont pay taxes, and may someday get amnesty. The political system is insane Repubs want cheap labor, and higher profits, Dems seem to want future votes, while hospitals shut down, and "We The People" get screwed.

[Bob]

The xenophobes and populists will rally around whomever says that they will construct a neo-Berlin Wall and kick all the Mexicans out. Tom "Let's nuke Mecca" Tancredo seems to me to be their choice.

The rest of us (the sane people) will listen to others.

You are one of the hardest people for me to figure out ---

Not, that that's a bad thing -- but some folks have been more easy for me to peg --- so are you just so cynical at this point, that trust no politicain -- right? Are you leaning toward voting for anyone for Pres at this point -- are you dead set against voting this time around?

I think I may have judged you unfairly when I first heard some of your rants in the past -- sorry.

[yavoon]

The xenophobes and populists will rally around whomever says that they will construct a neo-Berlin Wall and kick all the Mexicans out. Tom "Let's nuke Mecca" Tancredo seems to me to be their choice.

The rest of us (the sane people) will listen to others.

berlin wall was meant to keep ppl in, atleast largely. but yes a wall on the mexican border would have some wall-like similarities w/ the berlin wall.

[BroncoBuff]

The more I listen to Thom Hartmann; though he is not perfect in his societal construction; the more I am enlightened to the fact that the elevation of the corporation over the citizen is causing endless problems for the United States.

Along these lines ... the only way to attack the BORDER issue is to broadly penalize corporations for hiring undocumented workers. No need for "half a million buses," no need for " thousands more border agents," in fact, my plan doesn't even need a 2 thousand mile border fence!

Simply set up an 800 number, and offer CASH REWARDS and anonymity to anybody reporting illegal hiring. Then, when the phone rings at INS Headquarters, the agents simply set up surprise raids! Make penalties fairly severe - and escalate the severity for second and third violations. THE MARKET FOR ILLEGAL WORKERS WOULD DRY UP!

[Denver Crush]

I havent seen anyone come out with any kind of plan except some generic blanket statement. "We need to protect our borders first and give a pathway to citizenship" has been the most popular. I don't know what we should do on this one either. Its ****ed either way we go.

[BroncoBuff]

I don't know what we should do on this one either. Its ****ed either way we go.
I KNOW, Crush! Stop deifying corporations!

Simply set up an 800 number, and offer CASH REWARDS and anonymity to anybody reporting illegal hiring. Then, when the phone rings at INS Headquarters, the agents simply set up surprise raids! Make penalties fairly severe - and escalate the severity for second and third violations.

THE MARKET FOR ILLEGAL WORKERS WOULD DRY UP!

[Cito Pelon]

I am just sick of all of those Canadians sneaking over -- actually, what do you have against imigrants? :welcome:

I think there a few worthwhile ideas about imigration besides just "shutting it down" that might have a real impact. There is good and bad about folks coming over here to work -- but at this point because of strains on healthcare, crime, and the importantance of the rull of law -- I think the scale is tiped to one side right now -- thus the majority of Americans are seeing this issue for what it is, not racist issues of Brown vs white, but of what is best for those Americans living her now. I am Just asking these questions, as from the last poll that I heard -- Americans as a whole (at about 70%) want more aggressive steps at curtailing illegal immigration, yet neither party has a front runner that seems willing to tackle the issue. I imagine one has to take the good with the bad -- but on this issue I wonder if some on the left are as upset at being ignored on this issue. Ron Paul has been mentioned as being strong on this issue, we know Tom Tencreado is (but I think he may be the devil --according to the vibes I get from you guys.) But as i dont know how the Dem canadates stand on this issue -- I thought you guys might know? I have not heard one person on either side talk about making it possible for someone who wants to come legally to be able to do so in less than a year -- instead of several-year process it is now. Yes, I am far right on this issue, but also see that it is hard to expect compliance to law, when those who try to follow the law seem to get punished by waiting forever, while those who sneak in dont pay taxes, and may someday get amnesty. The political system is insane Repubs want cheap labor, and higher profits, Dems seem to want future votes, while hospitals shut down, and "We The People" get screwed.

I have a question. If an illegal alien has a fake SSN and other documentation that can legitimately get him a job, then his employer takes payroll taxes out, right? So, does that illegal then file a tax return, or does he just say goodbye to those payroll taxes?

For the other stuff you bring up, apparently the US labor force has a place for many, many, many illegals. But the Feds don't have enough immigration slots allotted, apparently. There's probably 80% of these illegals from Latin America that are good folks, hold decent jobs, are decent citizens. How to identify the good from the bad? I see many states and localities are taking matters into their own hands by enacting laws that allow their own law-enforcement people to identify law-breaking illegals and then start the process of deportation that the Feds are supposed to then carry out.

One of the interesting proposals that was in the Immigration Bill that was rejected a couple months ago was that the children of immigrants born in the US did not become automatically US citizens. Correct me if I'm wrong. Therefore, if those kids turn out bad, then they get deported.

Another point I'll bring up is that the Fed Govt is so disfunctional, so inefficient, they can't keep track of who's a criminal alien. Hell, the FBI payed millions about five years ago (??) to have a computer system installed that purportedly would bring all the various databases into one super-database that would efficiently track that and many other criminal activities. It was totally worthless it turned out, had to be scrapped, and they're back at step one again.

I can see how people bought into GWB's vow that he would run the Fed Govt like a business, make it more efficient, etc., but it takes a long-term commitment to that.

So, I bring up a lot of questions, have few answers. I'd like to see a more efficient Fed Govt. Who among the candidates will be able to do that? A President has to be a leader, but also a superb administrator. A President needs superb administrators in his Cabinet also. This is why former state Governors have success in the Presidency, they know how to administrate already. They know people, they've had dealings with a lot of people in all walks of life already. Romney has tons of administrative ability, so does Bill Richardson. Hillary has less administrative ability, I guess, but she knows one hell of a lot of people that she can make a Cabinet of. Obama same deal as Hillary. Giuliani I don't care for regardless of his qualifications, I sense he's an unstable personality. Fred Thompson the same.

So, I don't know right now who of the candidates I like will take a leadership position on immigration or any other issue. They don't know what position to take either right now. With so many states trying to move their Primaries up to trump the other states, these politicians are being more politically correct. They're trying to ride a tightrope, trying to please a lot of people, trying to get a slice of every pie.

I'll see what it looks like next June.

[Cito Pelon]

I KNOW, Crush! Stop deifying corporations!

Simply set up an 800 number, and offer CASH REWARDS and anonymity to anybody reporting illegal hiring. Then, when the phone rings at INS Headquarters, the agents simply set up surprise raids! Make penalties fairly severe - and escalate the severity for second and third violations.

THE MARKET FOR ILLEGAL WORKERS WOULD DRY UP!

Buff, I don't buy into this much. The illegals that have good jobs are not the problem. It's the illegals that are bums/criminals that the Feds should be able to identify, corral, deport.

Our own homegrown bums/criminals should be deported also. Maybe we should buy a piece of Australia, name it Bumville, and drop them off there. Hell, it was good enough for the British to do. ;)