SENATE IMMIGRATION ( AMNESTY) BILL AND BORDER SECURITY - THE SUNDAY COMMENTARY
In an attempt to garner support from the Republican base and GOP Senators who are is strong opposition to the Senate Amnesty Bill President Bush on Friday proposed 4.4 billion dollars toward border security along the Mexican border as an amendment to the bill.
On the surface this proposal sounds good. After all those of us who are opposed to the Senate bill want border security addressed first and foremost, then the situation with illegal aliens addressed without amnesty. Also securing the Southern border is in our best national interest as it increases our protection against a possible infiltration from a terrorist entity.
The problem is that this proposal is nothing more than a smoke screen designed to get the base and GOP opposition on board a bad bill. First the 4.4 billion dollars that the President has proposed would come from fines and penalties that are established in the bill in question. Which means that the bill would first have to pass the Congress and be signed into law by the President and then all 12 plus million illegal aliens would have to step forward and register for the Z - VISA BEFORE THE MONEY COULD BE APPROPRIATED FOR BORDER SECURITY !
Second, just before the last election the Congress passed and funded through the Department of Homeland Security one billion dollars to build a 700 mile fence along the Southern border. A fence that has had ONLY TWO MILES completed and whose funding has amazingly vanished since passage. The President's proposal by the way calls for just over 300 miles of fence. So why are we to believe that any fence is going to be built in this bill since the first 700 miles was never completed ?
Lastly is the question of the legality of the funding. The Constitution states in Article 1, Section 7, "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills." Any appropriation of funds by Constitutional law originates in the House. Therefor the 4.4 billion in funding for border security is an empty proposal unless the House first decides to appropriate the money. This cannot originate from the Senate side of the Congress.
There has been a question circulating as to whether the fact that the money originates from fees and penalties which from a Constitutional stand point does not necessarily apply to House approval of funding first. This technicality still falls short of the Constitutional test since the use of the money is for a funding proposal for border security. Regardless of where the money originates it still must originate in the House before funds can be appropriated since it will be a budget item associated with revenue raising.
This Constitutional provision is how House Republicans plan to , "blue slip,"( which is nothing more than a form whose color happens to be blue), the bill if it passes the Senate to prevent it from passing the House. The , "blue slip, " move in the House stops the bill in its tracks because of the revenue raising provisions in the bill that are being pushed through by the Senate which is Constitutionally wrong!
Support from the American people for this bill range from high figures of only 22% to lows in the range of about 15%. The strong opposition of this bill is also having ripple effects against GOP Senators and Congressman who support the bill which could equate to the emergence of conservative candidates that can return the GOP to the conservative platform that gained the majority in 1994.
In my own State of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is under fire and his support in the state has dropped so drastically that a large number of County GOP Chairman are calling for the State GOP to find and back a candidate to defeat Graham in the primaries. Graham lost the conservatives in this State when he became a member of the, "gang of fourteen, " during the Supreme Court nominations. It was thought though that because of his backing and getting additional federal funding for a new interstate that is being built in the State that his re-election was secure.
His popularity has fallen so much because of the Senate Amnesty Bill and his co-sponsorship and support of it that there is concern that he cannot beat a Democrat challenger in 2008. During the recent GOP State convention he was actually run off the stage during a speech supporting the bill. The boos from the audience prevented him from completing his speech.
Stories like this are appearing in several States whose Senators and Congressman are supporting the Amnesty Bill. Even those in the GOP who have stood with the President on the war are abandoning him over amnesty. This bill is being pushed down the throats of the American people and frankly WE DON'T LIKE IT!
It is thought by those in the Senate who have revived this bill that , "We the People, " are no longer paying attention since we came out in a loud voice two weeks ago and pushed for this bill to be removed from the Senate floor. It is thought that before the July Fourth recess that they can quickly and quietly pass this amnesty bill without the people even realizing that it has been done.
Well much to their surprise, e-mails, phone calls and letters are pouring in at greater numbers than before crashing in boxes and message services. Senate Staffers are answering constituents at a record pace and the opposition is still pouring in. Many staffers have noted that they have never experience anger to the extent that it is showing in opposition to this bill.
GOOD ! Let's keep up the pressure. Our voice still counts in this country and those who seem to forget that they are answerable to the people especially in the Senate are going to learn through this bill that they are not an unchecked power who dictate to the people what is in our best interest. We the people know what is best for our nation and as long as the Constitution still stands and the elected representatives must face their constituents, WE WILL PREVAIL!
Ken Taylor
On the surface this proposal sounds good. After all those of us who are opposed to the Senate bill want border security addressed first and foremost, then the situation with illegal aliens addressed without amnesty. Also securing the Southern border is in our best national interest as it increases our protection against a possible infiltration from a terrorist entity.
The problem is that this proposal is nothing more than a smoke screen designed to get the base and GOP opposition on board a bad bill. First the 4.4 billion dollars that the President has proposed would come from fines and penalties that are established in the bill in question. Which means that the bill would first have to pass the Congress and be signed into law by the President and then all 12 plus million illegal aliens would have to step forward and register for the Z - VISA BEFORE THE MONEY COULD BE APPROPRIATED FOR BORDER SECURITY !
Second, just before the last election the Congress passed and funded through the Department of Homeland Security one billion dollars to build a 700 mile fence along the Southern border. A fence that has had ONLY TWO MILES completed and whose funding has amazingly vanished since passage. The President's proposal by the way calls for just over 300 miles of fence. So why are we to believe that any fence is going to be built in this bill since the first 700 miles was never completed ?
Lastly is the question of the legality of the funding. The Constitution states in Article 1, Section 7, "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills." Any appropriation of funds by Constitutional law originates in the House. Therefor the 4.4 billion in funding for border security is an empty proposal unless the House first decides to appropriate the money. This cannot originate from the Senate side of the Congress.
There has been a question circulating as to whether the fact that the money originates from fees and penalties which from a Constitutional stand point does not necessarily apply to House approval of funding first. This technicality still falls short of the Constitutional test since the use of the money is for a funding proposal for border security. Regardless of where the money originates it still must originate in the House before funds can be appropriated since it will be a budget item associated with revenue raising.
This Constitutional provision is how House Republicans plan to , "blue slip,"( which is nothing more than a form whose color happens to be blue), the bill if it passes the Senate to prevent it from passing the House. The , "blue slip, " move in the House stops the bill in its tracks because of the revenue raising provisions in the bill that are being pushed through by the Senate which is Constitutionally wrong!
Support from the American people for this bill range from high figures of only 22% to lows in the range of about 15%. The strong opposition of this bill is also having ripple effects against GOP Senators and Congressman who support the bill which could equate to the emergence of conservative candidates that can return the GOP to the conservative platform that gained the majority in 1994.
In my own State of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is under fire and his support in the state has dropped so drastically that a large number of County GOP Chairman are calling for the State GOP to find and back a candidate to defeat Graham in the primaries. Graham lost the conservatives in this State when he became a member of the, "gang of fourteen, " during the Supreme Court nominations. It was thought though that because of his backing and getting additional federal funding for a new interstate that is being built in the State that his re-election was secure.
His popularity has fallen so much because of the Senate Amnesty Bill and his co-sponsorship and support of it that there is concern that he cannot beat a Democrat challenger in 2008. During the recent GOP State convention he was actually run off the stage during a speech supporting the bill. The boos from the audience prevented him from completing his speech.
Stories like this are appearing in several States whose Senators and Congressman are supporting the Amnesty Bill. Even those in the GOP who have stood with the President on the war are abandoning him over amnesty. This bill is being pushed down the throats of the American people and frankly WE DON'T LIKE IT!
It is thought by those in the Senate who have revived this bill that , "We the People, " are no longer paying attention since we came out in a loud voice two weeks ago and pushed for this bill to be removed from the Senate floor. It is thought that before the July Fourth recess that they can quickly and quietly pass this amnesty bill without the people even realizing that it has been done.
Well much to their surprise, e-mails, phone calls and letters are pouring in at greater numbers than before crashing in boxes and message services. Senate Staffers are answering constituents at a record pace and the opposition is still pouring in. Many staffers have noted that they have never experience anger to the extent that it is showing in opposition to this bill.
GOOD ! Let's keep up the pressure. Our voice still counts in this country and those who seem to forget that they are answerable to the people especially in the Senate are going to learn through this bill that they are not an unchecked power who dictate to the people what is in our best interest. We the people know what is best for our nation and as long as the Constitution still stands and the elected representatives must face their constituents, WE WILL PREVAIL!
Ken Taylor
posted by The Liberal Lie The Conservative Truth | 10:09 AM
4 Comments:
"WE WILL PREVAIL!" I sure hope so, Ken. While this bill is being argued over, revised and such, only God Himself knows how many illegals are crossing into this country in the meantime. I'm afraid this is like shutting the barn door after the horses have escaped. *sigh*
They are trying to bail water out of a boat that hasn't had the hole plugged.
We dont need another bill!
Let's enforce the law already on the books!
Where's the friggen fence?
I have always been suspect of the Senate and the handling of the so called immigration problem.
First why was it discussed behind closed doors.
Second , why was the securing of the border combined with dealing with the 12 million illegal aliens into the same session/bill.
If the Senate had first passed a bill to fund the closing of the border, we would have it in progress by now.
It would have been political suicide to vote against the securing of the border, even if you didn’t want it closed down.
Only by combining it with what to do with the 12 million already here, creates a problem with passage, due to the complexity of illegal immigration.
The major reason we have 12 million illegal immigrates here, is because we want them here and let them in. (at least some do).
I understood that a fence would cost 4.4 billion dollars, which works out to $437.00 per foot (the border being 1951 miles long).
As an Architect I can tell you that is one hell of a fence.
The bill in my humble opinion was eye wash and was never intended to pass.
The real problem we have in this country is not deportation or amnesty of a bunch of Mexicans, but rather a Government that can’t or will not hold up its first responsibility, which is defending its borders.
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