Hes to announce this tonight as a gimme to the extreme right wing. 6000+ troops.

Problem is that it sends the wrong message when you militarize your borders after cutting 900+ border agents to pay for tax cuts over the past few years. Did I mention that its going to be hard finding enough troops for this...as theyre already overextended in Iraq? Good golly, what folly!

Of course hes not going to enforce labor laws and piss off his corporate cronies in the meatpacking and agribusiness sectors.

Soon to come: flag burning amendments, more talk about criminalizing same sex whatnot, laws to protect the rights of the "persecuted" conservative Christians, and bills to protect the family through hate! Weee! Hes desperate and grasping at straws. Makes me want a concrete cellar to hide in.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14586069.htm

Im wondering how cities like LA and San Francisco would survive without Mexico...  Just about every person working in the service industry seems to be mexican with limited English but fluent Spanish...

Quote from: SteveFIm wondering how cities like LA and San Francisco would survive without Mexico...  Just about every person working in the service industry seems to be mexican with limited English but fluent Spanish...

San Fransico would manage just fine, as theyve enacted a locally enforced living wage. So if Mexican-Americans didnt take service jobs, other Americans would be glad to fill the positions--as the pay is fair.

The problem would lay in agribusiness which is wholly dependent on an illegal workforce, while D.C. just looks away.

Hotels and restaurants would manage fine, theyd just have to raise wages and pay their CEOs less lavishly. Prices would rise slightly.

America needs a steady stream of immigrants, but it doesnt need cheap illegal labor--its just addicted to the profit such labor provides. Its like having an indentured or semi-slave class.

Meant to look like a big action but considering the amount of border they have the troops wont go far at all.

Then again what do they do with the Mexicans? Throw them back across and let them have another go the next night?

Quote from: maximusotterAmerica needs a steady stream of immigrants, but it doesnt need cheap illegal labor--its just addicted to the profit such labor provides. Its like having an indentured or semi-slave class.

exactly - tbh.. the current situation is a bit of a half measure - they need to either sort out the border control and allow the current 11million illegals to become bona fida US citizens - or simply allow a lot more mexicans passes/green cards etc.. to work in the US for x ammount of years & make sure they are paid fairly.

Over here there doesnt seem to be much problem with all the eastern europeans who (thanks to poland & the like joining the EU) are entitled to come and live here and work.

Quote from: Dave

Quote from: maximusotterAmerica needs a steady stream of immigrants, but it doesnt need cheap illegal labor--its just addicted to the profit such labor provides. Its like having an indentured or semi-slave class.

exactly - tbh.. the current situation is a bit of a half measure - they need to either sort out the border control and allow the current 11million illegals to become bona fida US citizens - or simply allow a lot more mexicans passes/green cards etc.. to work in the US for x ammount of years & make sure they are paid fairly.

Bush mentioned a guest worker program tonight, which Im wholly against, as its ripe for exploitation.

He did say that he wants to give a great majority of the illegals that have established families here a chance to get on the citizenship path. This would require paying substantial fines, then jumping through a few hurdles such as learning English. Quite sane, tbh, theres no other option, as a lot of the people that have been here for years are good neighbors with small businesses and the like.

He called for some sort of biometric national ID, which made me howl. Im certainly for a forgery resistant national ID of some sort--so Im with the asshat on this one, but its gonna just piss off his base. He he.

So he gave the Minute Men supporters a gimme with the National Guard, which as Serious commented, wont do jack sh*t to secure the border, but he did more damage to his hysterical base with a rational call for a semi-amnesty and better ID systems.

The most shocking thing about the speech this evening is that he came across as almost presidential for the first time in recent memory. Now I despise the guy, but Im not going to look a gift moment of semi-clarity in the mouth. ;-)

BBC report on it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4774639.stm

Video of Bushs speech.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_4770000/newsid_4775000/bb_rm_4775027.stm

the guy obviously has a better puppet operator. perhaps jim henson is involved somewhere....
dear god. using national guard as border police. can you LOLZ what it is yet.

pretty darn funny if you ask me. enough for a ROFL harris tbh