the cheese stands alone

I agree totally. I'm tired of the schools being overrun with kids who don't speak english, utitilizing resources our kids don't get, adults utitilizing social services we can't get, and our government giving them free rein. Send them the hell back, reinstitute the quota system that worked for years, buff up the borders and let's do for ourselves before we do for everyone else for a change!

This is only formalizing what is already a fact on the ground. Most importantly, by allowing them some sort of legal status, we gain the ability to tax their wages, ensuring they don't get the "free ride" they most definitely are enjoying with their illegal status.

A-fuckin'-men, LeeAnn!

If you only knew how many times I've given meds to women and children who are here illegally...knowing full well that they aren't paying a dime for the medical care themselves and knowing full well that they're getting care instead of someone who is here legally...like our own citizens.

Now, I'm not saying we should deny ANYONE medical care. I'm saying we should think about what resources we have available for our families and what we don't have available because we give it away to people who are freeloading (legal or not.)

I'm tired of not having money available for kids who are born with life-threatening conditions or for people who are trying to get solid footing in life and are willing to work because we've given away everything in our collective pantry to people coming here looking for a damn handout.

In my view, this is a horible idea. It is fanciful to think that people who came here in violation of our laws will surrender their permits upon the expiration of their temporary status and willfully return from whence they came.

In addition, as others have mentioned, this plan does not factor in the increased burden on the states to provide social, educational, medical and other services to these people.

This also amounts to a tacit admission that we cannot control who enters and remains in this country, which is downright frightening nowadays.

The fact that Dubya would so willingly alienate EVERYONE that disagrees with this policy for the sake of garnering Hispanic votes in November pisses me off more than anything else. It doesn't seem to be a well-thought out policy by any stretch, and contrary to popular belief, it's not just conservative republicans who feel that way.

Essentially (and at best) all this policy is doing is putting a tangible number on the amount of people that we already suspect are here.

Don't major decisions like this usually require referendum? Screw that, it's not like we get asked anything about how WE as CITIZENS would desire our quality of life to be.

Stand back folks, the floodgate's about to bust open.

I'm trying to figure out what he gains by this. He's made his regular constituency angry enough to start thinking of dumping him. And the people he's made happy - the "undocumented" immigrants - supposedly can't vote! So, where's the pay off? There must be something driving this.

That's all I'm going to say because what he's doing makes me so angry I can't even begin to put it into words. Even if I used every single 4 letter word out there - multiple times - it wouldn't cover the issue.

All of you: Excellent points all. The more of you I read, the smarter I get. :) And here's another point I picked up somewhere... it's rather like a slap in the face to those who did follow the rules and make it through the process, only to have the bad 'uns get rewarded for managing not to get caught.
It's all seriously disappointing, considering the Democrats have nothing to offer and now the Republicans are doing this. Sad sad sad.

Please go to Numbers USA to write to congress and President Bush to let them know how you feel about this!!!!!

This is really but one example of Dubya nonsense. Another of a long line of proclamations that States must comply with that are not Federally funded, meaning States must raise the money to enact these... So, the Republicans don't raise taxes the way Democrats do... they just pass them on to the States... and of course Republicans aren't spend crazy... unless it's for something they want - something worth going into deficit over.

I'm not a Democrat or a Republican. I'm an illegal alien that's only here to do the work Americans won't... I'm a web designer scratching by on only $65 and hour... but the free health benefit I'm provided by way of my illegal status helps some. Without it my prescriptions would be over 3 thousand dollars (US) a month!! Thank you President Bush Jr, hell if I could vote for you I would!

One democrat who looks rather good, when away from the Democratic debates where he can't get much of a word of his own in edgewise is Edwards, who comes very close to the expressions of you and your readers. The alien invasion is but one thingy of a lot of thingys that are making America... perhaps not as you would expect America to be.
Here's a speech he made that I think makes a lot of sense.

rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/c04/c04010304_edwards.rm

but what do I know I'm an illegal alien.

LeeAnn,

I agree with you. I don't know what on earth Bush thinks he is doing. I think immigration should be much more tightly controlled, and just proclaiming that illegal aliens are now legal, just doesn't do it for me.

LeeAnn - can we have Bob deported? I'm tired of paying for his health care.

Teresa- Problem is with Bob, we don't have to funds to return him to his planet of origin. :)

I am shocked by all the negative reaction to this. If you're against the proposal you have nothing to worry about. With mean-spirited Conservatism on one side and rabid Leftist Bush-hating on the other side it doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

I was as shocked as you were, LeeAnn. I grew up in a border town but I also worked (in another state) for Immigration attorneys.

Maybe the plan is to tax the hell out of 'em.

From where I sit, it would seem that illegals are ALREADY bleeding this country's resources. Just ask any teacher who's had to be bilingual to get a job teaching first-graders.

Yes, it's a slap in the face to legal immigrants but I know for a fact that if we built a great wall between the U.S. and Mexico there would still be several thousand illegals killed on the Border Highway in El Paso every year -- all going to work in the morning.

I don't know any of the answers -- but something has to change.

Okay - I talked to a friend of mine who is a legal immigrant from China. He's all for this, as I apparently got the wrong end of the stick and they are just going to give them temporary work visas or something of the sort. I thought it was more than that.

Anyhow, he said that even though he had to jump through all the hoops to get here and live here, he thinks this makes better sense for the economy than to either ignore them or try to deport them. I guess if it means they might actually start paying into the system, rather than me supporting them... I don't know. I better go read some more and see if my friend is right.

BTW - I still want to deport Bob and yes Lynn I'm really a meanie when it comes to having to try and support the entire illegal population on my salary. Sorry bout that - just the stingy sort I guess (working really hard for every penny you have will do that to you)