What happened to Republican values today?

[hkem1]

I want to ask you to think back to your 18th birthday. Were you, as I am, anxiously waiting to go off to college? Or were you ready to sacrifice your life for the country you have loved your entire life by serving in the military? Or maybe were you just ready to take a job and contribute to our society?


Well, on your 18th birthday your parents sit you down and tell you that you will not be able to do any of these things because you find out that your parents brought you to this country when you were six months old. There is no way you ever could have known that you were in this country illegally and you have grown up only and will only ever be a true American.

What happened Senator McCain? You co-sponsored a much more liberal version of the DREAM Act in 2003 and 2005, but now you lead the pack to stop it.

Senate Republicans insulted Republican values today by filibustering this commonsense piece of legislation.

I thought that these were Republican values but based on the actions of the U.S. senate today, I am having to question them.

• 
  [*]Every person is responsible for his/her own sucess.
  
  It is completely antithetical to the value of personal responsibility to assert that a child should be punished for a parents action. The current version of the DREAM Act would not allow new citizens to petition to have their family become citizens as other new citizens can, so it should not worry people that this will open the flood gates for illegal immigration.
  
  These students have worked every bit and in some cases harder than I have through their lives; yet I get rewarded with the privilege of college while they don't. Repulicans are supposed to stand up for people having control over their own livelihoods but the vote today shows Republicans in direct opposition to that. [/INDENT]
  
  
  [*]The 10th amendment
  
  A lie that has been spread throughout the country is that the DREAM Act would give in state tuition to illegal immigrants. People have criticized that because it is an infringement on the tenth amendment.
  
  What these people fail to realize though is that this bill does not give in state tuition to illegals, but rather reaffirms the 10th Amendment.
  
  The DREAM Act would repeal the portion of the 1996 immigration reform bill that made it illegal for states to give tuition benefits to illegals unless those same benefits were available to all citizens.
  
  While I support the idea that illegals should not be given tuition subsidies, I think it was an overreach by Washington to boss the states around about what they can and cannot do with public education in their state.
  
  [*]A strong military
  
  Why would we turn down people who want to serve our country in the military? That is why both the Defense Department and the Pentagon support the DREAM act as a way to meet recruitment goals. Republicans are supposed to favor a strong military. So what happened? [/INDENT]
  
  [*]Competition in the economy
  
  A terrible reason I often hear from critics of the DREAM Act is that we need to save American jobs for Americans. The Republicans are supposed to be the party that believes that competition will yield a better result. Then why are we using affirmative action like thinking to say that companies should hire Americans? We should make Americans the best workers in the world, and maybe they are, but if not companies should hire the best workers available to improve the economy.
  

 

[Geo]

The sabotage of the Republican party began years back. Wedge social issues were brought to the forefront by the religious right and fiscal conservativatism was forgotten.

Today too many members of the GOP believe that the answer to mounting American dissatisfaction and suffering resulting from high unemployment, the bursting of the housing bubble, out of control spending, etc. is to veer to the right in ideology.

I look forward to the day when the Republican Party wakes up and replaces John McCain with Meghan McCain rather than Sarah Palin.

 

[idlewind]

The Republicans opposed this bill because it was 1. political grandstanding by the Democrats; 2. The issue should be part of a comprehensive immigration reform bill and ; 3. such a bill must include finally securing our borders and implementing a strategy to combat the drug cartels on the border.

Bills with widespread ramifications should be thoroughly debated in a thoughtful manner, not thrown together at the last minute of a lame duck session.

 

[hkem1]

The Republicans opposed this bill because it was 1. political grandstanding by the Democrats; 2. The issue should be part of a comprehensive immigration reform bill and ; 3. such a bill must include finally securing our borders and implementing a strategy to combat the drug cartels on the border.

The Republicans said the DREAM Act should be stand alone bill back when it was coupled with the defense bill and DADT. So they can't really use that excuse anymore.

Secondly, anyone who thinks we are anywhere near meaningful immigration reform in this political climate needs to needs to have his/her head examined. But the beauty of the DREAM act is that it has actually been a bipartisan effort throughout most of the decade.

Bills with widespread ramifications should be thoroughly debated in a thoughtful manner, not thrown together at the last minute of a lame duck session.

The Republicans said the DREAM Act should be stand alone bill back when it was coupled with the defense bill and DADT. So they can't really use that excuse anymore.

This bill has been around for most of the past decade. There have been many rewrites and small changes but most of them have narrowed the effect of the bill not widened it. To say that it was thrown together at the end of a lame duck session is kind of rediculous.

Senator McCain and Senator Hatch spent most of the past decade trying to get the DREAM act passsed; then the opportunity comes and they lead the fight to destroy it???

 

[30ashopper]

Hmm, the secure our borders line is getting old. I wish republicans would be a little more forward thinking on immigration, it will hurt them over the long run. It should be noted though that the vote fell short by five, which just happens to be the number of democrats who voted against. Maybe Mr. Reid should have done a better job of getting his ducks in a row?

Question: If this has been around for so long and is popular, why hasn't it passed yet?

 

[hkem1]

Hmm, the secure our borders line is getting old. I wish republicans would be a little more forward thinking on immigration, it will hurt them over the long run. It should be noted though that the vote fell short by five, which just happens to be the number of democrats who voted against. Maybe Mr. Reid should have done a better job of getting his ducks in a row?

Question: If this has been around for so long and is popular, why hasn't it passed yet?

I did not mean to say it was popular. But it has been around for a while.

It was first introduced in the senate in 2001 and a few things about it have definitely been changed. It has always had both Republican and Democrat co-sponsors though.

 

[Geo]

Hmm, the secure our borders line is getting old. I wish republicans would be a little more forward thinking on immigration, it will hurt them over the long run. It should be noted though that the vote fell short by five, which just happens to be the number of democrats who voted against. Maybe Mr. Reid should have done a better job of getting his ducks in a row?

Great post. Thank you for being real here and not responding with partisan talking points.

 

[Geo]

The Republicans opposed this bill because it was 1. political grandstanding by the Democrats; 2. The issue should be part of a comprehensive immigration reform bill and ; 3. such a bill must include finally securing our borders and implementing a strategy to combat the drug cartels on the border.

Bills with widespread ramifications should be thoroughly debated in a thoughtful manner, not thrown together at the last minute of a lame duck session.

Regarding 1- If the Republicans say no to something good that they originally came up with and the dems call them on it then it isn't grandstanding.

Regarding 2- Comprehensive reform is a fantasy in this political climate. And Republicans were the ones who requested for this to stand alone.

Regarding 3- Why does something like this need to wait on secure borders and a plan for addressing drug violence? So that your team never has to approve it?

 

[idlewind]

Regarding 1- If the Republicans say no to something good that they originally came up with and the dems call them on it then it isn't grandstanding.

Regarding 2- Comprehensive reform is a fantasy in this political climate. And Republicans were the ones who requested for this to stand alone.

Regarding 3- Why does something like this need to wait on secure borders and a plan for addressing drug violence? So that your team never has to approve it?

This is the position of Senator Lindsey Graham:


WASHINGTON ? U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on the DREAM Act in the Senate.

?Illegal immigration is a nightmare for America. Giving a pathway to citizenship without first securing the border is an inducement to encourage more illegal immigration. This is nothing more than a political game by the Democrats to try and drive a wedge between the Hispanic community and Republicans.

?Today?s cynical vote on the DREAM Act, along with a series of other votes, convinces me that the Democratic leadership in the Senate does not get the message from the last election. They care more about politics than policy in a variety of areas, including illegal immigration.?

 

[hkem1]

This is the position of Senator Lindsey Graham:


WASHINGTON ? U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on the DREAM Act in the Senate.

?Illegal immigration is a nightmare for America. Giving a pathway to citizenship without first securing the border is an inducement to encourage more illegal immigration. This is nothing more than a political game by the Democrats to try and drive a wedge between the Hispanic community and Republicans.

?Today?s cynical vote on the DREAM Act, along with a series of other votes, convinces me that the Democratic leadership in the Senate does not get the message from the last election. They care more about politics than policy in a variety of areas, including illegal immigration.?

Well, Mr. Graham needs to review his own voting record if that is truly how he feels on the topic.

Did he not think that his vote in 2006 to allow illegal immigrants to participate in social security was "an inducement to encourage more illegal immigration"?