An immigration bill that tries really hard but looks really ugly

As a business/economics blogger I can understand the value of moving to a skills-based immigration quota, expanding that aspect of our immigration policy is important...but I was reading an interesting article on NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/us/24family.html

about how this law will seriously affect the family-oriented aspect of our immigration policy, and how this law is no help in this regard, and in fact hurting.

I mean is your point that by maintaining the status quo of a unwieldy bureaucracy that does not quickly and effectively respond to immigration requests, need to be fixed or that we need to focus on a skills-based immigration quotas over family-based quotas?.

I'm curious of your position - as a business/economic blogger, on the issue of how our businesses and economy can positively or negatively be impacting by a poor immigration policy - I'll leave the highlights on xenophobia and racism for another day.

I would think that improving and streamlining the bureaucracy is job number one, but, if our policy becomes one of skills-based immigration quotas over family-based, rather than equal footing, isn't there a risk we'll lose those immigrants with the valuable skills we seek, if they are unable to bring their nuclear family here. A far greater reason for them to stay and be more productive for our nation. Instead they'd eventually leave taking those valuable skills with them.

The only thing this bill is good for is splitting the GOP. Other than that, its a disaster -- unless you are an "owner."

The bill is designed to ensure that there are always far more people willing to work for the lowest wage possible than there are jobs. I mean, justin, lets say you could only work at Time for two years, then you had to completely abandon your field for two years, then you get to come back to.... someone else who now has YOUR old job at Time (who Time is paying less than he pays you.) Are you gonna say "hey, I'll work for less than him" or are you going to try and re-enter the job market filled with people who are happy to opine about economics for a living?

And except in a very few select fields (like nursing--and that could be fixed by raising wages and providing free education), there is no dearth of skilled employees. What there is is a whole bunch of skilled people overseas who are willing to do the jobs of skilled Americans at considerably lower wages. (The upside, of course, is that it may stauch the flow of skilled jobs overseas---but it makes no difference to an american worker if he can't get a job at decent wages because of "foreign competition" regardless of whether that competion is working abroad, or a legal alien.)

The Democrats in Congress should arrange it so that the maximum number of GOPers have to support this bill in the hopes of passage, then deny passage by one or two votes in one house, because we're far better off with what we have now and the chance to pass good legislation in 2008 with a Democrat in the White House than letting this pass and waiting another 20 years to deal with the problem this bill creates.

" isn't there a risk we'll lose those immigrants with the valuable skills we seek, if they are unable to bring their nuclear family here."

actually, from what I've read, the changes in the bill don't apply to the "nuclear family" (spouses and dependent children, i.e. the definition of the term used here) but to extended family (aunts, uncles, nephews, cousins), and adult brothers, sisters, and parents.

That being said, different cultures do have different definitions of what comprises the essential family unit, and making it harder to bring in what we consider "non-nuclear" family members could have an impact. Of course, since I think the idea of bringing in more "skilled labor" will have a deflationary impact on the wages of skilled American citizens, I opposed to the whole scheme. (I'd rather see tariffs instituted that reflect the difference in wages to save/increase American jobs.)

I can never comprehend the merits of an immigration policy that makes legal immigration more difficult and grants amnesty to illegals.

The deflationary impact on American wages is a natural consequence of the much touted globalization phenomenon. Just like goods and money can flow across nation boundaries, globalization ensures that labor will too. If Coke and GM have to sell in the developing world, the labor force from those parts of the world need to flow into the developed world, and there's no stopping that.

SECURING our borders are imperative for a secure America. We cannot be a symbol of freedom and liberty to the world, when we the citizens are prisoner to a treasonous government that threatens to chain us with the weight of involuntarily supporting criminals who flood across our borders.

If they stop the demand for cheap illegal labor by enforcing current employment laws and shutting down several major companies who employ illegals, the rest will take notice. As the jobs dry up, illegals will stop entering our country and those here will go home to Mexico when landlords can no longer rent to criminals without a heavy fine. Send them back (It is do-able)and enforcing law is the answer...NOT AMNESTY!

If this bill is past, it will be impossible to keep AMERICA from falling from the inside. If illegal aliens and insecure borders continue to exist, our infrastructure will crumble as literally as did the World Trade Center towers. Unfortunately, the victim of such a tragedy will not be only one city. It will be the entire NATION and all of her people.

As I see it, those who would give cause to this (BUSH, KENNEDY, BOXER, MCCAIN, CLINTON, OBAMA, KYL, CHAMBLISS ETC.) are no more patriots than those who buried those airplanes into one of the greatest symbols of American ideals.

MEXICAN AMNESTY ACTIVISTS HAVE A DIRECT LINE TO OUR TREASONOUS SENATORS!!!!! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE AGAINIST AMERICAN CITIZENS!!!!!

This bill is an outrage. It provides for:
(1) In-state-tuition, if you entered this country illegally.
(2) Citizenship for gangbangers by them indicating that they denounce gang affiliation.
(3) Financial assistance to Mexico, as an incentive for them to improve the status quo, and for them to encourage the retention of their population.
(4) When the U.S. initiates a background check on an illegal alien, and finds nothing within 24 hours, that alien is automatically given citizenship.
(5) The social security issue, I'm not clear on, but my understanding is that they receive it, eventhough they were here illegally.
Now, these are just some of the aspects that I'm aware of. If we pass this bill the sovreinty of this nation will be lost, when it is in conjunction with the SPP initiative. I mean where does this crap end. Already I can see illegal immigrants lining up for the next immigration bill.

There is SO much the American community doesn't know about that actually goes on behind the scenes.The illegal immigrants deserve just like the rest of us that our ancestors came in illegally on the Mayflower. If you look into history, the American indians were the only LEGAL americans.Another, history will tell you that yes Texas had the fight of the Alamo, but Mexico's crooked government SOLD New Mexico, Arizona, California to the USA with the people in it. SOOOOO even the Mexicans were here before the White people got here on the Mayflower.The white americans then went and brought athe black people aganist their will, chained up, one laying on top of another, urinating and feceating on each other. would not feed them, and many died due to the disease of urinating and feceating on each other and food. when they died they just threw the in the ocean. Not all illegals are MEXICAN... if you all read history there is more countries of hipanic descent than MEXICO. Not all hispanics are Mexican.There are illegals from China, Japan, Viet Nam, India, Pakistan, Africa, etc. as well.And you know as well as any othe American born and raised here. We take advantage of being American. All we want is a 8-5 job, off on Saturday and Sunday job. The hispanics bust there butt to have what they have.All they want is to work and feed their families. Hipsanics pay half of a house payment for thier houses, they pay cash for thier cars, they are given car tags, have to pay insurance on their cars, but aren't allowed a driver's license( STUPID!!! its a money making deal.. the govenment benefits from the HISPANICS). As far as Crooked Social Security Cards, the employer takes social security from their checks but these people can't claim it at the end of the year as we do. They do jobs we don't want, even our teenage kids don't want. And when they do construction, they work from sunrise to dark. Some have 2-3 jobs!!!! We are lazy Americans!!!! We have it made. We have a Social Security Card and a Driver's License, but we take it all for granted. We take the USA for GRANTED... then we want to complain???? We are all Immigrants...ALL of US... except the American Indians and the Mexicans that were alread here.Check HISTORY out before any comments, anger,and racisium.The Latinos are humilated, round up like dogs, chained up. Parents taken from their children, that aren't CRIMINALS!!! they are at work, busting their butts doing what we won't do, and hauled off like criminals. Check what color are the majority of the criminals... the molesters, the ones that butcher people and cut them up in peices, pronography to children, rapists,etc..... surprise if you do your statistics you will find it to be WHITE. So don't point the finger on the word CRIMINAL to Hispanic Illegals.The majority of them are just illegal...not all that is listed above. They came here just to work...what a crime!!!! and another thing you may not know is that they risk their lives to come to the country we take for granted, many die, but do you know that they come this way cuz to get a visa from their country they have to have a bank account, business, and a home. if they had all this why would they come here??? Yet the USA will give visas to the race that bombed the towers... those were not MEXICANS..OR HIPANIC BY ANY MEANS!!!And to bet you didn't know that there are MANY ILLEGALS IN IRAG right now... their has ALWAYS been illegals in the war... why not deport them as well??? Cause we use people to our own benefit. So all I ask is investigate before you talk. Go beyond the news, beyond being close minded, beyond a racist friend or family member, and get your knowledge. GOD BLESS YOU AND AMERICA.... BE GREATFUL WHERE YOU CAME FROM, AND GIVE OTHERS A CHANCE. LOVE THEY NEIGHBOR... what is the use of going to church every Sunday???