Topic : News, Politics and Current Events

I was wondering what are peoples main issues when they are looking at a candidate?

I have to say mine is illegal immigration.  It is truly scary that lack of knowledge people have on the subject and how poorly it is being covered by the newspapers.  I can not tell you how tired I am reading about how we dont want immigrants in the USA.  There is a huge difference between someone who comes here legally and ones that dont.

It also amazes me that lack of coverage on how much having illegals in the US cost the citizens/ LPRs of this country.  On average we are looking at between 2-5 billion dollars a year.  If we actually fix one issue, such as this, can you imagine how much money we could actually save and other issues can be helped too.

Not to mention how scary that we dont know who actually is in the US.  I was recently home and my mom was telling me about how this woman from Afghanistan came over to the US, became an overstay (hence illegal), ended up paying someone to marry her, to be legal in the US.  She was highly seek-ed out by both the FBI and CIA because of where she was from.  What happened is that she actually was sending secrets back to Afghanistan.  She of course is going to trial and most likely will be convicted.  Also, one of the people that flew into the Trade Towers started out as an illegal and then got a student visa. 

It is really scary that people just dont care about this issue.

Main issues?  I'm not sure I can point to any one issue but big ones for me are the environment, cleaning up the mess in Iraq (I don't how at this point we can pull out completely immediately), the economy and getting back on track financially (huge deficit needs to be cleaned up).

I wonder if immigration issues are covered more in border states.  I don't live in one but you are right, we hear very little in the press.  Our current situation needs to be fixed in my opinion.  If we allow those who are here illegally to become citizens it seems to be a huge slap in the face of those who have been going about it the right way.  I'm am not anti-immigrant but do feel that rules need to be followed and to award citizenship to those who went about it illegally is wrong.  Maybe the rules need to be changed, maybe not.  If you have any links to articles which address this issue I would be interested in reading.

We are a country of immigrants, at one time or another (unless you are a Native American) a member of our family tree was an immigrant.  I believe that they are important to our country but we do need much better control of our borders.

I'm not sure that people don't care about the issue as much as the fact that the press would rather make issue about really important stuff like Hillary tearing up and how Rudy's Florida strategy (heavy on the sarcasm).  I personally want to know more about the issues and less about the petty crap that goes on.   

Main issues?  I'm not sure I can point to any one issue but big ones for me are the environment, cleaning up the mess in Iraq (I don't how at this point we can pull out completely immediately), the economy and getting back on track financially (huge deficit needs to be cleaned up).

I wonder if immigration issues are covered more in border states.  I don't live in one but you are right, we hear very little in the press.  Our current situation needs to be fixed in my opinion.  If we allow those who are here illegally to become citizens it seems to be a huge slap in the face of those who have been going about it the right way.  I'm am not anti-immigrant but do feel that rules need to be followed and to award citizenship to those who went about it illegally is wrong.  Maybe the rules need to be changed, maybe not.  If you have any links to articles which address this issue I would be interested in reading.

We are a country of immigrants, at one time or another (unless you are a Native American) a member of our family tree was an immigrant.  I believe that they are important to our country but we do need much better control of our borders.

I'm not sure that people don't care about the issue as much as the fact that the press would rather make issue about really important stuff like Hillary tearing up and how Rudy's Florida strategy (heavy on the sarcasm).  I personally want to know more about the issues and less about the petty crap that goes on.   

Funny you should mention this issue.

Is it an issue that concerns me? I live in FLORIDA;  absolutelyl!!. Floridians (and Californians, Texans, et al.) were dealing with it long before it was making news in the rest of the country. Do I think any of the proposed solutions from either side of the aisle will do much? I doubt it highly. The presence of 12 million (give or take a couple million) "undocumented workers", "illegal aliens," or whatever term one chooses to apply did not happen overnight. The last "solution", roughly 20 years ago, does not seem to have improved matters much, either. Even though the post 9-11 stakes are higher (or one would think), it is unclear to me that any of the proposed solutions would really address the legitimate concerns you discuss about folks with ill intentions overstaying their visas. So I am a tad cynical, rather than apathetic, about "reform."

The really sad thing is that those who do attempt to play by the rules often get screwed. I have seen this first-hand among highly educated and skilled former colleagues. 

From your post history, as well as your current message, I take it you have more of an interest than the average layperson?

Prof

Dealing with it, I see a solution but no one really wants to take a stand and do something.  For example here are some of the things that must happen.

1.  Penalize employers that hire illegals.  Such as 1000 dollars for each person that is not legal.

2.  Our borders have to be strengthen, whether that means more people or a fence, dont know.  Did you know that the Mexican Government and Police actually shoot at Border Patrol and come into the US with different kinds of machine guns.  Nice I know.

3.  Start deporting all convicted people.  With strengthen borders it will be hard for them to come back in, if ever.

4.  The people that are in the US, they get nothing or they have to pay out of pocket, no health care, no schooling, no housing etc, nothing.

5.  Change the Constitution that no longer allows people born in the US to be USCs.  We are the only country that still does that.

6.  Have everyone on the same page, meaning Federal, State and Local government.

7. Penalize people that are involved in marriage fraud.  There is an actually amount, but it usually is never enforced.

8.  No more TPS, Refugees or Asylums.  I enjoy when people fear for their life going back to their home country and then once become an LPR they head right back home.  It is a joke.

These are just a few things that need to change.

Also, there are only 250,000 employment based visas and you would be shocked to see the amount that goes to people as fast food cooks.  Really you can not find anyone in the US to do that?!?! 

Most of these things are already on the books in one form or another, nor are they unreasonable. In fact,  enforcing what's on the books is an excellent place to start, IMO, before additional clumsy "solutions" are enacted. The folks who would scream at that prospect are those who are profiting from the current lax enforcement of existing statutes! Natch, they have the lobbying power.

Is #5 correct as written? I'm not sure what you mean by this. Also, please explain your abbreviations/acronyms, as most of the rest of us have no idea about the references. Thanks.

Re your last paragraph, if that is true, I find it disgusting. We struggle to get Ph.D. level biomedical scientists, physicists, etc. into our research labs (US-born kids are NOT going into these fields in great numbers, and have not for decades), but we give H-1Bs to burger-flippers??!!? AARGH.

Prof

I should have phrased that better.  As long as you, parent, are a USC/LPR, child is one.  I was talking about people that go on a plane 9 months pregnant to have the child here because they know that the hospitals can not send them away.  Once the child is born here, they stay forever.  Also, the so called midwives that give birth in the middle of the desert.  Can not prove either way.

Hi, Loretta,

Now that I've gotten my immigration soliloquy done, I can address the first question of the original post.

I don't have any "one litmus test" issue, either. I'd say the environment and economic issues are big ones for me. Like you, I don't see how we could pull the troops out of Iraq anytime soon; IMO, we are looking at a time frame of decades. None of the candidates has all the "perfect solutions" that I would like to see; I crossed my fingers & hoped for the best when I cast my ballot the other day.

I thought I was the only one SICK of hearing about Hillary's lacrimating! LOL

One thing I should clsrify from my last post -- I do think a border fence would be an excellent place to begin. It can't be a total solution, but it would be a start to gaining some semblance of control of the border.

Prof

Hi Prof,

Well I can now say thank you to the state of Florida for sending Rudy packing.  I'm still trying to forgive you all for 2000 but I digress ;) just joking btw.  Back to Rudy, when I was a resident of New York he drove me nuts, I could not have handled 4 years of dear Rudy.

None of the candidates are my ideal either.  Since I can only vote in the Democratic primary I have Hillary and Obama to choose between.  There are some things that I agree and disagree with both of them, I have changed my mind almost daily.  Today Obama is looking good though.