Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Andy Card Resigns; Immigration Issues
In a surprise announcement, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card has stepped down. He'll be replaced by budget director Joshua Bolten. Bush made the announcement March 28. No reason was given for Card's resignation, although some are speculating that the resignation is an effort to shake up the current White House staff and perhaps bolster Bush's super-low approval ratings. Interestingly enough, according to the Associated Press, Card gave a speech on March 27, the night before Bush announced Card's resignation, a speech in which he did not mention resigning his position.
From the AP:
"'When I heard this morning, (about the resignation) I said 'What?' Scott Owens, executive director of the Butler County GOP, said Tuesday. Card spoke to more than 600 people Monday night at the party's Lincoln Day dinner at the convention center in this Cincinnati suburb.
Owens said gave no indication of his resignation, which Bush said Tuesday he accepted over the weekend."
Now, on to the immigration issue. Or, rather the illegal immigration issue. Surprisingly, I find myself in support of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which approved legislation that clears the way for millions of undocumented workers to continue working in America and seek citizenship. The Senate also voted to strip out a house provision that would make it a felony to be in the United States illegally. The full Senate is expected to begin debate on the issue today (March 28).
I expect some right-wingers are fuming right now, as they'd like nothing more than to just deport the whole lot of illegal immigrants back to their countries of origin. Which makes no sense, really. Let's face it, illegal workers perform jobs that no one here legally would want to do. Some people argue that illegal workers take jobs away from the middle class, but I find that hard to believe. How many middle-class people are clamoring for jobs in custodial services, fast food, picking berries, or other forms of manual, unskilled labor? Sure, I'll bet there are some people who do not get the jobs because of the illegal immigrants, but I'd expect that number to be low.
The opponents to guest worker programs also say that illegal immigrants use up a lot of taxpayer dollars in social services. Well, they can only use those services if they have valid social security cards. Which leaves the use of emergency rooms for medical care and the children of illegals attending U.S. schools. Of course, what the opponents neglect to mention is that illegal workers do pay into the U.S. tax system, through payroll taxes, which cover Medicare and Social Security, to the tune of $7 billion a year. This is money the illegal immigrant will not get back, since they are unlikely (now) to become citizens and take advantage of retirement programs. Illegal workers are contributing to the local economy as well. So why get rid of them? Thankfully President Bush and the Senate Judiciary Committee recognize the contributions of illegal workers and are taking steps to allow them to continue to work in the U.S., all the while certain right-wing nutters are seething in anger over this turn of events. Good for them. Let them stew.
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In a surprise announcement, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card has stepped down. He'll be replaced by budget director Joshua Bolten. Bush made the announcement March 28. No reason was given for Card's resignation, although some are speculating that the resignation is an effort to shake up the current White House staff and perhaps bolster Bush's super-low approval ratings. Interestingly enough, according to the Associated Press, Card gave a speech on March 27, the night before Bush announced Card's resignation, a speech in which he did not mention resigning his position.
From the AP:
"'When I heard this morning, (about the resignation) I said 'What?' Scott Owens, executive director of the Butler County GOP, said Tuesday. Card spoke to more than 600 people Monday night at the party's Lincoln Day dinner at the convention center in this Cincinnati suburb.
Owens said gave no indication of his resignation, which Bush said Tuesday he accepted over the weekend."
Now, on to the immigration issue. Or, rather the illegal immigration issue. Surprisingly, I find myself in support of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which approved legislation that clears the way for millions of undocumented workers to continue working in America and seek citizenship. The Senate also voted to strip out a house provision that would make it a felony to be in the United States illegally. The full Senate is expected to begin debate on the issue today (March 28).
I expect some right-wingers are fuming right now, as they'd like nothing more than to just deport the whole lot of illegal immigrants back to their countries of origin. Which makes no sense, really. Let's face it, illegal workers perform jobs that no one here legally would want to do. Some people argue that illegal workers take jobs away from the middle class, but I find that hard to believe. How many middle-class people are clamoring for jobs in custodial services, fast food, picking berries, or other forms of manual, unskilled labor? Sure, I'll bet there are some people who do not get the jobs because of the illegal immigrants, but I'd expect that number to be low.
The opponents to guest worker programs also say that illegal immigrants use up a lot of taxpayer dollars in social services. Well, they can only use those services if they have valid social security cards. Which leaves the use of emergency rooms for medical care and the children of illegals attending U.S. schools. Of course, what the opponents neglect to mention is that illegal workers do pay into the U.S. tax system, through payroll taxes, which cover Medicare and Social Security, to the tune of $7 billion a year. This is money the illegal immigrant will not get back, since they are unlikely (now) to become citizens and take advantage of retirement programs. Illegal workers are contributing to the local economy as well. So why get rid of them? Thankfully President Bush and the Senate Judiciary Committee recognize the contributions of illegal workers and are taking steps to allow them to continue to work in the U.S., all the while certain right-wing nutters are seething in anger over this turn of events. Good for them. Let them stew.
