Albany's Insanity

No, it’s not unlimited debate that we wanted… We wanted the details of a Bill that had more loop holes in it than swiss cheese. If the Dem majority and the globalists like Pres. Bush had their way we would have no borders.

They came here legally, and really enjoyed being here. They came on seasonal work visas. Why don’t we still do it like that is my question. Why is it that our reps like our senators think it’s ok to come here illegally and then just stay. It’s an upside down world.

Schumer And Clinton On Immigration Reform

The NYS Farm Bureau is first out of the gate today in weighing in on the US Senate’s shut down of the immigration reform debate and they were quick to congratulate Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer on their pro-immigration, but ultimately losing votes.“New York’s farmers are hugely disappointed that the senate has once again failed to act on the ongoing immigration crisis,’’ said Farm Bureau spokeswoman Julie Suarez. ‘’Fortunately, our senators here in New York are well versed on the importance of immigration reform as it relates to agriculture.’’Schumer and Clinton both voted for cloture on the bill that would allow a legal path to citizenship for selected illegal immigrants. That means they wanted to end debate and move the question to a vote.

Rest at link

This article is a great review of the importance of citizen involvement in the politics of today. We can still guide this country in the direction it needs to stay as long as we get involved. Sure some Senators like Clinton and Schumer our own reps will continue to ignore us on these issues, but there are the ones that will. It should never have been allowed to get to this point of us getting as mad as hell and refusing to take it anymore. We all should be diligent in the agenda of Washington DC and the politicians that have no clue any longer as to what life is really like on the streets of the US.. Like Louise Slaughter, she could care less about the district that she is supposed to represent, she cares only about what goes on in DC…and she is my congress critter.

Who do you think is rebuilding New Orleans, Mississippi, Florida and Texas after Katrina?

The Incredible Importance of Today’s Senate Vote
(Hint: It’s Not Really About Immigration!)

MindBender26

The Washington political bloc and national news analysts are missing the tremendous significance of today’s immigration bill vote in the Senate. It’s not just about one distasteful potential law. For the first time in a decade, perhaps for the first time since HillaryCare died a prolonged death, Americans have told Washington that it’s our country; that does not belong to the well-connected or well-financed special interests.

Outside the Beltway the dislike for the immigration bill was almost universal. In the past, public aversion for proposed legislation has been marshaled by groups opposed to it. When HillaryCare was proposed, the AMA, the insurance lobby and others organized and paid for expensive media campaigns to fight it. As a result of the onslaught of TV spots and full page newspaper advertisements, the Capitol Hill switchboards were flooded with negative phone calls. America didn’t want HillaryCare, and it died just as surely as a corpse with a three hour duration flat line EKG.

The immigration issue was different. There was no massive paid media campaign against it. Coverage from the mainstream news media was overwhelmingly favorable, even laudatory. But despite the incredible efforts by the media and Washington’s most powerful, it went down to a crashing defeat. In the end, the Senators listened to the overwhelming message of the phone calls, read the tea leaves, and voted against the bill.

But how was so much negative public attention focused on the bill when there was little if any organized opposition against it?

The answer lies in how America and information sharing have changed. 20 years ago, we all received our daily news briefings from men who lived within 50 miles of each other. Regardless of whether it was NBC, ABC, CBS or the New York Times, the thought leaders of those media all came from the same clique. They partied together, worked in close proximity of each other and it was a rare man (yes, they were all men back then) among them who dared to think differently. They were all liberal lemmings, all committed to following each other over the cliff of rationality to promote their own personal liberal agendas.

But now it’s different. Listener-driven talk radio and the broad spectrum of vox populi called the internet let millions of Americans share their feelings that this bill was simply wrong. It wasn’t so much a liberal idea against a conservative idea or a Republican program versus a Democratic one; this bill simply rang wrong for most Americans. It was if a hundred million Howard Beales were all shouting at the Washington Beltway Brethren, “I’m Mad As Hell and I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore!”

Those Washington insiders will spend the next few weeks trying to discern what this all means. They will end up patting each other on the back reassuringly and blame it all on a citizens’ temper tantrum… and they will be wrong. America relearned this week that we can drive politics and policies. If the Washington Elite ever understood that Right-Wing talk radio is not about Rush, Sean or Savage; but it’s really about the tens of millions who have been awakened by their programs, they could comprehend this groundswell of new public empowerment. But they will not. Just as Nero fiddled as Rome burned, the oh-so-self- important Washingtonians will fiddle faddle as America turns.

The bottom line: This could be as significant as the Reagan election of 1980 and the Gingrich-inspired, midterm election of 1994. It’s not significant because it put new national leadership in place, but, like the Reagan and 1994 Clinton-rejecting elections, it shows we are empowered to take our country back. This was not a First Tuesday in November when everyone’s attention is focused on elections. It was just slow week in June when we all said; “Enough is enough.” We didn’t need news coverage of an important election to get us involved. We knew right from wrong and had the communications tools, the internet and talk radio, to get us organized.

Prediction: This is horrible long-term news for Washington insiders depending on their status to win them votes in 2008. It’s very bad for Hillary, and very good for Fred Thompson. Today proved that Americans know right from wrong and we care enough to do something about it. As I said, that’s very bad news for Hillary.

Here we are in the midst of a battle with Congress for the Heart and Soul of America and Spitzer throws this into the middle of what is turning into an inferno. What are they thinking, not just spitzer, all of them.

Where are we now as a Nation? Where will we be as a Nation in 10 years?

“When governments fear the people there is liberty
When people fear the government, there is tyranny”….
-Thomas Jefferson

Rep. Reynolds warns Spitzer on allowing illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses

Reynolds says plan could derail use of ‘enhanced’ licenses for border crossing

Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer’s desire to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants could derail a plan to use enhanced licenses instead of passports as acceptable documents at the U.S.-Canada border, Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds warned Tuesday.

Though the Clarence Republican described himself as heartened by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff’s declaration Monday in Buffalo that he is open to an enhanced driver’s license for border crossings, Reynolds said he fears Spitzer’s campaign promise to extend driving privileges to those in the country illegally would justify the federal government’s original plan to require passports at the border.

“I’m just afraid the governor’s public comments will give [Homeland Security] an excuse to deny New York’s eligibility,” Reynolds said.

As a result, he sent a letter to Spitzer asking him to reconsider his position on licenses for illegal immigrants.

“I strongly urge you to develop minimum standards for all U.S. citizens to be eligible for a driver’s license which would meet thresholds for such IDs set forth by both DHS and the State Department,” Reynolds wrote. “Unfortunately, these two bureaucracies have been unable to develop a plan that is simple, economical and accessible for all U.S. citizens and New Yorkers, and they may use your comments to continue their inept inaction on this matter.”

Indeed, Reynolds’ fears also raised questions for Homeland Security, which has proposed passports — issued after a security investigation — as the best document for clearing a U.S.- Canada border that traditionally relied on “oral declarations” of citizenship. It also has authorized study of other documents consistent with its Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

“In order for a document to be WHTI-compliant, it has to verify U.S. citizenship, and it has to verify identification via a photo,” said Laura Keehner, Homeland Security spokeswoman. “If New York is intent on having a WHTI-compliant driver’s license, they would need to issue all driver’s licenses to legal citizens.”

Still, support continues to build for a concept that state officials believe can work even if illegal immigrants do receive driver’s licenses.

Michael A.L. Balboni, the state’s deputy secretary for public safety, said Tuesday that some national studies propose issuing enhanced licenses to legal New Yorkers and another document that covering only driving privileges to illegal immigrants.

“We’re attempting to achieve a balance that includes this great economic resource and the privilege of driving while maintaining security,” he said.

Balboni acknowledged that minority communities might oppose a document that could lead to discrimination in some instances, but he said he believes those problems could be overcome.

“This is one of the options we are considering,” he said.

He also said that making the system work would require significant expansion of national data bases in areas like immigration and driver’s licenses across the country.

During his campaign for governor last year, Spitzer was reported on various occasions to favor lifting restrictions on driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, arguing such bans worsened their situation while failing to enhance national security.

But now driver’s licenses are catapulting into the national security lexicon as Washington State and British Columbia embark on a pilot program sponsored by Homeland Security that will determine if licenses can be “loaded” electronically with enough information to satisfy federal authorities worried about terrorists slipping across the northern border.

“We formed a partnership with DHS to develop a card that essentially becomes an alternate document,” said Brad Benfield, spokesman for the Washington Department of Licensing. “We have to come up with something that passes federal muster.”

The effort involves developing a card with a “machine readable zone” similar to magnetic strips on credit cards, Benfield said. That part of the card would contain information required for a passport that would prove the holder is a U.S. citizen.

The enhanced driver’s license will be available only to those who request them, take no longer to obtain and cost about an additional $15 — far less than the $97 required for a passport or for projected prices of other secure documents that have been proposed. Washington State hopes to begin implementing the new program Jan. 1, Benfield added.

“It’s something we here in Washington saw the need for and jumped on early,” he said. “Hopefully, it will also pay dividends for states like yours.”

Chertoff; Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport; and Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., repeatedly referred to the Washington State pilot program during their remarks Monday at the Peace Bridge, all pointing to the project as holding great hope for a similar program in New York.

The idea also was proposed to Spitzer in May by all members of the Western New York delegation to the State Legislature, according to Assemblyman Robin L. Schimminger, DKenmore. That followed a meeting between legislators from Western New York and southern Ontario.

“Our suggestion of a New York-Ontario-Quebec demonstration project now takes on much greater viability,” Schimminger said, especially in view of Chertoff’s statements Monday indicating his interest in expanding study of the Washington project to New York.

County Clerk Kathleen C. Hochul, nevertheless, warned Tuesday that any such program would involve significant costs that must be covered by some entity other than Erie County.

“There’s going to be a financial impact, and I don’t feel the taxpayers of Erie County should foot the bill,” she said.

The entire border crossing issue is expected to receive even greater scrutiny July 20, when the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing in Buffalo.

“It’s another step in the right direction,” said Slaughter, who plans to testify at the hearing at a location to be determined. “The more attention we can draw to WHTI, the more confident I am that we will build up the support needed to fix it once and for all.”

Enhanced Driver’s License

If approved by the Department of Homeland Security, your new state driver’s license might involve:

–A “machine readable zone” similar to the magnetic strip on a credit card.

–Information available to border agents that verifies citizenship and other questions raised by a passport investigation.

–Identity verification through a photograph.

–Require a fee of about $15 more than a regular license, compared with $97 for a passport, according to Washington State pilot program.

rmccarthy@buffnews.com

This issue is something that really shows how out of touch with reality our politicians are. From Washington DC to Albany and to the local levels they think they are much more important and irreplaceable than they really are. Approval ratings and confidence in all politicians across the spectrum are at an all time low and yet they demand more pay raises. $170,000 X 435 representatives = $73,950,000 in government waste a year……and that’s just one house. Try to total up politicians all over the country it probably costs us more then the GNP….

House Appears Ready to Accept Raise

WASHINGTON — Despite record-low approval ratings, House lawmakers Wednesday voted to accept an approximately $4,400 pay raise that will increase their salaries to almost $170,000.

The cost-of-living raise gets lawmakers back on track for automatic pay raises after a fight between Democrats and Republicans last year and again in January killed the pay hike due this year. That was the first interruption of the annual congressional pay hike in seven years.

The blowup came after Democrats last year fulfilled a campaign promise to deny themselves a pay hike until Congress raised the minimum wage. Delays in the minimum wage bill cost every lawmaker about $3,100 this year.

On a 244-181 vote Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans alike killed a bid by Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Lee Terry, R-Neb., to get a direct vote to block the COLA _ , which is automatically awarded unless lawmakers vote to block it. The Senate has not indicated when it will deal with a similar measure.

As part of an ethics reform bill in 1989, Congress gave up its ability to accept pay for speeches and made annual cost-of-living pay increases automatic unless the lawmakers voted otherwise.

In the early days of GOP control of Congress, lawmakers routinely denied themselves the annual COLA.

The annual vote on the pay hike comes on an obscure procedural move _ instead of a direct up-or-down vote _ and Democratic and GOP leaders each delivered a majority of their members to shut off the move to block the pay hike.

This year’s vote was made ticklish by last year’s battle. Republicans said Democrats broke a promise not to use the pay raise issue against GOP lawmakers in campaign ads and were, generally speaking, more reluctant to supply votes.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., worked the floor during the vote to make sure there was relative balance between the warring parties in delivering votes. Working through Blunt, Hoyer forced more than a dozen Republicans to switch their votes in support of accepting the raise, including Mike Pence and Daniel Burton of Indiana and Fred Upton, Dave Camp and Vernon Ehlers of Michigan.

Finally, moments after signaling with three fingers a demand for a few more GOP votes, Hoyer drew his finger across his throat as a signal for Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., to gavel the tally to a close.

Most members support the pay raise as a means of retaining experienced lawmakers and of making sure that Congress is not simply dominated by wealthy people. Many lawmakers maintain homes both in the expensive Washington housing market and back in their districts. On most days, they meet with lobbyists making far more than they do.