Just 26% Favor Senate Immigration Plan
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Advertisment
Initial public reaction to the immigration proposal being debated in the Senate is decidedly negative.
A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey conducted Monday and Tuesday night shows that just 26% of American voters favor passage of the legislation. Forty-eight percent (48%) are opposed while 26% are not sure. The bi-partisan agreement among influential Senators and the White House has been met with bi-partisan opposition among the public. The measure is opposed by 47% of Republicans, 51% of Democrats, and 46% of those not affiliated with either major party.
The enforcement side of the debate is clearly where the public passion lies on the issue. Seventy-two percent (72%) of voters say it is Very Important for "the government to improve its enforcement of the borders and reduce illegal immigration." That view is held by 89% of Republicans, 65% of Democrats, and 63% of unaffiliated voters.
Advocates of "comprehensive" reform have taken to arguing that those who want an enforcement-only policy must explain how they would deal with the 12 million illegal aliens already living in the country. The public reaction to that question appears to be "Why?" Only 29% of voters say it is Very Important for "the government to legalize the status of illegal aliens already in the United States."
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Democrats believe that legalization is Very Important. Just 22% of Republicans and 27% of unaffiliated voters share that view.
Still, 65% of voters would be willing to support a compromise including a "very long path to citizenship" provided that "the proposal required the aliens to pay fines and learn English" and that the compromise "would truly reduce the number of illegal aliens entering the country." The proposal, specifically described as a compromise, was said to include "strict employer penalties for hiring illegal aliens, building a barrier along the Mexican border and other steps to significantly reduce the number of illegal aliens entering the United States."
The willingness of voters to accept compromise and allow a path to citizenship suggests both pragmatism and a strong desire to do what it takes to reduce the ongoing flow of illegal immigration. The challenge for proponents of the legislation is to convince voters that they are serious about enforcement and that the proposal will truly work. Until that can be accomplished, public opposition to immigration reform is likely to remain very high. In an era where voters overwhelmingly believe that members of Congress are more interested in their careers than the public good, that will be a difficult goal to achieve.
These survey results are consistent with other recent polling data showing that most Americans favor an enforcement-only reform bill. Support drops when a "path to citizenship" is added to the mix. President Bush's Job Approval ratings dip every time comprehensive immigration reform tops the news.
In our question measuring support for the Senate bill, Rasmussen Reports did not describe the details of the proposed legislation. We asked survey respondents how closely they have followed news stories about "an immigration reform agreement reached by the Bush Administration and a bi-partisan group of Senators." Seventy-eight percent (78%) said they were following the story Somewhat or Very Closely. We then asked respondents if they favored or opposed "the immigration reform proposal agreed to last week."
In today's Washington Post:
Immigration Bill's Point System Worries Some Groups
And this Sunday's LA Times says the Republicans discuss whether to pursue Latino voters or please the party's base:
Immigration debate puts up a wall in the GOP
It is unfortunate that one of the reasons for their vote will not be based on the will of the American majority. It's politics as usual and the knowledge that the American voter has a limited memory span and is in general politically ignorant.
au1929 wrote: It is unfortunate that one of the reasons for their vote will not be based on the will of the American majority.
Well, either you have a representative democracy or are governed by polls. Or plebiscites alternatively.
Well, one thing is for dang sure; our president and congress does not listen to the will of the people.
Throw all the bums out!
1. Round up illegal aliens.
2. Incarcerate them - and put them to work on prison chain gangs.
3. Rent out the inmates to farmers to pick crops, or whoever else wants to employ them for 3 bucks an hour. Use them to clean roadsides, build roads, or any other public works project that could use cheap manual labor.
4. Use the money raised, to support the system
5. When the offender is freed - send them back via cheapest means available to their country of origin.
6. First offense is one year. Second offense 5 years. Third offense 10 years. Fourth offense 20 years. (I think they'll l get the hint after 36 years, don't you?)
7. Pay the inmates nothing.
....
Why not, slavery has been tried in the past...
cjhsa wrote:1. Round up illegal aliens.
2. Incarcerate them - and put them to work on prison chain gangs.
3. Rent out the inmates to farmers to pick crops, or whoever else wants to employ them for 3 bucks an hour. Use them to clean roadsides, build roads, or any other public works project that could use cheap manual labor.
4. Use the money raised, to support the system
5. When the offender is freed - send them back via cheapest means available to their country of origin.
6. First offense is one year. Second offense 5 years. Third offense 10 years. Fourth offense 20 years. (I think they'll l get the hint after 36 years, don't you?)
7. Pay the inmates nothing.
....
Sounds just like the current life of illegal aliens -- only more so.
au1929 wrote:Self Imposed
Not from the perspective of the American worker. If cheap farm laborers from Mexico are a problem for American jobs, it's hard to see how gratis farm laborers from Mexico are its solution.
It is amazing how much Irony comes from one side of this debate.
The part I don't get: is how anyone could be dumb enough to think the last amnesty is the reason Mexicans cross the border. Could there be a better example of mistaking correlation with causation?
Thomas
Indeed it was self imposed. No one mandated they enter the US they entered of their own free will. In the long run their illegal entry will be rewarded by amnesty. Regardless of the hardships they now may endure. In the long run they will be the winners with the legal system of the US the loser.
Au,
You are missing the point completely... let me spell it out for you.
One of the big claims of your side is that illegal immigrants working for low wages take jobs from American workers... and since they are willing to work for less money, lower wages.
Your solution will force these slave workers to work for a lower wage than now... while they are forced to do this work for 20 years.
You want them to do more work for lower wages and less rights...
Do you see why this is ironic?
OCCOM BILL wrote:The part I don't get: is how anyone could be dumb enough to think the last amnesty is the reason Mexicans cross the border. Could there be a better example of mistaking correlation with causation?
It certainly did not hurt to know if you can stay out of sight for a number of years you would be rewarded.
au1929 wrote:OCCOM BILL wrote:The part I don't get: is how anyone could be dumb enough to think the last amnesty is the reason Mexicans cross the border. Could there be a better example of mistaking correlation with causation?
It certainly did not hurt to know if you can stay out of sight for a number of years you would be rewarded.
It doesn't hurt to know that someday you may get a promotion; but that's not the main reason most people get a job.
ebrown_p wrote:Au,
You are missing the point completely... let me spell it out for you.
One of the big claims of your side is that illegal immigrants working for low wages take jobs from American workers... and since they are willing to work for less money, lower wages.
Your solution will force these slave workers to work for a lower wage than now... while they are forced to do this work for 20 years.
You want them to do more work for lower wages and less rights...
Do you see why this is ironic?
Browne the self imposed was in answer to what Thomas wrote
Quote:Sounds just like the current life of illegal aliens -- only more so
.
Which was strictly BS.
As for the damage that Illegal aliens are doing to the construction worker and industry in NY City. I suggest you read some of articles on the subject in today's NY Daily News.
OCCOM BILL
Lousy analogy. May get a job vs the absolute knowledge that you will eventually be afforded amnesty. And in the mean time you can milk the cow.
Yup, those durn ay-lee-uns got it made.
Bad as those durn kon-vickts in fedral prison - livin off the fat of the land.....
