Thread: Falling quiet on immigration

Editorials
Falling quiet on immigration
In our opinion
04-24-2007




While the Alabama Legislature was slowly but surely killing a number of “illegal immigrant” bills during its session, a recent USA Today/Gallup poll has revealed that 78 percent of those questioned felt that people now here illegally should be given a chance to become citizens.

While most of those polled did not want general amnesty for illegals, the poll revealed a recognition that these immigrants are people who have come here for a better life and are part of a long and honorable American tradition. The problem is that we are trying to deal with the influx with a system that was not designed to handle this situation.

Congress, where the problem should be addressed and solved, is dragging its feet.

Although after the last election there was great talk of a bipartisan approach to immigration reform, so far that hasn’t happened. Some of the very ones who talked loudly about working together to find a solution — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for example — have fallen quiet.

Of course, answers that seem easy in polls often create more problems than they solve. While 42 percent of those polled want illegal immigrants to leave but be allowed to return and become citizens, the White House rightly points out that deportation of all illegal residents would be “prohibitively expensive.” It would also create a crisis in some labor markets and prove an administrative nightmare.

However, 36 percent of the survey respondents felt that illegals should be allowed to remain in the United States and become citizens if they meet certain requirements — which seems a more reasonable solution.

Although some early supporters of immigration reform are shying away from the issue, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Header Harry Reid, D-Nev., have said they will work with President Bush to get legislation passed this year.

Reid has set aside the last two weeks in May for debate on the issue. The Democrats say they hope to get reform passed before the August recess.

We urge our senators and congressmen, Republican and Democrat, to join in this effort and contribute to its success. The time to act is now.



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http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/200 ... 3s5553.htm

Don't you just love the way that enforcement as an option is just igored in these polls? Why don't these poll people ever phone ME?

"The problem is that we are trying to deal with the influx with a system that was not designed to handle this situation."

WRONG. The problem is that we have at least 12 million people here who have broken the law to get here and stay here. And if that's not a problem for our government, then I guess the rest of us should just break the law when it doesn't really seem to "work for us".

[quot a recent USA Today/Gallup poll has revealed that 78 percent of those questioned felt that people now here illegally should be given a chance to become citizens.
e][/quote]
I find it impossible to believe this number.

You know pjr, I wonder where they get their stats from? I have yet to see an unbiased poll that was in favor of Amnesty.

IMO, this is more baloney from the leftwing open borders activists. I'm always verys suspicious of articles quoting "polls" but don't link the source nor publish the questions. Until I see the "poll" itself, to me, it's just crap. This one is a USA Today/Gallup Poll, hardly pro-American. Might just as well come from La Raza or Al Jazeera.

Thats a picture of the pol worker in my avatar

Maybe the poolsters are smoking some of that weed coming over the border every night

I had to send the Anniston Star a rebuttal letter. I wonder if they'll have the guts to print it???

Editors,

In your column you cited a USA Today/Gallup poll that left me shaking my head in disbelief. You asserted "78 percent of those questioned felt that people now here illegally should be given a chance to become citizens." So, in the interest of fairness I looked up a couple of others.

UPI/Zogby poll - April 22, 2007

"The majority (59%) believe the more effective way to deal with the potential treat to national security posed by millions of illegal immigrants living within the United States is to crack down on illegal immigration by toughening the enforcement of existing laws, deporting illegal immigrants and prosecuting the employers who illegally employ workers. But nearly a third (32%) favor creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants so that they no longer have to live in the shadows of society and can live without fear of prosecution."


"Fifty-four percent of Americans polled believe illegal aliens harm the nation's economy."
Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll <http://www.pollingreport.com/immigration.htm>; April 5-9, 2007

"Fifty-three percent of California voters favor a policy of rounding-up and deporting illegal aliens."
************************************************** ************Field Poll <http://field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2229.pdf> **********************PDF**********************; March 20-31, 2007********************************************** ****************

"Most Californian voters continue to consider illegal immigration a serious problem, with forty-nine percent rating it very serious and twenty-eight percent somewhat serious."
************************************************** ************Field Poll <http://field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2229.pdf> **********************PDF**********************; March 20-31, 2007

************************************************** ************"Sixty-six percent of voters agree with the statement, "The population increase caused by the present level of immigration will negatively impact the quality of life in America, such as causing more congestion, overcrowding and pollution."
The Polling Company Inc./Woman Trend <http://www.numbersusa.com/hottopic/100306_poll.html>, October 2, 2006

Houston, we have a problem. It seems we can find polls that say all kinds of things. Let's take a poll of your readers and ask them this. Is 'cheap labor' worth the $22,000 a year tax subsidy that a non-graduate head of household costs? With maybe 50,000 illegal aliens in Alabama thats as much as $1.1 BILLION.

Be glad you're not as overrun as Georgia, were pushing 800,000 illegals in this state.

Disillusioned wrote:
[quote]Don't you just love the way that enforcement as an option is just igored in these polls? Why don't these poll people ever phone ME? [/qoute]

That`s how I feel. I don`t believe any Poll unless I`m part of it.