This term tickling ears came from the Bible. The term means to tell someone what they want to hear. As we all know, GW has asked the media for air time for Monday night to address the nation regarding immigration. Some insiders say he may push for National Guard to be set in strategic areas along the border and that he will not use Federal troops. Also that he will not federalize the National Guard, basically what this boils down to is the each state will be responsible for its own Guard. How well do you think this will go over the governors of each state involved? It would be like waiting up at night for the tooth fairy. This is merely a smoke screen. Bush does not want any type of restraint on the border.

Bush is also hell bent on a road to citizen program and it really doesn't matter what we call it. Each illegal that has social security number and has obtained by other than legal means is a bonafied felony and the penality can range from 10 to 25 years. Will this be enforced? I don't see the tooth fairy yet!

I am afraid this is just a soup bone being thrown out to appease the Republician base which is falling away like a bad wall paper job. But, like the one below who wrote the President, is running unopposed. The Senate has to come up with a compromise for the House to accept. The compromise will be regarding the status of the 12 million already here. I have just seen on the Spanish stations that the Mexican government are sending troops to the border. If Bush comes out Monday and does not immediately place troops on the border I am afraid this will look like the gold rush of th 1800's.

Oh by the way look at this letter closely please, see the same old garbage.

Jeff


Senate Floor Speech
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
April 7, 2006 -- Page: S3359


IMMIGRATION REFORM
MRS. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I want to comment on what has happened over the last 2 weeks on a very important bill--maybe the most important bill for the future of our country that we will take up this year, and that is immigration reform.

I was very disappointed that we were not able to have a vehicle on which we can have amendments in the normal course of action that we have on the floor of the Senate. I cannot think of a more complicated, comprehensive issue that we could amend and make a better bill that would have the support of the vast majority of the Senate. Yet we have spent 2 weeks and were only able to have three amendments.

There are many differing views on what to do with the 12 million illegal immigrants that are in our country. But I think there is a consensus that we need better control of our borders, that we need security measures to know who is in our country, and that we need a guest worker permit program that would allow people to come into our country legally to work and earn a living for their families, contribute to the economy of the United States, and perhaps become citizens, if they decide to, or not become citizens if they wish to remain citizens of their home country.

However, the issue of what to do with the 12 million people was not able to be discussed, debated, or refined on the Senate floor. I think that is a mistake, and I think we have missed a very important opportunity. The negotiations got down to allowing 20 amendments--20 amendments--on one of the most complicated bills that we will take up this year. We take up appropriations bills that have 70 amendments. We take up authorization bills that have 40 amendments. The negotiation was down to allowing 20 amendments, and we were not able to get the consent of the minority to take up 20 amendments to try to refine a bill that would allow the Senate to speak with an overwhelming majority, or at least to have all the voices heard so that we could start beginning to craft a bill that would help with an issue in our country of security and economics.

Mr. President, I am very disappointed. I think we have missed an opportunity. I hope very much that, as we go home for a 2-week break, we will think about how we can come together, come back here and not give up on having an immigration reform bill that secures our borders, that creates a guest worker program that will be productive for the participants and for the economy of our country, that will not displace American jobs but will welcome the immigrants who seek to come here, as we have done for over 200 years in our country on a regularized basis.

I thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee. I know he is going on to very important work. I hope that we can address this issue when we return, and I hope the minority will work with the majority not to block future amendments that would make this a better bill.