Reader Up in Prattsburgh points out that Tom Reed is fine with Arizona's immigration law. I don't know why Republican candidates think they need to have a hard-line immigration position. It's clear that the only constituents who are seriously interested in immigration, farmers, want more lenient guest worker programs, and have little interest in what Arizona is doing, unless it impacts their ability to hire migrant workers.
In other news, Sean Carroll talks to the former head of the Monroe County Bar Association, who says that the lawsuit attempting to force a special election will probably be thrown out.
Comments
Right-wing positions that poll well favored by right-wing candidates, film at 11.
Poll well nationally.
Locally, I don't know. Kuhl had to walk back his immigration position.
Oh, right....I remember Randy having to do that.....
Maybe Tom Reed WANTS to alienate the farmer vote.
A farmer i know told me about a Randy Kuhl get-together that was supposed to be about farm issues, and all randy Randy wanted to talk about was how cool it was to fly on Air Force One.
If you don't address the constituents concerns and your opponent does, don't be surprised when they vot for your opponent.
"It's clear that the only constituents who are seriously interested in immigration, farmers, want more lenient guest worker programs, and have little interest in what Arizona is doing, unless it impacts their ability to hire migrant workers." - Most constituents are interested in enforcing laws - perhaps Washington could get of their backsides and provide some law that would assist states like Arizona in dealing with their immigrant issues and costs. If these people are breaking the law they should be fined or punished like everyone else. If the government wants to make them legal then they should and it would be an entirely different matter.
I have no argument with your general point (I agree that DC has been ducking immigration for way too long), but I don't see why Tom Reed needs to go out of his way to opine on Arizona law. If he has some suggestions that Congress can act on to solve the issues Arizona has with immigration, let's hear them. I didn't read any in the article. Until he does, he's part of the problem, not the solution.
My guess is that the reason he repeated a talking point rather than suggesting legislation is that repeating talking points is easy, and solving the problem is hard. The economy of the 29th runs in part on cheap, easily accessible migrant labor. We need an immigrant policy that has a realistic guest worker program. We also need to give guest workers a chance at citizenship, which is only fair.
The farmers who you cite that may not like the Arizona law will also not like the position Zeller has taken - "He supports making the penalty for knowingly hiring an illegal alien so harsh that business owners will no longer consider it. " So apparently Zeller wants the illegals to come to the 29th and then fine the hell out of any farmer who dares hire one. Doesn't sound to me like Reed has anything to worry about on this issue.
He can support that as long as he supports a decent guest worker program. I don't know his position on that.
I dont think Reed mentioned his take on a guest worker program either -
No he didn't, but if he supports the Arizona law, he's allied himself with a group that thinks that the right immigration policy is to clamp down the borders, and to have the unemployed do the work being done by migrant workers right now.
I think you are really reaching for an issue on this one Rotten
God knows I'm trying to make this interesting somehow, Elmer.
That said, I'll bet you Reed has to walk back or modify his statements on immigration before the election.
Sorry Rotten you are right - things are not moving along very quickly right now - I do not think Reed will have to back off this statement - after all Ithaca isn't in the district as of yet. :)
You have nothing of an immigration problem in New York! As some of you know I moved my family and business to Houston Texas. I still spend about a week a month in New York servicing my clients here.
There is nothing of an immigration problem here in Rochester area. A few hundred migrant farm workers in the southern border area of Texas would not even register as a problem. The people down here know who and where the undocumented workers are that are just looking to live there lives and take care of their families. I run into them from time to time and have just as much human dignity respect for them as any other person. They are a big part of our culture and it is understood what they want out of life is no different than anyone else.
The problem really is as Arizonans sees it. The criminal element that is heavily armed and doing drug and other very illegal business. Kidnapping is a cottage industry in many of these areas. Many of the "Undocumented Workers" fear these people just as well. We would be very happy with guest worker programs, many would even be ok with path to citizenship for law abiding decent people just looking for opportunity. The Federal Government needs to get a hold of this problem and not just use it as a political football as the president and Congress and just about every candidate are now treating it.