Tuesday, November 15, 2005

A Contradiction Named Sue

Where exactly does Sue Myrick stand on immigration? While her stance of late has been consistent, she has spent her last five years in Congress undoing what she did her first five years. In her early years she consistently voted on bills and amendments that would promote the spread of illegal immigration and make it easier for illegal immigrants to survive in the United States.

In 2004 and 2005 Myrick cosponsored just about every bill on immigration in the House. None of these promoted the sprawl of illegal immigration or offered protection for illegal immigrants. A few of these represent the exact opposite of Myrick's stance in the late 1990s. I wonder whether she would admit that she was wrong during her first few years or whether she just didn't know what she was doing. It would be interesting to see how she justifies her 180 degree turn on these issues. She hasn't responded to my email.

In 1996 Myrick along with an overwhelming majority of house members voted for H.R. 2202, a bill intended to reduce illegal immigration. Myrick then voted to strip this bill of its punch. She voted to continue chain migration by supporting the Chrysler-Berman Amendment which passed. She voted for the Pondo Amendment, which would have allowed growers to bring in up to 250,000 foreign farm workers each year for a limited time. She voted for it even though there was no provision to ensure that the workers would leave the country after their term of service was up. This amendment did not pass. She voted for the Burr Amendment which was a guest nurse program. It also failed. She voted against a mandatory workplace verification program and for a voluntary verification program. Both bills failed. In 2005 Myrick cosponsored H.R. 98, a bill to increase workplace verification. This is the very concept she had opposed in 1996.

In 1997 Myrick voted to extend section 245(i) which was a program that provided loopholes for certain illegals. Through this loophole they were able to pay a small fee to avoid being barred from reentry for 10 years. She voted to extend this program again in 2001. In 2002 Myrick voted to eliminate this loophole by voting against H.R. 365. This is another 180 change in her position.

In 1998 she voted to allow U.S. firms to layoff U.S. workers to make room for foreign workers in the high-tech arena. She then voted to nearly double H-1B foreign high-tech workers by voting for H.R. 3736. In 2003 Myrick once again reversed her position and cosponsored H.R. 2849, the USA Jobs Protection Act of 2003, that would have reformed visa programs aimed at preventing American high-tech workers from being displaced by foreign workers. This bill did not make it out of committee.

Sue Myrick first worked to expand illegal immigration and is now working at a feverish pitch to illiminate illegal immigration. Perhaps the events of September 11, 2001 sent her a message. More than likely, it's simply the approach of an election year and Sue has her sights on the Governor's mansion. The grandstanding and rhetoric have started.


On a personal note.........
I'm not arguing whether Sue's stance on this issue is right or wrong. This has been a difficult issue for me. I see too many different sides to it. If pressed this might be an issue where I lean a little to the protectionist side. I personally have never had a problem with an immigrant who is here illegally. We have quite a few up here in my section of the county. They aren't all gang members, drunks and murderers. They are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, brothers and sisters all just trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. I understand that the current state of the world makes it essential that we protect ourselves from the potential threat some illegal immigrants hold for us. However, I look into the faces of the Mexican family that lives down the street and I don't see a threat. I see neighbors.

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