The Gang of Eight - Sí, se puede!

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Yesterday our gang of eight (a symbolic number of citizens) visited the offices of congressman Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio. We were on a mission and to make a statement:  19,000 signatures of  Floridians against the Gang of Eight's Immigration plan were handed over to regional Directors, Michele McGovern for Senator Nelson and to Greg Langowski of Senator Marco Rubio's office. We told them why we were against the Plan and why we believed it would hurt American citizens and our country.

As friend Joyce Tarnow says and what our local Gang of Eight advocates, "E-Verify is the answer.   By disallowing illegal aliens to hold jobs in the U.S. they go home.  It works, as the situation in Arizona proves when they passed mandatory E-Verify.   Remember 1986.  Congress gave amnesties to three million illegals and promised to secure our borders and to seriously go after interior enforcement.  Oh yes, and Congress promised there would be no more amnesties.  Amnesty happened for well over three million and they were then allowed to bring in extended family.   Another draw is the birthright citizenship interpretation of the 14th Amendment which awards citizenship to any child born in the U.S. of illegal aliens."

Our local Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group of Republicans, Democrats and Independents, believe that it is a self-defeating, déjà vu comprehensive mess of a plan that undermines border security and will destroy the middle class. We will end up with the Haves and the Have Nots. We will have dwindling water resources, overcrowding and increased pollution but most importantly, less and less jobs for American middle class citizens. That's the message we presented yesterday and how disappointed we were with Marco Rubio, a senator with whom we usually agree.

Also, yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve the nation’s proposed immigration law on a bipartisan vote of 13 to 5. It now goes on to the Senate. "The move came as the committee reached a deal on one of the final snags threatening the legislation —  and agreed to hold off on another particularly controversial amendment, which would have added protections for same-sex couples."

When the committee voted to approve the legislation Tuesday evening, a cheer and applause rang out through the room, as immigration advocates leapt to their feet, shouting “Yes we can!” and “Sí, se puede!”   This is where we are heading folks but the cry should be No, no debemos. When speaking about Rubio, Billy Kristol said, “He should say, I made a good faith effort, but you know what, this is not a piece of legislation.”

Read more... at The New York times.


Heading home, we came upon a Border Control car. We all drove by giving the driver a thumbs up. He's trying to do his job. Now it will be up to our elected representatives. Are they up to the task?