The very idea of considering an amnesty is irresponsible and short-sighted. There are plenty of prerequisites, all of which must be addressed and completed before yet another legalization plan is proposed.

1.) Our open borders must be secured.
2.) E-Verify must be made mandatory -- if you're not authorized, you cannot work in the U.S.
3.) The original intent of the 14th Amendment must be clarified and birthright citizenship removed as a often used "foot-in-the-door" for millions of border crossers.
4.) An enforcement and verification mechanism must be in place to ensure that ordinary healthcare benefits do not accrue to the benefit of illegal aliens.
5.) The 287(g) Program must be implemented by every local and state law enforcement jurisdiction to assist the federal government in the enforcement of our immigration laws. Although immigration falls within the federal purview, once the border is crossed, the matter is local. The open-borders crowd uses this excuse to thwart legitimate discussion of this important topic.
6.) English must be made the official language of the United States.

I can think of a few more. Can you?

Wake up America! Nothing is going to change on immigration because this government sees immigration as an answer to the money shortage for social security. They want a younger population working to support the aging population. The only quick remedy for the government is to import large amounts of people and hope they get jobs and contribute to social security. This is why they want to make them legal so they will be force to pay taxes and social security. If they remain illegal they can be hired and paid a meager salary in cash with nothing paid to the government. Who benefits from this are the business that want slave labor. We pay for this ten fold because we get stuck with paying for education and health car for people who are breaking the law by being in this country in the first place. It is a slap in the face to all Americans who's families waited years to get in the country legally. What makes these people any better than our fathers and there fathers and mothers who respected the laws of the United States of America? I'll tell you what. The almighty $$$$$$$!

I think obama is out to ruin this country. He has apponted 30 czars (a communist term).
He has taken over GM and is trying to take over the healthcare system. It is the responsibility of the people to get their own healthcare, not the governments.
He wants to control everything. He promised to cut out some of the pork, which he has not done.
I am very afraid for this country.

This Country cannot possibily pay the health care of the immigrants, and the naturalized citizens too. If we would slow the immigration, and return the illigals and stop paying for their health care, stop the fraud in our health system we might do a better job of taking care of our naturalized citizens who deserve it.

1) Psychologist say when you are accused, it is actually the guilt of the one doing the accusing that is actually what you are being accused of! Does that make sense? I know what I am trying to tell you, just don't know if I made it clear. So, Obama thinks he is a demagogue! True!

I read the following, perhaps it has some merit: The reason he is always apologizing for how awful Americans are and how awful America is as a country, is he wants the to be a worldwide God! His arrogancy is poignant and he make me ill.

Before the books get taken from the shelves, everyone needs to read Dreams of My Father and Audacity of Hope by his Excellency! You will be shocked, if you have not already read them, at what you read and it will certainly change anyone's opinion that he gives a hoot about America or Americans. He used every resource possible to garner this election and what we got is a big mouth full of lie after lie after lie.............

Many of the comments I've read here echo my feelings so closely that I don't have much to add. Here then, is part of what I've faxed to our esteemed comrade in Washington.

Consider these points. Name calling is infantile. I would be embarrassed for you if I had any respect for you at all. Are you getting political counseling from your childrens' classmates? Or maybe you borrowed Pelosi"s playbook.
Lastly, your "performance" was given in front of an audience peppered with corrupt individuals, many of whom represent a corrupt government. You essentially "sucked up" to the aforementioned corrupt government, filling their heads with what you hoped they wanted to hear.
You did this at the expense of your own countrymen and women. Essentially running them down, in order to curry favorable relations with Mexico.
Mexico, a country that laughs at us because they think we are fools for letting so many of them come here illegally, without stopping them. Mexico, a country who's second largest income source is from money sent home by illegal aliens working in the U.S. "under the table". That's right, no taxes for you!
Making them legal will get their tax revenue but... we will pay many times that in related healthcare, low-income housing, food-stamp assistance, law-enforcement, and educational programs. Not to mention the impact on our many overburdended infrastucture areas and the environmental impact that an increased population causes.
This is not a game! Your political maneuvering ,and manipulation of what you perceive as public sentiment, is causing "real world" harm in the nation you purport to represent and serve. Who's interests are really being served here?

P.S. Stop all immigration until your country is healthy again and unemployment is down below 5%. Truly "save" the U.S. money, by sending the illegal aliens back at a much lower cost than keeping them here. Represent us! "Americans!" Not Mexicans, who comprise roughly 80% of the lawbreakers who are here illegally. Or doesn't it bother you that much, you know... your aunt and all that?

Next thing he will say is that we are 'stupid'. classy

Until we get elected officals that do what they say they will, or believe in the people who created and made this country what it is today/yesterday! nothing will get better period,
What we have in office now is nothing short of what goes in toilet and our president is part of it.

Broken promises, Not listening to the people of this country, etc etc etc,

We will never have elected officals in any office that honestly care about the American people anymore because its all about Greed, Corruption, and putting their name in the history books...

The vast majority or Ameican citizens do not have a clue as to whats going in there own country and the ones who do are so busy arguing about it that they dont do anything to help great places like "Numbers USA"

How do we change it all?
Man do I wish I had an answer for that one but I wont see anyhting chnage for the good of America in my lifetime thats for sure but I'll continue to support this site until I cant lift a finger anymore.

As far my elected officals here in Minnesota, They dont listen to the people who truely care about whats happening and thats wrong, I'll remember them come election time too.

I wish us all all luck as will need it with all this junk going down without the majority here to help us.

And I do everything I can to help try to win agaist illegals in our counrty but its a battle of epic proportions we are figting and need more help still, Ask everyone you know and even those you dont to get involved before theres nothing left...

Its not just the "Illegals" faults either!!

Until our "elected officals" back up "law enforcement" the "illegals" will continue to come... Wish I could break the law and get away with it like they do!!! (Kidding) but thats what it feels like to me....

Elected officals only care about themselves and the name there trying to make for themselves for the history books!

Just my opinion.....

Mike

Thanks NumbersUSA --Watching emergency-room-immigration-and-welfare-state video at NumbersUSA was full of facts and no hatred. Just the facts Maam. 1/3 of all insured are illegal immigrants. Illegals cost us 90 Billion dollars. Each illegal immigrant costs us $20,000 per illegalper year. To friends that say but my family came as immigrants 100 years ago. Right, no one helped bail their butts out because we had no welfare system then. It is not Ok for Washington Elite to bail out Wall Street and then give away to the illegals. We pay for your government jobs with taxes and your health insurance. And then Obama you say the health plan is similar to gov employees plans your wrong. The cost of Medicare to federal employees is 0 for Part B. We pay from $200-$$00 per month to get same plan. You congressmen who send children to private schools and don't have to interact at emergency rooms, with the illegals we are sick of you. You are laughing stock of Europe.

I dont believe that it is feasable to just make illegal aliens legal. Some say to help the economy what is the problem with the economy or at least some of it is that we are carrying these people on our shoulders and they are getting all the benefits we do without putting money back into the system to help pay for it when some born and raised americans do not even get the same benefits they worked for all there lives because all the money is being spent on illegals.
I am sure most Americans have some in our families or themselves who had come from another country and did it the right way they became nationlized and adapted to the American way and became proud and good americans so why now should these people be any different?
If they choose to come here they should do things right and legally and adapt to the american way and learn our language the same as we would do if we went to there countries.They should pay taxes and pay into the health insurance industry and pay there medical expenses same as we do. There should be NO free rides for illegals our country is built on laws doesnt the term illegal show you they dont respect our laws? They say they come here for a better life but so far all that means is free rides if they dont take the steps to become legal and adapt to our society and our laws within a certain amount of time they are breaking the law and should be sent back to where they came from if they sit and brag about the country they came from and down ours why not go back there>We as Americans can not afford to pay there way anymore most of us are struggling and this is one of the main reasons we pay for there free rides and cant afford to support ourselves

Anything that expands our population through immigration is foolhardy! Please tell me how importing people with little education who only qualify for minimum wage jobs benefits us. With Americans losing their jobs everyday the last thing we need is more immigrants. We owe it to American Families and Citizens to protect and help them first!!

David

If the citizenship inquiry is not made on the 2010 federal census, of if another supplemental census is not immediately conducted to correct this serious oversight, the 12 to 20 million foreign nationals who are now residing without official permission within the United States might as well be considered "citizens" because they will be counted for census purposes exactly the same way as U.S. citizens. And their numbers will no doubt factor into reapportionment of seats in Congress and into federal tax dollar reallocations.

I think this is a nonpartisan issue that should concern everyone, from every political party. How can an official census fail to count the specific number of legal citizens in the nation? Counting foreign nationals in the 2010 Federal Census makes absolutely no sense in constitutional terms because foreign nationals have never been permitted to vote in federal elections. Additionally, it is appalling that our government will not be able to actually provide separate and accurate counts of citizens and foreign nationals residing within each state for statistical purposes.

I hope every member of NumbersUSA will contact their governors and their representatives in Washington D.C. and President Obama to demand action by the Census Bureau to correct this glaring oversight before the 2010 Federal Census becomes officially complete.

I sent this to President Obama via email...

President Obama:

Please do not marginalize American citizens who do not support amnesty for illegal aliens. You comments in the NY Times were insulting to anyone who doesn't agree with your "give citizenship away to illegals" stance.

From the NY Times:
"Mr. Obama predicted that he would be successful but acknowledged the challenges, saying, “I’ve got a lot on my plate.” He added that there would almost certainly be “demagogues out there who try to suggest that any form or pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable.”

Amnesty IS unacceptable. As are "Anchor Babies", chain migration, social services for illegal aliens and free healthcare for illegal aliens.

We cannot continue to import poverty into this country and expect anything but a degraded American standard of living. Those of us who work and pay taxes would like those taxes to be spent on making our lives and the lives of other Americans better, not on illegal aliens. They should be forced out of the US through the use of E-verify, ICE enforcement and denial of social services.

Protect America and Americans as you were elected to do.

Respectfully,

This not about talking to the President...he knows exactly what hes is doing, he is a hardened ideologue...

He is attempting to manipulate the useful idiots to do his bidding.....

Its time to start a campaign to throw out most if not all incumbents in the 2010 elections...its time for Daddy to spank and spank hard

While President Obama panders to a criminal underclass, responsible, citizen organizations such as NumbersUSA, FAIR, and the Center for Immigration Studies are providing the American people with the facts that we need to make informed judgments, and helping us to make our views known to Congress and the administration. That is democracy, not demagoguery.

The president should seek the council of objective, non-partisan organizations like NumbersUSA. There is no one whose need for the facts is greater, and I don't think he is getting them. We cannot force him to act appropriately on the facts, but he should not act without them.

I have heard Obama make that "Demagog" referrence once before a few weeks back.

People are becoming more and more frustrated because our representatives are not listening to us, nor are they acting in our best interest as individuals or as a nation. This frustration is evident in the violence erupting at town hall meetings. News commentators are stubbornly insisting it is by people who cannot accept a Black president. I voted for Obama to end racism, among other things, and yet it is he and his agents and blind supporters who are now rearing racism's ugly head, calling us names when we disagree with him.

We citizens who are against our government allowing the trashing of our laws and citizen services have some really good, logical points about this issue, yet we are called racists, demagogs, fringe elements, right wing radicals, and trouble makers.

He seems intent on doing exactly what he wants to do regardless that the American people want something completely different; we want our current immigration laws enforced, E-Verify implemented, and the border secured. Simple. So, considering he is intelligent and he MUST know the numbers, which are damning against amnesty, one must ask the question, "Why?" No President or Congress would deliberately destroy their own nation out of sympathy for another nation's citizens; there has to be another reason. I have an opinion about what it is but I'm sure I would bear the brunt of a new volley of name calling should I voice it.

Someone asked "Where's the CHANGE?" The change is in Obama himself; there is a universe between what he said before the election to get our vote and what he does now. He said he would "go after the employers", "implement E-Verify", and give amnesty to a few illegals "who have been here many, many years". He lied. He said he would "follow the Science" in regard to the environment, yet the leading climate scientist in the world, Dr James Hansen, NASA, demonstrated in Coal River, WV against Obama's Mountaintop Removal cave in to the coal companies. If he is willing to unleash lead, arsenic, mercury, selenium, and silica in daily explosions detonating millions of tons of solid rock from the top third of 500 mountains in Appalachia against the nations poorest children, why would we expect him to stand up for the rest of us? He lied to get our environmental vote but that won't happen again. He lied to a lot of GROUPS who are now disillusioned with him. It took me four months to finally accept that he is not what he promised.

I too am getting tired of this President caring more for the ILLEGAL ALIENS in this country breaking our laws than he does for the American people.

When I was discharged from the US Army and stayed in Germany, I had to get a visa, working permit, pay my taxes and follow ALL of the laws there. So I find it totally unacceptable for the ILLEGAL ALIENS to remain here for any reason and they should return to their own country and if they want to return to the US, THEN THEY HAVE TO DO IT THE LEGAL WAY!

Obama was willing to meet with amnesty supporters who organized the Washington DC May Day March even though they only managed to get a thousand people to their event on a day with good weather.

Roy-

These remarks by President Obama were outrageous.

I think this is the first time that a US president has gone abroad and bashed millions of his own countrymen in a foreign country.

What exactly is demagogic about not wanting to reward millions of foreign criminals with amnesty and citizenship for breaking American laws?

No American should be insulted by his own president because he wants the laws of his country to be enforced against foreign criminals who are stealing our jobs, destroying our environment, and ruining our schools and social services.

I'd like to introduce President Obama to a new phrase.
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon which refers to the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information or interpretation. It therefore occurs when there is a need to accommodate new ideas, and it may be necessary for it to develop so that we become "open" to them. Neighbour (1992) makes the generation of appropriate dissonance into a major feature of tutorial (and other) teaching: he shows how to drive this kind of intellectual wedge between learners' current beliefs and "reality".

Beyond this benign if uncomfortable aspect, however, dissonance can go "over the top", leading to two interesting side-effects for learning:

if someone is called upon to learn something which contradicts what they already think they know — particularly if they are committed to that prior knowledge — they are likely to resist the new learning. Even Carl Rogers recognised this. Accommodation is more difficult than Assimilation, in Piaget's terms.
and—counter-intuitively, perhaps—if learning something has been difficult, uncomfortable, or even humiliating enough, people are less likely to concede that the content of what has been learned is useless, pointless or valueless. To do so would be to admit that one has been "had", or "conned".

How can the high rate of U.S. high school drop outs be a national tragedy but legalizing millions of illegal alien high school dropouts be good- for the U.S.?

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/525/student-loan-stories.html

The above web address is from pbs's NOW which did a show on student loans. It demonstrates that many well educated Americans are unable to find work that pays enough to make a house and car payment- much less house, car and student loan payment. If employers aren't going to even interview an over 40 something American with an excellent education and experience-at any salary- do you really think someone older who has retrained for a science job with no experience is going to be hired- especially when there is a constant supply of younger foriegn workers. American companies do not have to follow EEOC laws.

Can you believe in the law of supply and demand and then with a straight face claim more foriegn workers will not bring down wages, benifits- and take jobs?

Like John McCain, my husband was born overseas while his dad was in the military. Even though his parents, grand parents ect. were Americans he had to apply for citizenship.He had lived in the U.S. since infancy. While in the army himself at the Language School in Monterey he took the test and oath for citizenship. He had to follow the law as written not as he wished it to be.

Everyone having to obey the same laws is not discrimination or hate. Special rights for those who break the law creates disrespect for the law and encourages more law breaking. It is unjust for someone who obeys the law to have a longer path to citizenship and have to wait outside the country while those who break the law have full acess to schools, hospitals and cash assistance (per ODJFS website!). Breaking the law should be a reason to keep
someone out of the country, not a way to legally stay and be given a "path to citizenship".

8/4/09 I attended a friends citizenship ceremony. I've known alot of legal immigrants over the years. Almost all immigrants come for lifestyle reasons, they want more and better stuff.

How can more immigration be justified when it has such a detrimental effect on citizens?

What many people forget that Our New President is in fact, new. I live in Illinois and I don't remember Mr. Obama even being a Senator.

So in my mind he is "Mr. Obama Goes to Washington."

He made many promises while campaigning for President.
One of them was promising the illegal aliens, mostly coming from and through our southern border, that he was the one to bring amnesty to them. Probably looking for future votes.

He knew the opposition would not be much of a challenge as our last president had killed the Reublican Party's chances for leadership for some time. May I add my views of the need for a strong third party to stop this nonsense.

So as a USA Citizen, I will do my best to educate our dear president on the change I want, not his version.

President Obama can talk the talk!
But can he walk the walk?

They keep talking about illegals being in the shadows, All of the ones I worked with and knew were out in the public and even admitted they were here illegally.