Three of America’s richest men are fed up with gridlock in Congress and urge lawmakers to get moving on an immigration bill.
Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Sheldon Adelson wrote in a New York Times op-ed column that it’s time for the House to pass a bill “that reflects both our country’s humanity and its self-interest” for the good of the economy. They reject the idea that a compromise in the GOP-led House — then further agreement with a bipartisan bill passed in the Senate — is “hopeless.”
“You don’t have to agree on everything in order to cooperate on matters about which you are reasonably close to agreement,” the three billionaires wrote. “It’s time that this brand of thinking finds its way to Washington.”
Though the trio are on the same page about the need for an overhaul of immigration laws, they differ in their politics — and that’s what makes this column stand out.
Gates and Buffett — who rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the Forbes list of wealthiest Americans — have donated to President Obama’s campaigns and have given the Obama administration advice on a variety of issues. Adelson, a casino mogul who ranks No. 8 on the Forbes list, is one of the Republican Party’s biggest donors. The three billionaires could come to a consensus on immigration, so they asked why Republicans and Democrats in Congress can’t do the same?
As far as I can tell these three gentlemen command exactly three votes. Obama has suggested legislation costing $3.7B or about $60K per each immigrant child.
ReplyDeleteWe are already broke and want to borrow 40 cents on the dollar from our grandchildren to pay for other people's children and grandchildren.
William it's a humanitarian problem not an immigration one. We are experiencing what so many other countries do throughout the world due to conflict, a border full of refugees. We send money everywhere to help in these refugee camps in every corner of the world and now that they are on our doorstep can we really turn our backs and maintain the principles that we preach elsewhere? William you are all about principles aren't you. Forget your politics for a moment and look at the other side of this tragedy. The countries of Central America are failed states. They are run by gangs not their governments. All the while we spent time in a far off desert the neighborhood around us deteriorated, we didn't realize it we didn't care and we did nothing to help and much to hurt by supporting the very type of governments we abhor in other parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Jesus say "Suffer the little children to come unto me."
ReplyDeleteHow about opening the flood gates to evry child from every country that wants to come to the US? Why discriminate against the world in favor of people to the south?
ReplyDeleteTRhe bleeding hearts begin, a perfect problem to divert the countries attention from the important things like the economy and jobs.
Lou you don't like Hispanics do you. They are my friend, people just like you and me. The flood gates of America have been open at other times in the past. There were opponents then and people who said they will never assimilate. But Lou each and every time they did. You know lou they children of the great Reagan Amnesty program are coming of age. And Lou those children are just like mine and yours. they work hard, they want all the same things our kids want, they are well educated and they speak near perfect English. They are in fact Americans. Assimilated just like all the other waves of immigrants that have come to our country. Look around you lou. Being an old white guy is an anomaly in our country today. But it's okay lou. Wherever they came from, legal, illegal, amnestied, whatever the children of these folks are American through and through. They love this country, they fight for this country, they just look a little different and have funny dual last names.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with Hispanics. Several very good friends are Hispanic, however they are citizens, Americans. I have a problem with people like you green light open borders.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you discriminate against the rest of the world that desperately wants to come here and wait for years for the chance? Why should some people in some countries have the ability to go to the head of the line?
Do you dislike Asians, Blacks, Anglos that much that you continue to insist they wait in line while others cut in front? It's not about them, their children, patriotism it's about the rule of LAW. Get it Rick? It's about being a sovereign nation. Borders are a fundamental aspect of national sovereignty. They are, in part, what defines a country.
Immigrants often serve our national economic interests by bringing skills and resources to the service of the U.S. economy. That is not the case for the largely unskilled and uneducated agricultural workers and casual laborers who make up the bulk of illegal immigrants coming from Mexico and Latin America.
So here we are with a 11-30 million population of illegals that have broken numerous laws do little to enhance the economic interests of the country and more flood in every day and it's ok by you.
We write our laws down for a reason. The point of having general, enforceable rules is that they are generally enforced. There is room for prosecutorial discretion in enforcing our laws. There is not room for refusing to enforce the law in tens of millions of cases, and then creating a post facto regime of non-enforcement.
Yes Rick, you are part of the problem as you scream for higher minimum wage yet invite more in to keep wages suppressed.
It's about borders Rick, laws, and the needs of the country.
They are arriving from failed Socialist states and in a generation will vote for those that promote failed Socialist ideals here. I think we should ship them to Gitmo, let the doors open and release them into Castro's paradise.
ReplyDeleteMicrosoft confirmed it will cut up to 18,000 jobs over the next year,
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