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Tancredo criticizes Pope on immigration
Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican famous for his fight against illegal immigrants, took offense at the words of Pope Benedict XVI.
The Pope reportedly said this week that the United States must do “everything possible to fight…all forms of violence so that immigrants may lead dignified lives.”
In response, Tancredo said: “I would like to know what part of our lax immigration policy is considered violent. I fail to see how accepting more refugees than any other nation -and providing free health care, education, housing and social service benefits to millions of illegal aliens is in any way ‘violent’ or ‘degrading.’”
Tancredo also suggested in a press release that the Pope was making the comments in part to recruit more immigrants into the Catholic church. I suspect the Pope’s immigration comments may have less to do with spreading the gospel than they do about recruiting new members of the church,” said Tancredo. “This isn’t preaching it is ‘faith-based’ marketing.”
Comments
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By mjb44
April 17, 2008 6:26 PM | Link to this
Tancredo is exactly right. And it takes guts to say publically what we all privately think. If the Catholic Church is so interested in helping the ‘illegal immigrant’, why doesn’t it use it’s wealth and invest in countries that need it. Help give these people a reason to stay in their homeland or return. I don’t agree with the pope laying the moral and financial onus on the US citizen. The pontif should be directing his comments to the corrupts governments to our south.
By George
April 17, 2008 9:12 PM | Link to this
Religion supposedly has no place in government, well our government is breaking us economically trying to help these immigrants. What has religion got to do with trying to keep from going broke?
By Frank Munoz
April 17, 2008 11:38 PM | Link to this
George, mjb44: Are any of you Baby Boomers? If you are,as I am, you will live longer and pile up more medical bills alongside 77-79 other Baby Boomers. According to our government, the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds will go broke at this pace. Research it on the Web, please, I urge you. Unless,according to the Government Analysis, there are more working people, among them immigrants legal and illegal, paying into Social Security and Medicare.
Please, think ahead, you may be 10,20,30 years from getting there. Old age is a hard thing. Remember my words when we get there.
By Frank
April 17, 2008 11:39 PM | Link to this
George, mjb44: Are any of you Baby Boomers? If you are,as I am, you will live longer and pile up more medical bills alongside 77-79 other Baby Boomers. According to our government, the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds will go broke at this pace. Research it on the Web, please, I urge you. Unless,according to the Government Analysis, there are more working people, among them immigrants legal and illegal, paying into Social Security and Medicare.
Please, think ahead, you may be 10,20,30 years from getting there. Old age is a hard thing. Remember my words when we get there.
By L1M89
April 18, 2008 9:00 AM | Link to this
[‘there are more working people, among them immigrants legal and illegal, paying into Social Security and Medicare.’] - Your unsubstantiated words = pro-Illegal Alien propaganda. The Popes words are hollow unless he forces the Catholic Church to underwrite the cost of each Illegal Alien. Since the Pope’s concerned about the welfare of Illegals he should surrender his churches tax exemption & lobby the corrupt 3rd world republics that created the invading hordes of Illegal Aliens.
[‘A report that found that illegal immigrants in the United States cost the federal government more than $10 billion a year (a sum it estimated would almost triple if they were given amnesty) has drawn criticism from immigration advocacy groups.
For its report, the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington based group that advocates tougher immigration policies, used Census Bureau figures to compare the revenue that illegal immigrants contribute through taxes with the cost of government services they use.
“Households headed by illegal aliens imposed more than $26.3 billion in costs on the federal government in 2002 and paid only $16 billion in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of $10.4 billion, or $2,700 per illegal household,” said Steven A. Camarota, author of the study.
The costs outlined in the report include government services such as Medicaid, medical treatment for the uninsured, food assistance programs, the federal prison and court systems, and federal aid to schools.’]
Link - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33783-2004Aug25.html -
[‘Old age is a hard thing.’] More of your pathetic propagandizing for a society of helpless victims, all unable to care for themselves without “BigBrothers NannyState.”. If allowed to continue, 10 years from now Illegal Aliens would have completely bankrupted our USA leaving no chance for your socialist utopian “nanny-state.”
By L1M89
April 18, 2008 12:28 PM | Link to this
Georgia employment agency owners charged with supplying illegal workers
[‘The owners of six Georgia employment agencies have been indicted on charges of providing illegal immigrants to work in Chinese restaurants on the East Coast. Defendants include the agency owners; drivers who transported the workers; operators of ‘safe houses’ where immigrants waited for jobs; and immigrant smugglers who brought the workers to Georgia from Florida.
Each agency operated somewhat differently, but all in general recruited Mexican or Central American illegal workers. The agencies would obtain the illegal immigrants by advertising in ethnic newspapers or direct referrals from immigrant smugglers or ‘coyotes,’ and also accepted ‘walk-ins.’ They charged a commission of hundreds of dollars to place the worker, which was deducted from wages.
The agencies placed workers in Georgia, and in Tennessee, Kentucky, New York, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio, according to the indictment.
Restaurant owners would work the immigrants long hours, pay cash and not withhold state or federal taxes. They gave them food and housing, but paid $3 or $5 per hour in some cases.’] Link - http://bordercontrol.blogspot.com/2008/04/georgia-employment-agency-owners.html
No state of federal taxes paid from wages of $3 to $5 per hr., doesn’t that all add up to US tax payers subsidizing both unscrupulous, un-American employers & Illegal Aliens?
By Texas Patriot
April 18, 2008 10:43 PM | Link to this
WAY TO GO, CONGRESSMAN TANCREDO, I’M GLAD YOU TOLD THE POPE TO MIND HIS OWN BUSINESS! THE POPE & THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SHOULD NOT BE DELVING INTO POLITICAL ACTIVISM OR ELSE THEY SHOULD HAVE TO FORFEIT THEIR NON-PROFIT STATUS & HAVE TO PAY TAXES ON ALL THEIR PROPERTY & THEIR EXORBITANT FORTUNE!
IF THE POPE LIKES THE ILLEGALS SO MUCH WE SHOULD SHIP THEM ALL TO VATICAN CITY & SEE HOW HE LIKES IT WHEN THEY START BREAKING ALL THEIR LAWS, TEARING UP THEIR FENCE, SUCKING OFF ALL THEIR FREE BENEFITS & DISRESPECTING THEIR COUNTRY!
BY THE WAY, PATRIOTS, THE ANTI-AMERICAN RACIST ILLEGALS & THEIR SUPPORTERS WILL BE MARCHING AGAIN MAY 1ST DOWN AT OUR CAPITAL AT 5:00. PLEASE DO YOUR COUNTRY & OUR TROOPS A FAVOR & COME HELP US PROTEST! BRING YOUR AMERICAN FLAG & A SIGN TELLING THEM TO GO HOME TO THEIR COUNTRIES! THIS IS OUR COUNTRY & WE’RE SICK OF THEM MARCHING IN OUR STREETS DEMANDING THAT WE NOT ENFORCE OUR LAWS!
BUILD THE WALL, ENFORCE THE LAW & DEPORT THEM ALL!