Is it amnesty or not?

Question

When a city announces that if motorists with outstanding tickets pay their fines, they won't be arrested, it is called an "Amnesty."

However, when McCain proposes that if illegal aliens pay a fine, they won't be arrested, he claims that it is NOT amnesty!

So what is the difference? Why is a one called amnesty and the other is strongly denied as being amnesty?

Answer 1

Tomatoes and Cheap Labor



This should make everyone think, be you Democrat, Republican or Independent

From a California school teacher - - -"As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:

I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.

Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens , Huntington Park , etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.

Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America . (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)

I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less then 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" whores and throwing things that the teachers were in tears.

Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc., etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?

To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.

Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.

We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it.
Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return?

There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends. We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way.

It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about "politically correct" that we don't have the will to do anything about it.

If this makes your blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know.

CHEAP LABOR?
Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?

Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage.

Consumers don't want expensive produce.

Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs.

But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. there is no such thing as "cheap labor."

Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent.

He qualifies for food stamps.

He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care.

His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.

He requires bilingual teachers and books.

He qualifies for relief from high energy bills.

If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at (our) taxpayer's expense.

He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.

Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.

He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.

Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his.

The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up.

Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people. THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ADDRESSING TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR EITHER PARTY. 'AND WHEN THEY LIE TO US AND DON'T DO AS THEY SAY, WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM AT ONCE!'

THIS HAS GOT TO BE PASSED ALONG TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OR WE WILL ALL GO DOWN THE DRAIN BECAUSE A FEW DON'T CARE.

Answer 2

I do not think either example demonstrates amnesty as both examples involve imposing a penalty for violating the law. Not as great a penalty as the law might allow, but a penalty nonetheless.

In the first example, the city might perhaps be calling that program an "amnesty" to encourage people to pay the fine without feeling as if they're lawbreakers. But, they obviously are lawbreakers or they wouldn't have outstanding tickets. So I think calling that an "amnesty" is just meant to make people feel better so they'll be more willing to pay the fine and clear their record.

Either of those examples could only be considered a true amnesty if no penalty at all were to be imposed. A fine certainly isn't as serious a penalty as jail time or being deported, but it is still a penalty.

Answer 3

NO! The Senate's bill, or anything like it, should be burned with the rest of the garbage! Amnesty is destructive and WRONG! Anyone that thinks deportation is more expensive than giving the 20 to 30 MILLION criminals citizenship is ignorant! Just for the retirement costs, it was estimated to cost American taxpayers over $2 TRILLION. That's money that should be going to Americans, not the citizens of various countries. The illegals are already costing taxpayers BILLION each year. The anchor babies get welfare. They get FREE education and health care. If you honestly think that giving them citizenship means that they start paying taxes, you are listening to the wrong people. If the illegals had to start filing a tax return, not only would they pay ZERO taxes but they would probably get a refund. For example, Mr. & Mrs. Illegal have 5 children (AKA dependants). Their tax liability would be decreased for their dependants. Since they have a low income, this tax liabilty would probably very small or none at all. However, there is something in the tax code called "Earned Income Tax Credit" or EIC. This means that their liability is decreased even further. However, say they have zero liability and the credit is $500. This means they get a refund of $500 - AKA free money from the US taxpayer. In other words, the illegals still pay zero taxes and the tax payer gets screwed!

Answer 4

You can always avoid other consequences from tickets by paying the fines. The sort of amnesty you refer to usually involves waiving the late fees and penalties attached to unpaid tickets so that the driver only has to pay for the original violation and gets an amnesty on the non-payment.

The current proposed immigration bill is clearly not an amnesty. Illegals have to pay substantial fees, wait many years, and then return to their original countries before they can obtain full legal status. The conditions are so onerous that many, perhaps most, are unlikely to accept them.

A true amnesty would allow those in the country illegally to simply apply for legal status and obtain it without penalty. This isn't amnesty.

Answer 5

It is worse than that. If this "Z-Visa" provision survives and becomes law, all I repeat ALL illegal aliens will instantly become legal. It does not matter if they ever pay a fine or not. They will have legal status and the right to stay immediately.

It is the equivilent to hitting the jackpot without even pulling the handle.

Suggestion: If we really need unskilled labor for seasonal agricultural reasons, let them work as strickly controlled temporary workers and allow the farmers to pay as little as possible. The only way they will get wages worth persuing is to control how many workers come here.

.

Answer 6

If the Z-Visa passes, I will abandon this country as it will have completely gone to Hades in a handbag. Why should we have to pick up the tab for people that we don't want here in the first place? Utterly bogus.

Answer 7

Don't allow the politicians to redefine the language! Anytime you pardon offenses, it is amnesty! Look it up and DON'T BE FOOLED! It's not uncommon for politicians to redefine words based on politcal agendas. Remember Bill Clinton trying to redefine the word "is"? I rest my case.

Answer 8

Do you really think all the illegal Mexican immigrants come here to pick lettuce?
Here are some facts you should know:
40% of all workers in L.A. County (L.A. County has 10 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This was because they are predominantly illegal immigrants, working without a green card.
95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.
Over 2/3’s of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
Nearly 25% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.
The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.
Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
21 radio stations in L.A. are Spanish speaking.
In L.A.County 5.1 million people speak English. 3.9 million speak Spanish (10.2 million people in L.A.County).
(All 10 from the Los Angeles Times)
Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops but 29% are on welfare.
http://www.cis.org/
Over 70% of the United States annual population growth (and over 90% of California, Florida, and New York) results from immigration.
The cost of illegal immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year, [Professor Donald Huddle, Rice University].
The lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus services used) for the average adult Mexican immigrant is a NEGATIVE .
29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens

Answer 9

It's amnesty with conditions.

Answer 10

its amnesty with a fancy new name