Obama: I've got 'five years' left to solve immigration

[Renew Deal]

In an interview with Univision Radio, President Barack Obama said that he has "five years" left in his presidency to figure out issues like comprehensive immigration reform. Striking a confident note about his reelection prospects, Obama assured a largely Hispanic audience that he has not given up on getting an immigration bill done — one that would provide a pathway to citizenship.

"My presidency is not over," Obama told Univision's Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo. "I’ve got another five years coming up. We’re going to get this done."

Obama also said that Hispanic voters would ultimately face an easy choice in deciding between him and the Republican nominee in November — emphasizing his support for comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship.

"So far, ... we haven’t seen any of the Republican candidates even support immigration reform. In fact, their leading candidate said he would veto even the DREAM Act, much less comprehensive immigration reform," Obama said, in an apparent reference to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. "So the choice at the presidential level will not be that difficult."
<snip>

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/02/obama-ive-got-five-years-left-to-solve-immigration-115342.html

[CAPHAVOC]

1. And five years for health care? And five years for Gas?

Nahhh!

[Renew Deal]

2. Do you think Obama will win this year?

[CAPHAVOC]

12. Hard to lose

All he has to do is head to the center in a couple months. Should be a cakewalk.

[Son of Gob]

5. Gas?

So you think the President ran on low Gas prices? You're thinking of Newt Gingrich. Judging from your profile I'd say you either relapsed or were never recovering.

[CAPHAVOC]

13. I just want to be able to go to Miami for break.

If it gets 5 bucks I can not. That would be over 150 bucks around trip.

[TBF]

7. What would you like to happen re health care? Single payer?

Something else? Please be specific.

Would also like to hear your position on Gas. Are you concerned about the cost of gas or is it something else?

[CAPHAVOC]

19. Medicare for all.

Gas way to expensive. It is almost 4 bucks here.

[TBF]

20. Perspective on gas prices --

I couldn't find a good chart that compared price per gallon worldwide (at least not one that is current), but here is an idea of where we are:

According to a survey this month of worldwide gasoline prices by AIRINC, a Cambridge, Mass.-based consulting firm, the price per gallon in Toronto averaged $4.96 for regular grade fuel, while in New York City, prices at the pump averaged $3.82.

Even Canadian prices are bargains compared to those in several European nations, as well as some in Africa and Asia. Among the nations with the highest gas prices: Turkey, Eritrea and Norway. Residents of Istanbul pay the equivalent of $9.63 a gallon, according to AIRINC's survey, while those in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, and Oslo aren't far behind with per-gallon prices of $9.59 and $9.27, respectively.

Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are also among countries with some of the world's highest gasoline prices, with drivers paying at least $8 a gallon.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11076965/1/checking-out-gas-prices-around-the-globe.html


FWIW, There is a chart at this link which puts United States smack in the middle - but the numbers are from 2005: http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices/

[CAPHAVOC]

21. Awful ain't it.

I would be stranded. With 4 bucks I am limited and restricted to absolute imperative driving.

[former9thward]

3. If he had 50 years left it would not matter.

Immigration reform is not going happen. First Obama never gets specific about "immigration reform". What does that mean specifically? Labor has no interest in reform because of the competition for jobs and other than a few Hispanic members of Congress there is no one leading the effort to reform the law.

[Tx4obama]

6. Here ya go ...

Blueprint for Immigration reform - PDF (34 pages): http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/immigration_blueprint.pdf

Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in El Paso, Texas
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/10/remarks-president-comprehensive-immigration-reform-el-paso-texas

VIDEO regarding immigration reform and more info here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/fixing-immigration-system-america-s-21st-century-economy


There's a few specifics to get ya started

[former9thward]

16. A lot of nice pictures in the first link but very little on specifiics.

Especially the last section, which is the hardest, dealing with current immigrants here illegally. Where is the law being proposed? Please don't tell me the President is not a member of Congress and can't introduce legislation. Whoever is President can always get a law introduced. I have not seen anything.

[pampango]

9. Organized labor and the Progressive Caucus are definitely on board with comprehensive reform.

They are not the problem. It is the republican "anti-amnesty" folks, particularly the teabaggers who are blocking anything other than "enforcement, enforcement, enforcement" as an immigration policy.

[former9thward]

15. Then how come the Progressive Caucus has not introducted a bill?

And what is "comprehensive reform"? No one is ever specific on this.

From the White House:

Making changes to the H-2A temporary agriculture worker program that carefully balances the needs of businesses and worker rights, which are encompassed in the AgJOBS bill;
••Strengthening the H-1B visa program to fill the need for high-skilled workers when American employees are not available, increase worker protections, and improve enforcement mechanisms, among other changes; and
••Establishing a new, small, and targeted temporary worker program for lower skilled, non-seasonal, non-agricultural workers to be hired when no American worker is available. Employers will have to go through a rigorous process to demonstrate their needs and workers would be afforded important labor protections, portability, and the ability to seek permanent residence. The program would need to have an initial annual limit. http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/immigration_blueprint.pdf

From the AFL-CIO the exact opposite:

It must reject the creation or expansion of temporary worker programs (also known as “guest worker” programs).

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/civilrights/immigration/upload/immigration_faq.pdf

[pampango]

17. They did. HR 4321. It had the support also of the Congressional Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Asian

American Caucus in addition to the Progressive Caucus.

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/12/16-1

Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), along with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, introduced late Tuesday HR 4321, The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), legislation that takes major strides toward repairing America's broken immigration system.

Here's the AFL-CIO and Change to Win's definition of "comprehensive reform":

Change to Win And AFL-CIO Unveil Unified Immigration Reform Framework

http://www.seiu.org/2009/04/change-to-win-and-afl-cio-unveil-unified-immigration-reform-framework.php

The Unity Framework, which was developed in consultation with Former Secretary of Labor Ray Marshall and the Economic Policy Institute, provides a comprehensive plan for addressing immigration reform.

The plan adheres to the Administration's goals by creating a framework that deals with the critical components of reform and does it through interconnected initiatives. The proposal calls for: (1) an independent commission to assess and manage future flows, based on labor market shortages that are determined on the basis of actual need; (2) a secure and effective worker authorization mechanism; (3) rational operational control of the border; (4) adjustment of status for the current undocumented population; and (5) improvement, not expansion, of temporary worker programs, limited to temporary or seasonal, not permanent, jobs.

Having access to a large undocumented workforce has allowed employers to create an underground economy, without the basic protections afforded to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents... An inclusive, practical and swift adjustment of status program will raise labor standards for all workers. The adjustment process must be rational, reasonable and accessible and it must be designed to ensure that it will not encourage future illegal immigration.

[former9thward]

18. That is fine but it needs to be introduced in the Senate.

In the Senate it can get a hearing and be voted on. It does no good in the House because it can't get a hearing or vote.

[pampango]

22. I agree but republicans would filibuster it in the Senate. As you say, if it did reach the House

republicans would not give it a hearing or a vote.

Of course the Progressive Caucus is a composed entirely of House members (81). Its members cannot introduce bills in the Senate.

[RC]

4. How Eisenhower solved illegal border crossings from Mexico

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0706/p09s01-coop.html

[razorman]

8. If he was serious about it, it would already have happened.

After all, up until the beginning of last year, President Obama and the Dems had complete control of Congress and the White House. I think his whining about being stymied by the Repubs is simply excuse-making. If the president and the democrats were in sync about his agenda (supposedly including immigration reform), they could defeat Republican opposition, even now.

[emulatorloo]

10. I think you haven't noticed how Senate Republicans have abused the cloture vote

[babylonsister]

14. You're so right. He had all the time in the world to work on immigration. Such a slacker. nt

[Ebadlun]

11. Might be best

not to say anything that might be construed as too complacent, or entitled, I would have thought..