Congressman Walsh's Response to Obama's El Paso Immigration Speech

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) has made a video to go with his letter to President Obama, expressing his concern over the President's comments on immigration in El Paso, TX.

In a press release Rep. Walsh says, "For years President Obama has said he is serious about dealing with America's immigration issues, however, yesterday he reinforced the idea that he's not taking the issue seriously by suggesting that the only way to make Republicans happy on the subject is to build 'a moat'."
The letter goes on to urge the president to get serious about the issue of illegal immigration, "If it takes moats and alligators to secure our borders to get you to be serious -- I'm game."

Obama and his Immigration Agenda

Obama's Hypocritical Rhetoric on Immigration Reform - Townhall Columnist, Michael Barone's take on Obama's recent speech in El Paso, Texas.

Barack Obama's immigration speech in El Paso May 10 was an exercise in electioneering and hypocrisy. Hypocrisy because while Obama complained about "politicians" blocking comprehensive immigration bills, he was one of them himself.

In 2007, when such a bill was backed by a lame duck Republican president and had bipartisan backing from Senate heavyweights Edward Kennedy and Jon Kyl, Sen. Obama voted for union-backed amendments that Kennedy and Kyl opposed as bill-killers.

In 2009 and 2010, President Obama acquiesced in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to pass cap-and-trade and bypass immigration and in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's decision not to bring an immigration bill to the floor.

Both times the votes were probably there to pass a bill. Obama did not lift a finger to help.

But that did not stop the president who is constantly calling for civility to heap scorn on those who seek stronger enforcement. "They'll want a higher fence. Maybe they'll need a moat," he said to laughter from the largely Latino audience. "Maybe they'll want alligators in the moat. They'll never be satisfied."

Cowboy's comment: Unbelievable! You want to satifsy us?? ENFORCE THE LAW!!

Was that (Obama's comments) on the teleprompter, or was it ad-libbed? In either case, Obama was showing his contempt for those who bitterly cling to the idea that the law should be enforced.

Cowboy's comment: Obama's arrogance showing true again.

That's no way to assemble the bipartisan coalition necessary to pass an immigration bill.

It's obvious that nothing like the legalization (opponents say "amnesty") provisions considered in 2007 can pass in this Congress. They can never pass the Republican House, where Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith is a longstanding opponent and Speaker John Boehner will not schedule a bill not approved in committee.

Nor will this Congress pass the most attractive proposal Obama mentioned, the Dream Act, providing a path to legalization for those brought in illegally as children who enroll in college or serve in the military. That failed last December in a more Democratic Senate and won't pass now.

Some new approach is needed, and Obama did little to point the way. One idea, advanced by a bipartisan Brookings Institution panel, is a bill that would strengthen enforcement and would shift the U.S. away from low-skill and toward high-skill immigration.

Canada and Australia have done this to their great benefit. And with a sluggish economy it makes little sense, as current law does, to give preference to low-skill siblings of minimum wage workers rather than to engineering and science Ph.D.s. We need more job creators, not more job seekers.

From Rand Paul and Town Hall - Right to Work!

From Rand Paul (R-KY) and Town Hall

Dear Concerned American,

They snickered when I said I came to the U.S. Senate to change Congress.

But their laughter stopped when I sponsored the National Right to Work Act to free U.S. workers from forced unionization and break Big Labor's multi-billion dollar political machine forever.

President Barack Obama and Big Labor allies in the Senate are now feverishly scheming to bury the National Right to Work Act without a vote.

So I have a question for you.

Will you be the sledgehammer?

Your signature on the petition to your Congressman and Senators is what is needed to bust through the opposition and force a vote on the National Right to Work Act.

This is an opportunity you and I cannot afford to miss.

As you know, the right to decide freely whether or not to join a union was taken away from American workers by Congress almost 75 years ago.

A result of back-room deals between union bosses and their tax-and-spend Congressional puppets, compulsory unionism provisions in federal law currently empower union officials to:

Force nearly 11 million Americans to pay tribute to a union boss to get or keep a job ...

Brazenly loot union treasuries to fund the election of their hand-picked political puppet candidates like Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid ...

Terrorize workers and communities with violent strikes -- where they get away with beatings, arson -- even murder.

The National Right to Work Act strikes at the foundations of the union bosses' power.

And here's the thing -- the National Right to Work Act is wildly popular with American voters.

In fact, for years polls have shown nearly 80% of Americans think it should be against the law to force workers to pay money to union bosses just to get or keep a job.

All you and I have to do is force an up-or-down roll call vote on the National Right to Work Act ... And the American people will do the rest.

Many Democrats and more than a few Republicans elected with Big Labor's over $1 billion in forced-dues political cash cower in fear of casting a vote against the National Right to Work Act.

What will they do when forced to vote?

It's a win-win situation -- either they pass the National Right to Work Act and free American workers or they pay in 2012.

It will be a marathon battle.

But I will not flinch in the face of opposition and insider attacks.

I believe, with your help, this is a fight we will win.

And I know it's a fight worth fighting.

Please go here to sign the petition if you believe in a right to work. http://righttoworkcommittee.org/rprtwa_petition.aspx?pid=th6