It just keeps getting better every week. Check out a preview of Episode 4, which is scheduled to air next Tuesday, March 4, 2008, at 10:00 PM Eastern and Pacific.The Indiana House voted 66-33 this evening to pass an illegal immigration bill that cracks down on employers that knowingly hire undocumented workers.Joe
The bill also requires the Indiana State Police to take the necessary steps to start enforcing federal immigration laws and provides funding to make that happen.
It also includes funding for the Indiana attorney general's office, which would investigate written complaints made against employers.
Hispanic leaders have been joined by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and other business lobbyists in predicting dire economic consequences if the bill causes thousands of illegal immigrants to leave the state.
Similar legislation in Oklahoma and Arizona has prompted thousands of illegal workers to leave those states.
I feel that we need this law. Where I live it is like spanish has now become the primary language. Also people talk about how Americans will lose profit in their businesses once the bill is passed and I say that is an excuse because they can pay American people to the job but they fill that they don't have to pay us for the work that we do. There is plenty of American people that is hurting for work but companies over look this because they feel that we are not worth their money I guess. That is not fair at all. Our government should have never let immigration get as bad as it has. I think that us Americans are going to end up in another civil war to protect what is ours. Thank You for your time Tara
ATLANTA -- Creating a Broadway musical can be scary enough. Even more so when it's script is penned by horror master Stephen King. King, who has written numerous best-selling novels, has written the script for "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County," with music by John Mellencamp.Joe
The play will open at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre in April 2009, with the object of getting it ready for a Broadway run. The Alliance, which announced the project on Tuesday, described it as "a sultry Southern gothic mystery with a blues-tinged, guitar-driven score."
The story is set in the fictional town of Lake Belle Reve, Miss., and centers on the deaths in 1957 of two brothers and a young girl and the legend that grows out of the tragedy. Peter Askin, whose New York credits include "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," will direct.
The idea for the story was Mellencamp's, and came from a story he heard years ago in his hometown of Seymour, Ind., said Alliance artistic director Susan Booth.
Read more from Billboard, and Playbill.
With all of the hype surrounding cholesterol, and the fact that I'm just not getting any younger (I'll be 40 this year), I've decided that it's time to start doing a little something about my health. I've already done the following:
Consider this man who, by His power, His peace, His simple presence, and His fierce purity, quietly turned the whole world upside down. None other could evoke such joy at His astonishing deeds, such anger at His strange aloofness, such fear when He began to draw the attention of powerful enemies ... and such heartbreak when the inevitable came to pass."One of you is about to hand me over. One of you plans to give me away."The author tells a tale of the Last Supper that makes the reader wonder more about Judas Iscariot than ever before. What motivated him? Why did he do it? Did he really betray Jesus willingly?
"Who, Lord? Who is it?"The author paints a very colorful character in Judas Iscariot. We learn more about what Judas might have been like. The author makes every attempt to remain true to the Gospel in his telling of the tale, and in his embellishments upon the characters you've become familiar with.
"The one," he said, reaching for a flat loaf of unleavened bread, "to whom I give--" he broke off a morsel "--this piece." Dipping the piece in bitter sauce, he handed it to Judas Iscariot.
Immediately two things happened: a wind outside suddenly struck the door hard; and in the ghastly shadow it seemed that Judas smiled. As he took the morsel from Jesus's hand, Judas nodded and winked and seemed to smile a conspiratorial smile.
Jesus said, "What you are about to do, go: do it quickly."
A proposal to crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants was revived today when the Indiana House of Representatives voted to insert the measure into another bill.I was speaking with someone today about the bill, and he mentioned to me that he had spoken with a friend at a retailer who had told him that they had sold out of car towing dollies two times, and the majority of the purchasers have been Hispanic. It was then that I realized that my own store has sold out of vehicle tow bars three times, and again mostly to Hispanics. Are they packing up to leave the state before the bill is passed?
The measure, now part of Senate Bill 345, is ready for a third and final reading in the House by Wednesday.
The House resumed business late this morning when Republicans returned to the chamber after a boycott Thursday night.
But Minority Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, immediately filed a protest to Speaker B. Patrick Bauer’s decision not to hear amendments to the immigration measure.
Despite the tug-of-war over procedure and whether the bill could be amended, Rep. Vern Tincher, D-Terre Haute, the House sponsor for the bill, said he believes Bauer is committed to getting it passed.
Technically, Senate Bill 335, a crackdown on Indiana employers who hire illegal immigrants, is dead. But the proposal was inserted into SB 345, a separate bill concerning the collection of unemployment contributions from Indiana businesses.
Tincher said the amendments contained all of the crucial elements in the original bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, except for language that made it illegal to harbor, transport or conceal an illegal alien, which was removed.
Tincher also said his amendment restored language that said Indiana State Police "shall" enter into an agreement with federal immigration officials. Last week, that word was changed to "may" at the same time $1.5 million in funding was added.
As for a late flurry of Republican amendments offered Thursday -- including the denial of social benefits to illegal residents of Indiana -- Tincher said those amendments are not in play today.
Bosma: decision an ‘embarrassment’
The procedural dispute rankled Republicans, who accused Bauer of not following the rules.
Bauer, the House speaker or presiding officer, ruled that the House recessed Thursday night instead of adjourning, meaning the chamber's business this morning would pick up where it was left off last week.
Republicans argued the House should have been adjourned, so they would have the opportunity to offer amendments to the immigration proposal. Republicans also argued it was against the body’s rules to recess from Thursday until today.
Bosma called the decision "truly an embarrassment to this institution.”
Majority Leader Russ Stilwell, D-Booneville, argued the decision was forced by the Republicans’ walkout and that Bauer acted within the body’s rules.
Bosma said he filed a protest so the historical record would show Republicans objected to Bauer’s interpretation of the House rules.
“I consider this to be a dark day for this institution,” he said.
Open Window, an album by Robert Rich
courtesy of Magnatune
* parting clouds
* corners
* insular
* past glances
* open window
* parallel horizons
* points between
* punctuation
| Thousands of illegal immigrants have fled the two states that have enacted tough new immigration laws similar to the one before the Indiana General Assembly. Since passing their laws, Oklahoma and Arizona have seen declines in school enrollments, a scarcity of construction workers and the sudden emptying of rental homes and apartments. The same, some people say, would happen in Indiana, though advocates of stronger immigration laws say they would welcome the change. The impact in Tulsa, Okla., was startling to Judy Feary, a principal at an elementary school where 59 percent of 1,000 students are Hispanic. On opening day last fall, 180 Hispanic students did not show up for class at Kendall-Whittier Elementary. ... "There were lots of rumors going around that they would be arrested and their children taken away. So we did some community outreach, and we had to talk them into returning to school." Eventually, about 100 children were coaxed back, many of them U.S. citizens whose parents are not here legally. But across the Tulsa school district, the enrollment of Hispanic students is down by 257, an unexpected reversal of rising enrollments in recent years. Whether that's good news or bad news depends on your view of illegal immigration. Supporters of the bill by state Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, say jobs left open by fleeing immigrants will be filled by unemployed Americans, and fewer tax dollars will be spent on social services for illegal residents. Critics see a looming gap in the state's economy as workers take their local spending dollars elsewhere. Delph maintains that his bill, which would crack down on employers that hire illegal immigrants, does not target a specific group of people, but the fact that some who are here illegally might scatter is "part of the intention of the bill." "You can't have it both ways," Delph said. "If you illegally entered the country, there are consequences. Just because the federal government has chosen not to enforce the law or an individual has skated by for years does not mean that judgment day won't be coming." Delph also has a message to businesses that stand to lose employees: "There are plenty of able-bodied Hoosiers that need jobs that will be willing to do those jobs at a fair market wage." ... Statistics from both sides Indiana, home to an estimated 85,000 illegal immigrants, is not alone in trying to address illegal immigration. Legislatures in 46 states adopted 244 immigration-related measures last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Preserving jobs for Americans is just one factor motivating lawmakers. According to some estimates, the typical Hoosier family pays an extra $200 a year in taxes to fund social services -- health care, education and food assistance -- because of illegal immigration. Foes of Delph's bill are armed with some of their own numbers. In recent weeks, testimony offered at the Statehouse has suggested that the Hispanic buying power in Indiana is nearly $5 billion a year and that even those who are not legal residents help contribute an estimated $200 million in taxes to local and state governments. M. Esther Barber, executive director of the Mexican Civic Association of Indiana, told legislators in a written report that Indiana's economy would suffer a 30 percent hit from lost wages, lost business and less taxes paid if Delph's bill passes. Evidence of similar trends can be seen in Oklahoma and Arizona. In Tulsa, where an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Hispanics have left, restaurants are cutting back hours or closing, and local corporate leaders say many businesses are dealing with a 50 percent drop in business. "I know that many of them have bolted to Texas, California or Minnesota," said Feary. "This kind of reminds me of some of the prejudice we experienced back when we integrated the schools." Oklahoma was home to about 250,000 Hispanic residents out of a population of 3.57 million in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Arizona has 1.8 million Hispanics out of a population of 6.1 million. By comparison, Indiana has nearly 300,000 Hispanics out of 6.3 million people. Oklahoma Rep. Randy Terrill, the legislator who authored that state's law making it illegal to harbor an illegal immigrant, has been quoted in media reports as saying the mass departure of Hispanics is a sign of success. "It seems to be working pretty well," he told The Associated Press. "What was Oklahoma's problem is now some other state's problem." The immigration crackdowns in Oklahoma and Arizona, according to the Houston Chronicle, have resulted in a large number of Hispanics -- up to 100 people a day -- moving to Texas, home to an estimated 1.6 million illegal immigrants in 2006. Mike Means, executive director of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association, said home builders have noticed a 5 percent to 10 percent drop in the number of available workers in Oklahoma City. "We are worried," Means said. "In general, our masonry crews, roofers, bricklayers and concrete . . . it's almost 100 percent Hispanic workers. And a lot of guys are legal. It's been kind of like a dark cloud on things. "To me, it's a profiling issue. You can't tell by looking at them if they are legal or not. And this doesn't fix the immigration problem. It just pushes it off to another state." That is perfectly fine with Dan Howard, a former Oklahoma state trooper who founded OutragedPatriots.com, a Web site that tracks illegal immigration news and views from around the nation, including Indiana. "The only people that are whining about the shortage of labor now are those who profited off the backs" of illegal immigrants, Howard said. "And now they are no longer able to do so." As to opponents who say the law has resulted in racial profiling and has racist undertones, Howard vigorously responds: "We are not racists. We are not bigots. We have an invasion going on in this country. It may not be armed, but we have the largest invasion on U.S. soil in U.S. history going on right now." Read more at the IndyStar online. |
Read more on Redstate.com.
Jericho season two, which I personally feel had a disappointing first episode, is getting better and better as the season progresses. You can catch a preview of episode three, which airs Tuesday night at 10 PM Eastern and Pacific, and get caught up on the entire show at JerichoRises.com, if necessary.
|
I'm going to make just a couple of quick observations about the newly reported John McCain lobbyist scandal.Read more on Redstate.com.Democrats make changes; Hispanic critics still hope measure diesJoe
By Bill Ruthhart
February 19, 2008
Businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers would be tried in an administrative rather than a criminal court under one of several changes lawmakers approved to an immigration bill Monday.
The change was among many backed by Democrats, who said they strengthened the bill. But some Republicans argued the legislation had become watered down, with Democrats making mandatory provisions optional. ...
The bill would punish businesses for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. It would require employers to use a federal system to verify citizenship, and, as originally drafted, it would revoke the state license of a business found in violation of the law three times within a 10-year period.
In one of the changes made Monday, House Democrats reduced that time frame to five years. Another change was the inclusion of $1.5 million -- $1 million for the State Police and $500,000 for the attorney general -- to fund enforcement of the legislation. ...
Another major change made by the House committee placed the responsibility of prosecuting employers with the Department of Labor.
Overall, Democrats argued that they made the bill much stronger. But House Republicans on the committee pointed to a pair of changes they said weakened the bill.
As originally written, SB 335 would have required the Indiana State Police to enter an agreement with the federal government that would allow them to enforce federal immigration law. The committee approved a recommendation from Tincher so that entering such an agreement would be optional.
Republicans also didn't like a change allowing the governor to overrule an administrative judge's decision in the best interests of the state's economy. ...
Van Haaften argued that the enforcement provision needed to be optional for the State Police because it's optional for the federal government. ...
SB 335 is expected to move to the House Ways and Means Committee next because the $1.5 million appropriation was added to the legislation. If approved there, it would move to the full House for a vote, which Tincher said he expects to happen.
If approved by the House, the bill would move to a conference committee where members of the House and Senate would work to resolve their differences on the legislation.
Gonzalez, one of the bill's sharpest critics, said she's still hopeful the bill won't make it that far.
"Overall, the amendments don't seem to lessen the fear, the concern that is being felt in our community," she said. "I was very disappointed that it didn't just die in the committee."
The Indiana House Public Policy Committee voted this morning to approve one of the nation's toughest illegal immigration bills, but only after making a number of changes to the legislation.
The committee voted 7-4 to pass SB 335, which would punish employers for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.
Among the changes made by the committee was the addition of $1.5 million in funding to help the Attorney General's office and the State Police enforce the legislation. Previously, SB 335 included no money to fund enforcement.
Because the committee added a fiscal impact to the bill, it is now expected to move before the House Ways and Means committee for approval.
Lawmakers also changed SB 335 to apply to all employees. As previously written, the bill only would have applied to workers who worked a certain number of hours within a 12-month period.
The committee also changed the bill to place the responsibility of prosecuting employers from county prosecutor to administrative law judges in the state department of labor.
The bill also would require all employers to use the federal E-Verify system to confirm whether a potential employee is a legal citizen.
Under another change made to SB 335 this morning, the governor would be given the ability to review an administrative law judge's decision to revoke an employer's state license.
As previously written, if an employer was found guilty of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants three times within a 10-year period, the business would lose its state license. Under changes made today, that period was reduced to five years.
While Democrats argued the changes approved this morning made the bill stronger, Republicans pointed to other alterations they say made the bill weaker.
Among those was a change that allowed the State Police Department to choose whether to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the federal government to enforce federal immigration law. As previously written, the bill required State Police to enter the agreement.
Democrats argued the State Police Department needed the option in case the terms of the agreement weren't favorable.
Another change in the bill dictated that the attorney general "may" inform the department of labor's administrative law judges about possible violations while the legislation previously required the attorney general to refer all cases to local prosecutors.
The bill's author, Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, did not attend the hearing. But its sponsor in the House, Rep. Vern Tincher, D-Riley, said he was optimistic the bill would move through the House Ways and Means committee and then pass the full House.
My wife hates it, but I've shaved off the beard. She says it's itchy when I kiss her, and if I don't keep it trimmed neatly, my 22-month-old daughter won't give her daddy a kiss.
The three greatest Presidents in American history were all born in the month of February. George Washington, the first President and "Father of our country" was born on February 22, 1732. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President and "Great Emancipator" was born on February 12, 1809. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President and "Great Communicator" was born on February 6, 1911. Presidents' Day was first recognized in 1880 to honor George Washington's birthday. While is has never been officially declared as a holiday to honor the births of any other Presidents, it is typically seen as a day of honor for both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
time, my daughter will actually be able to enjoy the museum rather than spending most of the day in a stroller (she was only nine months old last time).
With just two days left before episode two of Jericho season two, the suspense is building.More Leadership wisdom from Rudy Giuliani:
CLICK THE MAP FOR A LARGER VIEW
Posts
All Comments
SUBSCRIBE
Add to Zune
