Senator John Watkins Now Has No Opinion
By Greg L | 16 June 2008 | Illegal Aliens, Virginia Politics | 37 Comments
Senator John Watkins, while speaking to reporters in advance of tomorrow’s meeting of the Virginia Commission on Immigration in Roanoke, is now telling the public that he doesn’t want to inject his opinion into the debate over how the Commonwealth should address the illegal alien problem in Virginia. That’s an interesting change of heart, given that at the conclusion of the last meeting at GMU in Fairfax, Watkins was more than happy to offer his opinion to reporters and decry efforts to reduce the number of illegal aliens unlawfully present in the Commonwealth. Maybe Watkins understands that demonstrating his already arrived at conclusion about these hearings might imperil the legitimacy of a budget request to Governor Kaine to continue these hearings, which are rapidly becoming evident as a waste of taxpayer money. If the commission has arrived at a conclusion, additional funding for it hardly seems a good use of taxpayer dollars.
“I don’t want to inject my opinion into this. We’re trying to get the thoughts of the public,” said Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan.
Compare this to Watkins’ comments to the Fairfax Times on May 28th, when he told reporters that Prince William County’s Rule of Law Resolution “borders on harassment”. Yeah, this is a guy with an open mind. So open that at the first meeting of the commission, at the Fairfax campus of GMU, the large delegation of open borders advocating students and faculty at that event got free parking, while the public had to pay eight bucks for the priviledge of addressing the commission. Now the commission meets in Roanoke, another hotspot for the open borders lobby, complete with plenty of folks who will happily and unlawfully provide support to illegal aliens.
Watkins claims that he is seeking information about the financial impact of illegal aliens on Virginia. That’s not something a public hearing will help him uncover, unless what he wants to do is listen to a bunch of open borders types wax poetic about how illegal aliens pay sales taxes. The huge fiscal impact illegal aliens impose on our states and localities is well documented on the internet, and a google search is a lot cheaper than a state commission. Here’s just a sampling of what illegal aliens are costing states and communities across the nation, which I’m happy to provide at zero taxpayer expense:
- Kansas: Hospital stuck with bill for illegal alien
- National: The costs of illegal immigration
- Ohio: Illegal aliens busted for fraudulently receiving public benefits
- Arizona: Immigration cases flood courts
- Californa: Open borders harms workers
- National: Medicare fraud a growing problem
- Pennsylvania: Illegal aliens costs state millions
- Arizona: “Ethnic Studies Department” a waste of taxpayer money
- Florida: 51 hospitals in financial distress because of illegal aliens (video)
- Virginia: Taxpayer funded job program for illegal aliens
- Texas: Incarceration of illegal aliens expected to rise
- Florida: Marriage fraud regarding illegal aliens a lucrative business
- Texas: The burdens on our local schools
- Arizona: Mesa police can’t afford to translate 911 calls
Just think: it’s your tax dollars that make this circus possible. Aren’t you thrilled?
Notwithstanding Watkin’s supposed interest in not injecting his opinion into the debate, he does so anyways. Color me surprised.
But even if the commission does tap into public outcry over the effects of immigration, its powers to react are limited, Watkins said. “There’s very little we can do with state legislation. If change is needed, it will usually come from the federal government. We can make recommendations to our friends at the federal level.”
Further, Watkins said, the public should have a say in whether certain strategies are worth their expense. For example, he said, “We can enforce the law and arrest anyone without appropriate identification. But I think we have to ask ourselves, What is the cost of that? Are we willing to utilize tax dollars or increase taxes to enforce immigration laws?”
Besides, Watkins reasoned, once an illegal immigrant is arrested, the state’s expenses on that case may only be starting.
“We can hold them, but we don’t have the authority to deport them.”
Arizona. Oklahoma. North Carolina. Georgia. Do these states ring a bell, Senator Watkins? They somehow seemed to figure out that not only could they respond to the issue and come to the rescue of their citizens, but they did it, and illegal aliens are leaving these states in droves, saving state taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Since Senator Watkins has already arrived at his conclusion however, these states have effectively and successfully addressed the illegal alien issue, and improved the lives of their citizens in ways that Senator Watkins simply has no interest in.
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
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When a politician is rendered speechless, it can only mean he or she is uncertain of the direction of prevailing winds and is thus loathe deploying his unprincipled sails.
Watkins is looking out for the contributors who fill his campaign coffers, i.e., those businesses who profit from hiring the Illegal Invaders at slave wages.
Watkins’ remarks expose his ignorance. Nobody expects the Commonwealth to arrest illegals simply for being here. What we do expect is for the State Legislators to protect us from the effects of the federal governments abysmal failure to do its job. We expect them to enact legislation protecting us from drivers who do not have a license. We expect them to enact legislation protecting us from drivers who do not have insurance. We expect them to enact legislation protecting our economy from lenders who mortgage houses to people here illegally. We expect them to enact legislation protecting our tax money from going to government contractors who do not verify the legal residence of their workforce. We expect our Governor to enter into agreements with ICE that would enable the State police and DMV to identify illegal invaders to ICE.
In short, we expect Watkins and his colleagues to do their jobs, just as they expect us to pay our taxes.
Go to the Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/a-1439307~Wolf_warns_U_N__to_stop_immigration_official_from_rescheduling_visit_to_Prince_William_County.html
Go, Frank Wolf!
suburbanite said on 16 Jun 2008 at 12:45 pm:
ditto!
Kansas: Hospital stuck with bill for illegal alien
National: The costs of illegal immigration
Ohio: Illegal aliens busted for fraudulently receiving public benefits
Arizona: Immigration cases flood courts
Californa: Open borders harms workers
National: Medicare fraud a growing problem
Pennsylvania: Illegal aliens costs state millions
Arizona: “Ethnic Studies Department” a waste of taxpayer money
Florida: 51 hospitals in financial distress because of illegal aliens (video)
Virginia: Taxpayer funded job program for illegal aliens
Texas: Incarceration of illegal aliens expected to rise
Florida: Marriage fraud regarding illegal aliens a lucrative business
Texas: The burdens on our local schools
Arizona: Mesa police can’t afford to translate 911 calls
Maryland: Juan’s Tacos see record untaxed profits in 2007/08 Gracia
http://www.zillow.com/aerial/DualMapPage.htm?zpid=37520815
Watkins was given a report on the costs associated with illegal aliens residing in Va. already. He was also given polls on how Virginians feel about illegals in the state. Guess he threw that one in the trashcan.
This is exactly like the “hearings” the PWC Human Rights Commission held. Open-minded and fair. How open minded can you be when you openly support MWB by going to their rallies and being on stage with them?
How fair was it that the night they held open “public” comment no one was allowed to speak because they didn’t have a quorum?
Watkins needs to go into the hospital emergency rooms, the schools and the neighborhoods that have been affected by the wave of illegal aliens. Not hold sham public hearings on this.
Senator John Watkins said…….
“We can enforce the law and arrest anyone without appropriate identification. But I think we have to ask ourselves, what is the cost of that? Are we willing to utilize tax dollars or increase taxes to enforce immigration laws?”
Why is it that they squander our dollars dreaming up and then watering down legislation only to enact the “but it will cost so much to enforce “drivel whenever we expect the laws to be enforced. People in the private sector who waste that kind of time and money are usually fired.
Watkins said. “There’s very little we can do with state legislation. If change is needed, it will usually come from the federal government. We can make recommendations to our friends at the federal level.”
And sit idle while the federal machine strips the states of even more rights, and wait for direction from the folks at the North American Union.
Politicians like Watkins have no interest in serving the public and the laws they’ve sworn to uphold. Their interest lies in pandering to those who will fill their campaign coffers. Those are the businesses that hire illegal aliens at slave labor. Just like a few landed gentry slaveholders in the Old South controlled politics, the new slaveholders are controlling politics now. The results may be just as disastrous for our Nation.
Advocator said:
All of these problems would be cleared up after we give amnesty and make visas to immigrate easy to obtain.
So why aren’t we marching in support of amnesty and easy-to-obtain visas?
Because, GreySnout, you ignoramous, as George Will would say, you get more of what you tolerate. You want more Illegal Invaders, working at slave wages and ruining the economic structure of this Nation? Give the ones here amnesty.
Advocator,
I remember the dignity and class my father taught me so l will choose to be the better man and ignore your provocative insult. I hope my example teaches you something about how to be a gentleman.
My point is that once they are citizens with equal rights, they can fight for higher wages and better benefits thereby raising the wages and benefits of all american-born workers in the same industries. And this means they will also be able to pay more taxes. Some will even send their kids to private school saving the taxpayers even more money.
Great solution to the problem of unlawful behavior: reclassify the unlawful behavior as lawful. Yeah, I’m sure that’ll work.
While we’re at it, how about just get rid of the law? We’ll have no more criminals, we won’t have to spend money on police or jails, and I’m just certain that we’ll have a nice orderly society where everyone loves each other.
GregL,
Thank you for being a true Southron Gentleman and debating the issues with civilized restraint and politeness.
I am not advocating for the abolition of all laws. I am advocating that we realign the law according to reality. Instead of fighting the unconquerable law of supply and demand that has fueled the rise of our country, why don’t we embrace it and benefit from it.
After all, our noble Southron ancestors understood how the law can be used as a tool for tyranny. Over 300,000 of them gave their lives in resistance of tyrannical laws.
“All of these problems would be cleared up after we give amnesty”
We tried that 22 years ago. It doesn’t appear to me that the 1986 amnesty cleared up ANY problems.
MP Resident,
If you note in my original post, I posited for your fine review, an update to our immigration policy. The update I envision will allow the issuance of visas, for those who aspire to be our new neighbors, to be speeded up, if you will, to a rate that exceeds that of molasses moving downhill on a winter’s day. Such an update will go far in eliminating the need for anyone to break the law to become our new neighbors.
Let’s set aside the valid argument that amnesty is essentially encouraging anarchy for a moment.
Should we decide to have open borders, what is it that would prevent our nation being utterly inundated with millions of the world’s poor who would view our entitlement programs as the easiest way to life themselves out of poverty. Free education, medicaid, medicare, SSI, Section 8 housing, food stamps, earned income tax credits and all the rest would be a powerful magnet for anyone stuggling abroad to come here who could obtain citizenship regardless of whether they followed any legal process to get here. Our poor in the US enjoy a standard of living higher than at least 80% of the world’s population.
What’s to discourage virtually the entire population of central and south america from not getting in on this deal, then? It would be a tremendous deal for them. But would it be a good deal for America?
If you thought having between 12-40 million illegal aliens flood our country in twenty years caused trouble, just imagine what would happen when three hundred million come here to take advantage of our entitlement programs within a period of perhaps five years? What would America be when our population more than doubles with an influx of impoverished, under-educated, unassimilated foreign nationals like that, demanding their rights as citizens to taxpayer-funded programs?
And if we make this grand gesture to central and south americans, why should we be racist and not extend the same invitation to Africa and Asia as well? There are about a billion Chinese people who live in difficult circumstances and don’t particularly like their government telling them how many children they’re allowed to have. They can come to America, get amnesty, and have all the kids they want. All they’d have to do is find a way to get here. There’s no shortage of people in the world who would significantly improve their lives by coming to America.
We have to make our national immigration policy work for America. Open borders would without a doubt encourage the destruction of our nation in very short order. We simply cannot alleviate the economic problems of the world by importing the world’s poor here.
GreySnout said on 17 Jun 2008 at 10:01 am:
All of these problems would be cleared up after we give amnesty and make visas to immigrate easy to obtain.
The reality is:
All of these problems will be cleared up when we start enforcing the law and quit pandering to law breakers because “they had a hard time” or “what about the children” or any of 100 other excuses that are given to keep the argument alive.
It is odd that the only people who feel immigration laws are tyrannical are the ones breaking them. They seem to work for everyone else.
How about they just go home and fight for better wages and benifits there? How about they just go home and fight the corruption that keeps their people from advancing in their own country?
Citizen 12:
You’re wrong about one point (the only people who feel immigration laws are tyrannical are the ones breaking them.) The others who feign offense at our immigration laws are those who are making money by hiring illegal aliens at slave wages, by renting flop houses to them, and by aiding and abetting them in skirting our laws and regulations (for a fee, of course).
GregL:
“Should we decide to have open borders, what is it that would prevent our nation being utterly inundated with millions of the world’s poor who would view our entitlement programs as the easiest way to life themselves out of poverty.”
That’s a very important question Greg. And I believe the answer is the same answer that has fueled the rise of our country:
The Free Market
It is the Free Market that decides how many immigrants our fine country can absorb just as it is the Free Market that decides how many employees may be hired by the family hardware store on the corner. We, as Americans, have always placed our faith in the Free Market and abhorred the corrosive influence of government controlled programs. The founding fathers rightly saw government as evil, albeit a necessary one. Yet, when it comes to immigration, we choose to allow the corrupt government to attempt to manage it with unrealistic immigration quotas? Why, the government couldn’t manage the production of soap.
The Free Market can control immigration levels just right as rain. All we need to do, is get out of the way. It’s a whole lot cheaper too.
Advocator stated,
“You’re wrong about one point (the only people who feel immigration laws are tyrannical are the ones breaking them.) The others who feign offense at our immigration laws are those who are making money by hiring illegal aliens at slave wages, by renting flop houses to them, and by aiding and abetting them in skirting our laws and regulations (for a fee, of course).”
I will respond to your observations Advocator but I’m sure my response will not meet your approval. Nevertheless, I hope you will refrain from base and lowly characterizations of my intelligence. I strive to be a humble and generous man, as I’m sure you do as well, but I am nobody’s fool sir.
All of the important problems you noted above are the end result, symptoms if you will, of a root problem. And that root problem is that our new neighbors do not have legal status. If they had said legal status they would naturally rise nobly to their own defense without our assistance and would vanquish in the courts those who would exploit them. We all believe that a man should do for himself before he asks help from others. How can we, as caring neighbors, deny our fellow men the rights they need to defend themselves from oppressive employers and lowly ambulance chasers?
GreySnout said on 17 Jun 2008 at 10:41 am: “My point is that once they are citizens with equal rights, they can fight for higher wages and better benefits thereby raising the wages and benefits of all american-born workers in the same industries.”
They way to raise wages for Americans is to get rid of the labor pool who will work for almost nothing (illegal aliens). Do you not realize that the companies that hire illegal labor are destroying American businesses that hire legal workers? Do you not have compassion for those businesses that follow our laws and are being screwed because of it?
No, GreySnout, that’s not the root problem. The root problem is people who will sell out their own countrymen and exploit poor people for their own personal gain.
GreySnout said on 17 Jun 2008 at 11:58 am: “We all believe that a man should do for himself before he asks help from others.”
Then work in your own country. El Salvador can’t hire enough people to work. Those that have someone here in America working won’t work at home because they are living off the coffers of someone that has broken OUR laws.
IllegalisILLEGAL:
“Then work in your own country. El Salvador can’t hire enough people to work.”
I am standing on the soil of my country, the sovereign state of Virgnia of these States United. And you would be wise to tread carefully should you ever seek to once more impugn the sincerity of my allegiance. Or you may come to find, that words that seemed so cheap and easy when spoken from afar, carry an exorbitant price once you fall within arms reach.
Yes, indeed.
Is that a threat GreySnout?
It is a promise.
GreySnout: Sorry, but you have it bass-ackwards. Further, you might be more effective if you would cut out all that flowery language (excessive verbiage is a waste of time for the reader)
A little off topic but necessary to be seen
Take notice Utah: this is happening to you too.
06-14-2008 10:51 PM
“(San Marcos, CA) — About 20 members of the San Diego Minutemen protested outside a San Marcos Mormon church yesterday morning as Mexican government officials passed out identification cards to Mexican citizens. About 150 people were given the I.D. cards which allow illegal immigrants to receive a variety of services normally provided to U.S. citizens. Sheriff’s deputies say the protest was peaceful.
Copyright 2008 Metro Networks Communications Inc., A Westwood One Company ”
US Immigraton Law states ” anyone who entices or assists some to come to the United States ILLEGALLY or to stay in the United States ILLEGALLY is guilty of a crime.
Sad when the churches are the ones commiting the crimes huh?
Greg, check out GreySnout’s IP…I believe you’ll find that it’s your buddy The Truth, aka Yankee Boy, aka Yankee, and aka Mackie over at AntiBVBL.
By the way everyone, GreySnout ancestors do come from the South…South of the Border, from whence his parents swam across the Rio Grande. OK…maybe they walked into Texas.
AWCheney,
You have my pity as do all of God’s feeble minded children. It is unfortunate that you should choose to question my integrity, that I can forgive. However, you have now decided to cast insults upon and wound the honor of my peace loving mother and father. Well, in the Bible it states ‘Honor thy mother and father’. I assure you that, as a God fearing man, I intend to do just that should we ever find ourselves face to face. I intend to do it with utmost devotion to the word.
IllegalisIllegal and AWCheney,
Please let me know when you intend to meet face to face with GreySnout. I will be most pleased to join you.
Engaging with idiots is counterproductive, folks. Teaching pigs to sing is a better way to spend your time. It will at least provide you with some entertainment.
DPortM,
It is unfortunate for you that you choose to align yourself with these two scoundrels. However, you have made your decision to weigh in on an issue that did not concern you. You have pulled up a chair to a card game where you stand to gain nothing, and have much to lose. As a gambling man, I can assure you that this is high stakes poker, and your obvious inexperience may just leave you with a crushing debt to pay.
And pay you will.
In case anyone should choose to maliciously twist my words to generate hatred, I am a pacifist like my Father before me who would never resort to violence. My weapons are words for the pen is mightier than the sword. And face to face, my words will suffice to humble to the dust all those lowly scallywags who here have chosen to sully the honor of my humble family.
Rally ‘Round da Taco 2008
There will be a taco rally in July at Juans’ House of illegal Tacos. Now a few words from Juan:
Now that everything is quite again, please come out to Juan’s illegal taco business. We operate out of a house without a license or regulation to keep the costs down. We don’t pay taxes on our profits so we can bring you the lowest priced illegal tacos around.
http://www.zillow.com/aerial/DualMapPage.htm?zpid=37520815
Hello,
I’m Juan from Juan’s illegal taco house. Please look at this site to see how many times people have complained about me selling quaility illegal tacos from my residency.
http://egov.goprincegeorgescounty.com/Epermitsexternal/Site/Public/Citizens/Permitdefault.Aspx
But I still bring you the lowest priced unlicensed unregulated tacos in town. Come out today to get a low priced taco today!
Look at this latest attempt to shut down my low priced illegal, unlicensed, unregulated taco house.
June 1, 2008
Maj Kevin Davis
Commander, Prince George’s County Police, District I
5000 Rhode Island Ave
Hyattsville, MD 20784
Dear Maj Davis:
This letter is in follow up to the District I’s Advisory Community Meeting of January 30, 2008. At that meeting Ofc Lisa Garland described the Joint Agency Group (JAG) program for addressing persistent and varied issues at specific properties. Thank you very much for your attention to the properties listed in my previous letter. The JAG intervention had some impact to improve property standards at 2211 Cool Spring Rd., 2708 Curry Drive; 2409 Cool Spring Rd, and 8320 26th Ave.
I have since received a request concerning 8531 Riggs Rd. As you can see from the enclosed, there have been numerous actions concerning the operation of an illegal food business at this address. Our hope is that a coordinated JAG visit to this address will prompt the shut down of these operations that apparently continue despite these numerous citations. As you can see also, we have already corresponded about this case with Mr. Bill Edelen of the Department of Environmental Resources.
If this county attorney could not shut me down I think I’m in the clear!
Court System: DISTRICT COURT FOR PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY - CIVIL SYSTEM
Case Number: 0502SP085752007Claim Type:INJUNCTION
District/Location Codes: 05 / 02Filing Date:06/05/2007Case Status:CLOSED
Name: MAGNER, ANNE C
Connection to Complaint: ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF
Address: 5121 COUNTY ADMIN. BLDG.
City: UPPER MARLBOROState:MDZip Code:20772
If Person is Attorney: Attorney Code:000910Attorney’s Firm:ASSOC COUNTY ATTORNEY
Complaint No: 002(PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MARYLAND) Vs:(CASTILLO, JUAN )
Type: REGULAR CLAIM
Status Date: 08/17/2007Filing Date:06/05/2007Amount$0Last Activity Date:08/17/2007
Type: INITIAL CASE FILINGComplaint No.:
Date: 06/05/2007Comment:INITIAL FILING OF INJUNCTION
Type: COURT ORDER ENTEREDComplaint No.:001
Date: 06/12/2007Comment:9S2;ORDER OF INJUNCTION ISSUANCE
SERVICEComplaint No.:001
Date: 06/19/2007Comment:REGL;0605200 7;DEF;SV-SERVED ;
Type: COMMENTComplaint No.:
Date: 08/15/2007Comment:ATP APPRD BEFORE JUDGE BARON, CONSENT ORDER SIGNED
COMMENTComplaint No.:
Date: 08/17/2007Comment:SENT COPY OF SIGNED ORDER TO PARTIES
CASE CLOSEDComplaint No.:
So this is Juan From Juan’s illegal tacos where we don’t care who wants us to stop cooking and selling unlicensed, unregulated, tacos from a residential home, where we pay no taxes on our profits from said tacos, telling you to come on down to Juan’s Tacos. We will sell tacos at the lowest price possible. If you get food poisoning (proof required) your next 2 tacos are FREE!
GreySnout said on 17 Jun 2008 at 3:19 pm:
“I am standing on the soil of my country, the sovereign state of Virgnia of these States United. And you would be wise to tread carefully should you ever seek to once more impugn the sincerity of my allegiance. Or you may come to find, that words that seemed so cheap and easy when spoken from afar, carry an exorbitant price once you fall within arms reach.
Yes, indeed.”
I just checked back to this thread and it seems like you are making threats to the well being of some people. Maybe the police would be interested in this.