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Jim Corcoran's avatar

“…the political version of Kaiba’s defeat…” that’s the type of bold, unapologetic appeal to cool millennial kids that America needs. Great piece Joe. I think it’s time to make a “Press Pass Podcast” happen.

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Jeff's avatar

I'm with you Jim. Joe's work has been great and so well written. At the very least I want Joe on the Focus Group with Sarah!

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Kathe Rich's avatar

He was on with her about 2 months agao.

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Jeff's avatar

Thanks! I must have missed that week :)

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Terry Hilldale's avatar

I don't think we need any more podcasts. There are way too many already. It seems like everybody has a podcast.

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Dave Yell's avatar

I am in favor of that! Joe is our eyes and ears on congress Keep it up!

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Forrest's avatar

As a Gen Z er, I'm grossed out that this sort of cruelty to immigrants who want to become Americans has been dismissed with a Yu-Gi-Oh meme.

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Jim Corcoran's avatar

I don’t think the intent was to trivialize how poorly immigrants are treated, but rather to illustrate how Congressional reps in both parties are fundamentally out of position to respond to the policy change and are therefore “blown away”. I agree that immigrants are treated horribly in our culture and legal system, and that has to change writ large, but continuing to allow for border crossings at this magnitude is unsustainable and needs to be addressed.

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Forrest's avatar

Maybe we could address it by making it easier for refugees to immigrate legally, instead of harder. Just a thought.

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rlritt's avatar

That's odd. I live in CA and there a lot immigrants and they seem pretty happy. They're migrant workers that don't have a great deal,but they come for the money. When I lived in France it was impossible to get residency as an American. Then I married a French person, it was still a tremendous amount of time and paper work. And vice versa. People from 3rd world nations have a much easier time.

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Forrest's avatar

Maybe we should not have so many barriers to legal immigration. Maybe we should make it easier to immigrate, not harder.

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rlritt's avatar

Maybe, But no country does that.

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Forrest's avatar

We're the United States of America. We're supposed to be the best country in the world. I refuse to match my standards to the rest of the world. We are the shining city on the hill. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door! 🗽🇺🇲

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Kathy Balles's avatar

You know what would really improve the country? Deport two MAGAs for every immigrant we take in. A girl can dream, can’t she?

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rlritt's avatar

That was true at one time, but today a huge influence immigrants lowers wages for everyone and consequently the standard of living. That is why immigration was easier earlier in the country too few people for the work that needed to be done. Now, with automation, the for unskilled labor is less.

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Forrest's avatar

Yeah, no. The unemployment rate has been below 4% for three years. The economy needs more workers, not fewer.

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Fake American's avatar

And it will only get worse as more boomers retire.

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rlritt's avatar

True but low unemployment increases wages and thats good in the short term so wages keep up with inflation, which is going down.

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max skinner's avatar

There is work to be done. For example, maintaining and harvesting strawberry fields is not work that most people want to do. During Covid farmers had a hard time finding anyone to do this work.

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rlritt's avatar

That's true, but Trump and his minions are running on foreigners stealing over the border in droves. They don't talk about how low unemployment causes wages to rise (especially if you have to pay citizens minimum wage) All they talk about is inflation. Sadly this happens due to poor education, right wing propaganda passing as News, and silly anti Biden politicians who know better. Low unemployment = higher wages = higher prices.

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Terry Hilldale's avatar

Immigrants are NOT lowering the standard of living for the rest of us. And the immigrants who come illegally all work (almost by definition) in this environment of full employment for the rest of us. Clearly we need their labor. There should be a path to some sort of legal status for them.

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rlritt's avatar

You don't understand. They are not coming here to be citizens. They are here unlawfully. If they want to become citizens they need to apply for legal residency.

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Forrest's avatar

Yeah, and wait 12 years? Half my lifetime? That's bullshit and you know it.

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Judson Snell's avatar

Have you checked what the immigration policies are with countries that aren't the United States? We're not a country club.

If the bipartisan immigration deal hadn't been torpedoed by Orange Julius, asylum claims could be processed more quickly. But again, as a US citizen I can't simply fly into Montenegro or Sweden or even Russia and simply assume I can just go start passing out my resume.

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Forrest's avatar

Fuck Montenegro, fuck Sweden, fuck Russia. This is the United States of America. Those bullshit countries can do whatever they want, but this is the shining city on the hill. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! 🗽🇺🇲

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Judson Snell's avatar

Okay, but when the tempest-tost get here, they have to come in legally. We need to work on that process - it's been intentionally hamstrung to frustrate both parties and immigrants. So let's fix it. But we can't simply leave the velvet rope unchecked in the meantime.

Oh, and don't say mean things about Sweden.

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Forrest's avatar

So, again, why not declare the national emergency and issue an executive order that makes it easier to immigrate legally?

Why is the default always to make immigration harder?

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Terry Hilldale's avatar

AND, if the country REALLY wanted to stop illegal immigration, law enforcement would go after the criminal employers breaking the law by hiring them. No employers, no jobs, no illegal immigration. Easy peasy. And why not? Because America needs their labor. However it is always preferable to kick down than up, amirite?

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rlritt's avatar

No of course not. Unfettered immigration lowers the standard of living for most people except the very wealthy who less for workers.

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Forrest's avatar

Maybe that would be true if the labor market was competitive. But it isn't. The unemployment rate has been below 4% for years now. We need more workers, not fewer.

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Jessica Joy's avatar

I would like to throw something out there for you. Just like the bipartisan border bill,Biden knew it wasn't going to go thru and the media is still letting Republicans say the border is open blah blah blah. So President Biden did this knowing he would be sued and stopped by the ACLU. He's playing 3D chess. He has turned it around on them. Like he always does. When we get the House back,there will be a bill that will do what you want including the Dreamers. Go back and look at how successful Biden has played MAGA and Trump. He's a good man and president who wants best for this country and the people. He knows how to get it done. Be patient and vote Blue up and down the ballot.

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Forrest's avatar

If this is true, it's a silly gambit for essentially no purpose, that risks hurting many innocent people.

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Jessica Joy's avatar

It's not going to happen. That's the point

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Michael's avatar

Hopefully you’re more grossed out by how Trump plans to actually treat them.

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Forrest's avatar

Yes, that is why I am a Biden state elector. But I don't like that Biden is choosing to make it harder for more people to become Americans.

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rlritt's avatar

What would be best for the world is if immigrants from desperately poor countries ruled immoral ductatotoers were helped first world nations. I'm sure people would prefer to stay in their own countries, and take care of their families. Unfortunately these countries are ruled by selfish exploiting regimes that such cause havoc that most of the people are either enslaved or starving.

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Terry Hilldale's avatar

Sure, and Kamala Harris' "Border Czar" mandate is all about working with their home countries to alleviate the conditions that create such desperation.

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Forrest's avatar

We can help people by allowing them entry to our country. There is literally no downside to this. It is the right thing to do, both morally and economically.

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Walter Chuck's avatar

It would be great to have Joe on more podcasts. "We want him on that Hill, We need him on that Hill."

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