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April 14, 2006
SENATE MINORITY LEADER VISITS PAHRUMP Reid: Immigration issue a red herringIRAQ WAR, UPCOMING ELECTION DISCUSSED
By GINA B. GOOD
According to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., he is living in such a world in Washington. In a Wednesday interview at the Pahrump Valley Times, when asked whether the immigration debate was a "red herring," meant to distract voters' attention from the war in Iraq, the senator nodded in agreement. "In this Orwellian world I live in with George Bush ... I agree with you. I don't think they want to get anything done with immigration." Reid also stated that he spoke with President Bush shortly after he was first elected president. "What a charming man," Reid commented. "He said, 'I want to get along with all you guys.' I felt so good about it." But Reid stated that's not how things worked out, saying, "You can't work with that man." Reid said he'd faired well with other Republican presidents. "I worked very well with Ronald Regan when he was president. He was a good person," said the senator. "This (George Bush's) president's father was easy to work with. I liked him. But this man (President Bush) has been very difficult to work with. We haven't been able to get anything done." Asked why the Democrats had not worked to impeach the president, Reid said, "You know who is second in command. I would rather stick with the president." Reid also referred to former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, who this week said it was a mistake for the United States to try to occupy Iraq after June of 2003, when American forces settled in. "We have to pull back, and we have to recognize it," Gingrich said on Tuesday. "(Secretary of Defense Donald) Rumsfield and (Paul) Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, have taken us to places we don't want to go," Reid said. "Saddam Hussein was an amoral leader," the senator continued. "He lacked all moral sensibilities. But there were no terrorist organizations in Iran when he was in power; he ruled that country with brute force. Now there are 2,400 dead Americans and ... (hundreds more) seriously wounded." Reid also spoke of General Colin Powell. "When he was joint chief of staff he was led down a path. I am terribly disappointed in him, but after he learned he was duped he has been quiet. "You don't win a war by surrendering but you have to be honest," said Reid. Turning to the upcoming election, the senator said at this point it's a close race. "Today, we're (the two parties) 50-50. We have Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Ohio, Montana and Rhode Island, and we are competitive in Tennessee, Arizona and Virginia. I hope to do better in six and a-half months," said Reid. In 2004, Montana, Tennessee, Arizona and Virginia were red states, won by the Republicans. Speaking of illegal immigration, the senator was candid. "We have a serious problem that starts with our border," Reid said. "The border is porous and not controlled. We will have to do much better than we have in the past." But the issue is complex. "In Las Vegas, on the Strip, they are going to build 50,000 new hotel rooms," he said. "They can't find workers, and that's why we need a guest worker program. These aren't minimum wage jobs - they'll make good money." "We have to do something with the 12 million undocumented people who are here. We don't have enough money to ... deport them all. Plus, most of them have been here for a long period of time. They have American wives and children," Reid said. The senator insisted there must be a path to legalization, such as that provided in the McCain-Kennedy bill. "A person must have a job, pay taxes, know English and not get into any trouble. They have to pay fines and penalties." As for low-paid migrant farm workers who may not be able to come up with the money for citizenship, the senator simply stated, "They would not be eligible unless they paid the necessary fees." Reid favors increasing sanctions on businesses that hire illegal workers, which he views as the real cause of the problem. "There are 280 million people in the United States, yet only three sanctions were issued to employers in 2005," said Reid. "Now, employers can hire (undocumented workers) with impunity because nothing will happen to them. We have to get these people (illegal aliens) out of the shadows." The senator said illegal aliens are able to buy documents on the street in Las Vegas for $200. "We need documents that can't be tampered with," he said. "If we enforced sanctions on companies hiring undocumented workers it would slow immigration significantly." Reid recently made a trip to the U.S.-Mexican border. He said the wall hasn't cut illegal immigration. People climb over the chain link sections. "We can't fence the entire border, but we can have a virtual wall, using electronic surveillance. It works well in Israel, but you have to have enough people. Our border patrol is understaffed and under resourced," he said. The senator explained there are 24 traffic lanes at the Southern California border south of San Diego - all coming into the U.S. Traffic is backed up while vehicles are searched. "We saw a little compact car with a false bottom made of canvas. (Border guards) caught eight people hiding in that car," Reid said. He also observed a construction truck full of people try to get through security. "I want to go to Mexico. We need to have better diplomatic relations with Mexico. There are things the Mexican government can do to help," said the man from Searchlight, Nevada. |
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