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The more I learn of the latest immigration "deal" offered by the Senate, the more PO’d I become. The meaning of what I reported in this prior post has only begun to sink in, despite being the one reading and linking to it. Never mind the amnesty part of the amnesty deal, what about the TAX AMNESTY part of the amnesty deal? I first learned about this sordid piece of the proposed legislation in a post by our friend Paul at Pun Salad, who linked to this story from Boston.com:
The Bush administration insisted on a little-noticed change in the bipartisan Senate immigration bill that would enable 12 million undocumented residents to avoid paying back taxes or associated fines to the Internal Revenue Service, officials said.
"But why?" we shout? Why put this in on top of all the other bad points of this deal? Again, from Boston.com:
A provision requiring payment of back taxes had been in the initial version of a bill proposed by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat. But the administration called for the provision to be removed due to concern that it would be too difficult to figure out which illegal immigrants owed back taxes.
Can you believe this? While the rest of us law-abiding citizens have to prove to the IRS why we DON’T owe back taxes, those breaking our Nation’s immigration laws get the exact opposite treatment.
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When word of this sudden deal on immigration with its fines and amnesty provisions and so-so border enforcement plans came out late last week, you could almost feel a palpable change in the political air in these parts. People I know who were about 95% sold on McCain have been snapped back into reality with his vehement defense of the plan. Dittoes for the others that have come down in favor of this.
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Am I mad at George W. Bush? Sure I am. Am I surprised? Nah. This has long been my biggest bone of contention with him. The Senators and the House have the power to stop him. From what I sense from talking to a wide array of folks out here in the hills and valleys of the Granite State, woe to the politician seeking office that favors this mass sellout of legal, law-abiding, tax-paying citizens.
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(Our buddy John Hawkins at RightWingNews is mighty upset about this "deal" too. He says it’s time to Googlebomb the perps…)