Stephanie
Diamond Member
- Jul 11, 2004
- 70,230
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GOOD GRIEF
By DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press Writer
April 5, 2006, 5:27 PM EDT
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton charged Wednesday that a House GOP immigration bill would make her and her Senate aides criminals, and warned of a "ticking time bomb" lurking in the U.S. economy.
Clinton's latest comments on the immigration debate in Congress follow earlier remarks in which she said the bill, written by Reps. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Peter King, R-N.Y., would probably criminalize "even Jesus himself."
Speaking to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she claimed her work on behalf of New York constituents would run afoul of the House bill setting penalties for anyone who knowingly assists or encourages illegal immigrants to remain here.
"I realize I would be a criminal, too. My staff would be criminal. We help people with all kinds of problems," said Clinton, D-N.Y., prompting titters in the audience.
Democratic critics and the Catholic Church complain such language would make even humanitarian assistance to an illegal immigrant a crime; the bill's authors dismiss the claim as an absurd attempt to defeat the bill.
Clinton urged the Hispanic business leaders to help defeat such measures by resisting what she called misinformation in the emotionally charged immigration debate.
"We need to help educate the entire American public. We need to put the face of America and hardworking Americans on this debate," she said.
Rep. Peter King charged Clinton is the one spreading misinformation, saying the only way his bill would make her a criminal is if she was a "coyote," another term for an immigrant smuggler.
"I hope that Sen. Clinton is not suggesting that she and her staff are members of an alien smuggling gang, or that she is a coyote posing as a senator," said King.
The bill, he said, "has absolutely nothing to do with churches or social workers or senators assisting illegal immigrants. It is aimed entirely at alien smuggling gangs."
Clinton also spent much of her speech warning of perils she saw ahead for the U.S. economy _ particularly rising government debt and a growing trade deficit.
"We have to worry about the deficit, it's not an irrelevant problem and then when we combine it with the trade deficit we have a real ticking time bomb in our economy," said Clinton. "I hope that we can prevent it going off and that we begin to act responsibly."
Congress last month raised the federal debt ceiling _ the amount the government can borrow _ to nearly $9 trillion.
The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record $724 billion last year, and the imbalance with China alone was $202 billion.
Rising government debt could lead to higher interest rates, which Clinton said could hurt many homeowners if they see their adjustable mortgage interest rates rise.
"When we spend money we do not have ... it begins to ripple through the economy and I think we're beginning to see some of those ripples now," said Clinton.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/w...,3809319,print.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
By DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press Writer
April 5, 2006, 5:27 PM EDT
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton charged Wednesday that a House GOP immigration bill would make her and her Senate aides criminals, and warned of a "ticking time bomb" lurking in the U.S. economy.
Clinton's latest comments on the immigration debate in Congress follow earlier remarks in which she said the bill, written by Reps. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Peter King, R-N.Y., would probably criminalize "even Jesus himself."
Speaking to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she claimed her work on behalf of New York constituents would run afoul of the House bill setting penalties for anyone who knowingly assists or encourages illegal immigrants to remain here.
"I realize I would be a criminal, too. My staff would be criminal. We help people with all kinds of problems," said Clinton, D-N.Y., prompting titters in the audience.
Democratic critics and the Catholic Church complain such language would make even humanitarian assistance to an illegal immigrant a crime; the bill's authors dismiss the claim as an absurd attempt to defeat the bill.
Clinton urged the Hispanic business leaders to help defeat such measures by resisting what she called misinformation in the emotionally charged immigration debate.
"We need to help educate the entire American public. We need to put the face of America and hardworking Americans on this debate," she said.
Rep. Peter King charged Clinton is the one spreading misinformation, saying the only way his bill would make her a criminal is if she was a "coyote," another term for an immigrant smuggler.
"I hope that Sen. Clinton is not suggesting that she and her staff are members of an alien smuggling gang, or that she is a coyote posing as a senator," said King.
The bill, he said, "has absolutely nothing to do with churches or social workers or senators assisting illegal immigrants. It is aimed entirely at alien smuggling gangs."
Clinton also spent much of her speech warning of perils she saw ahead for the U.S. economy _ particularly rising government debt and a growing trade deficit.
"We have to worry about the deficit, it's not an irrelevant problem and then when we combine it with the trade deficit we have a real ticking time bomb in our economy," said Clinton. "I hope that we can prevent it going off and that we begin to act responsibly."
Congress last month raised the federal debt ceiling _ the amount the government can borrow _ to nearly $9 trillion.
The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record $724 billion last year, and the imbalance with China alone was $202 billion.
Rising government debt could lead to higher interest rates, which Clinton said could hurt many homeowners if they see their adjustable mortgage interest rates rise.
"When we spend money we do not have ... it begins to ripple through the economy and I think we're beginning to see some of those ripples now," said Clinton.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/w...,3809319,print.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
just that image hurt my brain... 
