TAXES AND IMMIGRATION: RESPONSE TO ROMNEY'S ATTACK ON HUCKABEE ON THE SITUATION ROOM (11/26/07)

Mitt Romney is at it again. This time he's attacking Huckabee, saying that Huckabee is no Reagan. Obviously Romney was always a great admirer of Reagan (NOT) and he was a supporter of Reagan-Bush policies in the '80's (NOT). I will allow Romney to tell you that himself, watch the video below.


MORE RESPONSE:

FISCAL:
Joe Carter wrote an article on Reagan and attacks by club for growth. This is pretty relevant to this blog post as well.

http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004053.html

Quote:

After being elected Governor of California in 1967, Ronald Reagan reneged on a campaign promise and signed into law the single biggest tax increase in the state's history: $1 billion. (At the time, the total state budget was only about $5 billion. Adjusted for inflation and population growth, the increase in today's dollars would be $10 billion.)

If the Club for Growth had been around in 1980, Reagan might not have become President. The influential fiscal conservative group would surely have done everything in their power to prevent the Gipper from gaining the nomination. They would have attempted to derail Reagan's campaign just as they are now doing to Gov. Huckabee.

More Articles on this topic:
An Endorsement of Mike Huckabee: http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004044.html
The CFG's Hypocrisy on Earmarks: http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004079.html
Rebutting NRO's Editorial: http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004093.html
Hucks Army collection of data: http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=755 (Membership required)
Huckabee vs Romney (Tax Burden): http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=746 (Membership required)
Huckabee's response on WSJ: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010794
Campaign's response to the Nursing Tax: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=563
Hucks Army research on Tax Hike Video: http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=1667

ON IMMIGRATION: Don't forget Reagan's Amnesty plan of 1986. The border wasn't built under Reagan, nor the illegal immigration situation was solved. I'm not saying that it was a good thing, nor am I saying that Huckabee is going to do the same. I'm just laying out the Reagan record.

There has been a lot of talk about Gov. Huckabee's proposal on allowing children of illegal immigrants who have attended an Arkansas school for at least 3 years and met all academic requirements for graduates to receive an in-state tuition rate for attending any college in Arkansas.

Here is the text of the bill, that didn't pass:
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2005/public/HB1525.pdf

WHEREAS, there are children of undocumented immigrants who have lived in Arkansas most of their lives; and
WHEREAS, most of these children have spent their formative years in Arkansas elementary and secondary schools; and
WHEREAS, many of these children have proven their academic ability by graduating from an Arkansas high school; and
WHEREAS, many of these children are precluded from accessing an affordable college education because they do not qualify for in-state tuition rates or state-supported scholarships; and

WHEREAS, educational opportunities should be offered to all children so they may contribute to the future economic viability of Arkansas,

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
As Engrossed: S3/31/05 S4/11/05 HB1525
04-11-2005 19:35 KAC234
SECTION 1 1. (a) This act shall be known as the “Access to Postsecondary Education Act of 2005”.
(b) Any tuition rate that is granted to residents of Arkansas shall be granted on the same terms to all persons, regardless of immigration status,who have attended a secondary educational institution in Arkansas for at least three (3) years and who have either graduated from an Arkansas high school or received a general education diploma in the state.
(c) In addition to the requirements under subdivision (b) of this section, a student without documented status shall file an affidavit with the state-supported institution of higher education stating that the student has an intent to legalize his or her immigration status.
(d) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall promulgate the rules necessary for implementation of this act.

Obviously, this might be a turn off to those who thinks this is amnesty. I beg to differ, because there is a lot of qualifiers for this bill. Gov. Huckabee has not flip-flopped on this issue, nor has rephrased his support in anyway and I admire him for it. Gov. Huckabee has explained the logic behind why he supported this proposal: It is better to encourage people to become tax payers than tax 'takers'.
On the other hand, Act 2210 of 2005 was signed into law by Governor Huckabee. The legislation made it illegal for a driver’s license to be issued to anyone who could not prove legal residency in Arkansas. http://roebuckreport...

Gov. Huckabee is strongly for building the border, also he's against blind amnesty. Here is a very detailed article about Gov. Huckabee's position on immigration on MikeHuckabee.com. I would encourage you look at the other top-tier candidates and you would see that a bunch of these candidates are clearly pandering to far right for votes. I can bet you none of these guys wouldn't do anything different than Huckabee.

UPDATE: Gov. Huckabee has come out with a 9-point Secure America plan. Very strong plan.

I wrote this on another post but I decided to place a copy of it on this post since we are on the topic of immigration:

SIDE NOTE:

How come these conservatives aren't attacking Romney nor Rudy on immigration? Why just Huckabee? I think it's very clear that Rudy was for sanctuary cities in NYC and Thompson has no real record to judge from (so he can pretty much claim anything he wants). Here is Romney's past statements and his record in Massachusetts when it comes to illegal immigration and how he has flip-flopped on this issue (like many others).

Romney Supports McCain-Bush Immigration Bill, Saying They Are "Quite Different" From Amnesty. According to the Boston Globe, in November 2005 Romney spoke "approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation's immigration crisis, calling them 'reasonable proposals.[Boston Globe, 3/16/07]

Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support yesterday for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship… 'I don't believe in rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country,' Romney said. '[T]hose that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship, as they would from their home country.[Lowell Sun, 3/30/06]

I really think the conservative media is not doing their job in revealing the past positions of the candidates they like. They know it will hurt their favorite candidate. Recently, Huckabee has become a real threat to the republican establishment and so all of them are all out on him. I hope the American people will see through the usual convoluted politics and get to know Gov. Huckabee for who he truly is.

On a personal note, It takes a lot of our time and energy as volunteer bloggers for Huckabee to respond to all of these unfair charges. I only wish most of these conservative columnists would spend the time in doing proper and fair research.

RESPONSE TO ANOTHER NEWSBUSTERS.ORG ARTICLE ON HUCKABEE - AND OTHER COMMENTS UNDER IT

Yes, the second day of the row, the exposer of Liberal Media Bias has come against Gov. Huckabee again! This time criticizing his empathy towards those who aren't doing so well financially. Some call it being a 'populist'. Also, some rival campaign supporters attacked Gov. Huckabee on his theological degree and tried to make the point that he is not qualified enough to be President. Some said he should run for a Baptist pastor.

Again, I humbly took on the task again of setting the record straight.

MY RESPONSE
I don't know how an attack piece on Huckabee comes under "Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias."

If one would look at this in an intellectual and strategic point of view, what Gov. Huckabee is doing is very shrewd and effective. There is nothing wrong with having a populist rhetoric. Huckabee is offering free-market, conservative solutions to these real issues.

Let's use that classic story of giving someone fishes vs. teaching them how to fish. There is nothing wrong for a person to say, hey I understand what you are going through, but the best way for you to get fishes regularly without depending on anyone is by learning how to fish.

The democrats say, hey I understand what you are going through, let me constantly provide you fishes for the rest of your life.

We as conservatives lack empathy, and we can use that to our advantage to get the common folk to understand why we are very adamant on individual responsibility. There must be a combination with the head and the heart in how we communicate.

If one thinks Gov Huckabee is no different than the democrats, you haven't done your homework. I suggest you all listen to the debate between Gov. Huckabee and Sen. McCain on healthcare. If Gov. Huckabee was a liberal he would've said let the government fully fund healthcare. Go check it out for yourself.

http://www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefai ... bcast.html

Also on taxes, Gov Huckabee is for the Fair Tax (http://www.fairtax.org). Anyone with an decent IQ score knows that the fair tax is not a liberal tax policy. He has also signed the no new taxes pledge by Norquist, unlike some other candidates.

Finally on his educational background. If Gov. Huckabee was currently a pastor of a church without any kind of executive experience, you have a point. He has proven how he can lead an entire state and do it effectively. No one accuses him of being incompetant. He has been the Lieu. Govenor of Arkansas for 3 years, then Govenor for close to 11 years. While being Governor he served as the Chairman of the Southern Governors Association and also the Chairman of the National Governors Association.

Also he served in other leadership positions including president of the Council of State Governments, state co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, and chairman of the Southern Governors Association, the Southern Regional Education Board, the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Technology Council, the Southern International Trade Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

As former chairman of the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, Huckabee worked with the 37-state coalition to develop energy policy and lobby Congress on energy matters, such as the regulation of oil and gas production.

Now what did Romney do as a one-term Governor of Massachusetts?

Note to NewsBusters: Please stick with your motto and focus on the liberal media and democrats.

RESPONSE TO NEWSBUSTERS.ORG ARTICLE ON HUCKABEE - AND OTHER COMMENTS UNDER IT

LINK TO ARTICLE

NewsBusters.org is a respectable website whose motto is "Exposing and Combating the Liberal Media Bias". I decided to set them straight. Some people were complaining about candidates of not being Reagan-like. I thought I should also set them straight too about Reagan's record. Don't get me wrong, I admire Reagan a lot, I just don't deify him as the God of Conservatives.


MY RESPONSE:

The real media bias here is that ABC turned this interview into propping the center-right positions of a republican candidate and making him look like a liberal.
I am a supporter of Gov. Huckabee and what is being missed in the media, both in the MSM and especially in conservative websites like newsbusters.org is his conservative positions. I really don't believe that an unfair attack on a fellow republican should be the purpose of this website.
Let me go into detail about illegal immigration: If anyone honestly want to learn Gov. Huckabee's positions on Illegal immigration you can go here. He is very strongly against illegal immigration. http://www.mikehucka...

Do you want more assurance? Act 2210 of 2005 was signed into law by Governor Huckabee. The legislation made it illegal for a driver’s license to be issued to anyone who could not prove legal residency in Arkansas. http://roebuckreport...
On the tuition breaks, the governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship. The measure didn't pass. Governor Huckabee stressed that any student would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas High School, and not given any special consideration.

UPDATE: Gov. Huckabee has come out with a 9-point Secure America plan. Very strong plan.

I really want to challenge my fellow friends who commented here about candidates not being Reagan-like. Reagan was a human being and he too wasn't perfect on conservative issues. For example, Reagan had no choice but to raise taxes in California, and Reagan approved blind amnesty to everyone and he didn't do anything to build the border. Let's not forget that. We claim to be conservatives and under the Reagan and Bush 43 administrations the national debt went up big time. What Reagan was known for was his sunny optimism and his ability to connect with all Americans, hence the term Reagan democrats came into existence.

Gov. Huckabee is not for blind amnesty and he has said time after time that the border must be built and that is the first solution to the problem of illegal immigration. He is correct in stating that the problem of illegal immigration is due to the failure of the federal government in building the border. Someone above commented about someone breaking in a house = to illegals crossing the border. You know what, there is no door, its an open field that anyone can cross through easily. Let's build the border and then discuss what happens to those who came here illegally.

Democrats are set to win congress next year and most republicans are just twittling their thumbs. It's almost like we are letting them win. Very unfortunate.

SIDE NOTE:

How come these conservatives aren't attacking Romney nor Rudy on immigration? Why just Huckabee? I think it's very clear that Rudy was for sanctuary cities in NYC. Here is Romney's past statements and his record in Massachusetts when it comes to illegal immigration and how he has flip-flopped on this issue (like many others).

Romney Supports McCain-Bush Immigration Bill, Saying They Are "Quite Different" From Amnesty. According to the Boston Globe, in November 2005 Romney spoke "approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation's immigration crisis, calling them 'reasonable proposals.[Boston Globe, 3/16/07]

Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support yesterday for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship… 'I don't believe in rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country,' Romney said. '[T]hose that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship, as they would from their home country.[Lowell Sun, 3/30/06]

Nov 20th unofficial grassroots fundraising drive for Gov. Huckabee

Message from HucksArmy.com

There has been a great deal of discussion on the Huck's Army Forums regarding the November 20th Fundraising goal. Some positive, some negative. Huck's Army would like to go on the record in saying that we admire and respect those who have made it happen.

Though some of us remain personally opposed to "donate later" fundraising goals in general, we all encourage you to donate what you can on November 20th. There are a number of unaffiliated organizations that have picked up this story, and as such, failure now would be a disservice to the Mike Huckabee campaign.

We won't pretend to be able to raise as much in one day as another candidate, but this is an opportunity to show that our grassroots army has gained enough momentum to help push the campaign past its November fundraising goal.

We are all striving to support Mike Huckabee. We may have different tactics for accomplishing that goal, but it is imperative that we ultimately work together to do what is necessary to help Mike win. In our opinion supporting the November 20th effort would serve Mike well.

Even if you don't register on the site, making a donation on Tuesday, November 20th via MikeHuckabee.com would help the effort immensely. Be sure to use Donor Code 160. Let's repeat that: Be sure to use Donor Code 160.

Please continue to encourage your friends and family to make ongoing donations to Mike Huckabee, and encourage them to make their best donation on Tuesday, November 20th.

So, head over to November 20th - For The Children today and register your support. Even if you can't quite afford $100 we encourage you to sign up to give what you can. Every dollar counts.

Together we can "Take a Stand for the Future" and turn Governor Huckabee into President Huckabee. Faith. Family. Freedom. [Grassroots].

Let's Roll,
Huck's Army

Mike Huckabee Ad: Chuckhuckfacts or HuckChuckFacts

Hands down, the funniest Ad ever run. Gov. Huckabee isn't going away, he's in it to fight: with Chuck Norris.

Possibly the best Chuck Norris fact I've seen:
Little known medical fact: Chuck Norris invented the Cesarean section when he roundhouse-kicked his way out of his mothers womb.

Please donate to Gov. Huckabee's campaign here (click on Contribute)

Huckabee up to 21% in IOWA!

(click on pictures to see an enlarged version - CREDIT to Drudgereport.com)

CBS POLL

Justin Thoughts Growing up - Change of Name.

I have been struggling to find a good name for my blog and I was only able to come up with Justin's Thoughts. Egh..

Well, now my blog has a new name: THE THOMAS REPORT. It sounds pretty serious, as it should. Time to grow up, yes even for me.

Huckabee a fiscal liberal, tax hiker from Arkansas? Rebuttal by Joe Carter

Joe Carter from evangelical outpost makes a very good defense of Gov. Huckabee's economic record in Arkansas. It's a must read!

http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004053.html

Updated:
Here's another great post explaining every tax increase in its fuller context by Right Smart Blog

VISIT EVANGELICALSFORMIKE.COM!

There is a new blog in town: http://www.evangelicalsformike.com/

Here you can find the latest news in endorsements, and other articles that emphasize the importance of why those evangelicals of all colors and stripes can find the qualities of an ideal candidate in Gov. Huckabee.

Visit the blog frequently!

Mitt Romney waffles and flip flops - Romney Deception (updated)

I would let the video speak for itself.

In the meanwhile, read this well written article about the Romney Deception.
Also this article from Gregg Jackson
National Review's critique on Romney Healthcare plan
MSNBC's coverage of Romney's 'change' on positions

Huckabee surging: Genuine grassroots online website - Hucksarmy.com

The number of Huckabee supporters is growing and is getting stronger by the day. One thing you find in common in supporters like me is the undying support of our candidate Gov. Huckabee. Recently, a few awesome supporters decided to come together and start a genuine grassroots campaign for Gov. Huckabee from scratch.

The website is www.hucksarmy.com

There you can join a community of 500 supporters (and growing) and discuss the latest news on Gov. Huckabee, read about the truth against each false accusation leveled at him, and finally watch archived videos of the Governor on the campaign trail and also in national news.

I had my doubts in the beginning, but now I'm the biggest fan of Hucksarmy.com. I post articles on there on a daily basis and sometimes I forget the fact that I have to update my own blog.

Take a look at the website, read the articles on the forum and decide for yourself if you want to join!

Answering the criticisms of Gov. Huckabee - A rebuttal

Steve Deace, the evening drive-time guy on WHO radio in Des Moines is a strong supporter of Gov. Huckabee. He like many others took a step back when he heard the criticisms against Gov. Huckabee and looked at the entire evidence. He is still a strong supporter.

I ask those who are interested in Gov. Huckabee but have reservations to listen to this.

http://www.whoradio.com/cc-common/podcast.html

Gov. Huckabee too soft on illegal immigration? The truth about his stance on immigration

UPDATE: Gov. Huckabee has come out with a 9-point Secure America plan. Very strong plan.

There is a lot of false criticism leveled at Gov. Huckabee for his stance on illegal immigration. These articles below should be able to clear up any suspicion that he's soft on that issue.

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Newsroom.Article&ID=82

Truth Squad: Immigration Facts

November 02, 2007

Immigration Facts

- The Governor opposes and will never allow amnesty.

- Governor Huckabee believes that securing our borders must be our top priority and has reached the level of a national emergency.

- The Governor supports the $3 billion the Senate has voted for border security. This money will train and deploy 23,000 more agents, add four drone planes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and put up 105 radar and camera towers.

- In this age of terror, illegal immigration is not only an economic issue, but also a national security issue.

- Governor Huckabee opposed the amnesty bill that was attempted to be rushed through Congress this summer, and opposed the misnamed DREAM Act, which would have put us on the slippery slope to amnesty for all.

- Governor Huckabee opposes and will not tolerate sanctuaries for illegals.

- Governor Huckabee opposes giving driver's licenses to those who are illegally in our country and supports legislation to prevent states from doing so.

- Governor Huckabee believes illegal aliens who try to vote or try to apply for welfare benefits should be arrested.

- Governor Huckabee will stop punishing cities which try to enforce our laws and protect the economic well-being, physical safety, and quality of life of our citizens.

- Governor Huckabee opposes and will not tolerate employers who hire illegals. They must be punished with fines and penalties so large that they will see it is not worth the risk or profitable.

- Governor Huckabee opposes the economic integration of North America that would create open borders among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

- Governor Huckabee will never yield one inch of American sovereignty.

- Governor Huckabee will take our country back for those who belong here. No open borders, no amnesty, no sanctuary, no false Social Security numbers, no driver's licenses for illegals.

It has been reported that Mike Huckabee supported benefits for illegals immigrants while he was Governor of Arkansas.

Governor Huckabee never supported benefits for illegal immigrants. In Arkansas, illegal immigrants do not receive welfare benefits or food stamps. Governor Huckabee has always, and will always be supportive of the laws and regulations of the country.

It has also been said that Mike Huckabee was in favor of providing college scholarships for illegal immigrants while he was Governor.

The governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship. The measure didn't pass. Governor Huckabee stressed that any student would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas High School, and not given any special consideration.

Critics say that Governor Huckabee's motives behind opening a Mexican consulate office in Little Rock was to court illegals to come work in Arkansas.

The Mexican consulate provided Arkansas businesses with access to Mexico and opportunities to expand their markets, and would help further ensure that immigrants from Mexico are legal and better able to secure legal documentation. At the same time, the office would open up opportunities for Mexican investors to invest money with Arkansas partners, which would help create more jobs in the state.


Second, Doug Matayo, a former Arkansas State Legislator defends Gov Huckabee's policies on immigration.

http://roebuckreport.blogspot.com/2007/11/exclusive-former-ark-state-legislator.html

Mike Huckabee: Protecting the integrity of state documents
By Doug Matayo

Act 2210 of 2005 was signed into law by Governor Huckabee. The legislation made it illegal for a driver’s license to be issued to anyone who could not prove legal residency in Arkansas.

Over two years before the controversy swirling over New York Governor Spitzer’s desire to allow illegal aliens to receive state documentation in the form of a state issued driver’s license, as Mike Huckabee’s floor leader, I sponsored and we passed legislation to stop illegals from getting licenses. Huckabee signed it into law.

Huckabee recognized this issue is about INTEGRITY. The integrity of the state to issue documents that are authentic and to avoid fraudulent attempts for people to receive state benefits they are not entitled too. Also this will cut down on voter fraud since a license cannot be issued to a non-resident (and state issued ID is typically produced at the polls to verify identity). But some of Huckabee’s detractors are still not happy with Huckabee’s immigration stances.

In a Wall Street Journal article, a former Republican legislator – Randy Minton – stated Huckabee was for amnesty, sanctuary cities and open borders. Apparently, Mr. Minton wasn’t paying attention when Matayo and Huckabee moved Act 2210 forward to keep all non-legal residents of Arkansas from getting state issued identification. Apparently, Mr. Minton didn’t read the papers when Huckabee signed into law legislation which allowed state troopers to partner with the Department of Homeland Security to arrest illegal immigrants and enforce federal immigration law. Obviously, Mr. Minton isn’t letting these facts get in the way of his continual personal and vitriolic attacks on Mr. Huckabee.