If the government is thinking of granting amnesty to illegals then why not make marijuana legal?

In my opinion youre confusing two very different issues.

It's very easy to not read the proposed immigration bill and to just listen to conservative radio which has been pushing the word 'amnesty. It is far from it. In 1986 the US granted amnesty which meant it didn't matter who you were and how long you had been here you were granted residency. This new bill which got shot down was different.

1. Illegal aliens had to pay hefty fines.

2. They had to go through a backround check and if they had commited any criminal acts they were deported and barred from re-entering the US.

3. They had to go to the back of the line to wait for permanent residency which in some cases would mean 10-20 years.

4. While they were waiting for permanenet residency they had to keep a job, learn english if they already didn't know it and learn to assimilate into American culture.

5. The fines that would have been paid($5000 per adult X by roughly 12,000,000 which equals to $60,000,000,000)would have gone to much needed border security.

The majority of republicans and a smattering of democrats voted down a bill that would have helped secure our border. Why? Because a vocal minority called and complained about it. The irony is these same republicans scream for more border patrols and technology yet vote against the very bill that would have paid for it. The government is not going to deport 12-20,000,000 people. We don't have the resources. Trying to bring these people out of the shadows is the American way. I also find rather disgusting that the same vocal minority that screams 'AMNESTY' looks the other way when homes need to be built or trash needs to be taken away or food needs to be cooked or even when their own kids need to be looked after.

Legalizing pot is a seperate issue. Even if it was legal the drug runners would just shift to another drug. And lets not forget drug smugglers don't just stop at drugs, they smuggle people who are stuck in modern day slavery ergo legalizing pot would not dampen the traffic on the border.

I know immigration is a touchy issue but lets not forget, unless youre Native American whether you were born here or not you or your family are all decended from immigrants.....some that came legally and some that didn't. I also ask to put yourselves in someone else's shoes. Most illegal immigrants come here to work and make a life for themselves because they can't earn enough to support their familes. If your family was going hungry and you knew that you could make 3 times the amount of money in the US would you wait 2,5,10 maybe 20 years to come here legally or would you just do what you had to do to feed youre family. I don't condone not coming in legally....but a system that puts people on a waiting list for years at a stretch with no end in sight is broken. I hope as Americans we live up to our spirit of open arms and fix it.

On a final note, the immigration bill would have told us who is here which in this day and age is so very important. Lets hope that congress gets off it's collective butt and fixes this issue with humanity and dignity.

I agree that should be the leading question of the group. I have thought about it and when you do get to brass tacks, the people in this country cannot stop the illegal aliens from getting amnesty unless they elect people who refuse to allow it. That very last part seems very slim.. and we have already had George telling us the illegal aliens ..were.. what we wanted. We could have a ten million man march and those scum bags would tell us you really want those illegal aliens boy. There is a Constitutional Convention coming up in a couple of years. Two I believe. At that point, the States could ask for a national ballot iniative for the Federal Law Makers, and then design the law that allows it. That would make it law. I would point out that to many of those Ballot Iniatives are found wanting by the Supeme Court and are dismissed.... something I do not want to happen to this idea. To many of them are written by John the barber, or Harry the truck driver and so the instruction will be... we want them written by the best law school, or legal office, in the nation. And that effort will continue until the law is in place. So... national ballot iniatives at the Federal Level per a constitutional convention. We need it for a lot of reasons.. this is one of them. I would anticipate there would be a lot of discussion about anything less than popular.. I believe it would work well in a democracy. And so, we could get term limits considered.. we could get monetary limitation on the budget.. war making power returned to the orginal fold.. rotation of House and Senate Committees. On and on.. and I would bet I haven't mentioned your favorites. I agree.. we need to try and start something. I want the use of the illegal aliens as a cheap wage source stopped in its tracks. I also could be called a tree hugger and believe very seriously the way to prosperity is good government........NOT, as the Republicans and the Democrats believe, a constantly enlarging population. Just ask the dudes in the slums of Mexico!! ============================== You and your people here on this forum say you're not racist, that you don't care about immigrants, as long as they're legal. Well, wouldn't amnesty then be your dream come true? They'd all be legal then, so you should be happy, right? Or is your racism finally coming thru? 4 hours ago --------------------------------------... The illegal aliens have broken the laws. Mexico is in a trash bin because they did exactly what you suggest... allow people to break the law, and then forgive them. But no.. and in fact, if we do allow amnesty for that huge group of people, and as you suggest there are racial differences, then if we provide amnesty, that would be racism against the majority of the population of the United States. ===================== We put criminals in jail. Because they are illegal aliens, we can only return them to their country of origin ... as it should be done.

It will become legal after all the illegals from south of the border claim that marihuana use is an integral part of their culture & that it is their right .

They do know how to grow the stuff so maybe the USA should subsidise the growers in Mexico but distribute it at no cost to anyone who makes it across the border so that we do not dilute their culture.

Not a "head" either but i do remember a few very nice 45 minute vacations in the 60s.

I digress....I think it should be legal or at least decriminalized.

Chinese take out & pizza stores would flourish , cancer patients might be able to hold down their food & get a nights sleep.

DUI fatalities would drop dramatically if the terminal velocity of a head on collision were only 4 Mph.

Politicians would wake up when they realize the amount of money they could generate by taxing the stuff & using the money to fight real crime or allowing it to be traded on the commodities market.

The uptight bastards smoke it anyhow to "get it up" ,but will never abandon the conscience blurring ,nasty high they get from those martinis they suck down.

You're right no difference between alcohol & pot (alcohol is far more harmful) in the sense that once taxed & legal. it is no longer dangerous .

I'd light one if I had one.

i think we should legalise weed for these reasons

- our governement has betrayed us and if this comes about its an act of treason

- if we're off our heads on green then chances are the people who dont see will start to think straight

- and the people who think its wrong already will go to the next level and start a streetwide debate

- if we were all stoned then the government would be twice as stoned because they're richer

- so they'd pay double tax as well - what a beautiful picture

- then when they were too poor to pay for their wives haircuts, we could take the lead

- no weekly pay check just a ninebar of weed

- and we could lobby the country - some of use would be fantastic mps

- send all the immigrants regardless back over to their homes overseas

- reclaim our land and reclaim our state - which is currently in a sorry state

- so lets fight for marijuana - i'll be there if you give me a rally date.

I couldn't agree with you more! I can HONESTLY say I have NEVER smoked pot, but it is easier on the body and actually has a lot of medical purposes, unlike either alcohol or tobacco. You can also make cloths (which last longer than cotton), paper (which doesn't yellow and wear as quickly as wood) and you get more ethanol from one plant of pot than you do an entire field of corn! Something which the Pharma, gas, agricultural, and wood companies don't want you to know about.

I'm not a pot head either, I don't even smoke cigarettes, I am for legalizing weed.

There's a notion. If you tie amnesty to legalization of marijuana, the cartels will be against it and will pay lobbyists to kill the bill....

I don't know if am I asking for too much, but I want AMNESTY AND GANJA LEGAL. and you are not a pot head?, ok, so you just worry about? friends, neighbors.........

the government needs a scapegoat for the publics view

dude, you smoke weed don't you? haha no thats cool i do too don't worry. yeah and i agree with you completely. honestly i figure to not worry about such things because honestly does it really effect us that much? I mean we're all worried about taxing because of illegals yes but what does that say about us? i believe it says that we're just too worried about our money. we need to live life as calmly as possible and money doesn't help. the time to worry about such governmental things is when it effects you directly; til' then just live your life the way you want to. Words for thought...