Governor Owens is taking on immigration reform, according to the Rocky Mountain News [December 15, 2005, "Owens touts guest-worker plan"]. From the article, "At a forum Wednesday sponsored by the advocacy group Freedom Works, Owens touted a version of a guest-worker plan that would "outsource" part of the visa process to privately run employment agencies. The proposal, developed by the Vernon K. Kriebel Foundation, is meant as an incentive to encourage millions of illegal immigrants to return to their home countries. Once there, they could register with employment agencies certified by the U.S. government, undergo criminal and terrorism-related background checks, and then be eligible for guest-worker visas for jobs where no American workers are available."
Vincent Carroll thinks that Mitt Romney might be a good candidate for Republicans in 2008 [December 15, 2005, "On Point: The Republicans' un-Bush"]. Carroll writes, "Voters tire of any politician after eight years, even one who didn't lead the country into a controversial war. So if Republicans want to hold onto the White House in 2008, they may want to nominate an "un-Bush" to lead their party. And who could be more un-Bush than a Mormon governor of Massachusetts?
Mitt Romney is of course a political conservative - an un-Bush must win GOP primaries, after all - but in most other respects he is a study in contrasts with the 43rd president.
"George W. Bush was an indifferent student; Romney was valedictorian at Brigham Young's College of Humanities, a Baker scholar at Harvard Business School and a cum laude recipient of a Harvard law degree.
"Bush floundered about in marginal business ventures for years, needing assists from his family's wealthy friends to finally get on track; Romney founded a venture capital firm that would expand worldwide, developed a knack for reviving troubled companies, and eventually deployed those skills to rescue the Salt Lake City Olympic venture from debt and scandal.
"Ah, but can a successful un-Bush be a Mormon so long as a small but crucial minority of Americans tell pollsters they wouldn't vote for a member of that church no matter what? We're apparently going to find out - because on Wednesday, Romney announced he will not be running for re-election in Massachusetts, a sure sign the man has bigger plans in mind."
Bull Moose: "The Moose ruminates a bit more on the similarities between the right and the left. Much is made of the political polarization in America. We are divided into right and left and red and blue. However, it has long been the Moose's view that most Americans are political hybrids - they are conservatives on some issues, liberals on others and fall into the middle on most. However, both parties usually play to their respective bases. The left and the right have more in common than is commonly recognized. They are both populated by those who Eric Hoffer described as true believers who inhabit a cozy world of political certainty. The right and the left are on constant guard for political heresy and correctness. They loathe the perceived heretic in their midst more than their political adversary. Some can make the transition from right to left effortlessly because they are so much alike."
Western Democrat: "... last day to sign this very important petition to the DNC."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
5:37:56 AM 
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