Special Interests Going on Offensive in 2008
The Augusta Chronicle was first to break the story that let the illegal alien protection strategy “cat out of the bag.”
The Chronicle reported on July 4 that the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce has decided to reverse its stand on immigration legislation and advocate a “comprehensive” bill in the SC Legislature beginning in early January 2008.
The chamber had vigorously opposed the legislation generated by “grass roots” citizens and supported by a majority of Senate and House members, but blocked from coming to a vote on the floor of the House by key members.
On the surface, it would appear that the chamber and certain business interests want to support the bill overwhelmingly backed by grass roots South Carolinians and blocked by key lawmakers.
That is not the case at all. A chamber spokesman has made it clear. They intend to organize to lobby intensely for an immigration bill for South Carolina that protects businesses that employ illegal aliens.
The chamber and business interests benefiting from employment of illegal aliens, especially in the farming, poultry and hospitality industries, were said to be instrumental in persuading key lawmakers to block the legislation in committee and not allow it to come to a vote in the House.
It now appears that the chamber has drawn a line in the sand and an intense battle for the votes of lawmakers on immigration will pit businesses benefiting from illegal alien labor against individual voters not benefiting from illegal alien labor.
A strong voice opposed to amnesty for illegal aliens, american
shavehadenough.org (AHHE) has announced that every senator and house member will be up for election next year and “we demand that our voices be heard! We don’t want the Chamber of Commerce dictating our laws!”
“We the people of South Carolina already provided input, and Senate Bill S.392 was created and passed by the full Senate! The Chamber of Commerce influenced the House and now wants to write the bill. South Carolinians cannot allow the State Chamber of Commerce to do what the US Chamber of Commerce did! A good bill was passed by the State Senate and now the House has to vote on it.”
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce intends to bring together business leaders and lawmakers to draft a bill that is business friendly. Specifically, they want a bill that does not hold businesses accountable for determining the status of their employees.
Supporters of the bill introduced by Sen. Jim Ritchie and passed by the Senate, but blocked from coming to a vote in the House, intend to oppose any efforts by the State Chamber to weaken their bill.
South Carolina has one of the highest per capita rates of illegal immigration in the US. It was estimated that as many as 30,000 illegal aliens were in South Carolina before 2004. The numbers have increased drastically since that time.
The problems caused by illegal aliens in South Carolina will intensify with the massive wave of illegal aliens pouring into the state from Georgia as the Georgia anti-illegal immigration law becomes effective this month. Some estimates have the numbers tripling.
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