Economic Polices and Immigration Reform

U.S. Senator Jon Kyl spoke to the Tucson Chamber of Commerce on April 5, 2007.  In his remarks, Kyl discussed issues ranging from tax policies and economic growth to progress on immigration reform.  The following are excerpts (edited for publication): "I start with the budget and taxes because nothing affects your business and the businesses of the country more than the attitude of the government toward what you do."  

"It always amazes me how people talk about the government creating jobs.  You know that the President doesn’t create any jobs.  You create jobs.  And ordinarily the best thing for the federal government to do is to get out of the way and to try to have a tax code that is as conducive as possible to leaving money in the private sector where you know how to invest it, create wealth, generate employment, and do things for the country as well as the economy."

“I think most people here would agree that the tax cuts that we passed in 2001 and 2003 have been conducive to good economic conditions in this country ever since then.  I don’t need to show you all of the statistics; you know what’s happened here in Pima County.  But that can be jeopardized if current pro-growth tax policies are allowed to expire.  The dirty little secret in Washington is that no one has to raise taxes in order for tax rates to go up.  All Congress has to do is nothing;  because at the end of 2010, unless Congress acts to continue the rates that currently exist, they expire and tax rates are automatically increased to a level that would represent by far-and-away the largest tax increase in the history of the country.  That would be devastating, not just to American business and our economy, but of course your families.  It represents for the average family at least a $2,000 increase in taxes per year.”

“The second area I’d like to discuss is the problem of illegal immigration and the immigration reform Congress worked on last year and is beginning to work on again.”

“A group of senators who voted against last year’s bill, and a group of some of the senators who voted for the bill, along with the White House and in particular, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez – have been meeting to try to see if we can achieve a consensus around a bill that will provide us with meaningful immigration reform that can get passed and sent to the President for his signature before the end of this year.  We’re spending scores of hours a week on this endeavor.  I am cautiously optimistic that, even though we come to the table with very different views about what ought to be done, with a constructive attitude, we will be able to get a bill that could pass and be signed by the President.

“Immigration arrests are down this year, not because the Border Patrol isn’t doing its job, but because there are fewer attempts to cross the border illegally.  It’s because of the fencing, the vehicle barriers, the additional border patrol agents, the surveillance equipment, and the other activities that have helped control the border – but that process needs to move forward.”

“We’re going to need some additional labor in this country as time goes on in certain areas, in certain occupations, and at certain times. The best way to achieve that is through a temporary worker system that allows people to come to the United States when work is available that they want to do and is not being done by Americans – but on a temporary basis.”

“Securing the border, enforcing the law, a simple employee verification system, a temporary worker program, and resolving the status of illegal immigrants – those are the key elements of immigration reform.  I’m hopeful we can reach a consensus on all of these views.”