Masonry Magazine July 2007 Page. 22
CONFERENCE
Photo courtesy of NCMA
A reception on Capitol Hill with members of Congress and congressional staff.
Gutierrez believes immigration is one of the greatest domestic social issues of our time. He believes a successful immigration solution must focus first on securing our borders, but must also address immigrants' contributions to our economy and the importance of American unity.
Gutierrez said the immigration debate tends to bounce back and forth between two extremes - wholesale amnesty or the mass deportation of 12 million people; neither option is viable, workable or realistic, he said. The fact remains, he stressed, that our population will not be capable of sustaining economic growth unless we continue embracing and assimilating legal immigrants.
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Therefore, he said the United States needs an immigration solution that allows employers to feel confident that the people they hire are here legally, without such a system being a burden to employers. The business community, he said, should not be expected to serve as the "immigration police."
And as Gutierrez has said before, this is not a Republican or Democrat issue - immigration is an American issue. Thus, he said, at the heart of any new policies must be the stated goal of ensuring future unity among all Americans.
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, and Government Oversight and Reform committees. As a member of the Small Business Committee and as owner of a construction company, L.A.W. Builders, Westmoreland understands the needs of the masonry industry. The congressman has joined with other members of Congress in the Immigration Reform Caucus, carefully studying what can be done to deal with the immigration problems our country faces. As he told attendees, his basic stance on the issue is as follows: The United States is a nation of immigrants, and it is clear that anyone who wants to come to this country and follow the rules of admission to citizenship or legal status should be welcomed with open arms. But he said that we must not reward those who enter the country illegally with any sort of amnesty proposal.
Westmoreland also has firm opinions on tax relief, both as a state representative and business owner. In fact, he said that the burden the federal tax system places on families and businesses is one of the reasons he first ran for Congress. He supports future reductions in the tax and regulatory burden, and also supports efforts to eliminate the income tax completely, replacing it with a national retail sales tax, also known as the FairTax Plan.
Elizabeth Coffim, Tax Council, House Ways and Means Committee, speaking on behalf of Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, kept the group's attention focused on tax policy. She began by discussing the so-called "pay-as-you-go rules" instituted by the new, Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, which basically require that any new tax breaks proposed by the House be offset by tax increases or budget cuts elsewhere so that the federal budget is "revenue neutral." Coffim said that Republicans in Congress have not enjoyed this rule also termed the "pay-go rules" - because, for example, it affects the government's ability to institute changes quickly.
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