kf Does the Easiest Thing

kf Does the Easiest Thing

kf Does the Easiest Thing

A mostly political weblog.
June 29 2009 2:55 AM

kf Does the Easiest Thing

So if one of these promising new cancer treatments  winds up working 25% of the time, but costs $150,000, will Peter Orszag give to you? ...  12:14 A.M.

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Schumer also called for a biometric worker verification system, though this is also little more than a marketing gimmick. I'm actually not averse to it, but it's a pie-in-the-sky right now. Instead, to prove seriousness about enforcement, the government needs to implement the actually existing tools right now and upgrade them as time goes on. E-Verify , for instance, would be better with biometric identifiers. But it's darn good now, especially when combined with the Social Security Number Verification Service ( SSNVS ) and no-match letters, and they're working to integrate more photos (which are, after all, a form of biometric identifier) into the system too, by incorporating passport photos and getting states to provide their digitized driver's license photos. What we need is for Congress to phase in E-Verify for all employers now, something that will take several years to roll out, assuming judges even allow it to go forward. But this administration won't even implement the rule requiring federal contractors to use E-Verify , and the House has rejected a number of Republican amendments to do just that (and also rejected an E-Verify mandate for recipients of TARP funds). So Schumer's got a long way to go before he can overcome the public suspicion that "their government is not serious about combating illegal immigration." [E.A]  

The obvious Schumer scenario: Congress decrees an amnesty plus fancy future employment-verification technologies. The amnesty happens, the technologies fail or are blocked.  ...  Even if you actually think both elements are necessary for immigration reform, wouldn't it make sense to first legislate the worker-verification system, then see if it gets past the Chamber of Commerce's and the ACLU's lawsuits, then see if it works, then (we're into Cory Booker's second term here) talk about the amnesty? ... 12:09 A.M.

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Quote of last week: "What color do we turn our icons now?" Ana Marie Cox, 6/25 ... Hard to believe the new, Twitter-addled Time and Newsweek both missed that one. [ via Pareene ] 12:08 A.M.

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Edwards sex tape . So disappointing. Just him and a mirror again. ... P.S.: But Rush & Molloy bury the lede--Obama's alleged promise to make Edwards Attorney General. ... Given what had already come out about Edwards and Rielle Hunter even before the Iowa caucuses , this may be one of those promises Obama knew he wouldn't have to keep. ... 12:07 A.M.

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