GOP rivals tangle on amnesty for illegals

PROVO — Rep. Chris Cannon and Matt Throckmorton began the race to the Republican primary on June 22 in earnest Tuesday night during the first of three scheduled debates, and both men continued to hammer each other over illegal immigration.

"It's amnesty, it's amnesty, it's amnesty, it's amnesty," Throckmorton said of several bills Cannon is sponsoring in the House of Representatives that would provide protection for illegal immigrants who hold American agricultural jobs. "When we let them come here illegally first and then go through the paperwork later, that is amnesty. . . . It is amnesty by every definition of the word."

"Repetition of 'amnesty' doesn't make it amnesty," Cannon shot back.

Throckmorton said illegal immigrants are a drain on the American economy and shouldn't be rewarded for breaking the law while Cannon said they provide a net benefit through taxes they pay, including Social Security taxes.

"There will be a 15 million-worker shortfall when people of my generation retire," Cannon said. "It just so happens there are that many surplus workers in Mexico and other countries who can help pay for our retirement system."

Cannon was more outspoken Tuesday night than in a debate with Throckmorton and Greg Hawkins prior to the state convention, where Hawkins was eliminated from the race.

"We have to beat these people," Cannon said of terrorists who threaten the United States. "If we don't beat them, we're going to have bombs in American cities and chaos."

When asked about soaring gasoline prices, he said nearly 100,000 oil wells could be drilled almost immediately in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado if the federal government would relax control of wilderness areas.

"We need to get the freakin' federal government out of the way of developing our resources," he said. "There is five times the oil and shale in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado than in Saudi Arabia."

Both men agreed on tight abortion laws, reducing the role of the United Nations in American affairs and either amending the sunset provisions of the Patriot Act or letting them dissolve.

However, they butted heads again over the controversial federal education legislation called "No Child Left Behind."

Cannon said the legislation brought Republican principles to former Democrat-sponsored legislation, then called for the dismantling of the federal Department of Education so that Utah could make decisions about public education locally.

Throckmorton promised to work to repeal No Child Left Behind.

"This does nothing but entrench the U.S. Department of Education," he said.

The debate was broadcast live on Provo's cable channel and aired by tape-delay on two FM radio stations.

The candidates have agreed to two additional televised debates, one live on KUTV on June 6 and a tape-delayed debate that KUED will broadcast June 20, two days before the primary.

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