![\"clinton_obama\"](\"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/clinton_obama-300x150.jpg\")
In his 1996 State of the Union address, delivered on January 23rd<\/sup> of that year, Bill Clinton declared that \u201cthe era of Big Government is over<\/a>.\u201d He got a standing ovation for that declaration, particularly from Republicans in the House chamber that evening, even if his obituary for Big Government was a bit premature.<\/p>\nEighteen years to the day, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for a return to Big Government. \u201cThe times are ripe for a renewed and robust defense of government,\u201d Schumer declared in a speech<\/a> to the far left Center for American Progress (CAP) on January 23, 2014.<\/p>\n No doubt critical to Schumer\u2019s effort to usher in a new era of Big Government (or, perhaps more accurately, an era of even bigger Big Government), is his tireless crusade to gain amnesty for illegal aliens and increase in the influx of low-skilled immigrants who are likely to be dependent on the government.<\/p>\n Perhaps it is no coincidence that Schumer delivered his remarks before a CAP audience. CAP\u2019s founder, John Podesta, has recently moved over the White House as an advisor to President Obama. Podesta has been an advocate of even broader exercise of executive authority to bypass Congress in an effort to fulfill the president\u2019s immigration agenda.<\/p>\n Is anyone in the House Republican leadership paying attention?