Before I start this post, I have to first say, Dad if you are reading this, stop. Let's just pretend we both agree and don't taint your opinion of me with further reading of this blog. And thanks for helping me with the lawnmower tire!!
Okay, now onto my thoughts. What sparked my idea to post about this now is that my husband got this survey to fill out for the republican party in the mail today. It was asking about all the things that the Obama administration has "done wrong" and what he thinks the priorities should be for the Republican party in terms of 2010 elections.
One of the biggest things they talked about was immigration laws. I just don't get it. I know, I know, there's not enough resources or room for people to come to the United States. But aren't we all immigrants? Didn't we murder Native Americans and steal their land so that we can settle here? We came from Europe, we came from Asia, Africa, etc. at different points in time in order to try to make a living in this new world. (Of course the Africans didn't have much of a choice.) So, why was it okay for our ancestors, but not Mexicans? Why would we want to see fellow human beings, children, women living in huts with dirt floors, no ceilings, no plumbing? Everyone deserves a chance at a better life.
So you're saying, "but they steal our resources!" Well, Americans are living off the teat of the government at well. Have you ever heard the term "Welfare Queen?" I'm not saying welfare is bad, I'm just saying there are a lot of deadbeats who take advantage of it.
And our jobs? Yeah, they work for cheap wages, but would you break your back at their jobs for their pay? No! Cause as Americans, some of us have become lazy and just expect the cash to flow in, never having broken a nail working in our lives. There's a Mexican restaurant and a Chinese restaurant in our town that I am speaking of: the same people are there working open to close and in most cases, these are owners. They work ALL DAY EVERY DAY. How many Americans are willing to do this for as little money as they are making.
I think this is getting long enough, so I will stop. I'd like to see everything work out for the best because we were all immigrants at one point in time. Or I guess the Mexicans can just start doing to the Americans what we did to the Native Americans... they can kill us and steal our land.
If it weren't for immigration The United States wouldn't be what it is today. My genes are French Canadian and English and if my ancestors had not come here I wouldn't be.. I'm very much pro immigration, but I'm also very much for the way my ancestors did it, legally.. I welcome you to my country if you come here legally. If you aren't here legally please go home do the work to get here legally, come back and live happily ever after..
ReplyDeleteBut doesn't the US only allow so many legal immigrants each year? I understand what you're saying... although the first settlers just came and settled... there were no forms to fill out. (I'm not arguing, btw.) =0}
ReplyDeleteBefore I start this post: I am NOT a Repulican!!! Nor do I oppose immigration!!!
ReplyDeleteWhile it is true that majority of the people living in the United States are immigrants (I am of European and Native American ancestry BTW). Four Hundred years ago there were no forms or laws are anything of that nature for them to adhere to. Also back then, people did not consider non-whites as being full human. In the early census records, people of other ethnicities were considered 3/5's of a person. We really cannot compare the early European immigrants to today's society. When you start looking at the mentality of how people back then looked at others, it is kind of like trying to compare apples and oranges. We are much more enlightened than they ever were.
I just feel there is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things and using our ancestors behavior should not be used to condone the behavior of people today. As a parent probably said to you at some point, "Just because someone else does it, does not mean it is ok for you to do it too."
This is how I feel: If you want to come into my home(America), please knock and wait for me to come to the door to let you in. Please do not sneak into my back door and enter without permission. People who are invited into my home are shown love and southern hospitality. People who sneak into the back door, I hit the panic button on my alarm and wait for the police to take them away.
Yes the US allows a certain number of immigrants into the country each year. Some people would like to see that number increased. To increase the number allowed would mean increasing the government workers to process applications. If we increased immigration officials workload without providing additional workers, we put our country at risk for terrorist sneaking into the country by expoliting a poorly established system.
Therefore the question becomes can we afford another increase in taxes in order to support a larger government workforce? Without the funding we cannot responsibly increase the number of immigrants we allow in each year.
There may be a need to re-evaluate the procedures on who gets to enter the US first. That may offer some relief in some of the people who are risking their and their families lives to come into America. Please note that I am talking about ALL immigrants and not just Mexicans.
Ultimately, it comes down to living by the law. While not everyone may like the law, everyone has to live by it until the people who are opposed to it or believe that it is unconstitutional get the law overturned. We have to be consistent in applying the law in the same exact way we have to be consistent in disciplining our children. We just cannot pick and choose what rules we will follow and what rules we will ignore.
I do get a little upset with the Mexican government. They are upset about the immigration law in Arizona. What people fail to realize is that the American federal law is much tougher than the Arizona law and the Mexican immigration law used against people who enter Mexico illegally from Central America is also more strict. This issue is a prime example of double standards in politics. Mexico is essentially asking, "Do as I ask and not what I do."
I know this has been pretty long....sorry about that. This is just how I feel on the subject of illegal immigration.
They may attempt to kill us or steal our land but that would not work. What happened before is in the past and though you may say "we are all immigrants", if you looked at statistics you would understand the need to hold back on letting those in. We cannot become overpopulated to supply land for immigrants which is the term we use.
ReplyDeleteThings work out in time, and we do what we can to help other countries that are second or third world. As you said, you just don't understand it.