Wow, the petrol problem post got a lot of attention. I think bringing up the current immigration issue could cause a fist fight amongst my readers, especially since they consist of a border patrol agent, many immigration paralegals, and my Mom. I'm definitely asking for it. So I will leave you with only this brief comment: Mid-term election hot topic and honestly the issue has so many angles that it won't ever get resolved. No one will ever agree on this issue! Got to say I've always been amused by this sign, "Watch out for fleeing illegal immigrants running across the road". Most signs are just stick figures, but this one actually gives details down to the girls pigtails and the implied speed of their travel. For those that have never seen this sign, they are frequently seen along the highways in southern California.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Immigration Uproar
Wow, the petrol problem post got a lot of attention. I think bringing up the current immigration issue could cause a fist fight amongst my readers, especially since they consist of a border patrol agent, many immigration paralegals, and my Mom. I'm definitely asking for it. So I will leave you with only this brief comment: Mid-term election hot topic and honestly the issue has so many angles that it won't ever get resolved. No one will ever agree on this issue! Got to say I've always been amused by this sign, "Watch out for fleeing illegal immigrants running across the road". Most signs are just stick figures, but this one actually gives details down to the girls pigtails and the implied speed of their travel. For those that have never seen this sign, they are frequently seen along the highways in southern California.
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Hmmm, 10:10 cst. Immigration is not the hot topic you had hoped. The republicans have stuffed it in a desk drawer for now. Their tactic now is to blame the democrats for our current problems.
ReplyDeleteYou're going to have to go back to why our gas is so high and why is it that our current administration started a war in an oil producing area before thinking of the outcome. Oh, I guess that's not why our gas costs so much.
Geez, the democrats had put us in the black, so it was there for him to spend. Oh, I forgot, they set up the situation.
Well, hell, let's just contemplate on our navels and determine their country of origin and make sure all those "other" people stay off our property. Which, of course, was stolen from people by immigrants.
**WARNING **
ReplyDelete-----------------------------------
The following message may be deemed offensive and is definitely opinionated, don't read it if you're sensitive.
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Holy cow Mercedes... you're REALLY opening a can of worms with this issue.
What I will say on this issue is that our country was created by immigrants true, LEGAL immigrants. Yes even way back when Ellis Island was the hotspot for entry to this land of opportunity, they all were coming legally.
We have been combating illegal immigration since 1924 and in the beginning, when our country was serious about the detection and removal illegals, the fight was effective and we won more than we lost.
Now, big business funds the mega campaigns of both Democrats AND Republicans, thereby giving them the certain sense of entitlement needed to sway thier bought and paid for representatives. This has a huge impact on our society when the government, both parties mind you, say to the public that they're gonna be tough on immigration, then put more and more leashes and roadblocks on the people responsible for enforcement, thereby making their jobs next to impossible to do.
The answer is not to build bigger walls, or smarter walls as Hillary Clinton just proposed, but rather to take away the very lure that is driving all of these people to risk coming to this country in the first place.
While we're at it let's try giving incentives to the Mexican government to fix the problems in thier country that make money from illegals living in the US the second largest income source narrowly following tourism. Maybe if it wasn't such a crap place to live and there were more opportunities, there wouldn't be millions of people trying to flee each year.
I mean, why do they come here? Why do they leave their families and work back breaking jobs here? Why? Because to them it's still the land of opportunity, it's an opportunity to work far less hours and make a TON more money... it means that if they can get their children here they can give them access to superior medical attention and education for free that they would either not have access to in their own countries, or that access would cost so much it may as well not exist.
The simple fact of it is, if I was living in a horrible situation and I knew that if I could make it across the street I'd live an easier life, have free food and shelter given to me, get free education and healthcare I'd be trying everyday until I either made it or died. What do I have to lose?
So yes Immigration is a HUGE problem right now but I would propose that it has BEEN a huge problem for a VERY long time, it's just now coming to a head because of groups that are bringing the spotlight on it. Better late than never I guess.
To me the bigger tragedy is that there are citizens who are marching in the streets with illegals protesting that the illegals have it hard... well yeah!... that's why their called "illegals"... Will we next see people marching in support of other criminals? 'Well sir, I think it's horrible that John is being hounded by the police and he's afraid to walk down the street for fear of arrest.. I mean all he did was rob a store.' STOP THE MADNESS.
One last point on my rant, I have heard it said several times that the current administation is trying to criminalize the illegal immigrants... ok. First.. their name says it all, ILLEGAL immigrants.. and second, they have ALWAYS been criminals, the federal agents who arrest the hundreds of thousands if ILLEGAL immigrants each month aren't arresting law abiding people. Tell me when the last time you were ARRESTED for following the law? All this administration is trying to do is increase the criminality to a felony in certain situations, thereby putting the teeth back into at least part of the law.
Oh.. and to Margie's point that this land was "stolen" from the poor Mexican people... it was taken in a WAR... and then ratified as part of a treaty to end that war... That's the way it goes.. should we now be tasked with going around and giving all of the land back to anyone who may have lost it in the past? Well then give me a ship 'cuz the indians are suddenly land barrons... and while we're at it, kick the Jews out of Isreal, England out of Scotland, and the Italians our of Sicily.. after all, the Greeks had it first. It'll be a world wide sorry we stole your land day.
Ok... my rant here is finished, I'll expect Margie to further politicize this topic and make it into an us -vs- them situation... blaze away. Irish out.
I don`t think that helping the Mexican Government to create more opportunities for their citizens and to provide a better standard of living in their coutry and making it easier for illegal immigrants in the U.S. to become citizens is mutually exclusive. To treat the issue as if it were, is to be unrealistic about the situation and its possible solutions. Illegal immigrants, though illegal, are an integral part of the United States, especially in states such as california, and have been for some time, just this debate has been occuring for some time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, to compare an illegal imigrant to a robber, though both technically acting in illegal manners, is careless and narrowly drawn. Let us not forget that it was technically illegal for Rosa Parks to sit in the front of the bus in 1955 and for thousands of African Americans to eat at the lunch counter a mere fifty years ago.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI like what you had to say though I would have to disagree with you when you suggest we should aide the illegal immigrants in becoming US citizens. What the illegal immigrants have done by sneaking across the border is basically cut in line... they've in no uncertain terms told all of the law abiding Mexican citizens who wait and do things the legal way that they're a bunch of chumps. By enacting another amnesty bill, let's call the guest worker program what it really is, we will yet again show all the people of Mexico and every other country that has to wait to get into our country that is pays to break the law and if you do, you'll get rewarded.
Also, I don't think comparing a criminal to a criminal is a narrow or careless in any fashion. Please not that I chose a misdemeanor criminal act (roberry) and chose to compare that criminal to another midemeanor criminal. Now in both cases robbery and illegal immigration CAN become felonies but for the most part they begin life as a simple misdemeanor.
Now if we're going to start talking about careless comparisons... I think you comparing an illegal migrant sneaking into this country to a great civil rights pioneer is a bit off. The main issue I have with that comparison, amongst many, is that Rosa Parks and all the other black civil rights activists were CITIZENS of the United States and therefore had a right to protest their treatment and arrest.
Oh, did I say it was stolen from poor Mexican people??? Please show me where I said that. I love how you put words in other people's mouths. I was actually thinking about how white people invaded North America and killed off the native americans and then rounded them all up and moved them around. Where were you Mr Border Patrol?
ReplyDeleteBut then Chuck says this is a bogus issue anyway. The only reason it has become an issue is to divert attention away from the war and the economy and if we hadn't gone and waged war in Iraq, this would be a nonissue. Chuck also wants to know if you will pick the lettuce. btw, he's native american
Oh, and for the record, we are part Irish on my dad's side. Didya know that Mercedes? Grandma Phllips. She was mean. Really mean.
I am glad my Mom came here illegally and she is a citizen now because of amnesty. (biological father threatened to deport her) Chuck is right it is a non-issue it is deflection from the war and gas prices. If Juan was a computer programmer or enginner he would get a visa but since he is unskilled labor in agriculture or construction he has no channel but the illegal one. Crack down on the companies if it isn't cost effective to hire undocumented immigrants than it would stop no more demand basic principal of economics. In this country it is all about the dollar companies make billions from hiring undocumented immigrants if they get caught slap on the wrist fine. Fine them big no longer cost effective then it will stop, once it stops they pay minimum wage to workers head of lettuce ten dollars then you will see real outrage. Japan no illegals produce expensive one apple is a dollar.
ReplyDeleteMargie... or should I just say Chuck?,
ReplyDeleteI ASSUMED that since we were talking about mexican immigration, we werte talking about the land that was "stolen" from them... but in my post I did mention the fact that we also stole the land from the Native Americans... so non issue and your comment about where was I? What is that supposed to mean? I see where you were trying to go with that but that was a weak attempt. I think even you would have to agree that the world then was a VERY different place and quite a bit more hostile than it is today. Taking land by force instead of diplomacy was the rule not the exception. So applying the sensibilities of today to taht time period is a little off though I'm sure if the Native Americans had a Border Patrol back then, they would have been quite active.
I disagree that this is a bogus issue. This issue has been taking an ever increasing role in political debates for years. Let's not forget that your hero Mr. Clinton enacted the Crime Bill to begin a nationwide "crackdown" on illegal immigration and the President has been talking about this "guest worker" program for years as well. The timing of this most recent flare up may be suspect, but the actual issue cannot be called diversionary, it's been brewing far too long.
Rich, I agree with what you're saying mostly and it's like I said, if it were truly important to the US to stop immigration we would do more to effect the source of lure that draws the illegal immigrants to this country. Actually prosecuting the companies that hire these illegals would be a great step in the right direction. You hit on a very good point when you made mention of the fact that the vast majority of the illegal immigrants trying to come here are "unskilled" laborers. I disagree though that the only option available to the unskilled laborer is an illegal one. Unskilled laborers CAN enter this country legally but they have to wait their turn, which takes time. It's an unfortunate situation that nursing is understaffed so if you're a nurse, you can get right in but construction isn't a "critical" employment classification so they have to wait, but jumping the line and then trying to make the illegal process a legal one isn't the answer either.
I have no problem with the guest worker program, what I take issue with is the citizenship clause. There was one proposal that I actually agreed with that stated if you're here illegally and would like to work here legally, we'll offer you this guest worker program which gives you legal status but if in the future you would like to become a citizen of this country, you would then have to re-apply to enter this country legally. I just think that we can no longer reward people for breaking the law, it sends a bad message to the world and further encourages illegal immigration. It is just a statement of fact that since this closet amnesty issue became center stage, the number of illegal immigrants attempting to enter our country has dramatically risen... everyone's trying to get in to get that golden ticket.