If our government didn't give so many handouts to people who don't work - immigration wouldn't be an issue. I've got no problem with anyone who puts in an honest day's labor and pays their taxes.
If you were an Irish immigrant in 1890, you were lower than dirt. People were a lot more blunt about their distaste for immigrants in the late 19th century (lots of signs used to read "No Irish Need Apply"). My ancestors (Slovenian and German) worked hard, learned English and became legal citizens. And they did all this without food stamps or welfare.
Anybody who wants to do these things should be welcome in the US. But you MUST do them. Albert Einstein was sworn in when he immigrated to the US. Everyone who arrives should be.
Want to create some jobs in our lousy economy? Start processing everyone at the border - give them a visa for one year. Make them eligible for employment, but do not give them unemployment, welfare or free medical care. If they want to work, let them. If they want to leech - screw them!
For too long the US government has operated like a broken ATM machine, spewing money at anyone who demands it. Is it any surprise that our country is bankrupt?
Most other countries in the world require all immigrants to be contributors. If you think it is hard to be a US citizen, you should try moving to New Zealand! If you aren't "useful" - you won't be allowed to stay.
I have lived abroad where I did not speak the language and I know how hard it is to get a job under those circumstances. When I asked what to do if I got sick in Italy, I was informed "don't". I was told that it would be almost impossible to get a doctor's appointment if I was not a citizen.
Meanwhile, in the US there are clinics that will give you medicine free of charge if you go in and tell them that you make less than a certain amount of money a month. They don't even ask for any proof that you need the free service - or proof that you even have a job. I know because I have attempted this myself to see if it was actually true.
What makes me furious is when money comes out of my paycheck so that the government can provide care for people who are too lazy to work (a severe handicap is a different issue - but being "fat" is not a handicap). I hate supporting lazy people when they are US citizens, and when they aren't even here legally... that makes it worse.
Sure, immigration is expensive. But so is paying a coyote to sneak you across the Mexican border! On average, they charge over $1000 - $2000 per person! To the best of my knowledge, those are old statistics - it's probably more expensive now that security has been ramping up.
I have a lot more respect for the person who sells their few belongings and packs up like my ancestors did, leaving their old country behind for good to make a new home in America. Regardless of whether they arrive on a boat or hoof it across the Sonoran desert - anyone who comes with the genuine intention of working hard for a better life should be welcome in America.
Has anyone heard the phrase "old country" recently? It used to be that all of the elder generations would use it. Ireland was "the old country". Poland was "the old country". Turkey was "the old country".
I've worked with a few immigrants in the past, most of them older than fifty. And in that generation, the sentiment of "the old country" is still very strong.
Russia "the old country" - "Oh my got," Vladimir would say "Sarah, let me tell you about..."
About getting shot at for stealing apples out of a government-controlled orchard?
About highways so often unpatrolled that a collision killed everyone in both cars because no police or ambulence would come when called? "In America, never happen." Vladimir brought his family from a little town near the border of Georgia twelve years ago. His daughter is a banker, very successful. One of his sons is a championship martial artist. He works two jobs, driving limo and delivering pizzas. His wife is a substitute teacher.
Pakistan "the old country" - According to Aamer "The government turns off the power when the people are not doing what they want. No water, no power. You don't know how long. The apartment I live in now? A palace, in my old country." He came to the US about four years ago with the clothes on his back and very little money in his pockets. He works construction as he attends community college.
Vietnam "the old country" - "In my old country, I spent six years in a government camp. Sometimes there is no food, then they do not feed you at all." Canh has been in the US for more than twenty years. He came as a refugee following the Vietnam War, got a job and never went back.
Iraq "the old country" - and I quote "I'd rather be in prison than anywhere in my old country."
Ismael, a "survivor of three wars" also delivered pizza until recently, when he was in a car accident. It was discovered that he has a heart defect and he expects to recieve surgery soon, a thing which he would never have had access to in "the old country".
But is Mexico "the old country"? For some it is.
A friend of mine is a second generation immigrant. He speaks Spanish and English with equal fluidity. He attended American high school and has the same experiences as any American-born kid. He may prefer soccer to football, but you'd be hard pressed to call him a foreigner.
Still, large numbers of immigrants seem to think that they should turn most of the US into Mexico rather than embrace their new home. They protest American issues waving Mexican flags - failing to recognize, perhaps - that they are no longer in "the old country".
And of course, the Mexican government gets up in arms whenever anyone criticizes these immigrants because they enjoy the fact that they are funneling money earned in America back into Mexico.
I used to live in an apartment building occupied by Mexican, Indian and Somali immigrants. Since I was actually born in the US, I was a real rarity there. People constantly marveled that they didn't understand why I couldn't find a better, higher paying job.
I spoke English, I knew how to use computers... I'd even gone to college! But America is no longer the "land of opportunity" for those who work. It's the "land of opportunity" for those who NEED.
"Give us your tired, your hungry, your poor" used to mean that those people would be handed shovels and mops right off the boats. They would have the opportunity to earn a living - if they busted their asses. But now, busting your ass is no longer mandatory. The US government has become the world's largest charitable organization.
If someone gets arrested for a crime and is found to be illegal, deport them. Why should American workers pay to feed them in jail? Did you know that people in prison complained when their cable service was cut off? I work more than fifty hours a week and I can't afford cable! Why should criminals have it? It's not a necessity!
What is then? Food, water, shelter. That's it. Anything above and beyond those three things is something you want - not something you truly need. Personally, I don't believe that there's anything wrong with feeding criminals bread and water and letting them sleep on piles of hay - but that's another issue.
The point I'm trying to make is that we should check people - not only when they are arrested, but any time they are looking for handouts.
If someone applies for government services of any kind - food stamps, etc. check their immigration status. If someone is hospitalized, check their status.
It doesn't matter what color they are or what kind of accent they have. There are a ton of illegal Canadians living in the US too - who knows why?
Maybe because we keep giving people stuff for free.
I have no insurance, no internet service or t.v. I make less than $20,000 a year. I survive because I work - and if I ever stopped working, I'd stop having food to eat. That's how it should be.
No comments:
Post a Comment