To recap, your question was: How did we become the greatest industrial nation on earth before all those wonderful illegals came here?
Considering that the United States Bureau of Immigration wasn't created until the early 1890's & working under the assumption that anyone who wants to argue about immigration should be aware of that fact, that for all practical purposes the United States had open borders (at a federal level) prior to that time, the understanding should have been that all immigration up until that time was just plain immigration from a federal standpoint. However, you cannot say that all immigration up until that time was legal immigration because, in fact, many states had state immigration laws & those laws were often violated. For instance, during the period 1830-1850 many of the former colonial states enacted laws baring the entry of Irish, Catholics & German settlers.
Insofar as your remark, Thanks for spouting the liberal line to me, my experience is that when someone begins to hurl invective, it's a clear indication that they are bereft of a rational & educated rebutal. To put that into terms you can understand, that means: Elli-2, raybbr-zip.
I am sure that you have read of the burden that these people put on our society, not to mention the fact that they are forcing us to change our societal ways. I say there is a limit and we have surpassed it. It is time to take back control of our society or we will be overun like a wounded animal in the forest that is consumed by the forest's scavengers.
You fail to respond to the facts presented time and again that illegal immigrants are a drain on our society. They cannot, due to lack of education or the fact that most of them are unskilled labor, raise the level of our society. It is impossible. Please don't give me the gardener/pool cleaner arguement. I don't own a pool and I do my own gardening.
I work with illegals because my company will only hire people that are willing to work for next to nothing. Their standard of living is increased ten fold working for just above minimum wage. While an America, who follows the laws of our country, could not make it at the same wage. Hence, they would experience a drop in their standard of living.
People like you tend to ignore the dilution of our society by the incursion of these criminals. Why?
When can we as a country, exercise our right to say that people cannot come here unabated?
How can you support criminal behavior as you do? You post many arguements justifying illegal behavior. When do we as a country get to say "enough"?
As for the arguement that we are a nation of immigrants - while that may be true do we not then have the right to say - now- it is time to stop it? If not, then, why not?