Replies

I get what you are saying, biblewonk. It is a tough position because there are many parts of the country where it is not yet an obvious, in your face type problem.

Here in Georgia, I attend a church down in south Georgia (when I am visiting) and at dinner, when the topic comes up, I see that many people still hold on to the 'idealized' view of illegal aliens -- that they are poor peasants just trying make a living, and who would blame them for coming here for $10 and hour when they may only make $5 a day in Mexico, and they deserve our sympathies and support and prayers. I still hold on to that idealized view in many ways, because I know that it is true in a large percentage of the cases.

But, the issues are much more complex that our idealized views can accommodate.

Allowing illegal aliens also encourages other illegality -- people smuggling, document forgery, identity theft, etc. People smuggling and drug smuggling go hand in hand because they use the same routes and same under the radar sorts of devices. The people smuggling, document forgery, and identity theft industries are now multi-billion dollar illegal industries that have piggybacked on top of the illegal alien industry, and these industries are tailor made for terrorists. This is the Achilles Heel of national security.

Further, many of the major busts that have happened recently with methamphetamines have been labs set up by illegal aliens. There are parts of Atlanta where home invasions have occurred because of Mexican gangs.

The idealized view gets polluted by the billions of dollars we are spending to support illegals once they are here, and to deal with the less than ideal circumstances that accompany the illegal alien industry.

In one sense, it is the charitable thing to do to believe that we should open our arms to the poor and provide for them, but it is not principled to task taxpayers with supporting illegality. If adjustments need to be made to handle the needs of labor in this country, then it should be done in an orderly fashion, and laws should be enforced. Further, we cannot reward those that have trespassed illegally because that only encourages more illegality. Reagan tried it in 1986 with his amnesty, and we see the results of that idealized view today.

Very good post, greatly appreciated. We need a lot more people like you around here.

Obviously this concept comes up in the bible with the idea of Roman citizens vs barbarians. Thre were big prices to pay and big privileges to be had. You mentioned breakins, are you speakin gof illegals raiding houses. Imagine barbarians raiding the houses of Roman citizens.

I'm wondering to what degree the problem has changed in the last 20 years. What have the trends been? I am an adult and I don't care whose pounding what drum, I don't react with my emotions. I want more info, lots more info.

People reaction with blather and yelling and emotion tend to nail innocent people to things.

The two sides of the issue that you discuss are very very evident and it is good that you bring them both up together. I have no answers but am in data gathering mode.

Thanks again.