Posted on 01/11/2004 2:37:16 AM PST by carlo3b
IMMIGRATION INDIGNATION, holy smoke! DID YOU SEE WHAT I SAW?What ever happened to "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..."
They came here for several centuries for the same reasons – freedom and hope -- and then a Frenchman created a statue that embodied their hopes and dreams. And it embodied America's promise as well. "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..."I have been watching with a bit of sadness, and more than a little concern, the debate that has been raging over President Bush's Administration proposed guest worker program. I haven't seen anything definitive yet, but I have to admit that I have some uneasiness about what is being said, and what may be done.
THE STATUE OF LIBERTYFirst and foremost, I do not wish to trivialize the genuine fear and the authentic concern that most of the protesters of the proposal have expressed. Nor do I disagree with the legitimate anxiety over what the future may hold if this proposal is actually what is being portrayed, "a blanket amnesty for illegal aliens". That being the case there would be in fact, national as well as historical principles at stake, and we must be ever vigilant in the protection of our liberties as well as our sovereignty.
"Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed."Immigration is now and always has been a tricky affair. The delicate balance of need and want, verses can and should. We can certainly understand someone living in desperate conditions wanting to improving their lot in life. What better place to do it than the greatest nation on earth. America is the envy of the world. We are a magnet, and a beacon.
-Mark TwainWho wouldn't choose to be free, unless as is the case in too many places, they are incapable of understanding the reality of freedom. Who wouldn't want to have wealth, if we all agreed on what wealth really is. To someone without anything to feed themselves or their children, a neighbor possessing a sack of flour, is indeed wealthy.
To a nation of plenty, it has to be understandable that a desperate and starving parent wouldn't break down a door, or cross a sweltering desert to feed their child, or a family would risk their lives in a sealed boxcar to work for a steady meal.
I must admit, and state for the record, that as a policy, I firmly believe that all law breaking must be prevented, and law breakers should be punished.. the sooner the better.
That said, I may be a candidate for a flogging I might be at most a fugitive from justice, or at the very least a shameful hypocrite, because I have in the past, and without a moment of indecision would again, give employment to someone I suspect but cannot prove, may be an undocumented worker, ..yes, AN ILLEGAL ALIEN!
I have experience with this issue.. up close and very personal...
I AM A PRODUCT OF FORMER ILLEGAL ALIENS.. Thank God.
As a young boy, I watched as my 92 year old great Grandfather, an immigrant from the bowels of depravity in Italy, as he stood in a crowded church basement and took an oath, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance to his beloved country to finally become a citizen of the United States Of America. For him, becoming a real member of this wonderful country was the culmination of a lifetime of work, and struggle and hope, and prayers.Yes, my family crossed a border from Canada into the United States in the dead of night in hopes of securing a better life for their children. They suffered the pain of fear, poverty and ridicule to take a chance. What was being said throughout the world, was true, America was and still is a nation of opportunity.My great Grandfather, his aged body bent from years of hard work, managed to stand tall as he listened closely to my uncle, who whispered in his ear, everything that was said from the podium. In those days, hopeful immigrants had to study and be tested to prove they knew enough about this country, and it's founding, history and government, to be qualified to contribute to it's greatness.
He had done his homework, and he didn't want to miss a word.
It was that day, in the cold damp basement, in a soft grainy light, walls decorated with flags, and with his fine and honorable family looking on, he and a large group gathered to prove that they were worthy patriots. That day this proud man who had overcome language, illiteracy and poverty, was at last to be rewarded, he was finally a real American.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, he broke down and cried for the first and only time I ever remember in his long and distinguished life. At that moment, I remember thinking, it must be special to be an American.
I do hear the call of fears and doubt of my fellow Americans, and I share the pain when my neighbors hurt as a nation. There is real worry about the costs and loss of jobs. There are legitimate concerns about lawlessness, and precedent of the apparent "reward the lawbreakers", at the expense of the law-abiding and innocent.
"A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort."I know we cannot be the world policemen, or pantry. We are a mighty nation built upon a foundation of hard work and sacrifice. Much of that labor was done by immigrants, many of which were here illegally not by choice but by necessity. Many, as my family, didn't do it as a thief, but as poor frightened peasants, who came without documentation because the limits on Italians were reached, and they couldn't afford to wait until the bureaucracy opened the doors again.
-Sydney SmithUpon arrival, frightened and stranded in a strange place without money, friends or family, they did the unthinkable, they prayed and began working until they were safe, solid and accepted. They raised a family that contributed and their offspring went to war, and they became solid threads in the fabric of their chosen country. There were a few that gave my folks a boost, a chance, a lifeline until they were secure.
So now the dirty laundry, I did the same for others, but I am apparently not alone. This isn't a unique thought to bend the some rules to help those who need help when the need is the greatest.
History is replete with law breakers that did what turned out to be a blessing. There has always been a few that took the law into their own hands when it seemed that was the only way. Moses, was spared by a benevolent stranger. Thank God a man named Schindler broke the laws to save a few hundred Jews from the Nazi's and where would we be if the Underground Railroad was derailed, because it was against the law to save a slave.
"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances - to choose one's own way."The overwhelming numbers of our newest immigrants aren't fleeing death, or slavery, and I am not Schindler, but I could see the desperation in their eyes and feel the need in their hearts. And what was I offering? A job, and friendship. A job that few Americans wanted, and friendship that has lasted decades.
-Victor Frankl"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."There are jobs that nobody wants and few would do, unless they had no other choice, a situation which rarely arises in our country. But they are good jobs that need to be done. By and large these jobs are hard, thankless, dirty, repetitive jobs, at odds with a normal schedule. However, they are at the limits of those that need them.
-Nelson HendersonContrary to popular belief, almost no large companies would ever pay cash to save a few dollars, or underpay wages to a poor man because he is illegal. We never paid under the table, or less than the going rate because we were a well known company, and a scandal of that pettiness, would have harmed everyone, including hundreds of employees, almost all homegrown Americans.
"Something that has always puzzled me all my life is why, when I am in special need of help, the good deed is usually done by somebody on whom I have no claim."Lest you think it was all one sided, these workers were solid as a rock, and usually faithful as a clock. The work ethic in other countries is as it was in much earlier times in our history. The bottom line is they needed us, and we needed them. They stayed with me and climbed the ladder in the all American tradition, and I watched them with pride, and admiration.
-William Feather, The Business of LifeFor those that are really concerned about these poor people taking the bread out of your mouth, unless you are a pot scrubber, or a garlic picker, you are at little risk.. And to ease your mind, I have discovered a new money making venture, one that has a fabulous track record. This one has recent and past history has never failed to pay-off. It's remarkable in it's simplicity!
Here it is... bet against the fatalist, place all of your available milk money on the person needing something, and against the person wanting to keep it from him.. in short, betting against profits of doom.
Bet the farm, or the futon, that the screams are always louder during an election year, and the spin is more spit than polish. Just like the generations that preceded us the Italians, Irish, Germans, Haitians and Vietnamese, these folks will continue to be a blessing to our country. Take a deep breath and think about it without the shrill voices whispering apocalyptic threats.
Before you make your final decision on this matter, ask yourself a simple question. What would you do if you were in their place, but first, take a long look around your home, in you fridge and in your pantry.. and just for an added effect, and take an extra moment thinking of your children. Perhaps, you'll come away with a slightly different outlook. Then again, maybe not.. you have that right, my once removed, illegal uncles and a lot of others died for your right to be wrong..
I am proud of our President, he knew there would be anger and once again he faced the problem head on. Dealing with this now is going to save us all in the long run, and as to the near future.. remember we are free Americans thanks to our immigrant forefathers, and some day as in the past, these new Americans may well save you and your country...
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
-Abraham Lincoln"One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."
-Arnold GlasgowGOD BLESS AMERICA
And boy, is THAT ever a problem that needs fixing! The original law was never intended to create "anchor babies" for illegal immigrants. But if a pregnant illegal can make it to an American hospital in time, not only is the baby automatically an American citizen but hospital expenses are paid by generous American taxpayers. Then the process of chain immigration begins. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that?
We were especially singled out to get our greasy asses out of the nice pure neighborhoods.. Perhaps that was my initial aversion to the Atkins Diet, all of the fried food.. But that was the good old days.. sigh.. :)
In the first place, we're more akin to a "nation of settlers", since fortified by several waves of immigration, which in periods of low immigration, were assimilated into a common American culture.
The problem with today's population transfers is that the wave pattern is broken. Waves have ends. With the deluge of population transfers from the third world begun with Ted Kennedy's 1965 chain-migration law, on the other hand, there is no end in sight. If there is going to be an end or ebb, when will that be? When will the period of assimilation begin? The answer under the Bush plan, of course, is never.
I generally stay away from all immigration related threads because of my own experience. Half of my family is Hispanic and I don't know, wouldn't ask, don't care if they are descendants of illegals or legals. All members of my family are spiritually minded, hard-working, patriotic and independent. IMHO, that is what matters.
But Carlo there are those who choose to skirt the legal immigration system in this country.They are doing a great disservice to the immigrants who want to come here legally. You don't hear the heated debates going on about legal immigration,only illegal.If the first thing you do when coming to this country is break the law,then you are already off to a bad start.Give those immigrants who legally come here the credit,they respect the laws and are willing to do things the right way.
A massive oversupply.
Mexicans get more green cards than any other nationality. They have for years.
Check the stats pages at the DHS Immigration website. In 2002 there were 219,000 green cards handed over to Mexican nationals, more than any other nationality. India was next at about 70,000.
The site and program you cited was just for the "Diversity Visa Lottery", which only hands out 50,000 visas per year worldwide. Very high immigration source nationalities are excluded from that limited program, which is why Mexico, India, etc do not appear on that website's list.
Indeed I am more than biased by my personal experiences, but I am not without compassion for the rest of us taxpayers.. The overwhelming number of these unfortunate folks, never see a government check or visit a doctor because of fear of being caught. That doesn't make it right, and I do concur.. my post was only to draw some attention to a second side of this issue.. an issue that I think is being used more to alienate Bush voters than solve legitimate problems..
But to take another point that you made.. Shut down restaurants and whatever if we need low-level workers, is a more of the problem with this hot button issue.. Of the hundreds of workers that my company employed for over 20 years, less than 5% of our workforce was exposed to any need of lower standard skills. The 95% of workers were handsomely compensated and more than happy to have steady work to support their families.. I wish we would have been able to have kept the Steel Mills at work much the same way.. Hundreds of thousands of workers would have had better incomes had that prevailed.. JUST A THOUGHT..
Nail head, meet hammer.
That's why they were prescribed as needed...:)
-Dr. jellybean
Fair enough, but the very law that you reference is a big reason so many pregnant illegals come here. Free handouts, free medical care, a legal door opens when your baby is a citizen by birth. Is there any good reason to continue that policy? I can't think of one. Parental citizenship should be a requirement.
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