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Good essay Carlo3b. I still have to respectfully disagree though. I too watched my parents become citizens. But they didn't come here with their hands out for the material things this country had to offer they came for the opportunities America offered. They made no demands to have their language spoken by the citizens here, they didin't expect free housing, health care and food stamps. When they took the oath they renounced all ties to their old homeland, no dual citizenship no allegiance to any other country but this one. They raised their kids to appreciate the blessings of being an American.

My dad served 4 years in the US Army of Occupation in Germany as a displaced refugee, just for a chance to be allowed a visa. There was no guarantee, even then he had to have a sponser who who give him a job when he got here.

I still have my DP immigration card and remember my parents registering every January. I grew up in Chicago and remember when DP was a derogatory term, they shrugged it off and worked harder to become citizens.

I have a hard time with any proposal that uses a broad brush to reward people who have snuck into my country, demand more and more but aren't willing to pay the dues to be here. Our immigration system is broken but, I don't believe in this proposal to fix it. We went this route in 1986 and look what it got us.

Good morning Sam, aha those DP satcalls, now that was helpful in assimilating into the mainstream.. My mother, and grandmother would put "MR SANDMAN" on a turntable and slowly turn the record so we, my cousin and I, could hear and repeat the words without an Italian accent, so no one would know we were more of those damned Displaced Pion's, I mean persons.

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.. :)