On The Immigration Issue

[guywithmonsters]

I find it hard to swallow when people say that illegal immigrants who have been here for over 5 years don't deserve citizenship, since pretty much everyone who says it is a descendant of an immigrant. What does it matter to these people if the guy who came here to pursue the American dream and who is working to get there gets legal papers? Are they afraid their lawn service/busboy/nanny will want a legal wage?

I am all for making the border more secure but I don't see how making us more xenophobic accomplishes anything. Mexicans are the Irish of late 20th/early 21st century America - they do the work no one else will for less than they deserve and as a society we blame them for our societal/financial ills. It's easy to blame the new guy for the current problems.

The thing that pains me the most is that Americans are so fucking opinionated and so completely ignorant of their own cultural and political history. How about we put more energy into being good citizens and spend left time worrying about who else gets to be a citizen?

Comments

[artkouros.livejournal.com]

I heard on the radio that in addition to the 12-13 million Latino illegals, there are 1 million illegal Europeans and 1 million illegal Asians here, so why are the Latinos being scapegoated?

well

[telemann.livejournal.com]

supposedly these illegal aliens are a drain on welfare and health costs. But to me, I don't see how they can qualify for welfare, since that requires a lot of evidence of citizenship. But then I'm told about fake documents. But I don't buy that horseshit one minute.

And I don't see illegal aliens getting heart bypass surgeries. Maybe they do use ERs for stuff like accidents and what not, but so what? It's not crippling our health system as much as other things are.

Oh yah, the other whine: "oh they earn money and send it out of the country." Sure, just like all the major corporations that outsource American jobs overseas, and these right wing jerks aren't complaining about that as much!

[eloquentwthrage.livejournal.com]

Recently, someone else blogged about this, saying the folks who hire illegals should have serious repercussions for doing so, since it's illegal to hire illegals. I suggested that making illegals into taxpayers might benefit things all around. The response? "Sure, why not abolish all laws and make nothing illegal!" Huh?? I was suggesting that maybe there is a legal way to benefit the country, companies that want cheap labor, and those illegals who want work. I didn't need that sarcasm. Fucking Republicans.

[liftinmoose.livejournal.com]

Actually I have a hard time with it. I put my own life on hold for 10 years just to be "legal"... and if I didn't have to, why did I do what I did?