I will admit up front to being a little less educated on the matter than some who have posted. But I know enough to make a couple points of my own.
My real big beef isn't with people who enter illegally, and then become legal, people who want to participate in the american way. People who want to be productive.
My beef are with two groups of people. Two groups that often overlap.
1) Those who come in illegally and then stay illegal.
My understanding of this situation is that Mexican law says that if you become a citizen of another nation, you lose your mexican citizenship. And what we consider poor, they consider rich. A man who saves up over his working years here a mere, say, $20,000 can go down to Mexico, and live it up style.
So what a lot of people are doing is finding menial jobs, living 20 to a house so that they can afford the house between the 20 incomes, and sending all their free money down to Mexico so that part of it can be used to improve the lives of their families, and part of it can be saved for their return. They come in here, get jobs, funnel all the money to mexico, then come retirement time, they return to the motherland wealthy.
Hmm, that doesn't sound so wrong, does it? Well, there's more to consider.
There is some truth to the whole "illegals stealing jobs" bit in that no, most comfy anglos wouldn't work hoeing cabbage for $6.00/hr. -BUT- were it not for the ready availability of illegal workers, that $6.00/hr job would be paying $12.00/Hr, and then suddenly you'd have more vanilla farm equipment. And that's also creating a ripple effect. The standard of living is going down, partially because of illegal immigrants.
Another problem with the illegal remainers is that none of what they make stays in our country. Sure, there's income tax, and sales tax, and sometimes property tax, but that's it. All the money they make that doesn't get exhausted on sustaining themselves goes down south.
The ugly truth of that is they are making parasites of themselves. They are robbing from America to support Mexico. They are leeching themselves and draining the blood. I've heard that the #2 source of revenue for Mexico is American incomes. If that's true, then this scenario I've just painted cannot possibly be a once in a while thing, but an epidemic! They're not contributing, they're cyphoning!
2) Those who refuse to learn the language, and expect us to learn theirs.
I've used this analogy once before on this forum and once before on another, but I think it's sooo effective:
"When you are in someone's house, you play by their rules. You don't come in and rearrange all of their furniture." -What do you think of that? I like it.
Well, imagine someone doing that to you in your house. How would you feel?! Well, lets take it one step further. Suppose their in your house uninvited? Imagine. Someone just walks through your back door, throught your entire house. Takes your bed and puts it in the kitchen, takes your stove and puts in your bathroom. Thinks it'd be great to put the toilet smack dab in the middle of your garage. (suspend disbelief for just one second) and fastens your car to your living room ceiling. Then has balls to yell to the misses "From now on, we will all take cream and sugar in our coffee! Wench!" Wouldn't you just be floored?! Well, imagine the cops come in, look at you, the flabergasted, violated home owner, then look over at the intruder lounging on the newly positioned filing cabinet and says to the intruder "here, let me help you", as he tips over your collection of fine china and sends it crashing to the floor?!
Well, that's basically what's happening in america. Many (though not all) of these illegals (uninvited house guests) are coming over and finding a little corner that they can establish themselves in, and then refuse to adapt to life in america (playing by the rules of the house) instead, they try to adapt america to themselves (rearranging the furniture) Their wanting america on their terms (Coffee! Now! With Salsa in it!) And politicians on the left (the cops) are trying to pass all these laws like making spanish the official language of america and all these rights for illegals, driver's licenses for illegals, free healthcare for illegals, happy easter cakes baked with love by the government and delivered to the front door of every illegal yada yada yada (siding with the intruder) and some of them are passing! (trashing the china cabinet) And the american citizenry at large (comprised of all races, incomes, ages, and genders) are the flabergasted, violated home owners who are forced to just watch all of this happen!
Now, the political right is guilty too, but in a different way. Both are after the votes and both are sacrificing integrity to acheive the votes (nothing new) but while the left is erring in that they are taking action to accomodate, the right is erring in not taking action to stop said accomodation. The left is guilty of action, and the right is guilty of innaction. All for the sake of votes.
Now, I've spoke so long of my grievances and concerns, I would like to clarify about a couple of things that do NOT bother me.
1)Legal Hispanics. They are of immense value to our country and their culture has helped shape our culture, but has never tried to trump it.
2)Illegals here working to become legal, working to become a permanent, contributing member of our society. My Uncle Eric married a cuban illegal 15yrs ago and she is legal and has been contributing to our society ever since. And despite the fact that they live in a spanish speaking neighborhood in queens NY, and my uncle speaks fluent spanish, and she could survive without needing to learn english, she did anyway and uses it every chance she gets.
And there are a lot like her. I have no beef with them except that they didn't come here legally, but in my mind, becoming legal is restitution enough so long as they contribute, and if you're gonna generalize hispanic people, you generalize them as very hard workers.
Now, about the border. I feel that they should make it harder for illegals to get in. Wait, even the ones who are working to become legal, permanent and productive? Yes, because by my estimation, the ones working on legality are in the minority, and you can't distinguish between the two at the border, so better to stop a few good ones in the name of stopping a whole bunch of bad ones, then to allow in a few good ones in at the expense of letting a whole bunch of bad ones in.
Should we resort to killing? Only as an absolute last resort. If it comes to it, then it comes to it, but I'm not sure that we've got to that point just yet and I would want to make absolutely certain that we have exhausted all other means of combatting illegal immigration.
On the terrorism thing. Bottling up the southern border is certainly not going to defeat all terrorism aimed at the U.S. But it does cut off one channel that it could be administered through. And cutting one leg off a centipede is better than not cutting one leg off a centipede.
One last thing. I'm convicted of something. Here I am saying that we need to stop these intruders from ruining our way of life, yet we are the decendents of those who ruined the lives of the native americans.... I'm not quite sure what to do with that.
There.. I am finished. (exhales)
