"so immigration is basically like gmail"
Okay, well, I am not sure what to say other than I am on the completely opposite side of the fence. El Otro Lado, if you will. Carla, these are human beings and they aren't asking for anything other than the opportunity to not be oppressed by a country they are contributing to. They don't pay taxes because we don't allow them too. But really in the same way they are not "stealing" our tax dollars by being here either because they don't qualify for our social programs. If you want to point fingers at who is taking your precious tax dollars then you may want to look internally at those who abuse the system. And those nice parks and such you speak of? Last time I checked those are usually for the wealthy. Many immigrants and low income families don't always have the good fortune to be able to afford cars to drive on those roads, or live in the affluent neighborhoods in suburbia that have the nice parks or even have the time to enjoy the parks. These people are doing the best they can in a fucked up system. Okay, you want them to do it the "right" way? Then lets make some reforms in our system, rather than shutting down our borders and remaining elitist rich bastards that perpetuate the unbalanced world economy.
It is very fortunate that you don't come from a family of immigrants - I didn't realize that you were from Native American blood. My great-grandfather came over during a time when the borders were open and he worked his ass off in a coal mine to build a life for himself. And last time I checked most of these immigrants today are doing the same thing. My ESL students worked all day in a bacon packing plant and then came to English class four nights a week. I am sorry, but this is not laziness. And if you think that they don't contribute to our society then you are sorely mistaken. They buy things just like you and me and support local economy. And they take the jobs that no one else really wants in plants that sometimes are so dangerous that one of my young students (near our age) cut off his finger. You don't know what people deal with. It is nice and great that I am American and grew up in a family that had enough to feed and house me comfortably, and I hope that I can always share that with others - no matter what race or ethnicity they are.
I think the comment about "they are taking back what is theirs" is way off base. Maybe in Texas some people are throwing out this phrase, and okay they are wrong about that. But this is about more than borders - this is about humanity. We are all brothers and sisters in this world. We as Americans have a whole lot of toys and candy. It is okay to share them. Next time you enjoy a nice fruit salad maybe stop and think about who hand-picked most of the berries or fruits you enjoy so much. Or when you have bacon with your eggs. Bottom line is that these people are not coming over here to sit on their asses, but to try and improve their lives and that of their families. Yes, I admit that sadly they are also confused by the American ideal that money equals success and that by coming here they are going to be movie stars and have Hummers or what not, but in reality, they just want to make enough to support those they love.
If we offered them a better channel at citizenship then they can start "contributing" in a way you approve of - by paying taxes and what not. But right now you have to have a sponsor, you have to have money (which if they had that they would probably be in their country trying to fix the problems there) and there are so many hoops to jump through that we almost force people to come illegally until they can earn enough money and find someone to sponsor them. Even then, it is very hard to do it the "right" way.
Anyway, I know I used the second person quite a bit, but I don't mean this as a personal attack necessarily. I just strongly disagree with this mindset and it goes against everything that I believe in - which is love and respect for all humans. And building walls and policing our borders like the fucking moronic "Minute Men" (http://www.minutemanhq.com/) is just not something I will ever advocate for. Those people make me ashamed for my country. They sniff out people as though they are animals. Haven't you ever wanted something so badly that you would go through hell and a desert to get it? Laws be damned. The government did not grant us human rights - we were human before we set up borders and these rights are given by our creator, not by some moron behind a desk.
Sorry friend, but I guess we disagree. No worries though - my parents often disagree with my politics and we still love each other. It is all about respect for each others opinions. So I hope you can respect mine, and I respect yours even though we passionately disagree with each other's position.
sc
It is very fortunate that you don't come from a family of immigrants - I didn't realize that you were from Native American blood. My great-grandfather came over during a time when the borders were open and he worked his ass off in a coal mine to build a life for himself. And last time I checked most of these immigrants today are doing the same thing. My ESL students worked all day in a bacon packing plant and then came to English class four nights a week. I am sorry, but this is not laziness. And if you think that they don't contribute to our society then you are sorely mistaken. They buy things just like you and me and support local economy. And they take the jobs that no one else really wants in plants that sometimes are so dangerous that one of my young students (near our age) cut off his finger. You don't know what people deal with. It is nice and great that I am American and grew up in a family that had enough to feed and house me comfortably, and I hope that I can always share that with others - no matter what race or ethnicity they are.
I think the comment about "they are taking back what is theirs" is way off base. Maybe in Texas some people are throwing out this phrase, and okay they are wrong about that. But this is about more than borders - this is about humanity. We are all brothers and sisters in this world. We as Americans have a whole lot of toys and candy. It is okay to share them. Next time you enjoy a nice fruit salad maybe stop and think about who hand-picked most of the berries or fruits you enjoy so much. Or when you have bacon with your eggs. Bottom line is that these people are not coming over here to sit on their asses, but to try and improve their lives and that of their families. Yes, I admit that sadly they are also confused by the American ideal that money equals success and that by coming here they are going to be movie stars and have Hummers or what not, but in reality, they just want to make enough to support those they love.
If we offered them a better channel at citizenship then they can start "contributing" in a way you approve of - by paying taxes and what not. But right now you have to have a sponsor, you have to have money (which if they had that they would probably be in their country trying to fix the problems there) and there are so many hoops to jump through that we almost force people to come illegally until they can earn enough money and find someone to sponsor them. Even then, it is very hard to do it the "right" way.
Anyway, I know I used the second person quite a bit, but I don't mean this as a personal attack necessarily. I just strongly disagree with this mindset and it goes against everything that I believe in - which is love and respect for all humans. And building walls and policing our borders like the fucking moronic "Minute Men" (http://www.minutemanhq.com/) is just not something I will ever advocate for. Those people make me ashamed for my country. They sniff out people as though they are animals. Haven't you ever wanted something so badly that you would go through hell and a desert to get it? Laws be damned. The government did not grant us human rights - we were human before we set up borders and these rights are given by our creator, not by some moron behind a desk.
Sorry friend, but I guess we disagree. No worries though - my parents often disagree with my politics and we still love each other. It is all about respect for each others opinions. So I hope you can respect mine, and I respect yours even though we passionately disagree with each other's position.
sc
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