As most of you know by now, I have some strong opinions on almost every political topic. Immigration is no exception. I've been a bit reticent about writing on this topic because it has become ubiquitous. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a headline on the topic these days.
My forefathers emigrated from Ireland and Scotland to the United States well before the mid-nineteenth century. I can well imagine the difficulty they had when they landed on American soil. Anyone who thinks that the English language is the same for all English-speakers has never tried to hold a conversation with someone from Boston or New York or with someone from Dublin, Ireland or Glasgow, Scotland, not to mention a simple conversation with someone from the southern states! We do not all speak the same English. So, it's not inconceivable that there were many trials and much confusion waiting for legal immigrants to the US who WANTED to assimilate, wanted to succeed, and took pride in their new home in the States. However, many succeeded in building a future here because they were proud to be here, proud to work hard to become American citizens.
The term "immigrant" can apply to both LEGAL immigrants and ILLEGAL immigrants:
"im·mi·grant n. : a person who comes to a country where they were not born in order to settle there."
So, what makes the difference between those who have "rights" in this country and those who do not? Their immigration status -- legal or illegal.
"il·le·gal (-lgl) adj.
1. Prohibited by law.
2. Prohibited by official rules: an illegal pass in football.
n. An illegal immigrant."
It's not difficult to see that the term "illegal" immediately implies one right and one right alone -- the right to be deported immediately upon discovery.
Consider those who enter this country illegally. Do they want to assimilate? Do they take pride in their new "home" here? It is my opinion that they do not. The only goal of illegal immigrants is to earn US dollars to send back to their families in poorer parts of the world. As a capitalist, I find nothing wrong with that goal. There are indeed already laws under which they CAN enter this country legally for work.
What I DO find disturbing is that these illegals who are actually just mercenaries are being held up by the media as honest, hard-working "immigrants." They may be hard-working but they are certainly not honest. If they were honest, they would enter the US legally for work or would apply for legal immigration status.
Immigration, conducted in a controlled and legal fashion, is good for this country; legal immigration built this country into the super-power, shining city on the hill that it is today. ILLEGAL immigration, however, is bad for this country in so many ways that it is unthinkable that there is any debate about it whatsoever. There are no controls on it; it is disorderly and dangerous; it is done against the laws of this country; it is costly and unfair to Americans; it is what it is -- illegal. It is illegal for many reasons, all of which most reasonable Americans understand. Its effect on our medical system alone is enough for me. Those of us with our heads screwed on straight do not need a debate about it, nor do we need a compromise on it.
I find it extremely interesting that many of the Liberal-slanted "news" organizations choose to use one word to describe this issue -- "immigration." As if all immigration is legal; it is not. Until recently, very few of the Left-leaning media outlets used the phrase "illegal immigration." Frankly, I don't find this too surprising because the news stories were about protests in the streets, boycotts, and demands for civil rights; all of which might be newsworthy coming from legal immigrants and/or American citizens who were trying to draw attention to unfair practices. Not so newsworthy when these activities are being conducted by people who are illegally on our soil, are not Americans, and who have no intention of becoming Americans.
It occurred to me the other day that this debate over how to squelch the flow of illegals into this country provides us with a golden opportunity. Why not kill two big issues with one stone? Tax reform AND better enforcement of our current immigration laws!
I support tax reform as outlined in the FairTax proposal. I've often felt a twinge of guilt over the fact that the FairTax would put many IRS employees in the unemployment line when income taxes are abolished. I mean, really... imagine the horror of seeing tie-clad, wingtip-wearing pencil-pushers on the street corner holding tin cups and begging for your surplus change! It seemed so sad. Then, a caller into the Rush Limbaugh Show posited that the IRS is very good at tracking down tax dodgers and should be put in charge of tracking down illegal immigrants in this country. What a great idea! If anyone can make your life miserable for attempting to shortcut the legal tax system in this country, it's the IRS, right? Who better to put on the trail of the illegals? After all, it's the Social Security Number that is used to track taxpayers AND legal workers, isn't it? So, who's with me on this?!
While I support the majority of the President's proposal on immigration reform. I absolutely do NOT support the idea of penalizing illegal immigrants with back taxes and a longer waiting period for citizenship. That is simply ridiculous. First of all, try to enforce the back taxes... even the IRS is going to have problems with that. If we can't seem to locate the employers of these illegals NOW, how do you suppose we'll manage to garnish wages? Secondly, this proposal only provides them with yet another way to jump line on those who have been following the immigration laws of our country and have been waiting years to legally immigrate. It's simply wrong.
I fully support building stronger borders through more thorough law enforcement and through physical barriers. Look, if you spring a leak in the boat, you'd better plug it before you start bailing water, right? Plug that leak and THEN begin law enforcement action for however long it takes to flush them out and send them home. Yes, it make take years; so be it. There should be no reward for breaking the immigration laws of this country. Should a police officer give me a lollipop with my speeding ticket?! Okay, that's just silly... Should that police officer give me a lollipop with my speeding ticket AND a ride to the courthouse to take my driver's license test in Spanish if he catches me speeding and realizes I'm an illegal alien?! That's just sillier but it's closer to the truth than most of us care to notice.
If you're interested in reading much more detailed and passionate information from strong grassroots organizations who are striving to staunch the flow of illegals into this country, please visit NumbersUSA and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). You'll find some great research and opportunities to get involved at both of these sites.
My forefathers emigrated from Ireland and Scotland to the United States well before the mid-nineteenth century. I can well imagine the difficulty they had when they landed on American soil. Anyone who thinks that the English language is the same for all English-speakers has never tried to hold a conversation with someone from Boston or New York or with someone from Dublin, Ireland or Glasgow, Scotland, not to mention a simple conversation with someone from the southern states! We do not all speak the same English. So, it's not inconceivable that there were many trials and much confusion waiting for legal immigrants to the US who WANTED to assimilate, wanted to succeed, and took pride in their new home in the States. However, many succeeded in building a future here because they were proud to be here, proud to work hard to become American citizens.
The term "immigrant" can apply to both LEGAL immigrants and ILLEGAL immigrants:
"im·mi·grant n. : a person who comes to a country where they were not born in order to settle there."
So, what makes the difference between those who have "rights" in this country and those who do not? Their immigration status -- legal or illegal.
"il·le·gal (-lgl) adj.
1. Prohibited by law.
2. Prohibited by official rules: an illegal pass in football.
n. An illegal immigrant."
It's not difficult to see that the term "illegal" immediately implies one right and one right alone -- the right to be deported immediately upon discovery.
Consider those who enter this country illegally. Do they want to assimilate? Do they take pride in their new "home" here? It is my opinion that they do not. The only goal of illegal immigrants is to earn US dollars to send back to their families in poorer parts of the world. As a capitalist, I find nothing wrong with that goal. There are indeed already laws under which they CAN enter this country legally for work.
What I DO find disturbing is that these illegals who are actually just mercenaries are being held up by the media as honest, hard-working "immigrants." They may be hard-working but they are certainly not honest. If they were honest, they would enter the US legally for work or would apply for legal immigration status.
Immigration, conducted in a controlled and legal fashion, is good for this country; legal immigration built this country into the super-power, shining city on the hill that it is today. ILLEGAL immigration, however, is bad for this country in so many ways that it is unthinkable that there is any debate about it whatsoever. There are no controls on it; it is disorderly and dangerous; it is done against the laws of this country; it is costly and unfair to Americans; it is what it is -- illegal. It is illegal for many reasons, all of which most reasonable Americans understand. Its effect on our medical system alone is enough for me. Those of us with our heads screwed on straight do not need a debate about it, nor do we need a compromise on it.
I find it extremely interesting that many of the Liberal-slanted "news" organizations choose to use one word to describe this issue -- "immigration." As if all immigration is legal; it is not. Until recently, very few of the Left-leaning media outlets used the phrase "illegal immigration." Frankly, I don't find this too surprising because the news stories were about protests in the streets, boycotts, and demands for civil rights; all of which might be newsworthy coming from legal immigrants and/or American citizens who were trying to draw attention to unfair practices. Not so newsworthy when these activities are being conducted by people who are illegally on our soil, are not Americans, and who have no intention of becoming Americans.
It occurred to me the other day that this debate over how to squelch the flow of illegals into this country provides us with a golden opportunity. Why not kill two big issues with one stone? Tax reform AND better enforcement of our current immigration laws!
I support tax reform as outlined in the FairTax proposal. I've often felt a twinge of guilt over the fact that the FairTax would put many IRS employees in the unemployment line when income taxes are abolished. I mean, really... imagine the horror of seeing tie-clad, wingtip-wearing pencil-pushers on the street corner holding tin cups and begging for your surplus change! It seemed so sad. Then, a caller into the Rush Limbaugh Show posited that the IRS is very good at tracking down tax dodgers and should be put in charge of tracking down illegal immigrants in this country. What a great idea! If anyone can make your life miserable for attempting to shortcut the legal tax system in this country, it's the IRS, right? Who better to put on the trail of the illegals? After all, it's the Social Security Number that is used to track taxpayers AND legal workers, isn't it? So, who's with me on this?!
While I support the majority of the President's proposal on immigration reform. I absolutely do NOT support the idea of penalizing illegal immigrants with back taxes and a longer waiting period for citizenship. That is simply ridiculous. First of all, try to enforce the back taxes... even the IRS is going to have problems with that. If we can't seem to locate the employers of these illegals NOW, how do you suppose we'll manage to garnish wages? Secondly, this proposal only provides them with yet another way to jump line on those who have been following the immigration laws of our country and have been waiting years to legally immigrate. It's simply wrong.
I fully support building stronger borders through more thorough law enforcement and through physical barriers. Look, if you spring a leak in the boat, you'd better plug it before you start bailing water, right? Plug that leak and THEN begin law enforcement action for however long it takes to flush them out and send them home. Yes, it make take years; so be it. There should be no reward for breaking the immigration laws of this country. Should a police officer give me a lollipop with my speeding ticket?! Okay, that's just silly... Should that police officer give me a lollipop with my speeding ticket AND a ride to the courthouse to take my driver's license test in Spanish if he catches me speeding and realizes I'm an illegal alien?! That's just sillier but it's closer to the truth than most of us care to notice.
If you're interested in reading much more detailed and passionate information from strong grassroots organizations who are striving to staunch the flow of illegals into this country, please visit NumbersUSA and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). You'll find some great research and opportunities to get involved at both of these sites.
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