Saturday afternoon as I pulled out of the Olympic Facility, I noticed many people walking East on Olympic Blvd., all with Mexican flags in their hands. I had no clue five hundred thousand had gathered downtown to protest changes in the laws regarding Mexican immigrants, but this has been in the news everyday, very hard to avoid this story.
So the schools are going into lockdown, to keep the children in school, this isn't a bad idea. But can we as parents lockdown our homes to also keep our children indoors and at home? I'm sure there is some absurb law against doing so.
For those of you that have visited Mexico, and the neighborhoods, you can understand why many flee to the United States for a better way of life. The things we Americans take for granted, like a hot shower, most Mexican's do not enjoy.
Cultural changes happen because of youth, not because of older people like myself, and I'm waiting to see what happens at the colleges within the next few weeks.
It's easy for the media to blame the Mexican's for the ills that are affecting our country, but what has the war in Iraq cost the American public?
Your opinions on this subject are most welcome.
Cheers,
Eddie
The immigration issue is one of the things that stirs my passions about racism and prejudice. As an American citizen of Mexican descent, I take great issue with those who claim that illegals are a drain on our economy and taking jobs away from U.S. citizens. I have known many, many U.S. citizens (including some of my own family members) who have been out of work and yet refuse to apply at the local car wash, hotel or mow lawns to provide for their families because "it doesn't pay enough." In the meantime, they sit on unemployment, get food stamps and Medi-Cal! I also know a few U.S. citizens who have made careers out of having baby after baby to say on welfare. My proposed solution is that those U.S. citizens who collect welfare be made to work at the jobs the illegal aliens are working at to earn their welfare benefits. But alas, that will never happen because in the U.S. we feel that everyone has the right to their "dignity". In the mean time, those "dignified" individuals continue to drain our financial resources and criticize the illegal aliens for trying to better themselves by earning an honest day's pay for an honest day's work!
ReplyDeleteI also take issue with the fact that when some people talk about "illegal aliens" they actually mean Mexicans. How well I remember the prejudice I encountered in my 20's because I am Mexican and refused to pass myself off as anything else! It is absurd to think that Mexicans are the only illegal aliens in the U.S. There are many, many illegal aliens who "blend" in and their right to be here is never even questioned. If the government or "Minute Men" want to fence and patrol the U.S./Mexican border, that's fine but I think they should also fence and patrol the Canadian border. I know of quite a few Europeans, Canadians, Asians and Middle Easterners who have entered the United States illegally through Canada.
I guess the bottom line is that, because we in the United States are used to having the necessities in life, we can't relate to those who live in Mexico in the most deprived conditions. If we were to "walk a mile" in their shoes, maybe it would be an eye-opener for some of us and foster the understanding process.
To anyone reading this, please consider that the term "illegal alien" applies to many people other than Mexican citizens and that the term "Latino" applies to citizens from Central and South American as well. I am proud to be a U.S. citizen of Mexican descent--my heart aches when I see the prejudice and discrimination of any kind, but especially when it's directed at Mexicans whose only desire is for a better life. I'm praying for a solution that will help the situation but the reality is that our country was founded on the premise of immigration and open borders. I would hate to see that changed.
Yes, it's an emotional issue.....
ReplyDeleteBut when all is said and done, we are a "nation of laws" and for those in this country that break the law there are, and should be consequences! If we lose that we lose everything.
It's not about immigration or open borders it's about breaking the law. The citizens of this country, all with roots back to immigration, have established laws that provide for a way of life that has made this country what it is. It's not hard to understand that those that don't have it want it...... but, citizen or not, employer or worker, you can't break the law to get it!
I thought Schwarzenegger had some interesting insights in today's LA Times.
ReplyDeleteAlso....check out my blog. I've written a few things.
In regards to laws... we have lots of rules and laws that everyday citizens break. The issue is whether or not we decide to or have the resources to-- enforce them or not, or whether the expenditures to do so might best be put to some other use.
I'm not advocating that anyone break a law, or that illegals should automatically get citizenship, but what I am saying is that the laws that we often have aren't enforced and sometimes seem crafted more from popular sentiment with an angle for political gain, than work for the public.
Keep smiling. It helps a lot. :0)
Interesting........
ReplyDeleteSo if we don’t have the resources to enforce the laws and “everyday” citizens and non-citizens are breaking “lots” of laws anyway, what’s the big deal............ the only law that is really a law would then seem to be, “if you don’t get caught it is OK”. But, I know that you are “not advocating that anyone break a law” but it seems more and more of us may be advocating rather than “not advocating”.
Yes I think you may be right..... we have chosen to not enforce the current immigration law because there is an angle for political gain and it comes on the backs of a people that are being taken advantage of so that the employers can generate greater profit for themselves and generous funding for their political lobbyists.
:0)
So here's the latest, Ed.
ReplyDeleteMy son says there is going to be another 'walk out' of students on Friday.
My son looks askance at the walk outs. He didn't join them M-T. Probably won't on Friday.
Mr. Anonymous:
If we criminalize, then who pays for the enforcement? Does this get covered by our local taxes, state or will the feds actually pony up for their share? The feds are notorious for coming up with 'programs' and laws and then never fully funding them. It gets shoved onto the state. Who covers the cost of arresting, prosecuting and also putting them into prison? And who pays for the prisons?
These are just questions I'd like to see answered before they decide that criminalizing is a 'good' thing, as opposed to a popular sentiment borne of frustration or political gain.
The workers coming over for manual labor have low educations, thus are in the lowest rungs of work which also carry higher rates of injury. They tend to utilize emergency room services, which are very expensive and not geared for long term care. The women, who also have low educations, tend to settle in and have lots of kids. A report in the LA times a few years go said that the average immigrant woman w/ a low education had 4-5 kids.
I'm not sure what the worker permits, but unless it carries provisions to make them pay for both education and healthcare with a special tax that's proportionate to their needs, then we're not addressing those problems.
Good lord. I don't have all the answers. I only have questions, and all we get back from the politicians is rhetoric and no accounting of who is going to pay for all of their ideas.
Kanani,
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad children plan to walk out of classes tomorrow, I think the point was made last Saturday.
I spoke with my daughter's counselor yesterday, regarding student walk outs, and she said only a handful of students walked out at San Dimas High School and Bonita High School.
Read that one school in Los Angeles had the police cite one hundred students, at $245.00 per student, this will amount to a very large fine for the protesting students parents.