Monday, January 21, 2008

Illegal Immigrants (Kick 'em or Keep 'em?)

It seems each election year we come up with some of the same old problems. One that is always at the forefront is, "Illegal aliens are stealing our jobs and using our resources!" You can go anywhere and see them on the side of the road, waiting to be picked up by someone who will pay them less to do more than we are willing to do. (Doesn't that just ruffle your tail feathers?) Who do these people think they are and what are they trying to do?

I'll tell you who they are. They are people! Human beings trying their best to support and provide for their families by working hard. They come from poor counties with poor economies. They have sacrificed their homes and left their families to try to provide a better life for them. They do the jobs most people are unwilling to do. They came here illegally because they could not afford or were unable to attain a work visa, because of quotas or some other technicality. But their hungry children don't understand quotas or technicalities.

Yes, they send their money back home to help their families, but they also contribute to the local businesses with their purchases while they stay here to work. They are also helping to keep the prices down on many things you buy every week by supplying low cost labor. After a while, they will go back home to be with their families and someone else from the family will come here to help support them.

They go to your churches to worship. The same church you attend to share the good news that we all love and support each other no matter who we are or where we are from. That's who these people are! Why should we send them back home?

I'll tell you why we should send them back home! They are taking our jobs. How can we compete with someone who is willing to work for less than I am willing to accept? They came here illegally. If they want to come here and work, then do it the right way, so they pay taxes like the rest of us. Then when they file for food stamps and other government programs, they are entitled to use them.

They won't learn our language and expect us to cater to them by offering bilingual courses in our schools. When I call a business and get the automated answering system, I actually have to press a number on my phone just to hear the information in English! That is why we should send them back!

These are some of the arguments from either side. Then there are the economic experts telling us our economy depends on these low budget laborers to curb inflation. Our aspiring candidates have been addressing this problem as election time approaches and will tell us all basically what we want to hear about it, then sweep it under the carpet until next election comes near.

What do you think? Our government has tried both approaches. In 1954, Operation Wetback deported the illegal aliens back to Mexico, but that did not solve the problem. In 1986 hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants were issued amnesty and granted citizenship, yet still the problem persists. What is your solution? Kick 'em or keep 'em?

1 comment:

Arturo59 said...

If they are here illegally, kick em out. It does nothing to allow illegals to stay here while others jump through hoops to be here legally. My grandparents came from Poland and had to go through immigration and were forced to assimilate into the culture. We should have compassion for those in need, but not for lawbreakers.