So as promised about 7 weeks ago, here are some thoughts on immigration.
Listen, before I go into this, I feel like I need to lay out a few things. I don't really agree with any major position I've heard in the news. I'm sick of slogans and people just mindlessly repeating whatever talking points they have heard from their favorite talk radio cartoon. Most importantly this is an issue that deals with real people, you know human beings, and any position that treats them as anything else is unjust. So here it goes.
Here are my issues with what appears to be the right wing's positions.
1. I don't get how the state of Arizona can pass a law requiring you to show proof of citizenship on a whim. What are the criteria for when you have to show proof? Who has the right to force this on someone? How does one do this exactly??? Does that mean you would have to have a national I.D. card??? (something the right wing seems to oppose) Or should I just carry my birth certificate around? But just because I was born on American soil does that make me a citizen or an.......
2. Anchor baby??? What the heck is this exactly? An evil plot by illegals to come to America while they are pregnant and then wait 20+ years till that child is an adult so that he/she can file for parental citizenship. Oh, that pesky 14th amendment to the Constitution. I'm pretty sure this is how I became a citizen. So you should also carry your parent' birth certificate??? Oh and their parents, and their parents, and ........... That's it! If you don't have documented proof that you are a direct descendant of a recognized Native American tribe then you can just go back to wherever your ancestors came from.
3. Do you really plan on rounding up millions of people? To send them back across the border? People are coming here to seek opportunity and a better life for their children. Life is really really bad in northern Mexico right now and people have been crossing the "border" for thousands of years. (Both ways, in fact Texas was settled 200 years ago by Americans who were crossing into Mexico for land and opportunity, you have to be a fan of history to enjoy the irony)
Here are my issues with what appears to be the left wing's postions
1. um
2. well
3. they don't have one! And that is a huge problem. At least have the guts to take a stance. Don't spend all day spouting out obscure legal precedents on MSNBC. Most people zoned out before you even started your sentence. Why don't they take a position on the issue? I think its because the left realizes the problem that immigration causes in the existing party structures.
They're caught in a pickle. (A baseball term when a runner is stranded between two bases and the opposing side keeps him there by throwing the ball back and forth) Warning, I'm about to get really general here just to demonstrate the problem both sides face. Obviously it is much more complicated.
The right's pickle: which base do you choose? The wealthy and large-business class who would benefit from the dilution of the labor pool by allowing the immigrants to stay and compete for jobs(driving wages down)?Or the southern whites who would rather not see America get any "browner"?
The left's pickle: which base do you choose? The immigrant, if they became citizens, would probably vote for you? (and you can feel very philanthropic as the different .edu's gave out humanitarian awards) Or do you consider the small businesses, trade unions, and labor workers who will see their earnings driven down by the influx of cheap workers? (your traditional voters)
Whats the answer then? Well, I'm not fully sure but I think we have to start with what the realities are and work our way form there.
We need to help end all the violence. I'm sick of being the world's policeman, but this isn't half way around the world. This is happening off our southern border. This doesn't mean we should charge in, but we should be spending time meeting with the local and national Mexican govs and trying to find solutions. These people want to be here. So lets look at the positives of a growing population instead of just the negatives. There are cities all across the mid-west that are shrinking and falling apart. Some cities are bull-dozing houses just to re-claim the land. Is there a way to direct the flow of people in order to turn the situation around for these metro areas. Finally, we need to ask what is the just thing to do? What choices honor our highest held beliefs and ideals? How would we want to be treated if we were in their shoes?
Anyways, I'll end it on a lighter note. (one that will only make sense to "Arrested" fans)
Thanks for the read.
Michael: "I'm going to have to start putting people in the trunk."
Narrator: At that very moment, Buster was climbing into the trunk.
Buster: [videotaping himself] "Mother, when you see this tape, you will know that I've left. Not out of cowardice, but out of... man, it's tired in here!"
Narrator: Six minutes later, Michael stopped to drop off his mother's housekeeper.
Buster: [Buster climbs out of the trunk] "Mexico."
Narrator: In fact, Buster was in Santa Ana, a town six minutes inland from his own, but the combination of losing his glasses and breathing carbon monoxide had impaired Buster's judgment.
Buster: [seeking shelter] "This will keep me safe from the hot Mexican sun."
Lupe: "Excuse me, what are you doing?"
Buster: "I'm trying to find a place to live!"
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