I promise not to become one of ‘those’ people…

Ok.  I swear I will not become one of those people who only talks angrily about politics in their diary.  Promise.  Pinky swear.  But this particular rant is in regards to the DREAM bill that just got shot down in the Senate.  More specifically, in relation to this article: 

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/18/5673808-dream-act-blocked-in-senate

I’d really REALLY like to hear someone else’s opinion on this bill, and illegal immigrants coming from south of the border.  The following is the comment I left on the article, and I really do encourage ANYONE to let me know their opinion.  I don’t care if it’s incredibly different- I’d like to hear other opinions- I welcome them.  I’m incredibly interested in this issue simply because, I married a foreigner and I’m familiar with the immigration process.  And let me tell you- even when its marriage- it’s not easy, and it’s not cheap.

 

 

Color and culture aside, unless you’re an american Indian, you’re an immigrant. Plain and simple, inarguable, fact. We aren’t ‘legal’ immigrants either- we came, we razed villages and took over an indigenous people. Legality wasn’t exactly a concern back then, so point of fact- we are all illegal aliens here. Shush now.

‘Do it the right way!’ What way is that, I ask you? Have you studied closely an application for resident alien status? Under reasons for application, there is no checkbox for "I hate where I live now." You must have a valid reason for applying, or your application gets scrapped. A reason like having family here, or being married to a US citizen. Unless you have a relative here, or a degree that is high or obscure enough to warrant the US government thinking you’d be an asset to the country based on education, you can’t fill out paperwork to come here ‘The right way.’ Doesn’t exist. Please stop this argument.

This bill is a sore spot for most Americans because of the recession- "Where are all the jobs!?" "Curse those illegal immigrants for taking our jobs!" Show me an American who will pick fruit or scrub toilets for $3/hr and I’ll show you my most shocked face. There are plenty of jobs out there- but few Americans willing to work beneath their paygrade, or even minimum wage.

Have you ever bought produce in a foreign country that HAS secured its borders? Let me tell you- in the UK you pay about $3 for an apple for a reason. Do they employ immigrant workers for produce production and distribution? Nope. And their citizens pay for it. We look the other way when its time to bring out the wallet in the grocery checkout, but we’re incredibly quick to judge when bills like this come around. Why do you think fresh food is so inexpensive here? In all reality, without illegal workers, our produce prices would most likely double, at minimum. Plain and simple.

Examine closely the stipulations of this bill. 2 years in the military, or college. Many of you talk of the immigrants who could benefit from this bill as ungrateful mexicans who don’t bother speaking the language or integrating into the culture. How could a student gain acceptance to a university without demonstrating english proficiency? Look at any college application- if your first spoken language isn’t english you are required to show english proficiency. Plain and simple. And if an illegal immigrant is willing to spend two years in the US military, I don’t care what language he/she speaks- they’re an American in my book. How do you think

most Iirish immigrants became US citizens way back when? Enrollment in the Army- right off the boat. Fight for your country, son. I see very little anger or racism directed at the Irish- they served this country and were integrated accordingly. It seems unfair not to offer the same to another culture.

"This country is bleeding money to these immigrants!" We need to stop saying this- it makes the upper class smile. I encourage anyone here to look at the wealth distribution in the US. The richest 20% have 85% of the wealth. FACT. What does it mean in context to this issue? The jobs and wealth in the US we’re fighting over in this issue are much less than 5% of our total wealth as a nation. Even if say, tomorrow, we kicked out every single illegal immigrant and gave those jobs to Americans who actually wanted to work those jobs (tough sell)- our wealth as a nation wouldn’t even hiccup. I encourage anyone to take a hard look at this simple, yet mind shattering article:

http://www.good.is/post/americans-are-horribly-misinformed-about-who-has-money/

 

You want to fix our economy for real? Stop squabbling over 1% of the wealth. It makes the middle to lower class look like they can easily fall for a bait and switch. We’re down here fighting for a fraction of our nation’s wealth, while the upper class buys new cars and laughs at us. You want to fight and argue about racism and this bill? Fine. Whether this bill passes or not, I see very few Americans willing to take lower than minimum wage jobs, or willing to pay the difference in price for produce produced by people finally getting at least minimum wage. The fighting on this issue needs to stop- stop making this your pet project and focus on a bigger picture, Americans.