So I figured that this is the big topic just now and I should say something about it. The problem is, I don't know much about it. Oh, I have pretty firm beliefs on the larger issues, just not specifics.
I think that illegal immegration provides a sustained subculture that provides cover to gangs and criminals and protection to those who benefit from the exploitation of undocumented workers. This is unacceptable.
The situation is grossly unfair to those legal immegrants who went through significant hardship to come here legally. I don't think we should discount them.
Mexicans are not US citizens. Though if they (and Vicente Fox) insist that they are citizens, I'm okay with making that a reality. Mexico would be a worthy aquisition.
Concerning National Security issues... Neither our borders nor our ports can be made secure. Homeland Security is a feel-good farce and the people in charge of it have always known that. We can't protect ourselves with defensive measures so we must do so offensively. Which is a whole other rant.
What to do about illegal immegration? Heck if I know. I'd like to see some way of making it easy for workers to come from *and return to* Mexico. I'd like to see them *retain* their Mexican citizenship and residency for them *and* their children. (Which would respect those legal immegrants who come here to be citizens.) Worker exploitation depends on the illegal status of the workers... who can complain to the cops? This needs to end. They need a legal status while here and they need to come *and go* through border check points. This is important because it will be easier to identify those sneaking across the border as up to no good. (Yes, illegal immegrants by definition are breaking the law, but there's a difference between a middle aged Catholic nanny and a drug dealer.)
This does mean actual enforcement of those who are here illegally. If there is a guest worker program so that people don't have to sneak over the border, die in the desert or in overheated trucks, and face similar dangers in order to return home, then it will need to be enforced and people who stay past will *have* to be prosecuted and deported. Employers who employ illegals must be prosecuted vigorously.
So what about the currently proposed changes? I have no idea what they are. I could find out I suppose, if I thought my knowing would make any difference.
Which brings me to my last somewhat random and unrelated points.
What are the chances that the US students walking out of their classrooms to protest have any better idea of the proposed law on illegal immegration than the French youths have about labor reform?
And as someone mentioned elsewhere... if we're going to have a large immegrant population, having a Catholic one is probably a better plan than having a Muslem one.
I think that illegal immegration provides a sustained subculture that provides cover to gangs and criminals and protection to those who benefit from the exploitation of undocumented workers. This is unacceptable.
The situation is grossly unfair to those legal immegrants who went through significant hardship to come here legally. I don't think we should discount them.
Mexicans are not US citizens. Though if they (and Vicente Fox) insist that they are citizens, I'm okay with making that a reality. Mexico would be a worthy aquisition.
Concerning National Security issues... Neither our borders nor our ports can be made secure. Homeland Security is a feel-good farce and the people in charge of it have always known that. We can't protect ourselves with defensive measures so we must do so offensively. Which is a whole other rant.
What to do about illegal immegration? Heck if I know. I'd like to see some way of making it easy for workers to come from *and return to* Mexico. I'd like to see them *retain* their Mexican citizenship and residency for them *and* their children. (Which would respect those legal immegrants who come here to be citizens.) Worker exploitation depends on the illegal status of the workers... who can complain to the cops? This needs to end. They need a legal status while here and they need to come *and go* through border check points. This is important because it will be easier to identify those sneaking across the border as up to no good. (Yes, illegal immegrants by definition are breaking the law, but there's a difference between a middle aged Catholic nanny and a drug dealer.)
This does mean actual enforcement of those who are here illegally. If there is a guest worker program so that people don't have to sneak over the border, die in the desert or in overheated trucks, and face similar dangers in order to return home, then it will need to be enforced and people who stay past will *have* to be prosecuted and deported. Employers who employ illegals must be prosecuted vigorously.
So what about the currently proposed changes? I have no idea what they are. I could find out I suppose, if I thought my knowing would make any difference.
Which brings me to my last somewhat random and unrelated points.
What are the chances that the US students walking out of their classrooms to protest have any better idea of the proposed law on illegal immegration than the French youths have about labor reform?
And as someone mentioned elsewhere... if we're going to have a large immegrant population, having a Catholic one is probably a better plan than having a Muslem one.
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