Illegal immigration: The GOP tries to distract... again
LEIGH POMEROY
In their ongoing efforts to distract the American people from the real issues — wasteful wars; bloated deficits; tax cuts to their political contributors, the wealthiest Americans; a shrinking middle class; political corruption; more and more people unable to afford health care — the GOP tries to invent new crises by creating new enemies, as if Al Qaeda and Islamic fundamentalists were not enough.
The enemy now are poor Mexicans trying to cross the border for a job. These are now "illegal aliens", a term that conjures up visions of nasty predators descending upon us from outer space bound and determined to destroy our idyllic way of life.
Give me a break.
The growth of our country has been dependent upon newcomers who have always come in to take advantage of economic opportunity. Whether they be the country's original English settlers; the miners who came to dig ore from the ground in Minnesota's Iron Range; the Eastern Europeans who worked the Chicago stock yards; or today's Latinos, Vietnamese, Hmong, Somalis, Sudanese or whatever; they provided and still provide a valuable input to our country's growth, both economically and culturally.
Yes, there are those in this country "illegally". They have come for jobs. Can we blame them if a better opportunity exists here than in the areas from which they come? Can we blame them for seeking a better way of life to provide their families?
Certainly, no one who believes in "family values" should doubt their intentions.
The economic conditions that precipitate their coming are not of their making. That such a great economic disparity exists between two countries sharing 2,000 miles of border is a moral disgrace. No other such divide exists in the world, and yet we consider it normal.
Creating a better fence or augmenting border security is not going to stem the tide of illegal immigration. Nor will preventing children born in the U.S. from becoming U.S. citizens, which goes against the very founding traditions of this country.
Only if we make it a national priority to minimize the economic divide between Mexico and the United States, and between the rich and poor in both countries, will we see a tailing off of illegal immigration. This requires a serious commitment, but in the long run it is the only solution to the problem.
In their ongoing efforts to distract the American people from the real issues — wasteful wars; bloated deficits; tax cuts to their political contributors, the wealthiest Americans; a shrinking middle class; political corruption; more and more people unable to afford health care — the GOP tries to invent new crises by creating new enemies, as if Al Qaeda and Islamic fundamentalists were not enough.
The enemy now are poor Mexicans trying to cross the border for a job. These are now "illegal aliens", a term that conjures up visions of nasty predators descending upon us from outer space bound and determined to destroy our idyllic way of life.
Give me a break.
The growth of our country has been dependent upon newcomers who have always come in to take advantage of economic opportunity. Whether they be the country's original English settlers; the miners who came to dig ore from the ground in Minnesota's Iron Range; the Eastern Europeans who worked the Chicago stock yards; or today's Latinos, Vietnamese, Hmong, Somalis, Sudanese or whatever; they provided and still provide a valuable input to our country's growth, both economically and culturally.
Yes, there are those in this country "illegally". They have come for jobs. Can we blame them if a better opportunity exists here than in the areas from which they come? Can we blame them for seeking a better way of life to provide their families?
Certainly, no one who believes in "family values" should doubt their intentions.
The economic conditions that precipitate their coming are not of their making. That such a great economic disparity exists between two countries sharing 2,000 miles of border is a moral disgrace. No other such divide exists in the world, and yet we consider it normal.
Creating a better fence or augmenting border security is not going to stem the tide of illegal immigration. Nor will preventing children born in the U.S. from becoming U.S. citizens, which goes against the very founding traditions of this country.
Only if we make it a national priority to minimize the economic divide between Mexico and the United States, and between the rich and poor in both countries, will we see a tailing off of illegal immigration. This requires a serious commitment, but in the long run it is the only solution to the problem.
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