Why I'm Doing My Part On Monday

On Monday, a nation-wide protest is being held in just about every major city in the country. There will marches all around, and a boycott on buying and selling goods.

I'll be doing my share. Whilst I won't be boycotting work, I will be going the day without making any purchases. This isn't a huge sacrifice on my part, but I'm making a point of not doing it.

Why?

Let me tell you why. Because we can't have things both ways in America, that's why. Let's look at some common points of view on illegal immigrants and see what I'm talking about

View #1: Kill all those fuckin' spics!

This is, of course, the most ignorant. Let's just shoot them in the head! Yeah, really. And when you ask someone why they would want to kill an illegal immigrant, they'll quite easily respond with, "They are breaking the law!"

Well, I'm not sure what country they think we live in, but it's not the one they are imagining. This isn't Afghanistan. In fact, if getting shot is proper punishment for committing a crime, then all the people who subscribe this point of view shouldn't be around to say it.

View #2: If you're illegal, you are a felon!

Well, this is still an extreme point of view, but at least it's more realistic. Throw em in jail is the answer.

OK, well, the first question is...for how long? 1 year? 10 years? Life imprisonment?

The second question is, OK, what do you do with them when they get out? Do you just release them? Well, of course not. You'd deport them. Well, OK, why would you keep them in our jails so you can deport them later. You'd do it right away.

So, now, what will stop them from coming back once deported. The answer? NOTHING!!!!

This highlight the real problem of illegal immigration: Mexico. Mexico is a country that likes to highlight a small subset of extremely rich families, and leaves everyone else poor.

Let me tell you, I have worked with several illegal immigrants, and I know this:

* They would prefer to stay in Mexico
* They cannot survive in Mexico

They don't want to have to come here, but they have families back home, and they can't survive in that environment. Don't blame them. Don't punish them. They are doing what you or I would do if the roles were reversed...flee to where we can support our families.

Be thankful you live in a great country like America. Be proud. Be thankful. But don't point your finger at a man who's only trying to feed his family by working slave-wage jobs to make a living.

View #3: Round 'em up and send 'em back to Mexico!

OK, perhaps I summarize the message a little callously. I've also heard people say, "We need to find out where they are send them back." Again, we're getting more reasonable, but unlike the previous two viewpoints, this one is horribly, horribly unrealistic.

You just need to use your brain. There are, with best estimates, 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. Assume, for the sake of argument, we *could* find them all. This isn't easy, and it's not cheap. You don't just do a SQL quesry in a database and WALLAH! It would be long and economically draining process.

But assume you have the name and address of every illegal in the country. Now what? You gotta round em up. Do you know how expensive and dangerous THAT would be??? Yes, cause I'm sure we have the manpower to do it, and all the illegals will be at the exact address we have for them in our mythical list.

Now, do you want to be the cop who gets called to pick up Jose Medina? Yeah, go to his house where he lives with this wife and 3 kids, who are all US Citizens. Tell them you are taking their husband and father to Mexico, and this is best for America.

You've created 4 insurgents now. Not to mention Jose's friends and family. And why? Because he didn't have legal citizenship..

This comes to the first hard question of the argument: What is better for AMERICA?

While you may want to punish someone for illegally crossing our border, but committing no other crimes...rounding them all up is still NOT better for America. We are already being bankrupted by the so-called War on Terror. We are probably doomed to be the next USSR already. This only makes the problem worse.

Spending billions of dollars capturing the boogeyman.

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My personal point of view is not simple, but it's ideal to me. As is usually the case, I see most of these types of issues as having a short- and long-term solution that must both be addressed immediately.

First, the short-term solution. We need to begin citizenizing those that are here. Get them through the process, and it's a lot cheaper than the alternatives. Once they have citizenship, they can begin assimilating into our country and culture, and opening up to neighbors and not "living in the shadows" anymore.

Second, the long-term solution. We need to get tough with Mexico. Shape up, or ship out. The Mexican government ENCOURAGES emigration! This has to stop!!!

As I said before, these people don't want to leave. Do you see us having a big immigration problem with Canada? NO! Why should Mexico be any different?

Here's a first step. Take a look at some products you have on your desk right now. Look for the "Made in ____" sticker on each one. How many say Mexico? 1, 2, 5?

Hint: Don't check the electronics, that's all made in China.

So, step 1 is, PAY THESE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THESE FACTORIES DECENT WAGES! It's all slave labor. You want to know one reason why America is going down the toilet? We've outsources all of our manufacturing jobs. This is what the middle-class and lower-class is always counted on. And they are gone.

Another reason you should stop bitching about welfare, too. You should be bitching about stable jobs going to China, Taiwan, India, and Mexico.

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The long and short of it is that a lot of people want their American way of life to remain the same, and to banish the "illegals" from the country.

Hey, I'm all for the banishment of cheap labor, it's a drag on the economy. I say punish those who hire illegal immigrants, not the immigrants themselves. Why won't you blame the employers? Is it because they are not so-called spics? Or are you a Republican and think that is just "natural market forces." You can't have it both ways.

They are committing a crime...should all the employers who hire illegal be shot? Or only the spics be shot?

And are you counting on some magical multi-billion dollar wall to be put up to keep us protected from the illegals? Well, that's just not reality. Our border with Mexico is 2,000 miles long. Be realistic. It can't be properly guarded.

Would you be willing to pay a ginormous tax on all your goods to help pay for that wall and for the people to enforce it? Probably not. And that's because you want it both ways.