Monday, May 01, 2006

repost 5/1/06

Discalimer: these are streams of thought. I'm not entirely sure where I stand and continue to learn and re-evaluate my thoughts. If you don't like what I have to say, fuck off. I'm trying to learn and educate myself. Besides, it buts into so many other issues of geopolitics, ethics, laws, security, crime, human rights, blah, blah, blah...endless. Sometime, globalization sucks ass. It was easier when you had to to row a slow boat over river, not fly in planes, drive cars, take trains, or sail in tankers.

[noted on 4/21/06]

A few weeks back, a coworker asked what I thought about the NYC protest parade (or was it a demonstration?) regarding illegal immigration. I hastened to say that he likely wouldn't want to hear my opinion. Then proceeded to speak and sometimes, maybe, perhaps said something disagreeable. Not sure.

I cannot say that I have a concrete position on illegal immigration, but it seems to borders on the conservative side. Following is a snippet of how my view is colored by personal experience. My parents came here legally. My dad came here with his family in the early 1960s. My mom married in legally. My mom sponsored her siblings. Everyone came legally and is now a naturalized citizen. Me and my sibling were born here. My parents work hard, still, to make a decent living. It hasn't been all roses, not by a half, but we always had food on the table, had a place to live, went to school and college, etc. My parents do not disregard their culture but worked hard to become American citizens. They pay their taxes, abide by the laws, are glad to live here and not in their birth country, raised us in the American culture mostly - or rather pretty hands off about instilling cultural ethics from their birth country. In fact, I now very little and speak intermediately. I cannot read or write. My sibling can read and write, but doesn't speak or comprehend the language much. Neither of us know any holidays, celebrations, whatever. We hardly have any/many friends of our same ethnicity. Largely because we have come to dislike said people, generally speaking.

Throughout, I have been acquainted with and know of illegal immigrants who have lived here for years, own businesses, do not pay taxes, exploit other immigrants, etc. My mom has tried to help some of her friends, or friends of friends. Much to my irritation. Such as getting them social security benefits, when they have never even worked a day in this country. But she is very elderly. But she also lives with her daughter, who is pretty well off monetarily.

Anyway. I sympathize with immigrants regarding the hard work they endure, particularly those who genuinely want to be citizens of an adopted country. Mostly I take issue with the objective of illegals coming here solely to make money, not because they see it as a new opportunity for a new life, but as a way to sustain their old life and build a better life in their own country. I dislike illegals utilizing taxpayer resources, squeezing out a few kids without the necessary means of support, burdening the social welfare and education system, and making no attempt whatsoever to adopt to this country and its culture, and generally disdain americans and america. At some point, an immigrant should make a decision to move out of the ethnic ghettos and learn a new language, a new life. Otherwise, why even come here? Why not put the same effort and time
, to get here illegally and then put in long, long laborious work hours, into improving conditions in their home countries?

Yes, yes, illegals do the jobs U.S. citizens will not do. But that is another issue that should be addressed in this country, it is our problem to solve, not an excuse to legitimize the reasons for illegal immigration. Seriously, do we not have enough starving homeless? The question is not that they are unwilling to do menial jobs, it is a question of making them do it as a part of work force development - this is an american problem that needs an attitude adjustment. The jobs suck so it would give those with a modicum of rationale and pride an incentive to work harder to get a better job. I haven't worked out the mental cases, junkies, part of the equation.

Back to immigration. I think illegals and those who stay in behind should work to improve their respective home country governments. Also, as a genuine global objective, and not just because people are coming to the U.S. illegally. And I think one place to start would be to NOT copy or follow the Amerian government or culture. The end goal should be a government that works for the culture, history, and future needs of each country. You cannot cut and paste a model of a government from one country to another. Although, many have tried and continue to try. The U.S. is unique in that a young country, it a country made up entirely of immigrants (except native americans) who came with the common goal to start a new life. It is a government established at the beginning of the country, not as a national populace revolting against an already established regime. The American Revolution was against an empire that attempted to control it's new territories, not like the signing of the Magna Carta, not like the French revolution, not like the Communist revolutions. Those were all internal conflicts, like our Civil War. Out of the Revolution, a nation was forged and a government developed. You cannot that kind of history and lump it over an existing, long established, culturally historical government.

Besides, what also seems to be overlooked when "democratizing" all these new governments around the world is that orginally American was a relatively small country (hello, 13 states, spread out population), said population was for the most part relatively well educated, several wars were fought locally, regionally, and globally. Besides, I do not believe it is the governmental organization itself that is the essence of our country being what it is today, it was the strong beliefs held by the independent, adventurous, proud people who sought to create a new country, and a new ideal, for themselves and their children.

Plus, people for the most part seem to neglect or do not know that the U.S. government is actually a republic, not a true democracy. It's how the moron got into office, because in a true democracy the popular vote winner was Al Gore. And the government machine, is just a machine full of corrupt power hungry MEN and some women. We used to have a separation of powers so one branch could check any of the other two branches but since becoming a two party system with official who heed the beck and call of their party leaders and not the Constitution, this seems to not be working so well.

So, again, no one should be attempting to copy the U.S.. We are now just as tarnished and broken as any other government. Start something new!! Stop blaming us and pointing fingers this way. Try pointing internally. This is the one thing that we still to well. This should be the take home lesson.

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