What's Idaho's position on illegal immigration? (Boise, Meridian: college, live, title)

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by boi2socal

But I will agree with one of the above posters...why do we get worried about people coming here for jobs that most Americans won't take when the middle class jobs that we do want are being shipped elsewhere?

Right on... thanks for seconding me on that point. I'll drop the generalized political discussion about immigration per Sage's request, but just wanted to say that I hope more people notice that inconsistency (perhaps even diversion?) in how issues are presented by the media and how ideologies prioritize as a result.

Also great points about penalizing the providers more stringently. Really not much different from when the police were finally allowed to arrest the customers in prostitution busts. Any service is only as sustainable as its client base.

US citizens need a more thorough economic education so we can not only be more critical and skeptical, but more responsive as well.

Okay... I'll stop now. It just goes on and on from here.

[mariposa24]

It is very sad to realize that people judge based on people's race. It is depressing to see a society with so much discrimination. How can someone decide where to live based on the people or race that live there? And then you they don't call this racism. ? People don't realize that these are human beings who have families and feelings just like everybody else. How would you feel if your family is taken away? People don't realize that they way they are treating Hispanics is the same way people they treated black people in the past. But one day your kids are going to be seating in a History class just like you did once, and learned about the racism against black people, they are going to learn racism against Immigrants. What is next we Hispanics can't go to restaurants? I mean people really open your eyes please before its too late. Remember the Holocaust? When people learned about it they were shocked, they would always said how come people didn’t do something about it? Well people just like to ignore things and then they would look at it like the most awful thing ever. One more thing, Mexicans are from Mexico, Guatemalans are from Guatemala, Puerto Ricans are from Puerto Rico!!!! so why are we calling all the Hispanic people Mexicans?? People who come from a Spanish speaking country are called HISPANICS so PLEASE stop calling everyone Mexican

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by mariposa24

It is very sad to realize that people judge based on people's race. It is depressing to see a society with so much discrimination. How can someone decide where to live based on the people or race that live there? And then you they don't call this racism. ? People don't realize that these are human beings who have families and feelings just like everybody else. How would you feel if your family is taken away? People don't realize that they way they are treating Hispanics is the same way people they treated black people in the past. But one day your kids are going to be seating in a History class just like you did once, and learned about the racism against black people, they are going to learn racism against Immigrants. What is next we Hispanics can't go to restaurants? I mean people really open your eyes please before its too late. Remember the Holocaust? When people learned about it they were shocked, they would always said how come people didn’t do something about it? Well people just like to ignore things and then they would look at it like the most awful thing ever. One more thing, Mexicans are from Mexico, Guatemalans are from Guatemala, Puerto Ricans are from Puerto Rico!!!! so why are we calling all the Hispanic people Mexicans?? People who come from a Spanish speaking country are called HISPANICS so PLEASE stop calling everyone Mexican

Personally, I'm all for making it easier to become a citizen so that immigrants don't have to use the illegal route. It is rather silly to oppose immigration while letting corporations outsource to their heart's content. That is far more devastating to jobs and money markets than immigrants coming to this country. Further, if we let them become citizens, we can ensure that they pay taxes, buy car insurance, etc. As long as they can't become citizens, they're going to keep coming and we won't be able to account for them economically and socially.

Also, I've said before... immigration has provided this country with a remarkable cornucopia of skill sets. A lot of my time at work is spent helping first-generation Indians, Chinese, Japanese, etc. learn to use software so they can utilize it for their exceptional engineering credentials. As I look at what they're using the software to do, it's indisputable that our country would be foolish to oppose the immigration of such qualified individuals. Also, we'd be just as foolish to oppose the immigration of people who appreciate income in exchange for work (that seems to be getting rarer and rarer as whining and entitlement become the norm, sadly).

Opposing illegal immigration isn't racism. Perhaps some of those people are racist, but that's not the case for anyone who ascribes to an anti-immigration opinion. Given, much of the activism on that front is so wrapped up in ideology that many of those who oppose immigration aren't even looking at the facts and the superfluous or contradictory nature of most of their arguments, but many of those arguments are also coming from a sound basis economically and socially.

Ultimately, the debate isn't one of racists vs. law breakers. The debate is one of people looking to maintain a way of life vs. people looking for a better way of life. Neither side is wrong until they reduce an issue of much social and economic complexity to fabricated issues of race and employment (look at the big picture and both sides are still using tired myths as arguments). The issue is very complex and is going to require not only compromise, but open discussion without finger-pointing interruptions.

[cleatis]

Originally Posted by SimpleMan

I currently live in California and will be relocating in about a year and a half, with Boise being one of my top considerations. One of the main reasons for me moving is looking for a better standard of living, and the increased illegal immigrant population here has made the standard of living here bad enough to where I want to leave. States like Oklahoma have the right views on this situation IMO and I'm hoping Idaho has simular views, as I don't want history repeating itself and be driven out of my home once again. Just as a note, I have no problem with any race and have no problem with diversity, as long as they're legal and respectful citizens. Any input is appreciated.

There are illegals here, but not as bad as many parts of the border states. Canyon county (Nampa and Caldwell) has their share but it's a lot less in Boise. I live in Caldwell and have lived in Nampa and From my experience illegals don't create any more crime or general bad element than anyone else. Boise is turning into most any fair sized city - down town is a nice place and the farther you get the poorer and more criminal the neighborhoods become.

[cleatis]

From my experience poverty breeds crime, not a person's race. I think Hispanics get a lot of the blame for being criminals, and some statistics even show that they do generate more crime. What they leave out is the income of these people. So an easy yet hollow argument is made that anyone not white is a breeder of crime when really they just don't have the cash to move to the better neighborhood. It comes back to prison statistics - when the majority of prisoners are minorities the problem isn't with the people or the color of their skin...

[esselcue]

As far as I know, living in a bad neighborhood or being poor is not a crime. Criminal activity is a crime, and criminal activity is a choice.

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by cleatis

There are illegals here, but not as bad as many parts of the border states. Canyon county (Nampa and Caldwell) has their share but it's a lot less in Boise. I live in Caldwell and have lived in Nampa and From my experience illegals don't create any more crime or general bad element than anyone else. Boise is turning into most any fair sized city - down town is a nice place and the farther you get the poorer and more criminal the neighborhoods become.

I wouldn't say downtown is nice and outward gets poorer. If anything, it depends what direction you go.

Demographically, Boise gets nicer (less urban commercial/industrial zoning) as you go to the North and East of downtown, eventually becoming older neighborhoods or suburbs.

To the South, the residentials intermingle more with commercial/industrial, and as with many metro areas, the airport neighborhoods have relatively more problems.

To the West of downtown, the zoning also intermingles, and the Bench is sort of a demographic oasis between Garden City and the Mall/Connector area where streets like Fairview and Overland provide a great deal of demographic diversity. That area is most representative of Boise's sprawl, and exhibits the classic tendencies/symptoms of sprawl as well... lots of stores, apartment complexes, and old/new suburbs amidst lots of blue collar businesses and trailer parks. At that point, the whole demographic vibe can change dramatically from street to street, block to block.

Altogether, nowhere in Boise is necessarily dangerous within good sense (e.g., don't go alone in the parks at night, don't look for trouble in Garden City [you have to look, but you'll find it in all its various forms if you do], etc.). The worst crimes you'll find to the North and East on average are wiley suburbanite youth (et al) and drunk drivers.

And it would be accurate to say that most of the Mexican immigrants live in Nampa, Caldwell, and several of the small farming towns further out West on I-84 (e.g., Parma, Notus).

[cleatis]

Originally Posted by esselcue

As far as I know, living in a bad neighborhood or being poor is not a crime. Criminal activity is a crime, and criminal activity is a choice.

I never said that being poor was a crime, I said that poverty breeds crime.

[cleatis]

Originally Posted by stingraynm

I wouldn't say downtown is nice and outward gets poorer. If anything, it depends what direction you go.

Demographically, Boise gets nicer (less urban commercial/industrial zoning) as you go to the North and East of downtown, eventually becoming older neighborhoods or suburbs.

To the South, the residentials intermingle more with commercial/industrial, and as with many metro areas, the airport neighborhoods have relatively more problems.

To the West of downtown, the zoning also intermingles, and the Bench is sort of a demographic oasis between Garden City and the Mall/Connector area where streets like Fairview and Overland provide a great deal of demographic diversity. That area is most representative of Boise's sprawl, and exhibits the classic tendencies/symptoms of sprawl as well... lots of stores, apartment complexes, and old/new suburbs amidst lots of blue collar businesses and trailer parks. At that point, the whole demographic vibe can change dramatically from street to street, block to block.

Altogether, nowhere in Boise is necessarily dangerous within good sense (e.g., don't go alone in the parks at night, don't look for trouble in Garden City [you have to look, but you'll find it in all its various forms if you do], etc.). The worst crimes you'll find to the North and East on average are wiley suburbanite youth (et al) and drunk drivers.

And it would be accurate to say that most of the Mexican immigrants live in Nampa, Caldwell, and several of the small farming towns further out West on I-84 (e.g., Parma, Notus).

Yeah, I guess I should have worded that differently. I meant more along the lines of when the Boise area thins out it gets worse, more specifically the closer you get to nampa and caldwell and on out towards homedale...

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by cleatis

Yeah, I guess I should have worded that differently. I meant more along the lines of when the Boise area thins out it gets worse, more specifically the closer you get to nampa and caldwell and on out towards homedale...

Yeah, I see what you're saying. I'd say the OP would be best served to stick to the North and East.