Legal Immigration bigger problem than Illegal Immigration (money, migrate, sponsor)
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As I travel around Northern VA I do not recognize the area any more. I go to public places and only 20 percent of the people are like me, (White), and I feel out of place. My mind goes back to when I was a kid in this area (the 1960s and 1970) and remember a southern culture where people knew their neighbors and had alot more in common.
In those days, we had just enough immigrants to make things interesting and keep new ideas coming but not in the overwelming numbers we have today.
Now I see a divided community where people basically only socialize and deal with people of their own ethnic group. In the school where I teach we have lunch tables for whites, blacks, Indians, Koreans, Africans, etc. There is alot of political correctness where people insist that they have friends of varied races but the reality is completely different.
I believe that legal immigration has come to fast and in numbers that are not substanable. I support immigration but not in such large numbers.
Does anyone want to talk about the levels of Legal Immigration and its effect on your communities culture?
Last edited by total_genius; 06-22-2008 at 01:03 PM..
I do not think its a bigger problem as the lack of controling a nations border is itself a major problem, let alone all the social problems that come from it.
Legal immigrants have been coming in droves. I do not mind it for many of them but there are quite a few that come over under some very skewed and false conditions.
Where I live we have churches that sponsor them coming over and gets them in under refugee status though the countries they come from are in no way shape or form bad enough to warrant granting someone refugee status.
They come over and are basically indentured servants to the church. The church sets them up with jobs and everything and skims money from them each month in return, great scam. Then they raise their kids in the same way and the kids are forever donating to the church also.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with “legal” immigration. I applaud anyone who puts forth the time and effort (and expense) to legally immigrate to our country….work, assimilate, and make a contribution for the betterment of our society. However, I do believe we no longer have a "need" for millions of "new" immigrants at this time.
While I am totally opposed to the illegal alien invasion, I am for controlled legal immigration. That being said, I believe that all countries have a right to limit or even have a time out on legal immigration if that is what is needed. The USA has had time outs through history. If our own citizens are suffering, if our economy is faltering and American citizens need work-it may be time to reevaluate our immigration policies.
I have no problem with legal immigration. I do not need immigrants to "look like me" either-that is not important to me. What I do have a problem with is people coming here but holding their allegiances to their prior home. I am not talking about foods, culture, language. I am talking about hyphenated people, etc. We used to be the melting pot-people came here to become American and cut ties-as far as allegiances-to their prior country. I don't mean cut ties to culture, religion, food etc. But they learned English, wanted to be Americans and blended in. They became Americans in every sense of the meaning while bringing customs, etc. to mix into the great melting pot.
Theodore Roosevelt quotes:
In the first place we should insist that the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equity with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming an American and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any flag of a nation to which we are hostile. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." Theodore Roosevelt in a letter to the American Defense Society in 1919.
"Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or to leave the country," he said in a statement to the Kansas City Star in 1918. "English should be the only language taught or used in the public schools."
“We can have no "50-50" allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all.”
I don't care where you come frrom or what you look like. Come here the right way, to be an American, hard working productive member of society and appreciate that you have something millions from around the world would die for-the chance to become an American.
As I travel around Northern VA I do not recognize the area any more. I go to public places and only 20 percent of the people are like me, (White), and I feel out of place. My mind goes back to when I was a kid in this area (the 1960s and 1970) and remember a southern culture where people knew their neighbors and had alot more in common.
In those days, we had just enough immigrants to make things interesting and keep new ideas coming but not in the overwelming numbers we have today.
Now I see a divided community where people basically only socialize and deal with people of their own ethnic group. In the school where I teach we have lunch tables for whites, blacks, Indians, Koreans, Africans, etc. There is alot of political correctness where people insist that they have friends of varied races but the reality is completely different.
I believe that legal immigration has come to fast and in numbers that are not substanable. I support immigration but not in such large numbers.
Does anyone want to talk about the levels of Legal Immigration and its effect on your communities culture?
I was born/raised in the Wash DC area (1957-78) then left for Calif/Az.
While in school in Silver Spring (till 1969) then Arlington; the 'racial/ethnic lines' were drawn with American Blacks and to a smaller extent Puerto Ricans on one side with the rest of us (Whites, Asians, most 'Hispanics' [who were counted as White then], Middle Easterners as well as Blacks from Jamaica, etc.) on the other side.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by total_genius
As I travel around Northern VA I do not recognize the area any more. I go to public places and only 20 percent of the people are like me, (White), and I feel out of place. My mind goes back to when I was a kid in this area (the 1960s and 1970) and remember a southern culture where people knew their neighbors and had alot more in common.
In those days, we had just enough immigrants to make things interesting and keep new ideas coming but not in the overwelming numbers we have today.
Now I see a divided community where people basically only socialize and deal with people of their own ethnic group. In the school where I teach we have lunch tables for whites, blacks, Indians, Koreans, Africans, etc. There is alot of political correctness where people insist that they have friends of varied races but the reality is completely different.
I believe that legal immigration has come to fast and in numbers that are not substanable. I support immigration but not in such large numbers.
Does anyone want to talk about the levels of Legal Immigration and its effect on your communities culture?
I live in Alexandria just like total_genius. His depiction is totally accurate of what i see in my life in Alexandria. The only time i actually people of diff colors and nationalities truthfully embracing each other on a massive scale is at church. The other 5 or 6 days of the week it is pretty split apart. Things are somewhat civil between races but i cant help think back to my mom's experience with segregation back in the 60's in Eastern TX where diff colors stayed apart when i see what goes on in Alexandria. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect for LEGAL immigrants but levels of immigration should be approached with sensibility.
Where i used to live in Hampton Roads there weren't that many immigrants. Those immigrants blended in well with the common folks and things arent as segregated as Alexandria.
Just wondering total_genius which school in Alexandria do you teach at?
I live in Alexandria just like total_genius. His depiction is totally accurate of what i see in my life in Alexandria. The only time i actually people of diff colors and nationalities truthfully embracing each other on a massive scale is at church. The other 5 or 6 days of the week it is pretty split apart. Things are somewhat civil between races but i cant help think back to my mom's experience with segregation back in the 60's in Eastern TX where diff colors stayed apart when i see what goes on in Alexandria. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect for LEGAL immigrants but levels of immigration should be approached with sensibility.
Where i used to live in Hampton Roads there weren't that many immigrants. Those immigrants blended in well with the common folks and things arent as segregated as Alexandria.
Just wondering total_genius which school in Alexandria do you teach at?
And; the 'racial' lines are shifting as well. 80 years ago; the Irish/Italians (among other now 'White' minorities) had to deal with discrimination from the 'WASP's'.
In fact: in the 19th Century prior to the Civil War; 'Free Persons of Color' (free Blacks) were preferred over Irish Catholics in Boston, etc. by employers.
As I travel around Northern VA I do not recognize the area any more. I go to public places and only 20 percent of the people are like me, (White), and I feel out of place. My mind goes back to when I was a kid in this area (the 1960s and 1970) and remember a southern culture where people knew their neighbors and had alot more in common.
In those days, we had just enough immigrants to make things interesting and keep new ideas coming but not in the overwelming numbers we have today.
Now I see a divided community where people basically only socialize and deal with people of their own ethnic group. In the school where I teach we have lunch tables for whites, blacks, Indians, Koreans, Africans, etc. There is alot of political correctness where people insist that they have friends of varied races but the reality is completely different.
I believe that legal immigration has come to fast and in numbers that are not substanable. I support immigration but not in such large numbers.
Does anyone want to talk about the levels of Legal Immigration and its effect on your communities culture?
You support white Christian immigrants that blends in in your culture...right?
You support white Christian immigrants that blends in in your culture...right?
Where did you get that? The OP mentioned that he/she is white-so that means he/she is against everyone else-c'mon. He/She NEVER brought up religion-you are the one bringing up religion.. The OP mentioned that all the different races at his/her school are segregated/segregating themselves and that concerns him/her. The OP shared a concern that many people have-that we are not the great melting pot that we once were. People come here to be in America-not to be American.
Where did you get that? The OP mentioned that he/she is white-so that means he/she is against everyone else-c'mon. He/She NEVER brought up religion-you are the one bringing up religion.. The OP mentioned that all the different races at his/her school are segregated/segregating themselves and that concerns him/her. The OP shared a concern that many people have-that we are not the great melting pot that we once were. People come here to be in America-not to be American.
Nicolem
I still believe thats the real issue people have. Too many cultures for some people to handle.
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-c'mon. He/She NEVER brought up religion-you are the one bringing up religion.. The OP mentioned that all the different races at his/her school are segregated/segregating themselves and that concerns him/her. The OP shared a concern that many people have-that we are not the great melting pot that we once were. People come here to be in America-not to be American. 
