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Good luck! At least you're being proactive about it.
The way I see it, the US has 4 major issues that presidential canditates need to be addressing:
- Illegal immigration
- An exit strategy for Iraq
- Fixing health care
- Preventing the economy from going into recession
My vote would go to any man (or woman) with the best overall plan to address these problems.
I agree with you on all four of those major issues. Unfortunately I haven't found a single candidate with whom I agree on all four issues. I still lean a bit to the left, though my position on illegal immigration is pretty rigid...no amnesty, no handouts, mass deportation.
I agree with you on all four of those major issues. Unfortunately I haven't found a single candidate with whom I agree on all four issues. I still lean a bit to the left, though my position on illegal immigration is pretty rigid...no amnesty, no handouts, mass deportation.
I have been noticing that many self described 'Liberals' including myself are becoming so anti illegal immigration that the 'Neo-Cons' may be blushing.
It would be the epitome of irony if a Democrat controlled government finally 'dropped the hammer' on illegals-----both rigorous enforcement (deportations and/or jail time) as well as prosecuting the businesses who knowingly hire the above people.
Unfortunately, our government so-called "representatives" are not listening to us - they're listening to either the Mexican government or the illegals. They are either pandering to special-interest groups like LaRaza, or meeting secretly up in Canada with the 3 countries planning a "North American Union", with no input from us, the CITIZENS.
Very corrupt; I never thought I'd see such a thing in my lifetime - that our government would be representing Mexicans, instead of U.S. citizens.
We did get one HUGE thing through, though - the American people shot down the amnesty bill TWICE! Believe me, we are trying hard!
I have been noticing that many self described 'Liberals' including myself are becoming so anti illegal immigration that the 'Neo-Cons' may be blushing.
It would be the epitome of irony if a Democrat controlled government finally 'dropped the hammer' on illegals-----both rigorous enforcement (deportations and/or jail time) as well as prosecuting the businesses who knowingly hire the above people.
I think those self-described liberals have always been in favor of the American blue-collar worker and American manufacturing, and they're seeing the further deterioration of working conditions for blue-collar workers due to the influx of illegals.
I agree with you on all four of those major issues. Unfortunately I haven't found a single candidate with whom I agree on all four issues. I still lean a bit to the left, though my position on illegal immigration is pretty rigid...no amnesty, no handouts, mass deportation.
Your country just needs to draw a line in the sand and say "no more". Joking aside, I know that illegal immigration is causing a lot of problems and costing you a lot of money and jobs. The government need to take the initiative though and listen to the people who elected them, not just turn a blind eye, stick a plug in their ears and sing "la la la, we're not listening". If they continue to turn a blind eye, the consequences will be huge and there will be a rise in fascism and far-right extremism when people become ultimately fed up with being ignored (this is actually happening in parts of Europe).
On a humanitarian level though, I really don't know what to say. At the end of the day, many illegals are just people searching for a better life. They are born into MOD CUT Mexico, they're discriminated against in their own country (because white Mexicans ARE racist towards those with brown skin/Indian blood) and they see the lure and the glory of the United States on their doorstep...all they need to do is hop the border and go undercover for a few years, working cash in hand and dodging the immigration man.
The only solutions I see are as follows:
1. The obvious - tighten border security and even build a huge wall across the border, stretching from the Gulf Coast in the east, to the Pacific coast in California in the west. Have that wall patrolled by armed servicemen.
2. If a company is found guilty of hiring illegals, shut that company down and charge the company owner(s) as criminals, with a punishment of serious jail time. This wouldn't be too hard to implement if the IRS and INS worked together to crack down on such companies.
3. Somehow, you need to look into helping Mexico become a prosperous, democratic and safe place to live. I tend to think that if Mexico wasn't so bad, people (in their millions) would not want to leave. There is no reason that Mexico needs to be so poor, considering its natural resources and the fact that it could be a bridge between North America and South America.
4. The United States government needs to put serious pressure on the Mexican government to help stop the mass exodus of Mexicans to the United States. If the Mexican government want to be MOD CUT about it and if they don't care, impose sanctions on them and forget everything I've mentioned in '3.'. If necessary, offer Mexico incentives to help with this problem. For instance, these incentives could revolve around trade, or joint projects such as trans-continental highways in which the US could help Mexico improve its infrastructure.
5. More emphasis needs to be put on "legal immigration". If Mexicans go to school, learn the skills that are badly needed in the US, they should be able to emigrate to the US through legal channels. I'm sure that if Mexicans believed that they could start a new life in America through educating themselves and applying for a Visa through the right (legal) channels, they may consider going to school to learn the skills that are needed in the US, instead of just thinking "ole, let's jump the border Juan!".
Bottom line, Mexico needs to pull its finger out of its arse here, big time. There's no reason for that country to be poor! They need to make their people aware that hopping the border to get into the US is illegal and they will face punishment and deportation from the US if they are caught.
Last edited by NewToCA; 11-29-2007 at 08:45 PM..
Reason: language
Cork, I love Dublin as well, but look at it this way: what if the Temple Bar turned into a street of taquerias?
That'd be a little extreme, but I'd love to see an area of Dublin designated as Mexico-Town, where you'd be able to find an abundance of cheap tacos, burritos swimming in fat and those delicious tamales (sp), complete with Juan-Pablo's home made hot sauce.
Your country just needs to draw a line in the sand and say "no more". Joking aside, I know that illegal immigration is causing a lot of problems and costing you a lot of money and jobs. The government need to take the initiative though and listen to the people who elected them, not just turn a blind eye, stick a plug in their ears and sing "la la la, we're not listening". If they continue to turn a blind eye, the consequences will be huge and there will be a rise in fascism and far-right extremism when people become ultimately fed up with being ignored (this is actually happening in parts of Europe).
I agree. The government needs to listen. Right now they're not.
Quote:
On a humanitarian level though, I really don't know what to say. At the end of the day, many illegals are just people searching for a better life. They are born into Mexico, they're discriminated against in their own country (because white Mexicans ARE racist towards those with brown skin/Indian blood) and they see the lure and the glory of the United States on their doorstep...all they need to do is hop the border and go undercover for a few years, working cash in hand and dodging the immigration man.
I don't lack sympathy, but it is not our job to fix Mexico's economic problems. It's Mexico's job, and the job of every other poor nation providing illegal immigrants. Plus, there are British illegal immigrants here too; the UK, while not a nice place to live IMHO, is NOT poverty-stricken or being torn apart by violent crime. What's their excuse?
Quote:
The only solutions I see are as follows:
1. The obvious - tighten border security and even build a huge wall across the border, stretching from the Gulf Coast in the east, to the Pacific coast in California in the west. Have that wall patrolled by armed servicemen.
I'd like to see that.
Quote:
2. If a company is found guilty of hiring illegals, shut that company down and charge the company owner(s) as criminals, with a punishment of serious jail time. This wouldn't be too hard to implement if the IRS and INS worked together to crack down on such companies.
I'd like to see that too, but one quick correction; the INS hasn't existed for four years. The agency in charge of enforcing immigration law is now called ICE.
Quote:
3. Somehow, you need to look into helping Mexico become a prosperous, democratic and safe place to live. I tend to think that if Mexico wasn't so bad, people (in their millions) would not want to leave. There is no reason that Mexico needs to be so poor, considering its natural resources and the fact that it could be a bridge between North America and South America.
That's Mexico's responsibility.
Quote:
4. The United States government needs to put serious pressure on the Mexican government to help stop the mass exodus of Mexicans to the United States. If the Mexican government want to be MOD CUT about it and if they don't care, impose sanctions on them and forget everything I've mentioned in '3.'. If necessary, offer Mexico incentives to help with this problem. For instance, these incentives could revolve around trade, or joint projects such as trans-continental highways in which the US could help Mexico improve its infrastructure.
I'd like to see that too but I doubt it will ever happen; it's not economically practical as Mexico is a huge trading partner.
Quote:
5. More emphasis needs to be put on "legal immigration". If Mexicans go to school, learn the skills that are badly needed in the US, they should be able to emigrate to the US through legal channels. I'm sure that if Mexicans believed that they could start a new life in America through educating themselves and applying for a Visa through the right (legal) channels, they may consider going to school to learn the skills that are needed in the US, instead of just thinking "ole, let's jump the border Juan!".
They always ***** that there's not a legal way for them to come here. There are legal ways, but since they don't qualify for the diversity visa lottery and their apps for family-based immigration often take much longer to process (along with apps from the Philippines and China) due to quotas, it IS harder for them. However, it's not impossible and our laws MUST be respected.
Quote:
Bottom line, Mexico needs to pull its finger out of its arse here, big time. There's no reason for that country to be poor! They need to make their people aware that hopping the border to get into the US is illegal and they will face punishment and deportation from the US if they are caught.
Your country just needs to draw a line in the sand and say "no more". Joking aside, I know that illegal immigration is causing a lot of problems and costing you a lot of money and jobs. The government need to take the initiative though and listen to the people who elected them, not just turn a blind eye, stick a plug in their ears and sing "la la la, we're not listening". If they continue to turn a blind eye, the consequences will be huge and there will be a rise in fascism and far-right extremism when people become ultimately fed up with being ignored (this is actually happening in parts of Europe).
On a humanitarian level though, I really don't know what to say. At the end of the day, many illegals are just people searching for a better life. They are born into Mexico, they're discriminated against in their own country (because white Mexicans ARE racist towards those with brown skin/Indian blood) and they see the lure and the glory of the United States on their doorstep...all they need to do is hop the border and go undercover for a few years, working cash in hand and dodging the immigration man.
The only solutions I see are as follows:
1. The obvious - tighten border security and even build a huge wall across the border, stretching from the Gulf Coast in the east, to the Pacific coast in California in the west. Have that wall patrolled by armed servicemen.
2. If a company is found guilty of hiring illegals, shut that company down and charge the company owner(s) as criminals, with a punishment of serious jail time. This wouldn't be too hard to implement if the IRS and INS worked together to crack down on such companies.
3. Somehow, you need to look into helping Mexico become a prosperous, democratic and safe place to live. I tend to think that if Mexico wasn't so bad, people (in their millions) would not want to leave. There is no reason that Mexico needs to be so poor, considering its natural resources and the fact that it could be a bridge between North America and South America.
4. The United States government needs to put serious pressure on the Mexican government to help stop the mass exodus of Mexicans to the United States. If the Mexican government want to be MOD CUT about it and if they don't care, impose sanctions on them and forget everything I've mentioned in '3.'. If necessary, offer Mexico incentives to help with this problem. For instance, these incentives could revolve around trade, or joint projects such as trans-continental highways in which the US could help Mexico improve its infrastructure.
5. More emphasis needs to be put on "legal immigration". If Mexicans go to school, learn the skills that are badly needed in the US, they should be able to emigrate to the US through legal channels. I'm sure that if Mexicans believed that they could start a new life in America through educating themselves and applying for a Visa through the right (legal) channels, they may consider going to school to learn the skills that are needed in the US, instead of just thinking "ole, let's jump the border Juan!".
Bottom line, Mexico needs to pull its finger out of its arse here, big time. There's no reason for that country to be poor! They need to make their people aware that hopping the border to get into the US is illegal and they will face punishment and deportation from the US if they are caught.
Very insightful post, much like many of US HERE have been saying for years. No disrespect intended, but you must agree that this is a HUGE change from your strident posts of just two days ago, when most of us were accused of being "racists". Something caused a profound change in your thinking, and I DON'T think that it's because you've suddenly become a racist. The positions and suggestions you offer in this post are NOT racist--they really shoudn't even be controversial. There are a LOT of Americans of ALL races which share your views. Hope you don't mind me "pointing you out" as an example, but it does serve to show how one man can change his mind, when the reasons warrant it. Thanks for your candor...
Congatulations, and welcome aboard.
Last edited by NewToCA; 11-29-2007 at 08:47 PM..
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