the illegal immigrant debate is one we hear about and scuffle over quite passionately here in texas. this isn’t just a debate that the politicians argue over on the television; no, this is a question that the lady behind you in line at the tom thumb is likely to ask while you’re waiting to check out. i suppose it’s most likely ‘cause this is a debate that is near and dear to the heart of tejas – and her border with mexico.
frankly, i’m tired of the whole mess. i know that the operative word in illegal immigration is illegal. i also know that i live under a government that can't safely and effectively evacuate it's own citizens during a major thunderstorm, much less figure out how to safely and effectively evacuate a few million people it can't even locate. and iffin’ you think illegal immigrants are easy to spot, i’ve got proof that they aren’t. i’ve witnessed a whole mess of police who drive by bands of day laborers every day over on cooper street and they don't stop or nuthin. of course, maybe they’ve already checked those boys’ credentials.
i still maintain that instead of a great big wall across the texico border, we should just build a big ol’ walmart. that way, the mexicans could just work there for american wages and all the texans could shop and visit with them during the day, and then the workers can just go back home to mexico after an honest days work. it sounds like a win-win to me. but, when i offerd this proposal to an anglo friend of mine, she scolded me. "you know what your problem is, micki? when you think of illegals you just think of the sweet little ol' grandma selling tamales on the street corner. you aren't thinkin' about the drunken criminals who whore themselves and suck up our tax dollars." i had to admit that she had a point.
c’mon, i’m a native texan. i’ve grown up with lots of mexicans as both friends and as family members ... some probably a tad more legal than others, truth be told. very few of them were drunkards, and i don’t know of a one that was a whore. hey let’s face it; i’ve also grown up surrounded by a deep and abiding ambivalence towards the issue. in fact, i would venture to say it wasn’t until after 9/11 that people around these parts started to seriously argue the issue – this, once we were reminded that illegal immigrants aren’t always mexicans.
but heck, how are we baffled anglos supposed to solve this commotion? there’s isn’t even a cohesive argument within the hispanic community. a dear friend of mine -- who is, for the record, a legal immigrant -- recently told me that there is quite a bit of tension between “legals” and “illegals” because those who pay to be here feel that those who don’t give them a bad name, while those who are here illegally feel entitled to feelings of camaraderie that sometimes just aren’t there. confused enough yet?
i hafta admit that i’m even more confused and disheartened by the issue now that i’m catholic. i recently visited a catholic church that was made up of mostly non-english speaking immigrants. i would be a liar iffin i didn’t admit that as i scanned the faces of these catholic brothers and sisters i wondered how many were illegals. and then i wondered, who would jesus deport? especially considering that several may even share his name.
As a Kraut who never could understand animosity towards Mexicans, my impulse is to answer your question with, "well, of course Jesus would deport the French. Who else?"
this is such a hotspot with me : )
Leviticus 19:34 says "you shall treat the alien who rides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of egypt."
the five principles that form the foundation if catholic social teaching about migration are rooted in the understanding that all of god's children have the right to share in the earth's resources. these principles teach that
* people should not be forced to migrate due to lack of opportunity in their homeland
*people have the basic right to move to another land in order to support themselves and their family
*every nation has the right to control its border, although this right carries with it the responsibility to accommodate migrant flows
* refugees and asylum seekers, fleeing either war and persecution or natural disaster, have the right to protection.
* the dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants must be respected.
to me the catholic church stands as a prophetic voice calling the faithful to reach out in love and understanding to immigrants. we should learn about the many contributions they make and the gifts they bring to our society, and work to reform our immigration laws that cause disintegration and strife in our communities.
we were all down with immigration way back when we took over america, no?
all that to say border walmart is a fab idea : )
i wanted to add that economically, immigrants contribute far more in taxes then they receive in benefits. recent studies show that migrants- undocumented as well as documented- contribute $90 to $140 billion each year in federal, state, and local income, property ans sales tax, while using only about $5 billion in public benefits. rather than taking jobs, migrants fill gaps at both the low and high end of the employment spectrum that would seriously weaken u.s business if left unfilled by native born workers. the net benefit of immigration to the u.s economy is about $10 billion annually.
done now.
I agree with Marsha on all that, but note that none of these studies talk about the detrimental effect French philosophy has had on our country.
Obviously not every French washerwoman and baker is polluting the life of the mind with bad Endarkenment ideas, but we can't be too sure.
Yet, on the other hand, there is the wine issue.
Ah, the wine.
Rousseau...Puligny-Montrachet
Rousseau...Puligny-Montrachet
Rousseau...Puligny-Montrachet
Hmmmm. I will have to think about this.
i agree heartiy with mr. keilholtz. alas, there are not enough french rabblerousers to spark much debate here in tejas. but if ever there are ... watch out!
Oh, they don't have to rouse rabble to get my ire. They just have to speak that language that was forced down my throat in elementary school...the one that I, to this day, after getting the equivalent of a German minor, still speak and read better than my beloved Krautsprache.
They can make Spanish the official language. I don't care, so long as I get my Latin mass (I really don't care two swats which Western language I do business in. They are all easy to learn and all have their plusses and minuses). But if it were to become French, I would have to rise up in arms.
Fortunately the French are such lousy workers that we will never have to worry about our economy resting on their efforts! Remind me to send a copy of this to my old friend and college roommate, Francois...after I translate it into German, of course.