The Education Wonks
Pinch me! This is another way to show how flawed our government system has become. Liberals Californians are idiots, and this proves it!
Have I missed something, or has this whole issue begun to ignore the difference between legal and illegal immigration?
Participants in the boycott are not supposed to patronize businesses, either.
I think I'll go make some major purchases Monday.
Graycie wrote: "Have I missed something, or has this whole issue begun to ignore the difference between legal and illegal immigration?"
The situation on the ground, within the communities affected by these issues is not so clear-cut. Mom may have immigrated legally on a work-visa, dad overstays a tourist visa, older brother and uncle come across the border illegally, two younger siblings were born in the country, and are therefore legal citizens. And that's a simplisitic situation. As the families extend, the situation becomes more convoluted. Many of us have the luxury of drawing distinctions like the one you made, but such distinctions cut across and divide families.
Fifty to seventy-five percent of my students will stay home Monday, and good for them and their families. I do not support criminalizing people for crossing arbitrary map-lines; I likewise do not support a system that has enshrined serfdom, and our tacit approval for different living standards for people of more equitorial origins smacks of ignorance (at best) and racism (at worst).
If walk-outs like this continue to draw attention to a problem badly in a need of a multi-faceted solution, good.
Amazing!! Here in central Texas many people are, like Darren, planning to make some major purchase. In addition many companies and store owners are planning on extending their store hours and making it clear that anyone who misses work will be fired.
Most of our schools are being equally as sensable.
As for open borders, if you like the third world life style move to Mexico. As for me and mine, any one who breaks into my country is no different than some one who breaks into my house.
TMAO: Here is a solution, capture all those who "overstay visas or is born to an ILLEGAL immigrant"and send them home! I am willing to accept the people who get here and or are born here legally. I don't care about the intricate live in situations that they leave themselves in...we in America have a process that needs to be followed!
I don't get caught up in situational ethics, I believe we should look at this as black and white!
Hey, as long as it's an "arbitrary" line, why don't we just annex some turf. A diagonal line from San Diego to just past Cancun would do it. The border with Belize would be a nice arbitrary stopping point, IMO.
What sort of leadership would openly encourage their young people to actively miss an educational opportunity ? IMO, it is one that just wants followers, not a group who can think, judge and evaluate information for themselves in order to make an informed decision. These people in "leadership" positions in the Great People's Democrat Republic of California have simply added "join the boycott, protest, or whatever you want to call it", to their litany of ways to stay in power.....such as the gross failure of bilingual education, affirmative action and opposition to passing what should be a simple test to graduate from high school as a demonstration of some basic literacy.....
Sadly, I don't have the money to go out to make any major purchases on Monday.....then again, I will be at work.
Is this a boycott or a strike?
I don't have the money to make any major purchases either, however, I will be shopping on Monday. I need a few new summer shirts, a pair of sandals, and a pair of sneakers. I will go shopping for those on Monday, right after I have lunch with my son at a local restaurant.
Not taking sides on the immigration debate, but it is wrong for the lesgislators to encourage the citizens of their state to break the law. I would have no problem with them encouraging a boycott of private businesses, as there is no law that says I have to shop at any given store. But the law says that children have to be in school (except in case of illness or religious observance). It's the same thing as them telling everyone to speed.
Julia, will you purchase clothes made by undocumented immigrants in East L.A. sweatshops for 2 dollars an hour and no bathroom breaks?
The food you eat at your local restaurant, will it have been picked by illegal immigrants filling buschel baskets for $0.89 each? Who's washing the dishes you will eat from?
I'm stunned and a little disgusted that those of us who benefit daily from the cheap labor these groups provide are so willing to condemn their pursuit of a better life. I guess we like our serfs working quietly in the shadows, dark and tame.
Wow. There are some strong opinions out there, several with which I don't agree.
I'm not going to get into it, because I don't think it's a simple question, nor do I know all the details.
What's killing me, is that even though the senate approved it, all the schools with students participating in the walkout/strike will receive no ADA money for the students that day.
How is boycotting the schools going to make any difference for the cause? Just hurts the schools, which serve all students, no matter what their status.
TAMO......IMO, the proposed laws regarding immigration are not necessary; will the Federal Government enforce them any better that ALL of the existing laws regarding immigration, labor, etc., that already exist as law ? I don't think so. Again, IMO, such actions as being made by the Calif. State Senate is part of the bid to stay in power by certain people......
Polski3 writes: "Again, IMO, such actions as being made by the Calif. State Senate is part of the bid to stay in power by certain people."
Maybe, sure. But let's say that failure to enforce regulations that would "harm" business are not equally bids to shore up a base of political power.
TMAO,
You make a good point about the complexity of the issue. My question about legal vs illegal immigration is still legit: more and more I see points made on both sides of the issue about "immigrants" with no differentiation between those who have come to the US through proper procedures and those who did not. (As illustrated by your example family, it is abundantly clear that a solution will have to be extremely complex to deal with this difficult issue.) I teach many immigrant students from many countries (our high school here has over 40 different nationalities represented in our student body) and we have been talking about this.
I think the issue has two faces that need to be dealt with: 1) what shall we do with/for/about those people who are here now and who have been here. Your example family got that way over time. This is where the most difficult decisions and logistics will occur. 2) what do we do from now on? As Polski says -- the laws are already in place. Can/Will we enforce them?
Note: I have not expressed an opinion either way here, and I have made no judgments. I am of the opinion that it is foolish and short-sighted to plunk down entirely on either side of this issue. I'm not even sure that right-or-wrong is the way to look at it. I think that what we have to find is Something That Works -- which will almost necessarily be something that neither side will wholly endorse.
I wouldn't mind paying more for my products at all, if the workers were either American citizens or legal workers.
Corporations are breaking laws hiring people at sweatshop wages.
Of course, maybe corporations should be allowed to do that - since it is quite okay to disregard laws as one chooses; you've already established that oh wise TMAO.
And the restaurant that I will eat at is the one I used to run - which pays the dishwasher $8/hour and the head cook $10.50/hr - both of whom are LEGAL immigrants. And the entrees aren't expensive either - about $10 for lunch, drink, tax & tip. Corporations CAN make money using legal employees; they just have to know how to run their businesses and not be consumed by greed.
You made many of my points for me, Julia. The focus of reform efforts here ought to target corporations first, not human beings seeking a better life. I understand refusing to support Monday's efforts; I don't understand the (rather snide) declaration of intent to undermine.
As for the arbitrary enforcement of laws, there are probably dozens of laws that go generally unenforced to the far greater detriment of our country than this one, not to mention the probably thousands of truly ridiculous laws that go unenforced. You mentioned certain areas of improvement yourself. To that list I'd like to add enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act, and the 8th Ammendment.
What demonstrable harm do these people represent?
TMAO asked: "What demonstrable harm do these people represent?"
I once had to deal, with great hassle, with the Social Security people after they sent me a letter denying benefits. What they could not understand, was that I had never asked for SS benefits. But, some "older" illegal immigrant who had been illegally using my SS number, had requested benefits. I had to go to their office with a slew of documents to prove my identification.
Secondly, how about the health care costs? These people do not have health care coverage, yet our laws have made it possible for them to recieve medical treatment at hospital ERs and THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PAY IT ! So, who pays their health costs? I do. You do. My son's will.
Thirdly, Illegal immigrants are working in restaurants without the necessary health card.....YOU want your food cooked or the dishes you are eating from handled by anyone with TB ? Check out the known cases of TB in California; Imperial, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Fresno, Contra Costa, San Mateo County lead the nation in reported TB cases.....almost ALL due to infected illegal immigrants.
I understand why people seek to come to this country. I would do the same thing if I were in their situation. But, we cannot have a divided nation. People must follow the laws. There is no simple or easy solution to this growing problem of illegal immigrantion. IF we (our spineless, myoptic, dysfuctional national leadership) grant anmesty to the most recent batch of illegal immigrants, what will happen in the next ten years? More will pour into our country, gambling that our spineless, myoptic, dysfuctional national leadership will again cave in and grant them amnesty. As for a guest worker program, will the employer or taxpayers pay for their health care?
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