Comment Darlin'
I am trying to breeze through my overloaded blog reader and you're making it really hard to do with these compelling posts that I have to go back and read all the way and then the comments and--sheesh, I have to breathe now.
You need to get your ass down to that American Apparel store on Ventura Blvd and buy yourself a "Legalize LA" t-shirt. Rapido!
Easy for you to say, you're not a domestic. Let me ask you this, would you leave Adam and Eve in the care of a non-English speaking illegal for a day? Week? I somehow doubt it knowing that she probably wouldn't do things like call 911 and she couldn't drive.
I was referring to state tax and you're paying more than 8%. Why should my tax dollars go to pay for these people? I also hate to say this as much as I hate Bush, but we're spending 10 times the amount on social welfare including such things as picking up schooling and health services for illegals than we ever could for this war. That's a matter of fact that's posted annually.
As for people coming here legally, I've worked with all sorts of immigrants who came here legally, even a filipino who got her by going to Saudi, then Canada, then the US. These people border hopping have nothing on the horrors she went through in a theocratic country to reach freedom. Or the Laotians I know, pretty damned scary. Save the whole "they're poor, they deserve better" speech for someone who doesn't know better. They're are millions of them, there's no reason why they can't proclaim revolucion on their own country to get the rights they deserve. It's not up to us to provide it for them.
Or come here legally like most of our ancestors did.
her name is leticia and we all adore her.
I walked with her and her children may 1.
Breathe. 
It's not racist to ask that existing laws be enforced, and enforced equally. Apply for a visa, come here legally, and welcome home, regardless of one's language or color. Sneak across the border, and one is not welcome, because one is IL-legal. Less-civilized countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, are much more brutal toward illegal aliens. The US is very humanitarian and forgiving, by comparison.
I understand the idea that illegal aliens pay income taxes that they will never get back, but I think the argument is somewhat spurious, given that no one really knows how many pay, how much they pay, and how many are using fake IDs versus real ones that might be used to collect benefits in the future. And it ignores the many who are paid in cash, without payroll taxes being deducted. Without hard data, it's merely a loud, oft-repeated opinion.
Many Californians are very concerned about the swelling numbers of hospital bankruptcies, driven into the red by being required to care for illegals who have no insurance and who don't pay. Not that the LA Times would come out and say that, but it's pretty clear. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/oct/20/
business/fi-brotman20
I think perhaps it's difficult for you to view the issue objectively, based on your own ancestors' experiences and the place where you live and the sheer volume of pro-illegal media there. Perhaps we should simply agree to disagree. I enjoy your blog and your thoughts, regardless.
Marvin
Being better than bad doesn't make you good.
I don't participate in local media and I can't agree to disagree on this particular issue.
It's not just bad. Bad can be entertaining.
It's evil and it needs to be recognized as such.
I'm not against immigration. My concern about our borders not being secure send shivers up my spine when I think of the extremist terrorists who look for weaknesses in our system and exploit them. I want the border secure so that our country can track who is entering and leaving. National security is vital to our country's survival.
I live in a very agricultural area and there are many illegal immigrants who live in the area and work on various crop farms. They live in poverty. Bug infested trailers, making just enough to feed their family. The trend here is that they receive social aid such as WIC and food stamps. They work very hard, as they are paid by weight, not by the hour.
What bothers me about the argument they pay into taxes but don't get refunds because it's not their social security number. What about the person who really has that ssn? I have heard it's a huge nightmare trying to unravel the mess with the IRS when you have done your taxes year after year, completely unaware that your number was being used to report income you didn't receive. People get in trouble when their ssn is used without their knowledge and income is reported to the IRS that the true owner of the number doesn't report when they file and it snowballs from there.
I welcome hard working people to our country. I enjoy authentic mexican cuisine regularly. I come from immigrants, Norwegians. They worked really hard to learn the language and assimilate their children into the american culture. I prepare the christmas cookies each year that have been made in my family for over 150 yrs. My Grandma passed the torch to me 8 yrs ago.
This is such a nightmare. Millions of people who are in limbo, politicians who make stupid decisions based on how many votes they need to win the next election. Meanwhile, real families and communities live with the effects of indecision and political posturing.
I don't think it's fair to let those who chose to come via sneaking over the border to get in line ahead of those who have been patiently working through legal channels. But I do think we need some sort of process to legalize them that is fair to all.
I hate the argument "they do the work americans won't do". My dad traveled from Oklahoma to California during the dustbowl and they earned money along the way working on farms. My own father was a migrant farm worker. He is white, grew up in a family of 10 and knew poverty very well. People do what they have to do to feed their family, it's not a question of race in my mind.
I understand your point of view, I don't think I can even say I disagree with your position. Someone in Washington needs to stand up with some balls and come up with a real concrete solution to this issue.
Compelling arguments all around. Tricky damned situation, no doubt. Seems to me that the problem is in the process of becoming a legal citizen. Cumbersome beaurocratic nightmare. I wish we would put some money into fixing THAT issue, and not blame the people here trying to build a better life for themselves and their families.
Oh, Sue, you got a good one going here. I've never seen such long comments!
My wife is a nurse, so I asked her if she gets a lot of illegal aliens coming into the hospital. I asked her this because I don't know how many times I've heard "All our taxes are going to pay for their health care BLAH BLAH BLAH". And her answer was, "Oh the illegals avoid the hospital. It just creates problems for them."
So I'm thinking this whole line about them eating up our taxes is a load of crap.
And the person who thinks we spend more on illegal aliens then the war is a complete idiot.
as soon as someone puts "these people" in a sentence, I know what follows will bode ill for logic and rational thought.
Quite frankly, ByJane, the racism is in the ASSumption that I'm referring to latinos or hispanics alone. I'm not. I know plenty of illegal European/English nannies here as well. They have one thing going for them though, they actually can speak the language and most don't question if they're here legally. Of course they tend to pay for their medical not go to the local clinic.
Googie, if your wife works for a private hospital she isn't being visited by illegals anyway. That's a given. Nice try.
I also have to question who you people know who came here and naturalized. No latino that I know who is legal is for illegal immigration. Same with any Brit or Asian that I associate with either. They all are for doing it legally. Cry me a river already, get here legally.
Nom de Plume, in MA we have universal health care, so the private/not private distinction doesn't matter like it may in your neck of the woods. When patients can't pay, the hospital or the state picks up the tab. They don't turn people away.
I don't even know what you mean by a "public" hospital. The hospitals here are either run by the Catholic Church or they are run by a university.
They only question I have left is why I am bothering to argue with someone who honestly thinks that we spend more money on illegal aliens than the war is beyond me.
I freaking love you.
*lol* @ Googie Baba's last line.
Fucking classic that was.
Simple, Googie-we don't know how each state as well as the fed pays for illegal from the extent of schooling/education to health care and all the in betweens. We have county and non-private hospitals closing because of all the free healthcare they've given out, mostly to illegals in this state.
Do I think that we need to tighten up the border, and stem the flow a little? Yes I do.
If I lived in a shitty poverty ridden country, would I cross the border illegally? Bet your ass I would, and so would anyone else.
Ive never had an issue with illegals, and I worked construction. That said, I really believe we have reached a saturation point, and we need to stem the flow,and legalize the folks who are here. That way they can reap all the benifits and the people who feel they are getting a free ride will have to find something new to get alarmed over.
I love me a good blogger-war.
Holy crap. I leave for a week and look at what I miss.
I gotta catch up on all of this now.
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