You really want to compare my forefathers with illegal immigrants?!?

Question

The editorial in the Aug. 5 issue of the Mountain View Voice ("Many sides to the immigrant question") was the final "push" that made us write this response. To us, it is insulting to compare illegal immigrants from Mexico to our forefathers who came to this country and founded the amazing democracy we enjoy today. The differences are huge:

1) The people who came here to found this country broke no pre-existing laws. The illegal immigrants are called "illegal" because they are.

2) Our founding fathers and other legal immigrants, including those from Mexico, came here to make their home here. The illegal immigrants (as stated in the editorial and other newspaper articles) come here to make money and send it to their home in Mexico. That is the key: Their home is not the U.S. Every dollar sent to their home in another country is a dollar not spent in our local economy.

Think about it. Our local economy is hurting right now. Every time someone hires an illegal immigrant, whether the employer is an individual or a business, a job is taken away from an American citizen.

When a contractor hires an illegal, a union employee loses out. When an individual hires an illegal for gardening or childcare, for example, an honest gardening business or day care center loses a job. What is worse, paying these illegal immigrants (or anyone for that matter) "under the table" is a punch in the gut to our economy.

We wonder why our tax base is shrinking or why our Social Security funds are in jeopardy or why there are fewer entry-level jobs for our teenagers looking for work. Could it be because the number of illegal immigrants in this community, not to mention the rest of the country, has increased dramatically over the last few years?

How can we say, "In many cases these are the only people who will take the lowest-rung work"? These entry-level jobs have been around for years, and American citizens have gladly taken them. In some job markets, these illegal immigrants are responsible for artificially holding wages down.

Maybe if we didn't allow these "lowest-rung jobs" to be taken by illegal immigrants and paid under the table, it would force the employers to pay a fair wage to an American citizen. And maybe that American citizen would spend his our her wages in our city. And maybe that would have a positive impact on our economy.

This country has a legal procedure for people who want to migrate here. Those who choose to enter illegally are not
heroes, no matter what the reason. To say they are heroes is an insult to those people who work hard and spend their time and money going through the correct, legal procedures to become American citizens (this includes learning our English language) and make their home here.

We do have compassion for any human being who undergoes suffering, loss, or lack of any kind. And we believe that America is great because of her history of open arms to those who seek freedom and love what we stand for. But we also believe it is time to stop insulting the millions of people who gave up much, including their very lives, to make this country great, by comparing them to people who come to this country with a disrespect for our laws and our culture, and come only to take, not to give.

Answer 1

Thank you, that is exactly what I have been trying to say. Job well done A+

Answer 2

You state in your question that your forefathers who came to the U.S broke no pre existing laws. That is so wrong that it is funny. Your forefathers might not have broken any laws that were written by the white man but how many treaties with the existing native population were broken during the settling of your country. How many men, women, and children were murdered to make way for your forefathers. Are you saying that murdering of natives is not wrong. As long as no white people were murdered everything is ok. You aslo state that you have a problem with immigrants sending money back to their families thereby taking money away from your economy. I would like to inform you that this has been a common practice for as long as immigration has been around. How many irish settlers sent money back, how many Italians sent money back etc etc. You seem to only have a problem with illegal immigration from mexico. Is this a personal bias? I also want to say that even though some immigrants from mexico may be illegal that they provide more of a benefit and service than they do harm. Who would do the jobs that no one else will do. Who would do your laundry, or clean your house, or wash your dishes. Unionization has forced the cost of labour through the roof without any forethought as to what this would do to the economy. Large corporations are outsourcing so many jobs overseas that it is having a greater affect to your economy than illegal immigration ever would. Your call centers are now in india. Your textiles are now made in malaysia and south east asia. Your electronics are now assembled overseas. Instead of praising unionization, you should be holding them responsible for a huge poriton of money leaving the U.S. Nike shoes are no longer made in the U.S. because unionization has driven the cost of labour up so high that the consumer would never buy their products if they had to pay those wages and therefore raise the price of their products. I suggest that before you open your mouth and make such ignorant and biggoted comments that you do a little research on the subject rather than relyin solely on you pre concieved notions and biases.

Answer 3

Your forefathers were lucky enough to be able to just come into the country, unlike todays immigrants who have to leave their family behind and risk never seeing them again. As soon as they can they bring their families here and make this their home. Every one seems to be under the impression that they just don't want to adapt to life here and refuse to learn English. Have you ever tried to learn a foreign language? If you have and have succeeded in a short amount of time then kudos to you. But try to do it while working two full-time jobs (each one minimum wage of course) and taking care of your children. That was the situation with my parents. My mom and dad are now in their 50's, they are still taking classes from time to time because their English still isn't perfect. By the way they didn't come here to breed, I'm an only child, and not once have we received any free medical care or other benefits. As far back as I can remember even before they obtained their citizenship their checks always had taxes taken out, so they paid their taxes. Which is another thing I don't understand. I know people who are still here illegally who are working and get taxes taken, medicare, etc. taken out of their wages even though they can't file for a return. Where is this money going?
Oh, and we've never been in jail(knock on wood).

Answer 4

1) The founding forefathers broke several British pre-existing laws, did you forget about the Boston Tea Party, Conscription, and a host of other British colonist laws? Did you also forget about the revolutionary war, revolution violates several laws.

2) Every dollar that an illegal immigrant makes subsidizes several dollars for corporations, small businesses and individuals. A corporation can hire a legal resident for $20.00 an hour to do a certain job but instead hires a non-legal resident $5.00 excluding benefits. The $15.00 dollars not paid by the corporation is a tax on the legal immigrant, instead of the tax going to the government the tax goes directly to the corporation which is then past onto the consumer which is then spent on the local economy.

Answer 5

You, and many other Americans will probably disagree with this but perhaps you could take it on board:
You say Mexicans are taking American jobs? So that is a constant depletion of American cash going into Mexico and not America, right? Well, perhaps a perfect solution would be for the Mexicans to stop taking American money into Mexico and instead have an economy in Mexico that can survive on its own, no? So if America (perhaps with the help of other large countries) gives a one-off investment into improving Mexican economy and life then the Mexicans will stop taking U.S. money into Mexico - they'd have their own.

My answer is neither offensive to America nor Mexico - I am simply saying that if America wants to keep its own dollars then perhaps a large one-time payment into Mexico will prevent any more of American money being taken from America and America will eventually benefit from this 'investment'.

Answer 6

Actually, illegal aliens did not do many things your forefathers did such as:
1. Kidnapping people in Africa and forcing them to work as slaves
2. Engaging in a vast and systematic ethnic cleansing of the aboriginal population.

I am also concerned with illegal immigration, but the reality is the only way to stop or drasticaly reduce it is to crack down on employers.

Answer 7

I must admit, I thought this question would be filled with "we hate them" junk...and I am sooooo excited and proud to read all these wonderful rebuttals. I am so happy to be an American right now! By the way, could we lay off the euro-centric questions for a while? I think the majority of these answerers have had enough of the racism and ignorance!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

Good heavens! What got your tail in a knot? Wetbacks have been with us since the 13 Colonies became the USofA. Get a grip. Those who cause harm are either thrown in jail or eliminated by their employers. Union workers fuel the Mob with their dues and blind loyalty to their local. You cannot have it both ways. Why are you airing your dirty laundry caused by some local editorial communist (sic) to the entire world. Just take care of the turkey the American way: beat the crud out of him.

Answer 9

Finally someone sticking up for their forefathers, we as Americans have some wonderful histories and our ancestors came from all over the world legally to make this country great. People look into your own heritage be proud of your ancestors who sacrificed so much to make every generation better.

Answer 10

OK,there may have been no pre-existing laws when our forefathers suckered the Indians out of Manhatten for $24 dollars worth of beads and trinkets. But the moral injunctive was in place since way back in the day.

Answer 11

I agree, the pilgrims that immigrated here in the early days came over, worked hard, and adopted a common language English. Over all the years and only till the past couple decades, English was the language, and you had to learn if you were to get by. Todays immigrants come over pile up in small apartment, work a few hours and send the money home. The only companies that benefit from illegals, are the beer companies and the diaper companies.