Isn't it strange that the recent immigration protests finally clarified the issue for me?

Question

We need labor on one hand for jobs few Americans want but wages get driven down for Americans who do want them....
A fence would ensure that illegal crosings are reduced but at what cost?.....Is it fair to deport hard working people that have been working here for 20 years? On the other hand should we reward them with Amnesty because they slipped by all this time?...Making things convenient for Spanish speakers through Bilingual policies is a compassionate act but if taken advantage of, will English eventually be optional?...

All fair questions with 2 sides. This is why I have been split. Until Now.

Those protests around the country featured numerous Mexican Flags and the chanting of slogans in Spanish. If I was their consultant, I would have said the following to them: "Carry American Flags and If you never plan on learning any English in your life, at least learn the protest chants in English. At least give Americans the illusion that you don't want to take over. Clarity!!!

Wow. I expected some insulting answers and got them.
Chee feels that the question was a setup. If so, feel free to search all of my Q & A over the last year and see if immigration has even been something I discuss. FYI it hasn't. It would take a real creep to pretend they were undecided just to seem more believeable. I was truly undecided. Now I'm not. Did all of my questions about fairness to illegals go away? Of course not. However now I decide that I can't afford to apply my normal standard of fair play to this issue because if I do, I just may wake up one morning in an America that I don't even know anymore and loathe. I am not willing to take that gamble because I have a few "fairness issues".

And Steddy, you seem nice, but "Red White and Blue Team?" Isn't that over the top? Are you implying that I was not patriotic until I made this decision? It's B&W stuff like that makes it tougher for the non committed to commit because they don't want to assoiciate with the extreme.

Chee, thanks for the acknowledgement. My question is phrased in a suspicious way so I do understand.

Steddy, thanks for the clarification. I did see the "lol" originally but was still mentally trying to get comfortable with my new "teammates", some of who are probably still too extreme for me (particularly the ones who condone violence). Your Answer was harmless and I'm sorry I took a mild jab at you.

One more thing (yes I want to solve the world's problems with one question). I also saw many CHE GUEVARA pictures and T-Shirts in the crowd at the protest. What the heck does a turd like him have to do with amnesty and rights for illegals? These folks have awful leadership.

FYI: My wife's parents had to leave Cuba in 1962 thanks to Castro. BTW, they didn't want to leave, entered the U.S. legally and became citizens. My grandparents came in 1907 from Russia with nothing and worked all day while learning english at nightschool.

How things change!

DQ-You did everything by the book and have earned the right to speak with authority on this issue.

This to me is not a flag issue or a Mexican issue, but rather is an issue pertaining to quality of life for American citizens and what we can do to improve it. I have simply come to the conclusion that part of the solution is to take tough action in the area of illegal immigration.

To those that brought up St. Patrick's Day and the waving of other flags, you miss my point entirely. I have ZERO problem with Mexican Americans waving Mexican flags on Mexican Heritage Day (or whatever appropriate holiday celebrating their backgrounds).
My jaw just drops when they wave Mexican flags during an immigration rally. It makes no sense at all. It's as if they are saying "This is our time now, nobody will stop us and welcome to Mexico North!" Any flag but an American one is out of place. Would you go to a Dodgers game dressed in a hockey jersey and cheer if a hockey game was going on?

Answer 1

Actually, last year, the leaders of the movement /were/ running around desperately trying to get the Mexican flags away from the cameras and American flags on display. Guess it didn't take.


I think, on one level, though, the protests are meant to be polarizing. They dare Americans to criticise 'mexicans' or 'spanish speakers' or whatever, rather than the illegality of thier presence, which is the real issue - that way, claims of racism can be made to cloud the issue and garner sympathy from legal immigrants.

Answer 2

This is definitely an issue... Well, look, it goes like this... when my family moved here, they all had to go through the process... we all did... I was born in Mexico City... became a legal resident when I was but a mere two or three months old, and recently got my citizenship. We played by the rules. We did the paperwork, we paid the fees... and for all of us, we HAD to learn english because when we first moved to this certain area of California, there were hardly any people of latin american/hispanic/latino descent (I'm sorry, I can never spell that...). I mean, why is it that now some people feel like they don't even have to learn english... like it's okay to just live in a country and never speak the country's language?!

BUT on the other hand, it's great that America is home to so many different cultures and backgrounds!!! I love that! All my friends are from all corners of the world. It's important, it's just... you know, if you're going to be here, do it the right way. How come people feel like they can just be exceptions? I guess what I mean to say is, it doesn't matter where you're from... if you're going to be here, be here legally.
America is supposed to be a land of liberty, freedom, prosperity... I am all for people bettering their lives and those of their families... what I'm against is people coming here illegally and on top of that expecting us to give them all these things after basically committing a crime... if they really want to be here, I say, give them the paperwork, make them go through the process. Otherwise you're basically saying that it's okay to do something illegally here, in fact, America will help you out. I mean, I'm 100% Mexican, and I had to go through the process - they should too!
As far as English is concerned, I know a lot of schools offer FREE ESL classes. At the very least they should be willing to learn English... That's all. Sorry, did this all sound mean? It's one of those things that's difficult to debate because it's a sore spot for a lot of people... :( :( And I almost feel like it shouldn't be - we should find a way to make it better, or at least try.

Answer 3

No it doesn't make any sense. It's flawed logic and has little basis in reality. It's just rhetoric filled with emotional gobbledygook to pull on people's heart strings and completely misses the point of why they are here in the first place. Everybody wants to whine but don't have the courage to take responsibility for playing a role in this, no matter how minor or indirect it may be. Amidst the rabble rousing "they're illegal!" and "they're taking our jobs!" and "they're using all the social services!" hysteria, everyone conveniently forgets the REAL reason we have such a problem with illegal immigration in the first place which is an economic issue that is put into play thanks to free trade and globalization. US businesses desperately need cheap labor to compete with companies in countries whose labor rates are ridiculously low. We want to shop till we drop and love cheap goods and services but could care less as to why they're so affordable in the first place. By enacting this "guest worker program" we create a sub-class of individuals who are not quite citizens so they can continue to get paid sub-living standard wages with no benefits which help businesses stay competitive and keeps the political cash flowing to the politicians. It's the ultimate quid pro quo. And if they ever earn their citizenship (8-13 years, according to the bill,) politicians will just have gained a massive voting block to boot! So while people keep yapping back and forth over status, and cutting the line, and all those nonsensical issues, the real power players gain their cheap labor and we continue to consume like to good flock of sheep that we are.

Answer 4

Every American has to make up their own mind with the best information they have at their disposal.

That's exactly what sets the United States apart from every other nation in the world.

I can look at the Mexican flags carried over the top of an upside down American Flag (Distress signal) and not get angry.
I can watch illegals throw rocks and bottles at LAPD Officers and not get angry. The investigation will go where it goes and find what it finds.
What I will NOT condone or accept is that ILLEGALS think they have the RIGHT to TELL the United States what we will do regarding immigration.

Build the wall and deport all illegals.

Answer 5

Doesn't matter how you got here as long as you are here. I too USED to be compassionate to the plight of the "undocumented" (don't dare say illegal or people will dropping the race card all over the place.)
That was before I lived in Santa Ana, CA. Living there for a year gave me a whole different perspective. I finally had to move because my house was robbed 6 times in that year. I literally could not go inside my house and leave the garage door open without having something ripped off. These crimes were not comitted by my neighbors either. These crimes were committed by the "undocumented workers?" ( I guess being a thief is work)that would cruise through the neighborhood in their lowriders.
The last time I was robbed the thief kicked in my back window, then carried my portable TV out the front window, in full view of two of my neighbors who took down his license number, called the cops, and were yelling at him to stop.
Official police investigation: illegal alien (fingerprints) stolen license plate and their advice? Move...so I did.

Answer 6

Hey, dude, it took you awhile but I'm glad you are on the right side of this issue!

I have NEVER been split. I have seen the distruction caused by the illegal alien criminals (they break the law, they are criminals). They are destroying our schools. Our ERs are closing because they can't afford to stay open. They take jobs Americans want. They steal identities and cause a living hell for their victums!

I am so sick of pro-illegals claiming that they are just "coming here for a better life." What a load of BS! They get freebies here. They don't pay income taxes - they can't without a SS#.

It is estimated that every illegal alien family costs taxpayers over $22,400 per year. That includes an estimated $9,000 of taxes being paid - I think that's way too high for sales tax, property tax from rent, etc....

We don't need them! These protest have proved that. They try to cripple our communities when they don't work - not a chance! It was really nice to not see a single "Baja California" plate on the 1st!

NO AMNESTY! That is rewarding criminals. NO ANCHOR BABIES! JAIL EMPLOYERS!

Answer 7

its interesting how grown adults refer to political issues as "teams and sides" to me that is plain idiocracy. the real issues penetrate much deeper than what u see in the media. FYI the march in chicago, many demonstrators were US citizens and held US flags, I DID. do i think it hurt us, NO because obviously u paid attention this time around! Now i dont see the problem with supporting ur heritage, in illinois we get a lot of "green" on st. patricks day and if u ever visit chinatown u could get the oriental feeling. But if u choose to outlaw any flag, i believe ALL flags other than the US should be prohibited.

Answer 8

If flying flags of something, or country your proud of being from, means that you want to take over the country then you should be worried about the Irish. When it is St. Patrick's day the people that are proud of coming from an Irish ancestry fly their flag. When homosexuals have their parades or marches they fly rainbow flags. Flying a flag has nothing to do with this. The people that come to this country come to work hard and get a better life for them and their families, just like every Americans ancestor originally came from other countries. To say that this country is ours and nobody Else's is idiotic. Think about where you would be if the Indians that where originally here had built a wall or threatened anybody that came to this country. A lot of you would probably not be alive, or be in a country where they envy what America is and what it stands for.

Answer 9

you know I've been here for almost seven years. I work, I pay taxes, I pay health insurance, I go to college (Dean's List), I'm still learning the language, and guess what I crossed the border illegally.
I did not attend the March. It is so frustrating to see how the media (Spanish channels) influence people to go and protest for an amnesty, when all of us obviously know the government will not be giving it just because people is marching in a Tuesday morning.
I do not want to take over this country. I'm know here and even If I do not have a driver license i am taking advantage of all the opportunities i have to learn as much as I can from the US culture (Not American culture, because that includes Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Argentina, etc...). Why are you so worried about people marching in a workday, when you should be worrying about the people sitting in a desk with a computer, or in the library studying. Please open your eyes

We sure pay taxes that's why your governmnet gives us an ITIN number. Please get informed!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Answer 10

You hit it right on the head!!! I've always said that those protests are going to back-fire on the pro-illegals. All it is doing is getting the American citizens angry & making them want to protest. Once the American citizens start protesting... watch out, because the sh^t is sure to hit the fan. If you think the pro-illegals made an impact... Oh my gosh!!! Just wait until the American citizens make a stand. The pro-illegals will be so overwelmed & wondering where did all those Americans come from.