My solution to the immigration disaster
Unless you live on some 1000 acre ranch in Wyoming, or a mansion in Beverly Hills, it is likely that you have been confronted with one or more of the results of the decades-old policy of unregulated illegal immigration. Like many Southern Californians, I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood that consisted of tidy homes with neatly manicured lawns, neighbors who knew each other and shared the common goal of a local cohesiveness.
If I threw a ball through Mrs. Porters window, my Dad was called, not a lawyer or the police. Mrs Huston, a sweet lady, let my friend and I practice our bait-casting on her front lawn-(yes, two 10-year old boys 'fishing' on grass....don't ask). We could stay out until 11 pm in the summers, playing with other kids.
Our neighborhood was stable, a anchor on which we could depend.
Sometime, in the late 1970's, families began to dissappear to other states, their once familiar homes suddenly occupied by people who didn't want to know us, didn't speak our language, and shot hostile glances our way. Later, graffiti began to appear where once there was none. Petty crimes such as burglary went on the up-tick. Instead of the Old Glory being flown on the 4th of July, Mexican flags went up on Cinco De Mayo. Didn't we defeat Santa Ana?, I wondered.
The wonderful old Japanese gardener, also a neighbor, who had the most meticulously maintained landscape I have yet to see, no longer tended people's lawns and shrubbery. He was replaced by a cheaper Latino gardener, who amazingly, provided shoddier work.
One day in the mid 1980's, I saw a grimy Latino man sitting on a corner with boxes of fruit tilted up in the hot sun. What was he doing? After all, there was a grocery store nearby that sold fruit of the kind this man was hawking. Why would someone by a bag of oranges on a street corner? What made this person think he could set up shop on a corner? The remnants of his lunch resided all over the sidewalk adjacent to him, his car stereo blaring out accordion music to keep his boredom in check, while the flies swarmed on the strawberries. This practice is now accepted as 'diverse' and we are encouraged by the liberal left to 'tolerate' the many varying facets of a different culture, which apparently include sub-standard food handling procedures.
Occasionally, when I was home in the mid-day for some reason or another, I began to notice pregant Latino mothers with 3,4,5 or more children walking in the street, while pushing an infant in a stroller. Why weren't the school-age kids in school?, I wondered. How could she afford to stay at home with that many kids?. (I had yet to truly understand my taxes at this point)
Another milestone came when someone actually shot a policeman dead. It was later reported that his murderer was an 'illegal alien'. 'That's a harsh term', I thought. Alien?. Like with a big head and webbed feet?.
Then, one day, I was sitting in my truck, waiting for the light to change. ....WHAM! I had just been rear-ended by another truck. Out gets a very drunk Latino man who speaks little English, yet knew enough of the vernacular to purchase and consume numerous beers while driving, as evidenced by the empties clinking around his floorboard. Latino-man tries to get back in his truck and drive away. I collar him and grab his keys. When the police finally do arrive, they determine that he is undocumented,unlicensed, uninsured, nor does he own the vehicle he is driving. Months later, when reviewing my ever-increasing insurance policy premium, I see a new category: 'uninsured motorist coverage". I have to pay my insurance company to insure against an illegal alien who by law has no business being on the road, nor in this country.
But asking an illegal alien to produce a valid license is 'racist'.
I'm sure there are millions of stories like mine, or worse.
It is time to recognize that we can no longer continue to allow our country to be literally invaded by those who are willing to reap the benefits of being here illegally, but have no interest in building our country, nor respecting American culture and history. Our health care premiums are increasing 10-20% per year to cover the indigent and illegals. Our schools are buried in a humanity that speaks languages other that what our Congress chose long ago. Our police and fire departments are overwhelmed, providing services for those who often despise our country as 'racist'. Millions and millions of dollars are spent to paint and re-paint (literally on a daily basis) the miles of private and public property defaced and vandalized by gang members with ties to Mexico and Central America. I myself have seen the same huge surface repainted 4 times in one week on a local freeway.
Only last week, we read of two policemen gunned down, one fatally, in Denver, Colorado. The illegal alien fled to Mexico, where there is no longer an extradition treaty, thanks to Jimmy Carter.
We are inundated, and our quality of life is declining.
This is not a racist rant. Legal, regulated immigration is part of what makes America great, and should always continue. Nor is this meant as a country specific attack. If my neighborhood was suddenly over-run with Irish or Canadians, the sentiment would be the same.
We must maintain our national identity in order to retain our values, without which we will cease to be a great nation. It is an absolute crime that a Korean can emmigrate to the U.S., live and die here without ever uttering a word of English or knowing what his adopted nation's flag stands for.
It is estimated that there are currently between 13 to 20 million illegal aliens in the U.S. They all require local, state, and/or federal services at one point or another. We can't feasibly deport 20 million people. We also cannot allow any more illegals in.
Here is my multi-part solution:
Strategically, we must force our government to acknowledge that the citizens are not willing to give away our country as a trade for cheap labor, regardless of what business lobbyists tell them. Amnesty is no solution, but it is a slap in the face to those who played by the rules and came here the right way. President Bush is the first pupil who needs to take the primer. He has been as bad as any liberal democrat on the illegal immigration issue.
A program of tiered amnesty is to be developed. Example, if an illegal alien came here in 1990, and has since grown a family to five people, he is welcome to stay, provided he is willing to at least partially re-imburse our governments by way of an 'restitution tax' over a five year period. The tax would be a percentage of income much like the percentage of tax I've paid my entire life for services used by illegal aliens. If he works under the table, the base poverty rate would be used. $10 per hour. The tax rate would be 30% the first year, and decrease over time. At some point, the Restitution Tax would sunset, required by law. If he refuses to pay, we seize all assets, including homes, vehicles, possessions, and deport him to his country of origin. We would soon see how many of these people really value being in the United States. We would soon determine the true motive of those who work here and send their money south.
Tactically, business is to be put on notice: Hire one illegal alien, pay $10,000...per offense. This is the teeth of my policy. Naturally, business will threaten us with higher prices, claiming they need the cheap labor. I believe this to be deflection. When illegals come here to work, stay here and marry, do they remain childless? Are families shrinking? Hardly.
There are enough residual workers of previous generations of immigrants, legal or otherwise,to fill the fields and textile factories as required. We really don't need anyone else coming over the border to pick tomatoes. What we do need are people with education and skills.
If we were to unite enforcement of existing hiring laws and a policy of Amnesty with Restitution, I believe we would have an immigrant populace that would appreciate being here, take pride of ownership of their communites and citizenship, and ultimately re-engage in the theory of the 'melting pot' which encourages unity, rather than the 'salad bowl' which ensures isolation.
If I threw a ball through Mrs. Porters window, my Dad was called, not a lawyer or the police. Mrs Huston, a sweet lady, let my friend and I practice our bait-casting on her front lawn-(yes, two 10-year old boys 'fishing' on grass....don't ask). We could stay out until 11 pm in the summers, playing with other kids.
Our neighborhood was stable, a anchor on which we could depend.
Sometime, in the late 1970's, families began to dissappear to other states, their once familiar homes suddenly occupied by people who didn't want to know us, didn't speak our language, and shot hostile glances our way. Later, graffiti began to appear where once there was none. Petty crimes such as burglary went on the up-tick. Instead of the Old Glory being flown on the 4th of July, Mexican flags went up on Cinco De Mayo. Didn't we defeat Santa Ana?, I wondered.
The wonderful old Japanese gardener, also a neighbor, who had the most meticulously maintained landscape I have yet to see, no longer tended people's lawns and shrubbery. He was replaced by a cheaper Latino gardener, who amazingly, provided shoddier work.
One day in the mid 1980's, I saw a grimy Latino man sitting on a corner with boxes of fruit tilted up in the hot sun. What was he doing? After all, there was a grocery store nearby that sold fruit of the kind this man was hawking. Why would someone by a bag of oranges on a street corner? What made this person think he could set up shop on a corner? The remnants of his lunch resided all over the sidewalk adjacent to him, his car stereo blaring out accordion music to keep his boredom in check, while the flies swarmed on the strawberries. This practice is now accepted as 'diverse' and we are encouraged by the liberal left to 'tolerate' the many varying facets of a different culture, which apparently include sub-standard food handling procedures.
Occasionally, when I was home in the mid-day for some reason or another, I began to notice pregant Latino mothers with 3,4,5 or more children walking in the street, while pushing an infant in a stroller. Why weren't the school-age kids in school?, I wondered. How could she afford to stay at home with that many kids?. (I had yet to truly understand my taxes at this point)
Another milestone came when someone actually shot a policeman dead. It was later reported that his murderer was an 'illegal alien'. 'That's a harsh term', I thought. Alien?. Like with a big head and webbed feet?.
Then, one day, I was sitting in my truck, waiting for the light to change. ....WHAM! I had just been rear-ended by another truck. Out gets a very drunk Latino man who speaks little English, yet knew enough of the vernacular to purchase and consume numerous beers while driving, as evidenced by the empties clinking around his floorboard. Latino-man tries to get back in his truck and drive away. I collar him and grab his keys. When the police finally do arrive, they determine that he is undocumented,unlicensed, uninsured, nor does he own the vehicle he is driving. Months later, when reviewing my ever-increasing insurance policy premium, I see a new category: 'uninsured motorist coverage". I have to pay my insurance company to insure against an illegal alien who by law has no business being on the road, nor in this country.
But asking an illegal alien to produce a valid license is 'racist'.
I'm sure there are millions of stories like mine, or worse.
It is time to recognize that we can no longer continue to allow our country to be literally invaded by those who are willing to reap the benefits of being here illegally, but have no interest in building our country, nor respecting American culture and history. Our health care premiums are increasing 10-20% per year to cover the indigent and illegals. Our schools are buried in a humanity that speaks languages other that what our Congress chose long ago. Our police and fire departments are overwhelmed, providing services for those who often despise our country as 'racist'. Millions and millions of dollars are spent to paint and re-paint (literally on a daily basis) the miles of private and public property defaced and vandalized by gang members with ties to Mexico and Central America. I myself have seen the same huge surface repainted 4 times in one week on a local freeway.
Only last week, we read of two policemen gunned down, one fatally, in Denver, Colorado. The illegal alien fled to Mexico, where there is no longer an extradition treaty, thanks to Jimmy Carter.
We are inundated, and our quality of life is declining.
This is not a racist rant. Legal, regulated immigration is part of what makes America great, and should always continue. Nor is this meant as a country specific attack. If my neighborhood was suddenly over-run with Irish or Canadians, the sentiment would be the same.
We must maintain our national identity in order to retain our values, without which we will cease to be a great nation. It is an absolute crime that a Korean can emmigrate to the U.S., live and die here without ever uttering a word of English or knowing what his adopted nation's flag stands for.
It is estimated that there are currently between 13 to 20 million illegal aliens in the U.S. They all require local, state, and/or federal services at one point or another. We can't feasibly deport 20 million people. We also cannot allow any more illegals in.
Here is my multi-part solution:
Strategically, we must force our government to acknowledge that the citizens are not willing to give away our country as a trade for cheap labor, regardless of what business lobbyists tell them. Amnesty is no solution, but it is a slap in the face to those who played by the rules and came here the right way. President Bush is the first pupil who needs to take the primer. He has been as bad as any liberal democrat on the illegal immigration issue.
A program of tiered amnesty is to be developed. Example, if an illegal alien came here in 1990, and has since grown a family to five people, he is welcome to stay, provided he is willing to at least partially re-imburse our governments by way of an 'restitution tax' over a five year period. The tax would be a percentage of income much like the percentage of tax I've paid my entire life for services used by illegal aliens. If he works under the table, the base poverty rate would be used. $10 per hour. The tax rate would be 30% the first year, and decrease over time. At some point, the Restitution Tax would sunset, required by law. If he refuses to pay, we seize all assets, including homes, vehicles, possessions, and deport him to his country of origin. We would soon see how many of these people really value being in the United States. We would soon determine the true motive of those who work here and send their money south.
Tactically, business is to be put on notice: Hire one illegal alien, pay $10,000...per offense. This is the teeth of my policy. Naturally, business will threaten us with higher prices, claiming they need the cheap labor. I believe this to be deflection. When illegals come here to work, stay here and marry, do they remain childless? Are families shrinking? Hardly.
There are enough residual workers of previous generations of immigrants, legal or otherwise,to fill the fields and textile factories as required. We really don't need anyone else coming over the border to pick tomatoes. What we do need are people with education and skills.
If we were to unite enforcement of existing hiring laws and a policy of Amnesty with Restitution, I believe we would have an immigrant populace that would appreciate being here, take pride of ownership of their communites and citizenship, and ultimately re-engage in the theory of the 'melting pot' which encourages unity, rather than the 'salad bowl' which ensures isolation.
posted by Marc at
1:47 PM
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