re: #32 Obdicut

There’s a lot of people here. Who are you talking to?

Mostly Charles, but I’d like to know your position too.

What do you mean by ‘live’? Right now, illegal immigrants pay into social security and a lot of other programs they’re not eligible for, while working for below-legal wages a lot of the time or otherwise getting exploited. I’d rather have a guest worker program, an expanded green-card program.

Live = reside. While what you write is largely true, illegals also get a lot of services for which they do not pay, including ER visits, K-12 education, etc. On the other hand, hard to feel too sorry about someone being exploited when it was their choice to come here.

What about the enormous cost of kicking everyone out, the devastation to the economy, and the fact that they’ll just come back? Aren’t those also good reasons not to do it?

Those are things to consider, yes.

Expanded guest worker programs and a path to citizenship that isn’t based on a lottery. The DREAM act is a good start.

So no limits on legal immigration whatsoever except for criminals? I do have concerns about whether or not such an approach is good for the country. I concede that I’m not convinced that these concerns are rational, but once the flood gate is open, there’s no closing it, and if open immigration is a mistake, it’s a mistake you can’t take back.

The general feeling against open immigration comes I think for most Americans in two parts:

1. Increased population density is undesirable. Looking at countries with much higher population densities than the USA makes me feel claustrophobic.

2. Change in culture. While I do appreciate a lot of aspects of other cultures, some are less desirable. While political corruption in the USA is bad, it’s nowhere near that of Mexico. Americans like the country to be American, just like Mexicans like Mexico to be Mexican. Just look at Mexico’s immigration laws if you have any doubt.

3. I have Latino friends here in the pacific northwest who moved from southern cal. They left, they said, because the illegal immigrants have ruined the place. They didn’t get into details, but what’s up with that?

My business partner’s parents are Mexican, his father formally an illegal immigrant. If everyone in the country was just like him, it would be a better place.

I think the guest worker program is a great idea. I also think that anyone brought here as a child and has lived most of their life here is effectively American and should be granted citizenship. I think a non-lottery path to citizenship is a good idea as long as there are a couple strong requirements in terms of the standard US history and political system, as well as a working knowledge of the English language.