Tuesday, March 9, 2010
when enrique from the border angles was talking to us yesterday something stuck out to me. if visas is all you need to get into this country then why is the bar set so high. why is it that an average person doesnt qualify whereas doctors and archutects etc do? is it saying that to be an american you have to be better than the rest, better than the best? do we ourselves as americans have this thing where we're better than those of other countries. and another thing that got me upset was when someone told him that by him helping, he was aidding and embedding. like really these people are dying all he's doing is giving them water, it's not like he's helping them cross the border or something like that. but because they're illegal they're treated as nothing they mean nothing smh the presentation was a real eye opener
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
yea the bar is set high. its what makes america special. probably the main reason why people want to enter into our nation. im not saying they should keep the gates closed but in order to qualify you need to have a certain quality whether it be money or a good background. the reason its so hard for latinos to cross our border is population control. theres a standard to how many people of what race can be allowed in at certain periods of time.
ReplyDeleteand when he was talking about immigration and tax paying, what struck me most was the argument he made that immigrants pay taxes. the 7/11 example. how arbitrary! thats not what taxes is all about. its about working, on the books and paying a certain amount from the money you make.
im not saying i dont like the diversity of our country, but its not what keeps our engines running. what keeps our engines running is an active participation within our citizens that keep our government going. think about all the immigrants who dont, or cant vote. the government would be freewheeling.
its sad that people die everyday, and yes, there should be a line. but even if there was a line, im sure people would still be dying. therefore, it might only just increase the amount of people crossing into our borders with and without visas.
What does it mean to work "on the books?"
ReplyDeleteMany undocumented immigrants actually do contribute to our social security and medicare system, but for reasons of their immigration status, are not afforded those benefits.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/05/business/05immigration.html
Look at what happened to the economy of Postville, Iowa after the ICE raids that occurred over there.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/12/nation/na-postville-iowa12
Immigrants vote in overwhelming numbers in comparison to American citizens who are eligible to vote.
There are economic forces that impel immigrants to come to the United States. Any other thoughts?
Interesting. I didn't realize they paid taxes with fake IDs.
ReplyDeleteBut what happened in Postville, Iowa is controversial. I mean, the state was too reliant on illegal immigrants. but I agree if there was a line it would solve a lot of problems.
Dont think I'm completely against it.I'm not. A line is a good idea but I'm still not convinced people would stop coming into the borders and therefore there will still be a consistent number of illegal immigrants coming into the country.
I'm sorry for my skepticism to help illegal immigrants but it's a topic I'm somewhat biased about. probably just the neighborhood I grew up in but the thought will never leave me.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you being honest, J. So much of what we feel/believe/know is from personal experience. The same way people tout having a Black friend as proof that one is incapable of racism, is the same argument that could be said of judging all "illegal" immigrants based on ones experiences in a specific neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI like to address this issue with the following questions:
- Are there worldwide economic forces that impel this people to come the U.S.? (Is the U.S. responsible for these forces?)
- Does individual conflict (the one we experience day to day) mimic international conflict? Why or why not?
What do you think?
honestly, America has been the worlds leading economic powers and that's what attracted foreigners. the abundance of resources, profit and work. and even though we are going through a tough time, we are still wealthier than immigration countries. and another thing is many of the poverty can be laid blame on the U.S. if another country does not support capitalist democracy, we easily go into other territories and force democracy... Capitalist democracy on them. so in a way, even indirectly we are responsible for these forces but not completely. our government, our country is BASED on profit unlike other countries that have to immigrate here for profit.
ReplyDeleteas for the second question, I'm not exactly sure what you mean. can you clarify on that?
Do I think Mr. Enrique was aiding and abiding, no, do I agree with what he is doing, no, is my disagreement such that I would go and sabotage his operation, no. The illegal immigrants themselves really don’t bother me, they are some of the best people, they pay rent, they apparently pay taxes, and they work! That’s more than some citizens of this country can say. We all know those people who try to milk the system and say they are sick when they aren’t and try to get a social security check and free housing.
ReplyDeleteWho really "milks" the system in this country? People on welfare? Or billionaire bankers who get bailouts galore? Where in the universe can an employee receive billions of dollars for running his employer into the ground?
ReplyDeleteWhere do our views come from? I think this is an incredible opportunity to look at Personality-centered and Conflict-centered perspectives of prejudice.