More American Than You

Gwenn, I agree and disagree... I live in AZ - so this is a little bit of a HOT topic! And, in many ways, I am embarassed that Arizona's approach to the issue has become so publicized. I agree that we don't want to be like ALOT of other countries.
And, while I also can very clearly recognize the legal immigrant v undocumented immigrant argument, there has been a really big piece missing from the whole issue. ILLEGAL (or UNDOCUMENTED) immigrants helped build this country - from Chinese immigrants building the railroads and working the mines, to Mexican farm workers and ranchers.
In my neighborhood, TONS of upperclass and upper middleclass white families wanted cheap nannies, and cheap gardeners. And America wants cheap food... inexpensive construction, inexpensive housekeeping staff, etc. That is all on the backs of ILLEGALS. They pay taxes... some payroll, all sales tax, rental tax, etc.
Of course, now that the economy is bad... let's throw them all out - and let's be really angry and ugly about it too. Let's forget they made ANY contributions! The conversation AND our immigration policies have to change.
But there will always be people we don't want in our country, Al Queda and the Taliban for starters. And drug lords. And human trafficers.
I just wish we could first focus on those guys, and secure the border.... then we can deal with the gardeners. And, when people say it's not about the Mexicans, I wonder... did I just miss the raids on the Chinese restaurants?

Yes, illegal immigration is the concern.

I have a big heart for illegal immigrants as I know many decent, hardworking ones in L.A.

But I think many of us are seeing what's becoming of neighborhoods where so many illegals are living in plain site. Part of me wants them to get a great job and be able to feed their families and assimilate. Then part of me wishes they would stop littering my neighborhood and go back to their countries where littering is accepted practice.

It's not un-American to put the best interests of my fellow Americans ahead of illegal immigrants.

We need to end the incentives for them to come over illegally. America was once great for being a nation of laws, back in a time when people actually respected those laws.

Heather blogs about Motherhood & Other Offensive Situations at http://www.ultimateoutcasts.com.

"First and second generation Americans--immigrants and their children--are more American than those whose families have been in the United States for a few more generations. If your family no longer has any real connection to its country of origin, you cannot know what it's like to choose to be American instead of something else and, as a result, you do not remember what makes America great."

Freedom of speech is one of our greatest rights as Americans citizens (born and naturalized), so therefore, I will simply point out that the above paragraph, quoted from your article above smacks of the very bigotry that you profess to decry in the paragraph below it.

As pointed out by those who commented prior, it is not immigration that is upsetting. America is, proudly, a nation of immigrants. No, it is immigration done illegally that hurts all of us here in the United States. It hurts those who are here legally/born here in that many resources are limited; and we cannot sustain everyone who wants to live here. That is a fact. It is not racist.

But illegal immigration also hurts those who are here illegally; because of fear, they often live in substandard circumstances and don't/can't move past that to the 'American dream.' They accept lower wages, put off health care and don't report crimes for fear of being deported. All real fears.

Gwenn, I urge you to not be so cavalier throwing out charges of racism. This issue is volatile and can only be solved with reason, not false charges of bigotry.

Like so many others, you conveniently left out a key word in your description of what is happening. It's Anti-ILLEGAL Immigration people have an issue with. The email you quoted says it clearly two times: ILLEGALLY.

Sure, there are some racists out there who are against any form of immigration. Luckily, most of them are quite vocal so we all know who they are and can deal with them appropriately, ie ignore them, publicly mock them, ask them questions, or whatever floats your boat. But the vast majority of people are objecting to the number of people violating our laws by entering, or staying in, the country illegally. And there are several reasons for that.

Fear of anti-American, hate-mongering, terrorists coming in to attack from within our borders is a very real concern. The outbreak and spread of diseases that were once eradicated here or at least held under control thanks to immunizations is a real fear because so many who sneak in never get proper immunizations. Jobs and the burden of providing aid and resources to so many poor is another. In our history, we have had a good balance of highly educated immigrants alongside those who didn't have much of an education and weren't very skilled. Legal immigration helps balance that out, so that we have enough of the high-income-earning people to help pay for the services lower-income-earners need.

Of course all people deserve a better chance of life, regardless of education, health concerns, or whatever. But that is the reason we should be sponsoring positive changes in other countries, helping export democracy, encourage growth of industry, and eliminate corrupt governments. We simply cannot afford to care for every human in the world who wants to come here. We can't. It's a cold, hard reality. And rather than label people who "get" that as racist, try to understand why every country has limits on how many can immigrate, who they accept in, and see that it's a concern with every government on the planet. Then try to find ways to help those who can't get here have a better life in their countries and make a difference. Name calling gets us nowhere.

Debi, grinding through life at www.decafdiaries.com ( http://www.decafdiaries.com )
and paying the bills at www.brandnewconcept.com ( http://www.brandnewconcept.com )

I don't know ANYONE who is anti-immigration. Just anti ILLEGAL immigration. Is it really too much to ask people to enter the country by following the laws of the land? It's unfair to the people who have worked hard and followed the rules to immigrate to turn a blind eye to the CRIMINALS who ignore our laws.

I'm an immigrant and I hardly think I am more American than anyone else here. Most people don't think of me as an immigrant because I speak English very well (it's my first language) and I'm white. The curent (latest) wave of anti-immigration is definitely racist but it's not very helpful to classify any Americans as more American than others.