A different view of the immigration debate. UPDATED
Sirimba has posted the thoughts of Jack Kemp on this immigration bill. He believes America can be a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. I tend to agree with him.
UPDATE: Idealism?
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
Some thoughts about Ronald Reagan and Immigration courtesy of the Cato Institute.
In the many eulogies to Ronald Reagan since his passing, virtually all acknowledge his role in defeating Soviet communism and reviving America's self-confidence. But another aspect of Reagan's record that should not be forgotten was his commitment to keeping America open to trade and immigration.
Reagan's vision of an America open to commerce and peaceful, hardworking immigrants contradicts the anti-trade and anti-immigration views espoused by Lou Dobbs, Bill O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, and many others who claim to speak for the conservative causes Reagan largely defined.
...At a ceremony at Ellis Island in 1982, he spoke movingly of immigrants who "possessed a determination that with hard work and freedom, they would live a better life and their children even more so." As with trade, Reagan's record on immigration was mixed. He signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which included stepped up border enforcement and sanctions against employers who knowingly hire illegal workers. But that legislation also legalized 2.8 million undocumented workers. More immigrants entered the United States legally under President Reagan's watch than under any previous U.S. president since Teddy Roosevelt.
...Like President George W. Bush today, Reagan had the good sense and compassion to see illegal immigrants not as criminals but as human beings striving to build better lives through honest work. In a radio address in 1977, he noted that apples were rotting on trees in New England because no Americans were willing to pick them. "It makes one wonder about the illegal alien fuss. Are great numbers of our unemployed really victims of the illegal alien invasion or are those illegal tourists actually doing work our own people won't do?" Reagan asked. "One thing is certain in this hungry world; no regulation or law should be allowed if it results in crops rotting in the fields for lack of harvesters."
...In his farewell address to the nation in January 1989, Reagan beautifully wove his view of free trade and immigration into his vision of a free society: "I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and heart to get here."
Compare Reagan's hopeful, expansive, and inclusive view of America with the dour, crabbed, and exclusive view that characterizes certain conservatives who would claim his mantle. Their view of the world could not be more alien to the spirit of Ronald Reagan.
Jack Kemp believes this is a nation of immigrants and laws. You believe it. I believe it. Seems everyone belives it except the illegal immigrants protesting on our streets.
I think the operative word is "can" as in can be a nation of immigrants and laws. I believe this country is beacon for those yearning to be free. Whether that's free of a tyrannical system of government or free of poverty. Mr. Kemp has it right when he says that we should expect people to violate our laws when we do nothing to enforce them. I understand the concern with some elements of anti-Americanism in the crowds of protestors but I think that's more the effect of an opportunistic bunch of vocal malcontents than the opinions of the vast amount of undocumented Latin Americans living in our country.
And they will continue to violate the laws if we keep wiping the slate clean by giving them amnesty. I don't think the answer is to criminalize 11 million people. But, I'm against the entitlement mentality that seems to underpin a lot of the protesters. Even worst -- there now seems to be a "reparations" mentality right along side it. If nothing else comes of this, I hope the mainsteam finally realizes how hollow the word "Hispanic" is. It describes nothing.
God save me from idealists.
Yeah, what did Republican idealists ever do besides free the slaves and defeat the Soviets in the cold war?
MR. PRESIDENT, I'M HEADED TO MEXICO
David M. Bresnahan
April 1, 2006
NewsWithViews.com
Dear President Bush:
I'm about to plan a little trip with my family and extended family, and I would like to ask you to assist me. I'm going to walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and I need to make a few arrangements. I know you can help with this.
I plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.
So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Vicente Fox, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:
1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. All government forms need to be printed in English.
4. I want my kids to be taught by English-speaking teachers.
5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flag pole at their school with the Mexican flag flying lower down.
7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do not plan to have any car insurance, and I won't make any effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from Pres. Fox to leave me alone, please be sure that all police officers speak English.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, and don't enforce any labor laws or tax laws.
13. Please tell all the people in the country to be extremely nice and
never say a critical word about me, or about the strain I might place on the economy.
I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all the people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that Pres. Fox won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.
However, if he gives you any trouble, just invite him to go quail hunting with your V.P.
Thank you so much for your kind help.
Sincerely,
David M. Bresnahan
© 2006 David M. Bresnahan - All Rights Reserved
David M. Bresnahan has over 30 years of experience as an award-winning
journalist, broadcaster, radio station owner, talk show host, and business owner. David has been a prominent writer for many Internet newspapers.
Take Care and Have a Great Day.
Some of us are intransigent about our idealism, George.
My good friend Henry, you and I obviously have different definitions of what an "idealist" is.
Environmentalists, socialists, communists, liberals are all "idealists." To me, an idealist wants to impose a belief on you because they know better; a realist stops them from doing it.
Lincoln and Reagan, in my view, may have given the appearance of being idealists, but they were REALISTS, through and through. If they were idealists, they never would have done what they did. Bush started out as a realist but he's lost his way...
Just my $0.02.
I'm not quibbling with anyone but I offer these thoughts -- Yes, Reagan was a practical man, but what was his "shining city on a hill" speech if not a blatant display of idealism? The man had vision, as well as a keen sense of the pragmatic.
Aahh. But having "vision" is not the same as being an "idealist."
OK, here goes. The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of the ideals that America was founded on. Now I know you are going to say, "a-ha!, he said ideals!", but hear me out. Having a set of ideals for the way one lives and believes is one thing; but it's the execution of those ideals, be it in business, law, war, politics, religion, that to me define what you are. A "realist" NEVER imposes his ideals, but always follows through on them regardless of cost or difficulty (Lincoln, Reagan, Churchill, Thatcher); an "idealist" will continue to believe in ideas regardless of the amount of empirical evidence that proves him wrong (all leftist/liberals today) because those ideas make him feel good.
My definitions are very consistent with what the Statue of Liberty stands for. However, immigrants entering the country illegaly, sapping the resources of the nation that hosts them are the product of idealists who have created a mentality of entitlement and dependance that has to be stopped. The nation only asks for them to follow the laws. That's all. It's very simple. If we keep flaunting these laws and grant amnesty to these folks, then the message is that the laws mean nothing. When that happens, Lady Liberty is going to need a big handkerchief for her tears.
One of Reagan's biggest errors was the Immigration reform bill he signed in '86 or '87. They tried to do the same thing twenty years ago they are trying today. Placate all the groups so they don't get mad or call you a racist.
The evidence is pretty overwhelming that the laws passed have failed miserably at controlling illegal immigration.
BTW, Henry, he meant "legally" get here. Not "illegaly."
cada vez que leo los versos que estan inscritos en la estatua de la libertad..se me herizan los pelos..yo fui uno de esos millones,y ahora estoy aqui..GOD BLESS AMERICA..y la estatua tambien..!!!!!!!!
That Bresnahan piece is so out of whack. As a Cuban-American who took part in the march here in PHX I can assure you that no one in the march was demanding things like free breakfasts for their kids.
These protests are in response to legislation that would criminalize millions and not for free health care. It is just another attempt by those in the far right to make it seem like these undocumented workers have it easy once they come here.
As an observer on these boards for a while it really bugs me when my fellow Cuban-Americans take the side of the far right and not the immigrants. We seem to want to differentiate ourselves from them, but ultimately they have come to this country for the same reasons our parents left Cuba -- to find a better life for their kids. And the vast majority are here working their tails off to make a living and not looking for hand outs.
As a Cuban-American raised in Texas I have struggled with the issue of why so many Cuban-Americans would have views so in line with the hard-liners who want to ship all the Mexicans back home. The only thing I can think of is growing up in Texas I have been exposed to these hard-working immigrants and can see the similarities with my family when they arrived in the United States. We are much more similar than a lot of you make it seem.
I'm sure I will be blasted for this, but I can't keep quiet anymore on this topic.
George you make it sound as if all these people had to do to be legal immigrants is fill out a form. The reality is that our zenophobic tendencies have created artificially low quotas of legal immigrants. The people didn't come here with the primary purpose of subverting our laws. In fact they just want to put food on the table, educate their kids, and live a better life. The American dream. It's our closed door policy that makes them outlaws. Like I said I don't want uncontrolled immigration but we need to step up the number of legal immigrants that we accept in this country because we're headed for a demographci catastrophe with the median age creeping up as the baby boom nears retirement.
I agree that granting amnesty was a mistake then and it would be a mistake now. It would be a bigger mistake now that we have the historical evidence to show us that it did not work. And about "the vision thing," OK, I appreciate the distinction between having vision and being an idealist. That's a good point. (You caught me substituting one term for another. Obviously, I'm going to have to try something much more sneaky the next time.) Many idealists do end up being dogmatic, which is never a good thing. I just hate giving up a perfectly decent word like "idealist" and let the lefties monopolize it.
For those 2.8 million people it was probably the most important legislation Reagan ever signed.
What is the evidence that it didn't work then?
Angel Rodriguez reminds me of my visits to Texas when I had to go there pretty regularly between 1996-99. The Mexicans live with a degree of discrimination that is unseen here. The first US-born generation is ashamed to speak Spanish. I had taken for granted that in Miami you can toggle between Spanish and English (and anything else you want to speak) and no one is going to look at you. It wasn't always like that but it is now. That having been said, even if we honor the intentions of most illegal immigrants (i.e. to find a better life), they should still be required to respect the law and immigrate through the proper channels. Every sovereign nation has the right to protect its borders. This one is no different.
"What is the evidence that it didn't work then?"
They have to pass a new law to accomplish the same thing the old law tried to accomplish. Same old thinking, same old result.
George, an Amnesty (let's call it that for simplicity sake) isn't a policy to stop illegal immigration. It's a policy to make illegal immigrants into legal residents. How can you classify it a failure? It worked quite well for those who got amnesty. Unless you can show me empirically that it had a deleterious effect on the country how can it be considered a failure. The failure was to enforce the laws after the amnesty was granted. Is it any wonder that more and more came? We're not going to agree on this.
You know, Henry, there is a difference between being against illegal immigration and being against immigration altogether. I don't know all the senators views and positions, but from what I've read most of the people you mention are against illegal aliens, who broke the law to get here.
I have not heard in any of the shows anyone say they are against legal immigration. We need to keep this difference clear, because there IS a difference.
No doubt it was important legislation for them, Conductor. You remind me of a very nice dinner I had at Mister G's in a hotel at DFW. Almost all the waiters were illegals. We got to talking because it was late and I was the last customer there. Being the nosey snoop that I am, I asked them how they got here? What was it like to cross the desert? Did they come alone? One of them had walked all the way by himself. And he said these words in Spanish -- "I will never forget what el senor Reagan did for me." Very moving words, but they don't make amnesty the solution. (BTW--Mr G's has great steaks, great Scotches and cognacs and you can smoke a cigar at the table. If you are ever caught over night, like I was, think about it.)
BECAUSE THEY WERE ILLEGAL IN THE FIRST PLACE AND NOBODY IN THE GOVERNMENT WANTED TO ENFORCE THE LAW THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN BROKEN!!
(Sorry for raising my voice...)
A law that is not enforced stops being the law. (I must have read that somewhere because it sounds too good for me to have made it up just now.) Granting amnesty (AGAIN!) will encourage more waves of illegal immigrants.
And no one here is advocating closing the doors on all immigrants.
Jumping into the Henry/George arument, sorry for butting in guys.
Henry, Amnesty is not immigration reform. It's a cop out; it's an oh shit look what we've done we need to fix this legislation; and most of all it is a slap in the face to people like my spouse who is patiently going through the system for himself and to bring the rest of his family here. Where is his amnesty? He's paid taxes, never been on welfare, paid all insurances, even social security, why is he not a legal permanent resident yet? It might surprise you but he is even MORE against this than we all could be togther.
Immigration reform is a quota adjustment, its reviewing our current immigration policy. There is a difference.
Thirdly, BORDER SECURITY, both north and south, that's where the attention should be. We are doing this backwards.
And for Angel in Texas, maybe in your state they are protesting HR4437 which is essentially null and void since the senate has been vocal about not passing it. Here in my state they had flyer with a LIST OF DEMANDS - they were demanding amnesty, access to university, health insurance, lower fees for remittances among other things. They do have an attitude of entitlement and of the US owing them something.
I don't know if it is the majority or the minority, but that is what is coming through.
There's 3 different discussions going on here which make it hard to make sense.
We love to use the word ILLEGAL, ILLEGAL, ILLEGAL. What if the United States scrapped the wet/foot dry foot policy tomorrow and made it ILLEGAL for Cubans to come over? Would be we be less sympathetic to those who risked their lives anyway looking for a better life? I REALLY REALLY doubt it. We'd be up in arms protesting to the government, asking for a change of policy. There's more immigrants wanting to come to to this country than we allow to come. My point is that the number we allow is artificially low and we also make it easy for them to come over by not enforcing the border. I'm not going to blame them for taking advantage of our inept policies. If it were me, I'd do the same thing. Walk a mile in another man's shoes for once.
Are you seriously telling me our country couldn't absorb the estimated 11 million undocumented aliens that ARE ALREADY LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY if they had a way to get legal?
I'm telling you we can't afford to keep them in the limbo they are in.
That's it. I've had it.
Henry, calm down. In response to your question, here is what I think. We have 11million people, most of whom are working for cheap labor or below minimum wage, correct? What happens when they are legal and the employers are now forced to pay market price, or the immigrants themselves demand just pay?
Do they all still have their jobs then? Do companies then look elsewhere, to other illegals still coming through? I don't think businesses would stand there and just watch their profits go down. What? No one has been able to tell me what would happen then.
Ventanita,
It might have come off as demands, but here in Arizona those "demands" are in response to legislation that has either been proposed by the legislature or actually passed.
Prop. 200 passed here in Arizona last year and it was a vaguely worded piece of legislation (approved by a vast majority of voters) that requires state agencies to require proof of legal status for any service. Since the law was so vague it could have been interpreted by some municipalities as to even require proof for emergency medical treatment. So if I am in car accident, the EMS workers would have to make sure I am in the country legally before providing me service. And with my last name I am sure I would have to provide it instead of someone with the last name Smith.
Thankfully, this bill is in the courts and it will probably never be enacted.
In terms of universities, there have been cases here in Arizona where straight A students in high school are basically shut out of an opportunity for college because they did not have legal status. In several cases they were brought to this country and children and have been basically shut out of advancing in this country. The Dream Act has been proposed by Sen. McCain and others from preventing this from happening but so far hasn't received much support in either the House or Senate.
So while these may seem to be demands by some it is really a response to what is going on around them. I don't know what it is like in your state, Venanita, but the hatred for anything sounding Mexican in this state has blown me away.
You guys are right. Let's round 'em up. Get a train of boxcars headed down Mexico ways. We were here first therefore we have the right to tell people they shouldn't here for a lot of the same reasons we came. If it had been illegal for my father to come from Cuba I have a hard time believing it would have dissuaded him from coming.
Illegal?
There But for the Grace of God go I.
Indeed there is hostility out there towards Mexico on the part of quite a few Cubans. However, I believe this is mostly directed at Mexican politicians and "arrogant intellectual" types, perceived as being partially responsible for helping put kaSStro where he is, and subsequently helping him stay in power, as he is a convenient surrogate for the anti-USA hostility they would like to more openly express. These are the same people constantly harping and critizicing the USA because, frankly, they can't get over 1847, as some Deutsche volk can't get over 1945. To the Cubans who had to give everything up, and forcibly, to become exiles, these people are grating and irritating. However, the majority of Cubans can relate to the desire for average Joes and Janes, or Joses and Josefas, to make a better life for themselves in this great land of opportunity. That Mexicans are willing to risk their lives to get here, as the only way to a better and decent life, underscores the fact that the Mexican ruling and chattering lefty classes have turned Mexico into close to a failed state. Before they criticize the dust mote in Uncle Sam's eye, they oughta remove the BEAMS from theirs.
There needs to be an orderly immigration system based on the rule of law. Period.
Completely agree with you Conductor. There would have been no law that would have kept my dad from getting his family to the United States. If that would have made him illegal he wouldn't have cared. I guess I would have been one of the "anchor babies" that Lou Dobbs and his ilk would have wanted to have taken away my U.S. citizenship.
ALberto and Angel, I agree with both of you. I have to run. My flag football team has a playoff game at 7:00 PM. Wish me luck.
Angel, here I have to admit, I haven't felt any hatred towards Mexicans. Most immigrants up here are Dominicans, and there are central americans.
When I talk about demands
Their issue with education is not accessibility its affordability - they do not qualify for instate tuition, so they'd have to pay international rate.
To all, the debate here is very simple. US law provides a way for immigrants to come into the United States. The folks we are discussing have broken that law and entered into the US where they then buy forged documents in order to work. That's two laws broken. Many work under the radar and are paid cash, no FICA or withholding is taken from their pay, nor is any state tax, if applicable. That's three or four laws. Then, they have the added benefits of full public services in many states which puts a burden on LEGAL citizens and residents who pay taxes to pay for these services.
Is this what you are supporting?
George Moneo sums up my feelings nicely in his last comment. The reason I keep using the word illegal is because the people I'm referring to are, gosh can you believe it?, illegal. It isn't an arbitrary term. They chose to enter the country in violation of the law. Now, if only Mr Moneo could see his way towards broadening his use of the word "idealist" a little...
Let's remember that this "Illegal" business is a two-way street. Until we start getting tough with the employers who hire undocumented workers than this issue will never go away.
Unfortunately, the politicians have decided to go after the easy target in this case. Until there are stiff penalties dished out to big business then people will still cross the borders to make money and no legislation or wall or enforcement policy will stem the tide.
I ask how much would new homes cost if home builders were forced to pay competant wages and benefits to construction workers? How about how much our fruits and vegtables would cost?
We can complain about the taxpayer money being spent, but there is a positive here that many people don't want to focus on.
The best solution is find an fair way to legalize the millions that are here, set harsh fines for employers who hire undocumented workers, beef up security along the border and implement a guest worker program.
Will this work? Probably not, but it makes a whole hell of a lot more sense than building a wall. Show me a 10 foot fence and I'll show you an 11 foot ladder....
Burn the illegals AND the employers. Once you do that, compliance will follow...
I hate the idea of a wall. I really, really do. But if you look at Israel's experience, their wall has managed to cut down the number of suicide attacks. It isn't just illegal immigrants who cross our border, it is also drugs, and members of the Mara Salvatruche, and who knows who else. And yes, employers must also be held accountable for employing illegal immigrants.
I've been on the road,so I'm late to this, but I'm with Conductor and Angel on this one. George I don't know about the rest of the country but here in LA it's not just under the table wages, everyone here knows where to get papers, illegals get SSN cards, under-age college kids get fake ID's so they can go out drinking. My daughter had one before her first weekend away from home. They work in the service industries, it's a standing joke out here that if you can't speak Spanish and go through the fast food drive through you count items, and don't worry about the details because many of the people taking your order can't speak English. The whole idea of doing something about illegals is about 15 or 20 years too late for LA. We are Mexico City north, love it or leave it. Out here this issue oozes with racism, people who hit the locks on their car doors just because they're in a Mexican neighborhood, never mind the crime rate. People who talk down to and close off their humanity when talking to anyone with "brown skin" or an accent. And this is an improvement from eariler decades, maybe because the worst of the bigots moved to places like Seattle and Utah. The people you see in the demonstations are the minority, I've been saying it all along, they are students, the ANSWER crowd, La Raza, etc. Your average hard working immigrant is busy at their place of employment and they are not going to risk losing that job to go take part in some dumb demonstation. I too am done.
I won't be voicing my thoughts about immigration on babalublog anymore. If you want to debate me I'll be glad to at cubanamericanpundits.com but I think this issue is way too divisive and I don't want wear out my welcome here.
Ziva, does the fact that it's easy make it right? Should we just accept the lawlessness because the country has no will to enforce laws. We surrender to pressure here, and we surrender to pressure abroad. America is a mere shell of what it once was. This is a sad, sad state of affairs.
Henry, you should stay and debate. That's the whole point of having well-informed populace. Just because I (and some others) disagree with you doesn't mean we don't want the debate. BTW, if I haven't worn out my welcome, you don't have to worry about a thing. Ask Val what his nickname for me is.
George, first of all, I don’t think it's easy. These people struggle, and work their buts off, and usually their family is back home, so they do it alone. You know how old I am, there used to be a better system, and more of the workers returned home. There is a long history here in California, the area I live in was formerly a Mexican Rancho, it's complicated emotionally, not cut and dried as the law proscribes. The Mexicans live here, and Mexicans have always traveled back and forth to work. In the long scheme of things, it's fairly recent history that the border has been so closed. It wasn't that long ago that Mexicans came here to work for a while, (agricultural season) and then would return home. That is no longer possible. I fully support U.S. law and the right of our government to control immigration, but out here it isn't working, and hasn't since at least the great depression, before I was born. It's easy to cite the law and say this is it; this is where we draw the line, but what if the law doesn't work? What if we can look to an earlier history that did work? Shouldn't we be at least willing to consider that model? Again, I can only speak to Southern California, which historically, and now, is intertwined with Mexico, it has always been so, and short of draconian, inhumane policies enacted by our government it will remain so. These "people" are my relatives, friends, co-workers, bosses, and neighbors. I cannot see them otherwise, and they are not out there marching in demonstrations. And, once again, I'd like to point out that we caught terrorists on the Canadian-US border and I still haven't heard anyone talking about our long open border with Canada. Bigotry?
I would also like to add, that I don't personally "know" any Mexicans wearing che shirts, for those La Raza commies who do so, Val said it best...fuck you, you represent nothing but an evil fascist hatred of humanity.
I need to weigh in here.
First, Henry, there is no way you will ever wear out your welcome here. You, as well as george "El pitbull" Moneo and the rest have this podium to express your opinions.
Second, in response to Angel's comments:
There is a well known Cubanism that applies here quite perfectly and which explians why we Cuban-Americans have the opinions we do:
Dime con quien andas, y te dire quien eres.
Tell me who youre with and Ill tell you who you are.
Now, I will grant that there may be instances of bias, perhaps racism or bigotry against illegals. Ill grant that some of these immigrants are essential to their local economies. Ill grant that some do have legitimate gripes with the current legislations in Congress. Ill grant that there are similarities - however incredibly slim - with both the Cuban and mexican immigrant population. And I will grant that the "Give me your tired wretched and poor" words on Ellis Island attest to the true nature and ideals of this country. And I know many Mexican and Latin American immigrants who work their asses off here and are nothing but the epitome of the pursuit of the American dream.
However, I cannot, in good conscience, side with anyone, no matter how righteous their cause may be, who displays such blatant anti-Americanism - aligning themsleves with the likes of the World Socialist Party, ANSWER, Code Pink, etal.. and who don the image of the butcher of la Cabana Che Guevara in an attempt to force the government of the very same country they show such disdain for to allow them to be a part of that very same country. It is hypocritical, and egregiously disrectful. And since such is the case, as these "protests" were organized by those extremist and fringe groups mentioned above, then the protesters are de facto supporters of those groups.
You and Henry may see a similarity between your parents and those of the protesters now. I do not. Nor do I think that just because millions of illegals protest that we should placate them. What about the millions that attempt to enter this country legally?
Ted Kennedy gave a speech yesterday at one of the protests. In all honesty, do you truly believe that Kennedy and his party ilk give a rats ass about the plight of illegal immigrants? of course not. It's all about power for the politicians, be they GOP or Dem. To a person like Kennedy, etal, you, me, Mexcicans, Peruvians, venezuelans, etc.. are and will always be "brown people".
Dear Mr. Bresnahan,
You have every right to think the way you do. You probably don’t know many Latin Americans and are not personally aquainted with the situation many undocumented people find themselves in. But lucky for you I’m a Mexican who’s willing to work with you to iron out the innocent misconceptions of your work.
First of all, if you plan to go to Mexico and skip all the stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and all that, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to do so. Mexico has an open border as long as you drive or walk through, no one will ask you for anything. And even Mexican law explicitly says that Americans may spend up to 72 hours or so in Mexican border towns without any documentation at all. But I’m sure no one will check if your time runs out, or if you decide to get deeper into the country. I don’t know the details, you might want to look them up.
Following is your work along with my comments. Please review them carefully. I respond to them in accordance to what they imply
MR. PRESIDENT, I'M HEADED TO MEXICO
David M. Bresnahan
April 1, 2006
Dear President Bush:
I'm about to plan a little trip with my family and extended family, and I would like to ask you to assist me. I'm going to walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and I need to make a few arrangements. I know you can help with this.
I plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.
So would you mind telling your buddy, President Vicente Fox, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:
1. Free medical care for my entire family. COMMENT Not true, it’s not everyday someone has to go to the emergency room. And it’s better to allow undocumented people access to the ER than to let them die. END COMMENT
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not. COMMENTThis is a requirement under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty signed after the Mexican American war allows Spanish to be spoken in the south-western territories. I don’t know why everyone has forgotten this.END COMMENT
3. All government forms need to be printed in English. COMMENT Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.END COMMENT
4. I want my kids to be taught by English-speaking teachers.COMMENT Again, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.END COMMENT
5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history. COMMENT Why not? South-western states used to be part of Mexico so we share a common heritage. END COMMENT
6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flag pole at their school with the Mexican flag flying lower down. COMMENT Not nearly as offensive as when a xenophobic anti-immigrant group burned a Mexican flag outside the Mexican consulate. END COMMENT
7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch. COMMENT Or let them starve?END COMMENT
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services. COMMENT People complain that Mexicans are uninsured. Of course, they can’t get licences. Undocumented people don’t qualify for government services. The first thing asked for is a California ID and a social security number. They only qualify for schooling and the ER. END COMMENT
9. I do not plan to have any car insurance, and I won't make any effort to learn local traffic laws. COMMENT We would get car insurance if we could. And what do you mean not make any effort to learn local traffic laws? Why did you say that? That is so rude! END COMMENT
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from Pres. Fox to leave me alone, please be sure that all police officers speak English.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals. COMMENT I, as a Mexican, would be honored to have you do that. The integration of our countries would be a beautiful thing, but it’s pure fantasy.END COMMENT
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, and don't enforce any labor laws or tax laws.COMMENT We do pay taxes, but we don’t have “nice” jobs. END COMMENT
13. Please tell all the people in the country to be extremely nice and
never say a critical word about me, or about the strain I might place on the economy. COMMENT Being nice is common courtesy. We contribute more than we take. All that is paid through fake social security numbers can never be retrieved by the undocumented. The money goes to the federal government and it’s your responsibility to make sure the states get it back. END COMMENT
I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all the people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that Pres. Fox won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.
However, if he gives you any trouble, just invite him to go quail hunting with your V.P. COMMENT funny END COMMENT
Thank you so much for your kind help.
Sincerely,
David M. Bresnahan
© 2006 David M. Bresnahan