Speaking Of A Wall...

[Jena]

I have always been one to think "They are here because they want a better life and more opportunity, let them be."

But... after spending 30 minutes to an hour 3 different times, waiting for a Customer Service Rep speak English to a translator who then spoke Spanish to the customer, who then thought a moment, then replied back to the translator who had to tell the CSR, turning what should have taken no more than 10 minutes into a complete waste of my time... my viewpoints are starting to change.

Holy smokes... it's annoying sometimes.

[gdizzle]

I have always been one to think "They are here because they want a better life and more opportunity, let them be."

But... after spending 30 minutes to an hour 3 different times, waiting for a Customer Service Rep speak English to a translator who then spoke Spanish to the customer, who then thought a moment, then replied back to the translator who had to tell the CSR, turning what should have taken no more than 10 minutes into a complete waste of my time... my viewpoints are starting to change.

Holy smokes... it's annoying sometimes.

:unsure:

[Chilled man]

I could care less who lives where just make sure you speak the language of the country

That is the only thing that chapps my ass , if you moving to the US

SPEAK ENGLISH

if i moved to mexico , I would have to speak spanish , if I moved back to greece I would have to speek greek

:angry:

[ACBarnett]

As a latin-american immigrant, I think that spanish-only programs are absolutely retarded. In order to function as a member of the society at large, you need to be able to speak the language of the majority and be fluent with their ways and customs. The italian american, german-american, and irish-american immigrants of the past all assimilated into the greater cultural sphere while still keeping their own distinct cultural identities. There's no reason why the central americans can't do the same while still learning english. If you want to be seen as a true equal with the status quo in a country, you need to be able to play by their rules and do a good job at it to boot, and spanish-only ptograms just serve as setbacks to having central americans integrate with the rest of society and fufill those dreams that made them come here in the first place. It's not like they can't learn and still speak spanish at home, but they need to be taught to speak it in school. I'd even go so far as to have free english classes offered at all of the community colleges.

[RAzOR]

Jena,

This is one topic I feel I have to absolute solution to. And I am saddened at how this issue has exposed the raw, corrupt, and weak side our country and our government.

Illegal immigrants are just that- illegal. They are not legally allowed to be here, live here, or be here in any way shape or form. Yet they are here- in huge numbers.

How is this? Simple- we let them.

We also ignore them for everything except work. As uncounted, non-taxable residents, they create a de facto "slave class". This is doing horrible things to both them and the country they seek to live in.

The only place it is helping is the country of Mexico (and in a similar but far lesser degree, Guatemala, El Salvador, etc)- but more on that later.

How does this hurt? Foremost, it keeps them from assimilating as they otherwise normally would have. It creates segregation, it creates alienation. As their numbers grow, so does the tumorous slave-society within our own. Foreign to our scoiety, our system, yet living within it.

From all of the illegal immigrants I have talked with, and there are many, virutally all have expressed a great respect for this country and emphatically desire to live here, bring their families here, and most importantly- become Americans and speak English.

Yet with the status quo, they cannot. They are held in a sort of suspended animation neither truly here, nor truly not. They cannot count on becoming Americans. And they continue to work for below the minimum wage off the radar screen. They live in fear- fear of deportation, exploitation- yet they remain becasue they are desperate. Why would anyone bother to learn the language of a country that does not acknowldge them, let alone embrace them as it's long traditon?

And many have told me that there are too many of themselves here. That they are now competing for the same low paying work and that they may now find even harder to make a living here.

The status quo cannot remain. It cannot remain until anyone who wants to live here can- lest we forget about 4.9 billion Chinese who also want to come here- perhaps even more desperately.

So when is it enough? It is enough now. I t may have been enough 6 million of them ago. I am wholly convinced that "enough", at least for now, was surpassed long ago.

I could go on and on about the situtation but I really get worked up on this topic. I get very angry at both Democrats and Republicans for their innaction and the damage this is causing our way of life and to these immigrants who only seek what you and I would, had we been in their situation. And they are here because we let them. We do not seriously enforce the border, we do not check for legal residency. We and we ALONE enable this to occur.

Why is this so? My latest and favorite theory is the Mexican government wants the status to remain and they lobby hard and secretively. Maybe even violently. The American dollars flowing into Mexico from these illegals is the largest single flow of cash revenue into Mexico. Should these poeple be deported-it stops. Should they be made legal immigrants, which means that their families can now live here too- it stops. This is the only plausible and powerful interest I have identified other than a weaker but compatible theory that our so-called "leaders" are afriad to act due to the political fallout.

It makes me sick.

The solution is simple.

1. Enforce the border tomorrow. Enforce it well and thoroughly. Of course we can defend our borders. We are a country. We are a powerful country. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a fool.

2. Give a 90 day (or so) window of amnesty whereby anyone in the US can apply for and become a legal immigrant provided they pass the standard tests and exams. After this window, ANYONE without proper residency status is efficiently arrested, heard and deported. NO if's, and's, or but's.

This solution requires no new laws only will.

It is a win-win for the US and those who are here and seek to become part of it.

It also seems very, very far away.

[Chilled man]

As a latin-american immigrant, I think that spanish-only programs are absolutely retarded. In order to function as a member of the society at large, you need to be able to speak the language of the majority and be fluent with their ways and customs. The italian american, german-american, and irish-american immigrants of the past all assimilated into the greater cultural sphere while still keeping their own distinct cultural identities. There's no reason why the central americans can't do the same while still learning english. If you want to be seen as a true equal with the status quo in a country, you need to be able to play by their rules and do a good job at it to boot, and spanish-only ptograms just serve as setbacks to having central americans integrate with the rest of society and fufill those dreams that made them come here in the first place. It's not like they can't learn and still speak spanish at home, but they need to be taught to speak it in school. I'd even go so far as to have free english classes offered at all of the community colleges.

+100 for you sir

[bmcintyre]

Okay.........deep subject........

I encounter this scenario on almost a weekly basis at work. Someone gets arrested for a criminal offense and gets deported by Border Patrol. Most often, they have been "voluntarily returned" before. Then they show up to their Court date a month later. I try to track down BP again when they get to me so I can have them sent back again, thus starting the whole fun little game over again. Because there are no real penalties for most people who cross illegally there is no real risk to doing it. I grew up on the border and its always been this way. Most of them are working, have fake social security numbers and as a result pay FICA and SS into the system, but claim so many deductions that they aren't taxed. I'm all for deporting permanently the criminal element, and finding some legalization process for those who remain law abiding while here. Now if only we could also remove some of our own criminals.....then we could have an exchange program maybe??? We'll take ten hard workers for every scum bag they take of ours?????

B

[Chilled man]

problem solved

[Gage]

What gets me is you jump the border pop out a kid BLAM your an American but do you think for a second that kid is gonna learn English HELL NO :angry:

Edit: the Kid Maybe

The Parents Defiantly NOT

[Patrickw]

What gets me is you jump the border pop out a kid BLAM your an American but do you think for a second that kid is gonna learn English HELL NO :angry:

Edit: the Kid Maybe

The Parents Defiantly NOT

how about we take all the poor wagons that have been cursed and pile them at the border... it would be a brick wall right???

and i believe that anyone born here should NOT get automatic citizenship.. and deport illegals

[Gage]

how about we take all the poor wagons that have been cursed and pile them at the border... it would be a brick wall right???

and i believe that anyone born here should NOT get automatic citizenship.. and deport illegals

:lol:

[7 VII 7]

Well, here is my little $.02

They do the labor A LOT of people would not do.

They try to be an American and speak english.

They are doing everything illegal everyday.

They can wait to get a green card.

Shut the boarder down (it is just going to get worse)

export to mexico... do not import FROM mexico

I got hit by a car by a mexican that should not be driving, should not have a car, should not be in this country, should HAVE insurance, and should speak english

[javadoc]

1. "Please Press ONE to Continue in English". This is just completly stupid and pisses me off.

2. Citibank will LITERALLY give you a credit card even if you don't have a SSN... ie: Illegal Aliens. Economy suffers from this.

3. Illegal aliens can buy a home in our country, walk away from the loan and face no consequenes. Economy suffers from this.

4. The Gov't picks up the tab for healthcare for illegals. Guess what suffers...

Solution:

Build a tall wall along the border. Use wood. But who will build it, because we don't want to spend alot of money, so we need to find cheap labor. Let's hire illegals! So, have them complete the wall, and put a big ol' door in it. Now, have them paint the south face of the wall. Lock the door... problem solved.

[Mogatu'r]

Illegals, well... I don't like to say I hate ppl in general but, crap they get on my nerves.

A lot of ppl say that only Mexicans are illegal, but I want to say that about 45% of ppl crossing the border are Central Americans.

If illegal parents have kids here, should they deport or make the kids illegal also? I also agree with what Dave said, those illegals DO work the fields. Mostly for things that we put in our plates, vegetables and such...

I like having these dual citizenship crap "not a citizen of this country" it gives me the feeling of having a home, when I my dad brought me here, I remember him telling me 'just for a year son, that was 13 years ago, lol...

[Chilled man]

Press 1 for english

Press 2 for deportation