A representative from the Guacamole Party asked recently about the lack of comment from CIT regarding the immigration imbroglio currently causing more missed school than a bad mono breakout.
The Guacs are right, man. It's been nothing but sheer intellectual laziness that has prevented me from weighing in on this controversial subject. No more. Let's get to it. And fair warning - I'm a Republican, but I reserve the right to disagree.
So, as I understand it, the brouhaha was sparked by legislation currently doing it's rendition of "Today I Am Still Just A Bill" in DC. This legislation (the House version of it, anyway) labels illegal immigrants as felons, and criminalizes any activity that aids or abets illegal immigrants. The Senate is debating a somewhat less harsh version, which calls for a "guest worker" status. The Pres has called for this sort of approach.
So, first a few comments on the tenor of the protests:
1. If you're hollering "We're Americans too", why are you waving Mexican flags? Over the American flag? Which you have upside down? Folks, this is called "burying the lead".
2. Time for a quick civics lesson to the well-intentioned folks who state words to the effect of, "Illegal immigrants are not criminals." Um, sorry. They kind of totally are. Here's the big tipoff: "ILLEGAL immigrants". Get it?
3. My favorite pointy-headed liberal quoted in the news: Camella Pinkney-Price of the Hispanic Evangelical Churches. I'm sorry to typecast, by hyphen last names are like a red cape to a bull. Anyway, Camella is quoted as saying, "We want to say that we deserve to be legal. Why are people called illegal immigrants when they have shed blood, sweat and tears to work in this country?" Camella, babe, please see #2 above.
It's like shooting fish in a barrel, isn't it?
However, even with all this making sport, I still haven't got to my opinion.
On one hand, of course, is it's absolutely silly to think that our borders should be wide open, and those who are protesting right now are incredibly naive if they think that's in the cards. In the post-Sept 11 world, we really do have to do a better job of figuring out who's coming into our country.
On the same hand, enormous waves of immigration, especially undocumented and/or illegal immigration, puts a great deal of strain on the social services network of our fair burg. Education, welfare, and other public services are stretched. I think the biggest negative impact of the current flow of immigration (legal and illegal) is the colossal, near-fatal strain being put on the healthcare system. My wife works in healthcare, and my son's condition ensures that we see a great deal from the patient's perspective, so I think I'm qualified to comment. It's a mess. It's worse than you can imagine. It's a wonder the system hasn't imploded yet. That the implosion is coming is, to me, a foregone conclusion. I literally lose sleep over this.
On the other hand, a few points:
- I love the big, comfy, brand new house I live in, esp at the price I paid.
- The woman who cleans our house and the gentleman who does our yard work (husband and wife, btw) are the most dependable, conscientious workers you could ask for.
- The Dallas North Tollway, which will make my life MUCH easier once complete, is being built at a pace that frankly amazes me. Something MAJOR gets done every week on that stretch of road.
- I love that the North Texas service economy is absolutely booming. As a consumer, I am the one who reaps most of the benefits.
I have no idea how many illegal immigrants are involved in the bullet points above. Maybe none. Maybe lots.
What I do know is immigrants are fueling the astounding economic activity you'll find throughout Texas, Florida, Arizona, California, and lots of other places. Turning off the tap of immigration, or even slowing it significantly, will have some impact on this economic growth. Maybe a big impact. Maybe a REALLY big impact. So be careful.
There you go. I think a lot of what's going on right now is pretty darn entertaining. But, at the heart of it, I think I'm on the side of the entertainers.
UPDATE: A few things occurred to me as I reread this (What's the point of having a blog if you don't revel in your own wisdom? At least, that's what Narcissus would say.) and I want to add a bit of color (ha!).
First, we (the right) are always hollering about "Family Values" and "Traditional Families". I don't go all the way with my conservative bretheren on this one - I think same-sex parents are swell, as long as they provide a stable and loving environment, and I'm pretty sure I don't want my or my kids' reading and TV list approved by the Baptist Church - but it's difficult to argue with the basic logic.
Ever been around a Hispanic family? I'm not going to tell you that I've spent loads of time around them myself, but I have spent some, plus I read a bit, and I think it's safe to say Hispanics are, by and large, as family-oriented as anyone. There is a tradtion of staying together as an extended family, taking care of elders, sharing domestic responsiblities, working hard to support dependants, and raising children that will rival anything you'll see in the Jewish, Asian, or any other community. And when you compare it to the average American "family", well, there's not much of a comparison.
Don't we want more of this in America? I think we do. I know I do.
Next, and unrelated, and on the other side of the coin completely: I happened to catch a bit of the new HBO drama "Walkout" last night. I didn't see enough to give a thorough review, but it appeared to be about Hispanic students protesting for something they felt strongly about by walking out of class. Sound familiar? I'm not going to throw too many stones here, because my generation copied much more inane crap from movies (I can't tell you how many pizzas were delivered to class, Spicoli-style, in my high school), but it just makes you wonder what would have happened if HBO had done a special on the Whiskey Rebellion this month instead.
They taught us in 10th-grade English to summarize, so: Something does need to change w/ regard to immigration. We have to do a better job of monitoring who's coming in. Social services, and esp healthcare, cannot, in their current forms, continue to support the growing demand. But, let's not get nuts about this. Immigration brings a lot of really valueable things to this country, including strong values, a source of inexpensive labor that fuels our economy, and people who are willing to work hard to provide a better life for following generations. That's pretty compelling to me.
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