Immigration- the new Willie Horton
So its election year again and the Republicans are fanning the flames of xenophobia, homophobia, and brown-ophobia. But they have found a way to get a two-fer.
This year's Willie Horton is immigration. Its been an issue for YEARS, and yet now they are trying to do somehting about it. But as the immigration amnesty of 1986 did not work or have lasting effect neither will anything they do now.
Unless we include workers in NAFTA and CAFTA agreements. Open the borders, give folks permanent residency and let market demand take care of things.
But meanwhile, the R's and some D's damn it are using this issue to talk about safety and security of the US. The only way to do this is to register everyone north and south and here. If the local bar can scan a drivers license to detect an underage drinker, then we can do this with border crossings without too much bother. Really. Track everyone with their knowledge they are being tracked.
Hint: open borders are working quite well in the European Union.
How about the Union of the Americas?
But why are we not seeing white folks who are illegally here protesting and such? I mean there are alot of Irish and Russia illegals here, too. Hmm Maybe they are not Horton enough to give us the willies?
posted by Mika @ 11:43 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I wouldn't say that the immigration is working perfectly in Europe. Few people are happy about the hordes of people that enter, looking for jobs that honestly doesn't exists. Okay, jobs do exists but, like in the US, it is low paying jobs that are waiting for the kind of immigrants we are talking about. And as soon as they enter a huge canyon suddenly splits open in the house of Europe: on one side are the people who are called Johan in Sweden, John in England, Sean in Ireland and Jacque in France; on the other side are the Mohammed’s and everything that sounds eastern European. And the two sides rarely visit one another. It seems like we have moved the border inside, inviting conflict.
However, the solution is not to put a fence along the border. It is not that easy. Instead the goal must be that we all can get along and exist on equal terms. To do so, I believe, we have to even out the economic differences between countries. People should be able to survive in their own country, educate themselves, and create something of their own. I think it is important to remember that most people don’t leave friends and family just because it is fun -- most often it is something they have to do.
In Lithuania, who recently entered the European Union, about 10% of the workforce has left the country to work elsewhere. Many leave their children behind in order to work in the fields of Western Europe, picking salad and house in bunks (sounds familiar?). So why? The fact is that they earn twice as much in the West as in Lithuania, which in turn leaves Lithuania with a too small work force. So, to be able to manage their own country, Lithuania has the permission from the EU to let workers from Russia and Belarus work for them. And the Russians will earn twice as much working in Lithuania … And it goes on and on.
Some people will always seek a new life elsewhere – and no fence will stop them – but if they just could feed their children, and educate their people, I am certain most would like to stay where they grew up. Why did people move to America 100-150 years ago?
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