Bite your tongue!

I don't particularly like to get on my soap box often, but I just feel like it today. I wouldn't say that I am extremely knowledgeable about the goings-on of the world. I read the newspaper and dabble around the internet a bit, but what I hear is generally from the news and The Show on Rock 105.3 (yes, I do get my news from a radio show, so sue me!). In terms of politics, my bra-burning, free-loving liberal self has seemed to die off a bit since college, although I will say I would never, and I mean never associate with the right wrong side of the party spectrum. Currently, I sit rather comfortably a little to the left of the fence, picking and choosing my battles as they come. I still think same-sex couples should get married and I ride the fence on the abortion issue, but some issues just plain and simply sit in the gray areas of my moral/ethical/practical compass. One issue that does not fall into that area for me is this immigration business we keep hearing about in the news. Below is a quote that has been circulating Facebook:

 "JUST SO I UNDERSTAND THIS. YOU PASS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YRS. HARD LABOR, YOU PASS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET SHOT. YOU PASS THE AMERICAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET A JOB, DRIVER'S LICENSE, ALLOWANCE FOR A PLACE TO LIVE, HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT SO YOU CAN READ A ......DOCUMENT. WE CARRY PASSPORTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES OR FACE JAIL TIME. REPOST THIS IF YOU AGREE!"

Now, can I just say I take real issue with this shiz. First of all, why the eff are we comparing the UNITED STATES to North Korea and Afghanistan?  Countries that have continually proven not only to produce acts of terrorism, but have been outspoken about their hatred and disgust with the United States? Countries that would take us out if given just one brief moment? Moving past that whole issue, it's a widely known fact that our immigration process has many faults. It's almost impossible to get through the system unscathed and in time to see your child graduate high school. It can take years and years and years, time that many people don't have. I understand that we should all follow the rules but if you have a family living in Mexico on next to nothing and the only hope for survival is for a family member to risk their lives sneaking into our country to send money back, those rules may not seem so necessary. The fact that Arizona has granted the law enforcement to pick and choose who they "search on reasonable suspicion" utters RACIAL PROFILING. Ask the darker-skinned, middle-eastern looking American citizen  trying to get on an airplane how that feels, I can imagine it stings a bit. Or ask my dad, a legal citizen and resident of a small town near the border of Mexico in San Diego how it feels to be stopped every day by Border Patrol on his way to work because he looks like he could possibly-maybe-most likely not be an illegal immigrant. Then magnify that by the egos and machismo new attitudes of the law enforcement who are now have this enormous amount of control and power. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

 Many of these citizens, illegals, are hard-working men and women doing the work that our own Americans will not do. They are mothers and fathers, brother, sisters, daughters, cousins, friends...They are people and deserve a slice American pie just as much, if not more, than some of our own people. How about instead, we crack down on the men and women on welfare who we pay for out of our own pockets everyday so they can freeload off of our system. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a welfare system--we have to take care of our people when they're down and out (shit happens!)--but the law and requirements could be more stringent, or maybe include some follow up/house visits, etc. We have a family friend who is an illegal immigrant and has lived here for over 20 years. She has never been on welfare, never used food stamps, has worked two or more jobs at a time to provide for her little girls. She's resourceful, smart, and has never once been late on her rent. This is the type of person that I am willing to pay into a system, to overpay taxes for. As for that previous quote, please people--don't be ignorant. Stay informed. And have a little bone of decency!