 Setting Standards for Legal Immigration: Left of Center View It’s interesting that some people think that immigration should be based on standards of people. How is it that we judge a worthy human being? Do we bar criminals? Do we bar dissidents? Do we accept all priests and assume that God is a good enough reference? America was founded by outcasts. Our founding fathers were considered criminals by the ruling authority in colonial America. They were enemies of the crown and terrorists. Today we celebrate their lives and call them heroes. Martin Luther King Jr. broke the law on many occasions to bring about greater change. He is considered a great man by most Americans. So why is it that we assume that anyone who has broken a law is unworthy of being an American? Do we strip Americans of their citizenship when they are convicted of crimes? It sounds like a good reason to keep people out but how does it compare with the way we treat our own people? So do we set lower standards for Americans than for immigrants? How does that make us the best we can be? On the other side of the question is who do we let into our great nation? In the recent past it has become evident that many people in positions of trust have betrayed that trust on a fairly regular basis and systematically covered it up putting their interests ahead of those they’ve been entrusted with looking out for. Do we put that aside and assume that they were aberrations instead of the symptoms of a larger disease? How do we make the call? Perhaps we should just close the borders and not let anyone in. It would seem that we are in an interesting place of either being hypocrites or bigots. I would posit that perhaps the answer is not setting standards for people so much as it is a question of not trying to pin the fault for all of our problems on others who are simply looking for the same things all of us are looking for. Immigrants are no different than you or I. They simply want a better life and a chance for their children to live a better life than they have. They are not some menacing invasion force coming to steal our country. They are not irresponsible and lazy people wanting to sponge off of hard working Americans. They are simply people with a dream of a better life. The American dream should not be out of reach for anyone. The whole idea behind the American dream is that anyone can achieve anything if they work hard enough. Should it really matter where they were born? LJ Finstermore - World Citizen | E-mail Comments on this column. Got a liberal viewpoint? We want to know what you think. Next week's subject: Securing America's Ports Send in your view from the Left to be our featured Left of Center View for the week. Click here to submit your article. Last Week's View from the Left: Diplomacy And Immigration Previous Weeks Views from the Left: Gangs; Importing Criminals Cultural Migration Tariffs and Fair Trade Open Borders and the American Worker ICE Raids Detain Thousands of Innocent People Political Activism and Illegal Immigration Integrating Other Cultures Into the American Dream Employing Undocumented Workers Bilingual Education The Minutemen Driver's Licenses For Undocumented Immigrants Open Borders Sanctuary Cities Common Sense Laws Rise & Fall Outsourcing & Insourcing English Amnesty vs. Reality Defining Immigration |
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Do Elements Within the La Raza Movement Pose a Threat to America?
La Raza means literally “The Race” in Spanish. The movement was formed in 1968 to promote the interests of the Mexican-American community. Like the NAACP and other affirmative-action minded organizations, La Raza has many members that are interested in being part of America and promoting equality for all Americans. The fundamental goals as stated by the movement are benign and represent the ideals of American diversity and cultural pride.
There is another movement affiliated with La Raza that has historically been more militant and still maintains documents within their organization that point to isolationistic views Read More
A Plan
The one major thing that seems to be lacking in the immigration debate is a real plan that addresses the legitimate concerns with illegal immigration. There are strong opinions on both sides and a lot of rhetoric but there isn’t really any solid plan being promoted to address the illegal immigration issue in a way that is both fair and logical.
So, that being said here is my idea:Read More
Trucking Cross Borders
This is mainly a concern for the trucking business. If we allow these people to come into our country, bringing cargo that we in America have, and can supply, then we are saying that the American working people are not needed, and have lost all say to legally enforced DOT (Department of Transportation) laws.Read More