Immigration

Right now a lot of people seem to be going on and on about the immigration issue out in New Mexico.

Granted I may be a bit distanced from the problem, but I feel that anyone who's willing to fill out a change-of-address form and pay taxes should be allowed in. Instead of grabbing these people and putting them in jail or forcing them to go back to Mexico, register them, sign 'em up for civil service, give them a SSN and let them be on their way.

Some people say, "that'll overburden the system and take benefits away from the rest of us." If that's the case, then the system isn't stable enough and needs to be reworked. This is kind of like the power company refusing to accept any new customers because they're affraid of the extra drain on their power stations instead of building new power stations to handle the bigger load.

"But they won't pay taxes," other people say, "that's why they're illegal immigrants." Poppycock! There's plenty of legal citizens right now who don't pay their taxes. I don't see anyone rushing to deport them. Besides if they buy something, they pay sales taxes. If you give them a SSN, the IRS will know about them and if they don't pay income taxes, it's the IRS's job to take care of it. most of these people are illegal immigrants because it's currently a long involved process to try to immigrate into the US. US immigration only issues 50K greencards a year. Most of them, they do by random lottery.

This all goes back to the whole Us vs. Them mentality. While this may have served it's purpose at one time in out evolution, it's doing more harm to us as a whole than it might be aiding any particular us.

“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!"” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

I guess people just don't believe that anymore.