there is a debate going on in this country right now over immigration, and what it means to immigrate to the United States of America. i've bolded and italic'd a couple points in the letter below that i think epitomize what it should mean. instead, what seems to be happening (and where did it start?) is that ppl have a sense of entitlement when coming - ILLEGALLY - to this country. they* (a generalization, i am fully aware that not all legal immigrants are saints or illegal immigrants lazy or criminal) don't want to work. they don't want to go through proper channels. they think, "i made it here! now, where's my paycheck? where's my american dream?"
ya know what? i was born here and i've had to work my butt off for my american dream. get over yourself and WORK for it! i have a job, i pay taxes, i pay into insurance and have a deductible. i won't go into how much, but suffice it to say that (thank God) i don't reach it. i could, potentially, with my prescriptions, but then i couldn't use my HSA to pay for them, so... there ya go. the point, tho, is that i am 'by the book' and can't afford medical care. it upsets me that ppl can waltz into the country and have better health care - more accessible, affordable or even free - than i do. it upsets me when i have to skip doses of medication or choose btwn medication and a checkup. it upsets me to hear ppl fight for RIGHTS for ppl who have no legal right to be here. why should someone from a different country have more of a RIGHT to medical care than i do? why should my taxes go toward paying for their medical care, when my wages can't pay for mine?
did you know that in mexico they can SHOOT you for being there illegally? not really. but their laws for illegal immigrants are errily similar to arizona's laws. laws, by the way, which were ALREADY IN PLACE, they just are choosing to *gasp* enforce them. i know, enforcing the law, it's a shocking twist. and in this country, when the law IS enforced, illegal immigrants are (generally) treated with respect pertaining to their humanity. in other countries, if you're caught being there illegally... well, do you remember what happened to lisa ling's sister, laura, in north korea?
and so, i leave you with this letter to the editor that i received in my email. i'm off to write an entertaining blog about celebrity apprentice. because i paid for this computer, and the internet flowing through my wires! : ) let me know what you think, eh?
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"David LaBonte"
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in theOrange County Register:
Dear Editor:
So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.
Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.
They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.
Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan . They were defending the United States of America as one people.
When we liberated France , no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up
another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.
And here we are with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.
And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty , it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.
(signed)
Rosemary LaBonte
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