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A few comments
1. My earliest immigrant ancestors were technically illegal, in that they were supposed to land in Virginia and add to the colonies there, but instead landed in Plymouth, where they were not authorized to land or form a colony. This accounts for the Mayflower Compact, because they were outside English law.
2. I believe very strongly in the words of the Emma Lazarus poem for the Statue of Liberty. This country was founded and sustained by immigrants who were "wretched refuse yearning to breathe free". My song, "A Home for All", echoes those sentiments and expands on them.
3. Malthus failed to account for the effect of industry and science on agricultural production, nor of the improved status of women on the birth rate. His dire predictions have not come to pass except in the unindustrialized parts of the world.
4. Reduction of population has been the norm among populations where women are educated and pursue careers prior to getting married. Ergo, the education of women and the availability of professional work for them are the main forces in slowing and reversing population growth.
5. The likelihood of (4) occurring for women in the U.S.A. is greater than for women in Mexico. Of course, this pertains to the generation raised here.
6. Learning English is only discouraged by politicians who seek to control Spanish-speaking populations by being their (mis)translators. Some major Hispanic public figures have pointed this out, but the word needs to get out to all Hispanic immigrants who do not speak English that every other immigrant group, even those who spoke languages with different alphabets have learned English in order to lead successful, independent lives in this country. Failure to do so is tantamount to forcing oneself into slavery.
7. Our difficulty with finding work for all US citizens has more to do with our failure to realize that no government has the inherent right to govern, than with immigration or outsourcing per se. Check my blog for links to my upcoming second edition of "Popular Capitalism", where I explain the connection.
Carl Peter
posted by
cpklapper
on August 15, 2007 at 9:18 PM
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Re: Matie,
Thank you word.smith for your comment. It's definitely a matter of hystorical common perception that really should be changing because of the times. Nothing is the same since 9/11.
posted by
Matie
on August 12, 2007 at 8:59 PM
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Re: Matie,
good response
posted by
Lanetay
on August 12, 2007 at 2:39 PM
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Matie,
Very interesting blog you have here. I scrolled through and looked at some of your other articles. While things might not be ideal where I live, I wish people from my island would realize that America is not a land flowing with milk and honey. Unfortunately, many don't realize this until they get there illegally or overstay and turn into fugitives and cannot sustain themselves and those who depend on them.
posted by
word.smith
on August 12, 2007 at 2:34 PM
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Re: Re: Matie
like so many world problems USA should not be expected to be the salvation of all the other countries, all though it is greed anymore that runs this great country, we need to give jobs to our people and keep our people from starving. Food banks should be called for left over food before it hits the trash bins and makes it unsanitary. We need to group together to save our own people. Those that come here to escape their countries need to be aware we love this country and dont fly your flag where the USA flag should be displayed, don't rape our women and children and rob our stores. We need some control over these issues that affect our people
posted by
Lanetay
on August 12, 2007 at 2:24 PM
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Re: Point on, Matie. If overpopulation was the problem, how is the world
Really perfectly put, saul_relative.
From your lips to G-...erm...sane and truly worried politicians ears.
posted by
Matie
on August 12, 2007 at 1:50 PM
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Re: Matie
You definitely have a point there, lustorlove. That's why I think that Mexico should solve its interim problems in order to stop massive emmigration to the U.S.
But like everything in this twisted world we live in, it's not a fix-it-right-away issue.
I read this while I was doing a bit of research for this entry, and these numbers scare me:
http://www.k12.nf.ca/jmolds/Web%20files/mexicoreport.html
posted by
Matie
on August 12, 2007 at 1:34 PM
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Point on, Matie. If overpopulation was the problem, how is the world
sustaining 6.5 billion people? And if you think we don't have enough to feed the world, go take a look at the food being thrown away behind any of the 50,000 food stores in the United States alone. Overpopulation isn't the problem. Economics and greed are the problem. And I don't have a problem with immigration as long as it's done in a controlled and safe manner. I don't really give a damn if half of Mexico moved to the United States or that the states of Mexico become part of the United States. But in order for this to take place, we have to provide safety mechanisms for the well-bing of each nation, a leveling of the playing field, as it were. To do this, you must boost the economy of Mexico, bring it up to par with that of the U.S. Without doing this, you continue the disparity between the two economic units, separated by the U.S.-Mexico border. To contend with this disparity, those on the economic short end will continue to cross that border, the good and the bad.
posted by
saul_relative
on August 12, 2007 at 10:57 AM
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Matie
I live in CA and I can see the results of many immigrants from Mexico legally or not, in many of our areras that were once nice areas are now being brought down to the level of Mexico, do they really care? Many come here and start to destroy our country with waste in the yards, people peeing in public its awful what you might see and for learning our Language forget that, they would rather speak there own language and stare at us as we enter the stores that are mainly populated with them. And continue to have one baby after another. Now its not that I am prejudice in general, but like anything else its the bad ones that make it bad for the good ones.
posted by
Lanetay
on August 12, 2007 at 10:32 AM
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Good post !
posted by
afzal50
on August 11, 2007 at 10:10 PM
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I’ve spent a good bit of time in Mexico
and have seen what you portray here first hand. I’m not entirely sure who is right or who is wrong in this immigration debate but the one thing I know for certain is that there is truth in the saying that “no person is illegal ”! Whether they belong here or there, their plight is not something that we can properly ignore. This is a stimulating post.
posted by
telemachus
on August 11, 2007 at 10:05 PM
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