Monday, March 06, 2006

Un-Documented Aliens

First off let's get our nomenclature straightened out. Un-documented = Illegal. As someone who was born and raised in Southern California I do have a very deep felt opinion on this.

Am I a racist? That is going to depend on the definition of that word you want to use. I am proud to be white. Yes. So what? I think that we've done some pretty good things, mistakes, yeah, but overall not bad. Do I hate people of "color"? No. Do I think being white makes me superior to others. No.

So if not being ashamed of what I am makes me a racist, so be it. Now I could tell you that some of my best friends are of other races, which is true, but so what. I have never decided who I would trust to be a friend by skin color or nationality. I worked for a company for 30 years where I was the only white and never had any racial tension, because everyone worked hard to make money for the company and if we had differences of opinion, we recognized it as such, an opinion. Actually we were all fairly conservative so political differences were usually minor.

As I said earlier, I have lived my whole life in Los Angeles and have watched the city change over the last 50 years. A lot of it has been for the good. As a child, particularly where I lived, it was white. I still live in the town where I grew up and it's changed. I love all the ethnic restaurants, different music styles, and the people. In between moving out of my parents house and buying a house of my own back where I started, I have live in San Pedro, downtown L.A. (I could see City Hall from my front yard), and Burbank.

What does all this have to do with illegals? I can understand their wanting to come here for the opportunities available. The illegals that I have know have all been decent people, but that is beside the point. They broke into my country and are stealing. I have watched hospitals close their Emergency Rooms due to the constantly growing cases of unpaid treatment. I have seen 10 to 15 people living in a two bedroom apartment because their wages are so low and work so unsteady. Is this their fault? Yep. They moved here without having a job that would at least pay the costs of living in this country, and it is not my responcibility to make up the difference. If they would not offer themselves to work for non-living wages, the company would have to pay a living wage in order to stay in business. If that makes the thing I want to buy cost a buck or two more, then that's what it cost.

I watch as people come in and refuse to join with society, creating enclaves of foreign countries inside the cities. No need to learn to speak or write English, no reason to adopt or customs, it's just like where they came from. I have walked into many, many stores where NO ONE speaks any English. I don't go back. If they own a business and don't care enough to learn at least enough English to tell me how much something costs, they are not going to get my patronage.

What do I think should be done about this? Amnesty? No way, not now. I have gone through two amnesties, both were "going to be a one time offer just to get it under control". Now they want to do another one time deal. BS. I'm not saying deport them all now, but seal the borders now. Stop this migrating back and forth dead. I don't care if it takes the military, a big fence, even landmines. STOP IT NOW!! Once that is done, then let's take about amnesty. It's not fair to other immigrants waiting to legally come, but I do realize the nightmare of trying to deport a few million people. Once the amnesty is in place and if a person cannot prove they are here legally, you're out....and you will never get back. You're blackballed.

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