Friday, April 14, 2006

Illegal Immigration

. Friday, April 14, 2006

I was waiting at the Walgreen's drive-thru when I saw a pickup truck with the following homemade sign in the rear window." If you're an illegal, you have no rights. Get out of the US!" Illegal immigration is a hot topic in this country lately. I don't claim to have an answer, and I see valid concerns from both sides of the issue. First, let's talk about this guy in the truck.

  1. Why is he only angry with the (presumably) Hispanic illegal immigrant? Shouldn't he also be angry with the people who employ illegals?
  2. Does he still purchase products and services that use illegal immigrant labor? More than likely, most of the produce he consumes is picked by illegals. His house might have been built using illegals.
  3. I'm upset with this guy because I assume he's the type that wants to build a wall around the US, keep the damn bastards out, and that will solve our problem.

To a certain extent, I can appreciate the following "negative" results of illegals being in this country. They use (for free or at little cost) many of our services such as hospitals, schools, and other common public services. Our tax dollars pay for this, and I have a certain appreciation to not want to pay for these types of services for an illegal immigrant.

Desipte all of the "negatives" above, I can think of the following "positives".

  1. Illegal immigrant contribute tremendously to the economy. They're a source of cheap labor for several industries. Agriculture and the housing industry are just two examples. If businesses had to hire Americans and pay them at least the minimum wage, the costs of many products would skyrocket.
  2. Illegal immigrants do pay taxes (albeit only sales tax).
  3. Illegal immigrants purchase products and services from the communities they are living in, thus helping the local economy.

I haven't followed this issue closely enough to have heard and to comment on the competing proposed solutions from our government. I do think that something needs to be done. I've heard illegals call in on radio talk shows saying that it is very difficult to become a legal citizen. I think if we just streamline this process of become a legal US citizen, it would be a step in the right direction.

1 comments:

Boo said...

I've always loved history, politics, and debating issues. It's pretty hard when talking about these types of issues in forums and such to stay on topic and not take offense from the many ad hominem attacks. I also like to write and take pride in my writing style. Thanks for your comment and "come again"!