I do think some form of clemency is appropriate considering the numbers involved and the length of time some "illegals" have been in this country. (Put in quotes because of the look-the-other-way compliance of American companies interested in cheap labor). Other than that, I will just compliment you on a well stated, well thought out post. Those are always worth reading. Thanks.


>Personally, I have absolutely no problem with anyone from any other country. My only issue is that they should be allowed to remain in this country if they arrive here legally. If they arrived illegally then ship them home to their native country. The cost will still be less than vaccinations, welfare, medical care, schooling, etc. That is what happens in every country in the world. I cannot relocate to Canada and receive free school and medical care either (as much as I would like to). When my daughter started kindergarten I had to pay for her vaccinations out of my pocket before they would allow her in. I had to pay for her school supplies. She had to take a verbal test to prove she knew her alphabet and basics or else she would have been put back into pre-K. I had to show a valid certificate of live birth for her or else she could not attend (had to pay for that too because it had to have a seal). Yet every illegal immigrant was given free vacinations and allowed to
> attend with no test and no paperwork. It happens all over the U.S. I have friends working as computer programmers and in other positions here legally from other countries waiting years for citizenship and they do not receive free schooling or medical care. They resent it more than citizens do. It has nothing to do with how good, honest, or caring the individual is. I too have many, many hispanic friends (some legal and some not). Especially after living here as well as in Colorado, Arizona, and California and spending years in the military. Illegal immigrants are receiving preferential treatment at the cost of every taxpayer and it is WRONG.
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>>I will be less terse this time because I know you are a reasonable guy. So here is why your joke offended me.
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>>My attitude used to be about the same as expressed in the joke, i.e. not exactly pro-Hispanic. Wetbacks, busboys, lawn mowers, and why the hell do we need 50 million of them in this country? You can describe my attitude then in a word: bigot.
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>>And then I got involved in soccer. The details aren't important but I have come to know a lot of Mexican-Americans through soccer and realize how wrong I was. If anything they are more American than the typical native-born. They came here to seek a better way of life. That is the entire tradition of this country! We all came here from somewhere else. The ones I know care deeply about their children, love their families, and bring a passion to the sport they sort of left behind, soccer. I had this really bigoted view that their views on life were different from mine. I was so wrong. We are richer for their presence among us, not poorer.
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>>JFK: "We all share this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures, and we are all mortal." He said that in October of 1963.