SNIP

the point is that if a citizen, or a group thereof, have something to say about any law they have a mechanism to do something about it. We don't,


I disagree. That is what the right to demonstrate in this country is all about. You can certainly petition congressman and senators and human rights groups, etc even though the congressman and senators don't represent you. There are many non-profit and also for profit groups whose sole purpose is minority and foreigner rights. Most mainly focus on a specific nationality due to the numbers.

Your real only hope is to gather sufficient support for foreigners and their rights and benefits among the voters so that they (the voters) can press their congressmen and senators to change the rights and benefits of foreigners in this country. If you were from Mexico it would not be a problem as foreigners from Mexico have more benefits that I do right now and soon may have even more. For other nationalities however, there is not enough of them in this country to sway popular opinion I fear. The typical American response would be: "If you don't like it then go back home." My personal opinion is different, I'm sorry. I do not feel that foreigners in the U.S. should have any more rights or benefits that they already do which includes basic human rights and also that they should not have their own representation in congress or the senate. Everyone in this country is protected under the law, but I feel if that if you want the additional benefits afforded citizens of the U.S. then you should become a citizen of this country. As a citizen of your own country I'm sure you are afforded benefits that I am not if I were to move there and try to work but not become a citizen.

I'm afraid that I am rather on both sides of the fence on this one. Personally I would love to see you beat out all other contenders for whatever job you apply for simply because I know your capabilities and value your contribution to the UT and the Foxpro community as a whole. Nothing would sadden me more than if you had to contribute to the foxpro community from another country (since I know you wish to stay here or in Canada for the near future) unless you willingly chose that option. *I should add that since you excel in your field you should be a top contender for all positions you compete for, but the typical foreigner does not. Many are not even trained or experienced in any specific field when they arrive in this country looking for work. Yet personally I also feel that there are too many foreigners in this country working when we have such a high unemployment rate and so many qualified citizens are without jobs. There is also a growing tendency in this country these days to expect to be taken care of and to receive everything for free without exerting any effort or earning anything. A minority of the taxpayers are actually paying the majority of the taxes. Also, why should foreigners be allowed to compete for scholarships? I do not think they should myself. There are corporations in this country that sponsor scholarships for foreigners but the competition takes place in the foreign country, not here. I know that for certain because I have worked for corporations that have done that while at the same time not affording scholarships to citizens of this country which angered their employees to no end. There may even be scholarships available here for foreigners but I have not checked in years so I do not know.

>>I'm sorry, but personally I do not feel that green card holders should be allowed to vote. I feel personally that that benefit should be afforded to U.S. citizens only. In what other country are non-citizens allowed to vote? I'm sure there must be some but that does not make it right. I realize that you pay taxes on your income but you also reap the benefits and services that paying those taxes provide (all except the right to vote). I do not think that anyone should be able to come to the U.S., work here and reap the benefits of being in the U.S. for free. U.S. citizens do not get that advantage. We pay too much in taxes ourselves as it is and will for as long as we earn income.
>
>I'm not complaining about not being entitled to vote here - I'm not a citizen. I'm more **ed off at my own country for not allowing me to vote from here.
>
>As for the complaint about representation - the point is that if a citizen, or a group thereof, have something to say about any law, they have a mechanism to do something about it. We don't, simply because there's absolutely nobody who's representing foreigners in this country. If there were only a few of us, no problem. But as you mentioned, there's a lot of chicken handlers out there. And yet any laws which concern this particular group of people are in the hands of a completely different group of people, with entirely different interests.
>
>I accept this as a reality; this is something that happens in every country with a sufficient number of foreign workers (as it was the case in most of the West European countries during most of the XX century, and probably still is). So I'm taking the only way I think is fair: make the citizens aware of the situation of non-citizens, and hope it will cause some change in the future.
>
>And, BTW, we're paying the same taxes - so "advantage" is the same. It comes from everybody's taxes, regardless of the citizenship status. OK, maybe I'm not paying property taxes because I didn't have the time to acquire any, but then INS has already made a substantial amount on me, so we're about equal there. And some of the benefits actually don't extend to foreigners - like chances to get a scholarship, for instance.