I've heard a lot of terrible things that are perfectly untrue said about Mexican immigrants lately. I've heard fear-mongers make them out to be unlawful degenerates, and even more ridiculously- terrorists! I've got a message that is not new at all:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
That's very likely what your own ancestors saw and heard when they got off the boat. If you think your ancestors came here legally then you are kidding yourselves. The Irish that came to America in the 19th century were treated worse than slaves and were rushed to the front lines to face their certain death at the other end of Confederate gunfire in the war of northern aggression between the years of 1861-1865. Otherwise they were spit on, shat on, and paid pathetic fractions of their comparable "natives" wages for doing the same work. Watch the movie "Gangs of New York" if you need some perspective. They were only given citizenship because they could be sacrificed for Mr. Lincoln and his Republicans in his conquest of Virginia.
Okay, the history isn't helping us in 2007. Here's my proposal:
All U.S. Citizens are required to do the following:
1) Pay taxes
2) Speak and Write in English
1) We all pay taxes. Income tax is ridiculous and unconstitutional, but we've been over this already. The Fair Tax makes sure that the people using government are all paying for it. Everybody buys retail goods, absolutely everybody. Even tourists, even illegal immigrants, in fact more than legal citizens. It's also the only way our government has a prayer of keeping our benefits funded, like Social Security and Medicare.
2) We must have an official language. This is where the no-amnesty guys will start to realize that I haven't lost my mind. The English language won a majority vote to German by just a handful of votes during the debate over what our language would be. Can you imagine the persistent disaster that would have plagued us if our founding fathers refused to adopt a uniform language? The cost of doing government with translators is terrifying, and it is destroying our chances of public schools working. I am truly enthusiastic and grateful that people want to be Americans, but before giving them the same rights that we fight and have died to preserve, I'm perfectly fine with requiring that you be tested for sufficient aptitude at the English language.
"We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
-Theodore Roosevelt 1907
People don't immigrate just to abuse the local health care system. You don't leave your homeland to take somebody's job. You leave your homeland in persuit of opportunity. If you wish to deny this persuit to others then you are less American than somebody who is currently leaping over that stupid fence near San Diego. The only thing we as citizens ask is that you learn the language we do business in, and that you pay your fair share of taxes. Our current tax system is abominably fucked, so once we fix that we native Americans will learn that immigration has, and always will strengthen our country.
