Ah yes, post #43
Hoping everyone else is as tired of this discussion as I am,
Waddaya mean? I was just gettin' going...
Well I just know this sure ain't the first wave of immigrants legal or otherwise to hit these shores. And I agree with Grampster, I believe the vast majority of those coming here are doing so to escape the situations you fear they will cause in this country.
Unfortunately, the lazy way to do this, by giving current illegals a pass, only encourages more illegal immigration.
Ah, but if laws were changed to make it much easier to immigrate legally I believe it will in fact eliminate most IF NOT ALL illegal immigration into this country. If it was easier for them to gain entry, legally, and go to work (AND PAY TAXES AND SOCIAL SECURITY) how many of them would bother to go through things like paying extortion to mules and crossing the river and desert at great risk. Or living a life below the poverty level because those that hire them would not have to pay them even the minimum wage? As far as those that are here NOW illegally. How DO you propose to round them up and get them back out?
It's the same old story. Make something illegal and the criminals will be more than happy to add it to their black market book of ways to make money. Lot's of money. Do you REALLY want the criminal element to be in charge of who is getting into this country?
Think of all the .gov $ and MANPOWER that would be freed up if we didn't have to worry about keeping millions of people at bay on our borders.
Plus, you worry about terrorists making their way across the border in the same fashion. If people stopped coming across the border in droves illegally then there would be noone for these terrorists to hide in amongst.
FWIW, I lived in San Diego in the mid to late 70's. I could see the Tijuana bullring from my porch and could hear the cheering there every Sunday afternoon. Almost every day the border patrol was pulling illegals out from under bushes, porches and wherever else they could fin to hide throughout my neighborhood. So in my mind, all this talk of illegals crossing the border is nothing new. It was going on long before I got there and continues to this day. I say it's about time we did something substantial about it. Calling it illegal and persecuting, uh, I mean PROSECUTING these people hasn't seemed to work so far.
Those who have entered legally scoff at the idea. They seem to think the illegals haven't paid the dues necessary to remain in this country legally. They're getting a "free pass". I say they payed a large amount of money to one criminal orgqanization or another, they made the trip into this country knowing full well the great risks that were involved and they managed to survive and for the most part are contributing to this country's well being. I say they've paid their dues. Maybe not the same ones the legals paid but they've still paid dues.