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As an American citizen, over the past twenty years I have seen changes which, if taken by themselves, would seem un-important. But if taken collectively should make us all stand up and take notice.
This country was begun on two principles, big business…The Virginia colonies and Religion…The Massachusetts Bay colonies.
This country has, since its inception, been very cautious about those they allow to enter. In the beginning many were the second or third sons of nobility or the upper classes and the poor; those who had been kicked off the land, those who chose deportation rather than go to prison, or who sold themselves in to servitude for a certain number of years hoping for a new start and a better life.
As a nation, we have always depended upon cheap labor to do the back-breaking work, thereby freeing the upper and rising middle classes to pursue politics and wealth. We imported million of Africans, turning slavery into a thriving industry.
We allowed the poor English and Irish immigrants to work the mills for long hours and low wages. Before child labor laws were enacted, even children worked the factories and mills. Our railroads were built by the Chinese, again at low wages. Asians were then kept on the lower rungs of society along with the poor, freed slaves and native population; because their appearance did not fit into concept by which many Americans viewed themselves .
While we gladly welcomed the English, Irish and Northern European, at the same time we controlled with strict immigration laws the Eastern European, the Italians, Arabic and East Indian population.
Yet, the very expansion of America has been upon the backs of those who were slaves or were underpaid.
During the "Great Depression" of the 1930's many small farming families were uprooted from the mid-west. Many went, along with African-Americans from the south, to the large cities. All were seeking a better life for themselves and their family.
A great many of these displaced persons went west, to California. They took their farming skills and along with Asians made California the state it is today. But, again a cheap labor force was needed to pick the bounty which the land produced.
Mexicans had been in California before America was even thought of, before the English came to the Eastern shores. It had been Spain which had settled Mexico and explored California. To the Spanish, California, New Mexico, Texas and many other states in the Southwest were apart of their conquest, they belonged to the Spanish Government in Spain.
After The Mexican-American war of 1846-1848, the southwest became part of the United States, where was already a large population of those who were of Spanish and Indian descent. Again, many Americans, who made their fortune in the Gold Rush and many wealthy from the East, needed a cheap labor force to harvest crops and do menial jobs.
Now, we want to stop the flow of those who are crossing borders without the consent of the government. Cities and states are saying out that the "illegal" population is causing them to lose money; they are a burden to the system.
The irony is that it is this same illegal population who do the low paying jobs, the maids, the dishwashers, the gardeners, etc., the jobs which quite a few Americans consider demeaning and will not do.
Since 9-11 we have become even stricter on who enters our country and we even do racial profiling. But, more alarming is what we are doing to America as a whole, all in the name of national security. We now need a passport to leave and re-enter the country, our cell phones and cars have GPS systems which let someone, somewhere, know where we are constantly.
The final irony is the building of a wall between the United States and Mexico. We are spending millions of dollars to keep people out, while at the same time, the Americans are struggling to keep their heads above water.
Many of our entry level jobs have gone overseas to developing third world countries. We out-source other technical information jobs to India or the Philippines. The majority of our consumer items are made in China and many of our fruits and vegetables come from Central and South America.
For years, Canadians have come to this country, worked, paid taxes, then retired and went back to Canada with their Social Security or pensions. Why was this never an issue? How many others have, from other countries have done the same thing?
We, the American people, need to rethink our priorities. We have become a nation of users. We want the "bling" we see on TV, we want a sanitized, germ free house… we want…we want…we want. Yet many would remain on the system rather than take a low paying job, because they would lose benefits the jobs no longer give.
Yes, we do need to revamp our welfare and health care systems, but will targeting one group of people, "The Illegal" accomplish this?
My question is this, who are we trying to keep out and, more importantly, who are we trying to keep in? Are we turning this country into a "police state" or "Warsaw Ghetto" where eventually we will need papers to just travel into another state or part of the country?
And, finally, if we do stop the flow of "Illegal immigrants," who then will work at the low paying jobs that Americans no longer want to do?
(c)2008 Michele Winslow
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