Self-Analysis

It seems that my view is a mixed one, but that is ok. Let me begin… well from the beginning of this project. Before doing this blog my views were ultra conservative. I thought that all immigrants who came here illegally were abominations and should be sent back to their homeland, but my thinking and reasoning was based on what I had heard from my parents and what I “assumed” about illegal immigrants. My personal view was very limited and lacked any logical backing. I had never really researched the topic before. The truth is I never had a reason to research it. If an issue was not affecting my life personal in the present or for see able future I didn’t worry about it. Of course the whole purpose of this project was to open my eyes to both sides of the illegal immigration. I don’t know if the purpose also included helping me choose a side but it has definitely done that anyways.
While doing this project my eyes were opened to the hurt and heartbreak of those who could not come here. I saw how their countries were providing less than what America could provide them. I grew a heart for these people. http://www.myimmigrationstory.com/
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-07-08-sanctuary_N.htm
Maybe this is what the founding fathers felt when they said that all men were created equally with certain unalienable rights. These people deserve better lives and America can provide that for them…if only those who wanted to come had the money or the means. In a world and country conquered by bankers and stock brokers, money is the main driver of all issues. If immigrants don’t have the means and America doesn’t have the means then those immigrants aren’t going to get here legally. We as a nation have made it too hard for these people to come here. I see that now and want to know what we can do to change that.
At this point in my blog posts I tried to show what the presidential candidates could do for the immigrants who wanted to come here. I found that both candidates had pretty much the same views so I tried to find out who would be the best candidate to fulfill his stance. John McCain had the experience, and Barack Obama had a more detailed plan. Which one is better? I chose John McCain because I believe that he does have the experience for this job. http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/John_McCain_Immigration.htm
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2008/10/6/barack-obama-and-john-mccain-on-immigration-the-issue-neither-wants-to-discuss.html
He may seem like he is shifting in his stance but that might have been the only way he could still be in this race. Otherwise the GOP would not have selected him if he had stayed with his moderate views. I think that Obama’s inexperience will play more of a negative factor than McCain’s shifting. I also want to point out that a presidential election is more than just about an immigration policy. http://tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article636189.ece
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/08/mccain-cites-obamas-inexperience-lack-of-judgment/
In any plan there will always be flaws and there will always be pitfalls that push it back so I wanted to look at what those flaws could possibly be. In America there at 12 million illegal immigrants and it would be impractical to try and deport all of those immigrants so inevitably there will always be illegal aliens in America. These aliens will drain American resources and not pay taxes. That gets my blood boiling a little. I’m sure I am not the only one who thinks this when I say I want everything to be fair.
http://www.helium.com/items/890432-why-illegal-immigrants-in-the-us-should-not-receive-government-benefits
I know that ideal is so far away from being realistic but I am not giving up on it. Fair is fair. I have talked about everybody getting a fair chance to come to America but then I don’t talk about having a fair tax on those who have been here legally or who are citizens. You can’t have one without the other.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/07/eveningnews/main4000401.shtml
It was along these lines of thinking about fairness that got me to think about being realistic. Realistically America is not going to change in a short amount of time. So for the next year or two even if the new president puts into place an amazing immigration plan there will still be more illegal aliens coming in. That is a fact. There might even be a bigger influx if they find out it will become harder to become a citizen. Help will be needed by other countries to help America. http://www.newser.com/story/40503/mexico-will-deport-cuban-migrants-headed-for-us.html
The other real fact about illegal immigration is that immigration reform will not change the minds of those in less fortunate situations that our own. People in Mexico will still want to come to America to get a better life and get away from the corruption of Mexican society. http://migranttrail.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/immigration-central-comprehensive-immigration-reform-will-not-stop-illegal-immigration/
So now my thinking has come full circle from where I began, but I have a new found resource by evaluating this issue. I now know why I think immigration reform should be tougher. We as humans should look out for one another and respect the rights of others even if they aren’t citizens yet, but when those same aliens don’t respect our rights (not becoming citizens, not paying taxes) then we as a nation have to do something about it. America is stronger than any immigrant. That is the cold hard truth and until immigrants become stronger than the American government, the government will reign supreme and call the shots. So here is my progression in one sentence: I thought ignorantly about immigrants, my eyes were opened to their hardships, and then my research and ethics combined showed me the fallacy of allowing illegal aliens to remain illegal in our country and seeing the strength the U.S. government.