Saturday, April 29, 2006

From Whence Do Ye Hail??

It is a given that save for the indigenous peoples that were already here when the Europeans first set foot on these shores, we are all decendants of an immigrant population.

They came in boatloads from every corner of the world to inhabit this New World! For the vast majority of them, their only posessions upon stepping off the ship were their culture, their music, and their acquired skills. They hit the ground running with a vision to create a home and a country that was more ideal, more free, and in most aspects better than the land of their birth.

Through a combination of individual endeavors and collective accomplishments over multiple generations, they realized their dream. The majority eventually united for they came to understand that standing alone on principle was a recipe for loosing to the highest bidder! It was also discovered that unity of purpose did not have to mean loosing one's individual heritage in the process.

As time went on a system of law was developed to protect us from both ourselves, and intruders from elsewhere. Borders were declared and requirements for citizenship were formed.
Again, the majority agreed and adhered to these guidelines. It must be stated at this point that the majority of which I speak was not of one creed or ethnic orgin but rather of an ideal that was seen to be far better than had been previously experienced.

From that point to this, wars have been fought and fortunes have been spent ( and made) to repel any perceived threat to that ideal from within as well as without.

Fast forward to the present and we find ourselves embroiled in controversy regarding the very issue from which we all sprang. That being immigration or more to the point, uncontrolled immigration.

Are we still a nation who welcomes the oppressed? In essence I think we are. However, post 911, I believe that stricter adherance to that rule of law is in order! The procedures for becoming a legal, naturalized citizen of these United States has long been established. To glibly bypass those procedures is folly.

There is a school of thought which expouses the point that immigrant workers are quite content to do the lowly tasks that we Americans refuse to do. That is in fact true in some cases. It is also fact that by circumventing regulations, they end up in highly skilled jobs for which they are not qualified. In doing so, they in effect lower the payscale for those qualified workers in that field.

Case in point. In the trucking industry, of which I am a member, one is required by Federal Law to be able to speak and read the English Language at least to the proficency level of being able to understand the road signs and fill out the required paperwork in order to hold a Commercial Drivers License. However, one can enroll in any one of thousands of truck driving schools in this country, and have a CDL in his/her pocket in 14 to 21 days. Personally I know of no one who has yet failed the CDL test regardless of their ability to communicate in English!

If I recall there was a similar scenario a few years back concerning flight schools. That one didn't turn out so well as I remember. Just another example of requirements no longer being required.

But I digress. My point here is that these folks are guiding 80,000 pound missles up and down our highways with no understanding of the language, the signage, nor the vehicle they are operating. They are doing so for less money than those of us who have the training and experience to do so safely and efficiently.

Granted by their standards, they are in most cases, far better off financially than from whence they came. However, by ours they are barely keeping up with poverty levels and dragging us down with them. By the way, this situation is not limited to just the trucking industry. Similar events are taking place in other industries across our land.

So do I care what language they sing our National Anthem in? No! But I do care that they feel they have the right to do so without having gone thru the process to earn it. I also care that those who are profiting the most and spending the least are not those doing the work.

Want to come to America and make it your home? Welcome, come on in and join us. But do so the old fashioned way. EARN IT like your ancestors did!

10 Comments:

At Mon May 01, 12:50:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

As someone who is in the middle of the long legal immigration process of trying to get my fiancé here from Russia the issues being raised by those here illegally are beginning to upset me, the core of their argument being their perceived rights. I agree that all mankind have the rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness as phrased by Thomas Jefferson (John Locke, and Adam Smith) in our countries Declaration of Independence, however there is a legal option for attaining those rights called immigration. Many of those individuals here illegally are citing their "right" to be here. They have no rights in this land, they are not citizens! I submit that today our government has a tremendous opportunity; All across our great nation there are protests and gathering of illegal immigrants who are boycotting work to show America the impact they have on our economy...I say since they are all in one place, round them up and ship them back to their homeland! The employment rate of Americas would increase, crime would decrease and the economy would explode due to American's working for America. Problem Solved!

 
At Mon May 01, 12:52:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

love ya Dad!

 
At Mon May 01, 01:31:00 PM, Blogger jon faith said...

Whoa! I think I'll direct this missive to Lloyd's original and not be detoured by the planned roundup as described in the comment section. There are a host of variables at play here and I agree that measured skill should be required in certain fields. That said, on any given highway in Europe, right now, there are lorry drivers who speak myriad tongues, but not necessarily the "native" tongue of Poland, Portugal or the Netherlands, for example. Is this perceived to be a security threat, are trucks plunging headlong into oncoming traffic as I pen these lines?
No.
Is there a security threat, I repeat? Where isn't there a threat? As the examples of Oklahoma City and the London attacks of July Seventh establish, homegrown folks are just as inclined to attempt mass murder as any shadowy conspiracies per se. The hijackers weren't applying for a job either, but receiving training on a paid basis.
Perhaps this evening while your at Kroger, pause for a moment in the produce section, imagine the absorbed human costs involved in planting, picking and distrubution; not only in our orchards but say, i don't know, all across Central America and up through mexico. What forces are compelling these people to brave such empirical threats? Are we ready to pay the difference?

 
At Mon May 01, 02:11:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rounding them all up?! Not practical, probably not even doable and not the correct "American" response.

While I agree with the sentiments of John Locke regarding inalienable rights for all mankind, I agree with Lloyd that there is a well established set of procedures for one to use to obtain first, a legal status< and then citizenship. This is something that CAN be enforced with cooperation from employers and, I feel, should be enforced.

In short, I do know that many of the illegals are opressed in their homelands and they have the "American Dream" for their families just as our own ancestors did. I do NOT mind these good, hard working people being here and becoming productive MEMBERS OF SOCIETY, i.e. taxpaying citizens.
I also do not mind the idea of "temporary work permits," as long as they realize that the benefits of being a citizen come ONLY to citizens.

As for the language issue, I have three comments:
1. We, here in the USA, have always been arrogant with regards to our status as a super-power. We think that the rest of the world should try to communicate with us, not vice versa, and that we don't "need to learn no stinking other languages!" Well, that's crap and we do need to learn other languages for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who isn't sleeping through life.

2. Having said that, I truly believe that any people who come here to stay for any length of time, from anywhere, should be required to learn to speak, read and write English, our OFFICIAL NATIONAL LANGUAGE! Period!! In fact, I believe that anyone moving to any other country, should HAVE to learn that country's national language! It's a no-brainer.

3. Regarding the National Anthem,I don't mind if people sing it in another language sometime. In fact, it's kind of flattering, just as long as those who are here for good, or for extended periods, learn OUR language. That needs to be a mandatory no-brainer.

OK, so, I feel better.

Roz Tate

 
At Mon May 01, 02:52:00 PM, Blogger jon faith said...

(deep breath)
Can one guess that tomorrow is an election day?
'Cause my daddy says so' - this isn't sufficent explanation. No, I am not referring to Scion of Lloyd but these supposed "self-evident" totems which flood debate over soverignty, the pragmatics (and future) of the nation-state and what constitutes an official language. Given our disabuse of the English tongue, I'd state that we have no margins of comfort to require its use to ANYONE.

Human Traffic is the story of the world. Finding scapegoats is just about as durable.

Come down off the cross, we can use the wood. Fostering a connection between immigration (illegal or licit) and crime rates is simply stupid. There is a surfeit of statistical data to support this.

 
At Mon May 01, 03:57:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Respectfully Roz, My expirence is that there is evidence to support both arguments for illegals and crime.

 
At Tue May 02, 12:25:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My apologies Roz, I meant to leave the previous comment for Jon Faith

 
At Tue May 02, 01:43:00 AM, Blogger Jeff Gillenwater said...

Over a million in the streets. Perhaps being born here makes us less American.

 
At Wed May 03, 09:58:00 PM, Blogger Highwayman said...

Methinks I've been misunderstood. I'm not advocating loading up the boats and sending them off without food and water.Those folks who are here currently are here. So be it.

I am however suggesting the prudence of some semblance of control at our national borders & points of entry.

One used to be able to go into Canada with a current drivers license as identification. Since 911, unless you have a valid birth certificate, passport, and a good verifiable reason to be there you'll be turned back at the border.

However, one can get into the USA with only a smile, a verbal declaration of US citizenship, and a $5 dollar bill.(DISCLAIMER:That was real time activity as of May 2005. I've heard of no change in that senario since, but indeed there could have been!) There is something terribly wrong with that procedure.

I cannot speak to the lorry drivers in Europe save to say that if you were to turn a few hundred redneck American heavyhaulers loose on their highways without proper training of that system, CHAOS would assuredly ensue. European motor carriers would have the good sense to not entertain such a venture. Good old American greed, however, can't resist the temptation to squirrel away another dollar, regardless of the cost to the system as a whole.

As for statistics, backwoods as it may be, I find them to be as oxymoronic as military intelligence. It looks good on paper but has little if any impact on the reality of everyday life for ordinary people.

 
At Wed May 03, 10:43:00 PM, Blogger jon faith said...

What reality or experience, my friend, justifies a relationship between undocumented workers and crime rates? I somehow feel that this denate is symptomatic of a collective hoodwink i.e. we are being duped along lines similar to the "raging" debate over gay marriage.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home