Over the decades, there have been a few times in my life when I have worked
in foreign countries under-the-radar so-to-speak; so I am fully aware of the
various reasons why some people choose to take the risk of illegally working
in the USA. The most basic reason, of course, is to make a better life for
themselves, and/or for their family.

Having said that, while my heart goes out to such people, and while I
sympathize with their desire to fulfill their life's desires and dreams, at
the same time, we need to look at the basic cause behind -- and the negative
consequences which result from -- taking this route.

The question is, why are so many people mesmerized by the idea of working in
the USA? We can attribute it to the "American Dream" propaganda,
or whatever
we want, but the main reason, in my view, why people choose to take the
illegal route, is because their own country, and their own government, is
failing them. In short, if their native country -- wherever it may be --
sustained a healthy economy, provided adequate job opportunities, and paid a
decent living wage, then I suspect that we would see a lot fewer illegals in
the USA. So in my view, the onus is on each foreign country to meet their
obligations of providing the best life possible for their citizens, so that
their citizens don't even feel motivated to consider moving to the USA.

Directly related to the previous point is the fact that as long as the USA
has lax immigration and work policies -- due to catering to Big Business
interests -- and fails to enforce the laws that it already has, foreign
countries will not feel the least bit motivated to improve the work
environment at home. In other words, by being too soft, the USA actually
contributes to the problem of illegal immigration.

Of course, I understand that there are other factors involved in this
debate, such as the fact that illegal, imported labor means that certain
unscrupulous American companies can pay substandard wages and abuse their
workers, while at the same time increasing their profit margin. And, because
they have certain business connections, some unscrupulous politicians are
more than willing to look the other way.

I would also like to point out that I feel that the USA government itself is
guilty of embellishing the facts. Let's not forget that for the millions of
people worldwide who eventually choose to go to the USA, there are millions
and billions more who are quite content living in their home countries,
because they feel that their native country offers them every bit as much as
the USA.

On the negative side, we all know that an illegal alien population strains
the resources of any city or state, particularly in the current difficult
financial times. Not only are some job opportunities lost by legal American
citizens when an illegal alien population is present, but the education
system is strained, the health care system is strained, the housing system
is strained, etc. Of course, to be fair, we also need to recognize that many
of the jobs that are taken by illegal aliens are jobs which nobody else
wants, and some of them are very distasteful or back-breaking jobs indeed.
So to just rely upon the job-stealing card really isn't fair, in my view.

When it comes to the children of illegal aliens, I feel that each case needs
to be judged on its own merits. I don't feel that illegal children should be
punished for the mistakes of their parents; and in the case where deporting
illegal children of a certain age would be more detrimental to their overall
well-being -- such as in the case of those who have already established
their lives here -- I feel that compassion and mercy should be shown. After
all, their parents made the choice, not them.

On the other hand, a newborn baby is just beginning its life, and its life
hasn't yet become rooted in the USA. A newborn baby's place is at the side
of its parents -- particularly at its mother's side -- and if such illegal
parents are caught and deported, then the child should go with them as well.
Separating that baby from its parents, and putting it up for adoption in an
unknown country, where it may possibly end up bouncing from one family to
another, may possibly be worse than deporting it with its parents.

I realize that there is no cure-all answer, but wisdom, compassion and mercy
must be shown in making such decisions; particularly when there are children
involved.



Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23
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