More on illegal immigration
Kim DuToit, a transplanted South African, has an interesting blog, to say the least. He recently posted an article on the illegal immigration problem. Kim immigrated to the US of A legally, and knows first hand how difficult it can be to do so. Here’s some quotes from the article:
This is not an exercise to examine the cost/benefit ratio.
Yes, of course there are costs and benefits. Of course there will be consequences to the costs of goods if the labor pool suddenly becomes more expensive. Of course there will be savings if medical and education benefits are drastically curtailed among the twelve million or so people who are currently using those benefits without contributing towards their costs.
None of that is important: it’s a red-herring issue.
What is more important, far more important, is the soul of this nation and of our society, and it is this soul which is being undermined.
What do I mean by that?
It’s quite simple. In the past, we have always had this compact with immigrants: you are welcome to come here, but you must assimilate into our society. In order for our nation to continue to be this “shining city on the hill”, and a beacon of hope for the rest of the world, it is not only important for us to maintain those societal values, but to strengthen them.
So when we see people breaking the law (entering the country without our permission), relying on the State to provide taxpayer-funded State benefits (medical care, education) without contributing to the cost, refusing to speak our language, and taking our currency out of the country to support the economy of another country—what on Earth is surprising about the backlash against illegal immigration?
When we concentrate only on money, we leave ourselves open to the accountants and financial nitpickers. It’s not the money. It’s our culture and our values that are at stake.
If those huddled masses from Central and South America (and indeed from the Middle East and elsewhere) want to come and live here, to share in the bounty which we produce, that is fine. We are a nation of immigrants, and we are all the stronger for it.
But they may only immigrate here on our terms, not theirs. We are the host nation, and we have created over two centuries a nation which has caused the downtrodden, the fearful and the persecuted to see us as their last hope, the hope of the entire free world.
I find Kim’s use of the phrases “our terms” and “our culture” and “our values” interesting. As a legal immigrant himself he came to our nation to assimilate, to become part of the “American Dream”. He knows whereof he speaks on this matter.
Funny, I got spoken down to for voicing these very ideas – albeit not as eloquently – and was told that my opinion matters not because I’m an “ex pat”. Well then, here’s the opinion of someone who lives up there right now – and who makes the same case as I have. Hopefully there’s more folks out there thinking such thoughts and holding their elected officials feet to the fire, figuratively speaking that is.
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