Comment on ONE topic from the list below:
1) Should the United States government restrict immigration in a very strict fashion or adopt an approach such as the temporary worker program? Why or why not?
2) What are some of the pros and cons of the high value placed on individualism in the United States? Can you provide some examples as well as an explanation of your opinion?
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I thought chapter one compatmentalized politics in United States, too much. It tried to put politics in a box and give it a name. In my opinion this simply cannot be done in the ease with which the authors of the text attempted to do so. Politics in America should be so much more than Democracy, or Republic(which wasn't even mentioned, was it?). It is about people, their passions and in some cases their entire lives. yes, to some politics is their religion. They worship and adore their political leasders or live and breathe certian issues. For example, the immigration issue. To the immigrants themselves this is a matter of eating or not of living in the land of plenty or the land of nothing. Most come from third world living conditions and are attempting to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and make a change for the better. but, americans are worried that some foreigner will get ahead of them in some way or take away some sort of piower that they have in being a majority. What is the more importqnt issue here; eating or being a part of the party of power?
The guest worker program has not been appropriately named. These workers are not here as guests but to try to stay here one way or another, Legally or otherwise. In my opinion there should not be any change in the current work visa program that we have presently in place. Any bill before congress has but one goal and that is to make illegal’s legal. Personally, I have no problem with this. These people are trying to cut into a piece of endless pie called the American Dream, but first I'd like to address issues raised in the book. The idea that the guest workers are performing jobs no one else wants is bogus. People on the welfare roles are taking these jobs daily. The problem is most of the jobs they take are illegal jobs. They are paid under the table without workman’s comp being paid. They are not paying any taxes or social security. If they were made legal they would demand more and therefore hurt business that are presently saving money buy hiring illegal’s. This would not relieve pressure on the border since the first mass legalization project undertaken in the seventies has only created more illegal’s looking for the same free ride. The present bill as proposed by president bush does nothing about the problem of illegal’s already here. He says nothing about sending them back in order to apply legally for a visa. So it is my belief that he intends to make them legal in some way. I believe we should legalize them, make them pay a fine or duty for becoming a citizen and start enforcing existing laws broken by business who are illegally working illegal immigrants.
Question 1
I believe that the United States should restrict immigration in a very strict fashion. Because the system we have in place now is not efficent. If we have a problem now with illegal immigrants shouldn't we fix the problem that we have instead of creating a new one? Why should we allow more immigrants in and not punish the illegal immigrants that are already here? We need to set an example to other countries that this will not be tolerated. Although, studies show that immigrants influence in the United States has been a good thing, there still are 29% of Americans that think it has been a bad thing. Are those 29% of Americans talking about the illegal immigrants that sneak through our, so called, "border patrol?" Maybe? But we need to think about how many jobs have been given to illegal immigrants that take less pay than most of the lower class American citizens. They claim that there are jobs that Americans will not do, but in my opinion these jobs should be given to the Americans that are currently looking for a job. Which would cause our unemployment rates to go down, which in turn will help other American citizens with taxes, etc. In short, there has to be more emphasis on our immigration laws. In my opinion allowing some immigrants in now on temporary workers programs is not the answer. Does Bush actually think we can get them to leave or go back to their country? We cant even enforce the laws on getting the illegal immigrants out of the United States in the present, what would change in the future?
2.) The pros of individualism in the United States are that individuals are given the fair chance to succeed and pursue their own path without the fear of it getting taken away. People need to take initiative and be self-sufficient to achieve the material advantages necessary for their well-being. They are able to reach for their dreams and have the opportunity to achieve them. The cons of individualism are that people only care about their own self and do not concern themselves with the well-being of others. People will be self-centered and selfish and this could cause the economy to decline. An example of this would be that an individual works only for themselves to get ahead and they become rich. The power and money could get to them and they might keep the money and spend it on ridiculous things that they do not need while others are starving on the streets.
I believe that you should work for everything you strive for and the more power to you if you succeed. I think that there comes a time that a person needs to step back and examine how money or power is controlling them. They still need to have morals and not let the money and power control them. Also, I do feel that you should look out for yourself, but I do not think that your well-being depends only on you. I believe that other people can come through for you as well and sometimes you need to lean on people because we are human.
1)
The issue of immigration is at minimum a very challenging issue and one that must be looked at and addressed by our leaders and in our own minds. I have recently read the book who are we? By Samuel P. Huntington a Harvard professor and in the book (chap 9) he discuses some very interesting issues and facts about our large influx if Hispanic immigration. The first issue that is addresses is the issue of assimilation. Throughout our history Immigrants have assimilated very well by learning the language values and history of this country. However, such assimilation is no longer taking place with the Hispanic immigrants for many reasons. another reason is the close proximity to their home country. Unlike past immigrants who had to sail across oceans leaving family and home likely never to return again the Hispanic immigrates can easily go to and from here to home keeping in contact with their family, friends and way of life instead of adapting to the one in which they are presently involved. Assimuation in the United States in the past was focused on interweaving and bringing together different cultures versus having large sects of cultures and groups divided throughout America. This is in no way taking place today in fact “ In 2000 nearly 2/3 of Mexican immigrants lived in the west, and nearly half in California.” I am in no way saying that immigration and the blending of cultures are a negative, in fact I think and believe them to be a wonderful thing. However having sects and groups that are set apart and not blended raise many challenges. One question that must be answered is what are we to do as a nation if an immigrant group dose not assimilate and learn the language. This not only poses a challenge for our job interactions and such but also has a profound impact on our schools. What is the right answer? Do we stench our tax dollars thinner and have two types of schools or do we have schools that are bilingual and teach half the day in each language? The right answer is not an easy one to know. As for my personal opinion, I think that as nation illegal immigration must be slowed or we are going to put our self in such a position that we do not have the means to cope with the situation. I also believe that we should reinstitute assimilation programs for our legal immigrants. Making citizens only of America versus dual citizenship is a very important issue that our economy and nation faces if we continue to have millions of people who do not commit to our economy and strengthen it but instead send money home and to another countries economies ours will begin to face many unforeseen difficulties. Therefore, as we muddle through this issue here is some more food for thought from Who We Are.
1) The percentages of legal Mexican immigrants in the 1970’s, 80’ and 90’s combined do not equal the percentages if immigrates who came from Ireland between 1820 and 1860 or from Germany in the 1850’s and 1860’s
2) “Migrants enable their friends and relatives back home to migrate by providing information… The result is “chain migration”, with migration becoming easier for each subsequent group of migrants.”
3) Mexican immigrants have had low rates of self-employment of entrepreneurship.
4) “Mexican immigrants are more likely to live in poverty and to be on welfare then most other groups.”
5) Mexican-American home ownership is considerably lower then all other Americans along with managerial or professional occupation.
6) New York times/CBS found that in 2003, 23 % of Hispanic immigrants were citizens, compared to 69 % of non- Hispanic immigrants.
2)
There are many very advantages and disadvantages to the high value placed individualism in America
Some are: 1) people become personally responsible for their actions both good and bad and to feel as if they are in control of their life and destiny. Such feelings help to inspire and motivate people but can also leave them feeling alone and unsupported.
2) Individualism allows for more diversity in our culture and society but can sometimes obstruct the unity among people.
3) Individualism allows individual people to be recognized an addressed but the individual gain can sometimes come at the disadvantage of others.
In my opinion, I feel that the level of individualism that is placed on our culture is very important. It confirms one worth and value and allows more dreams to be had. I also feel that in America our sense of individualism dose not take away from our ability to care and reach out to the world. America hands down give more money and aid to others then any country in the world. As individuals, we are become very aware of the difference that one person can make and therefore stave to do all that we can to give all people that opportunity. This can be clearly seen in the millions upon millions given to and by nonprofit organization each year not to mention the millions of service hours American provide each year. (A great book to find these statistics is entitled who really cares.) Too many times, in societies where people’s individuality is, eliminated millions are killed and hope is taken away. In a society where people can think and work for themselves, they will work harder, think deeper, and achieve great things!
I believe that the United States government should place restrictions on immigration. Unchecked limits on those that are entering the country could place unduly burdens on the social systems (i.e. educational and medical) in our society and strain these to a breaking point. By placing restrictions on immigrants, the federal government is ensuring that programs that are set-up for legal citizens to use are available and will not be spread to thin financially to cover all its costs. The illegal immigrants, who are made of primarily Hispanic people from Mexico, Latin America and South America, are here on their own choosing. Many of these illegal immigrants know of the freedoms that are enjoyed by most Americans and want to be a part of a society that prides itself on Liberty and equality. The US government should try to restrict the flow of these immigrants and set-up a system that would bring them here to the United States in a legal form (i.e. like a temporary worker program). By rewarding those who choice to come to this country through legal means, by allowing them to work and enjoy the social programs that are offered; and punishing those who come here illegally. We send a picture that to enjoy the freedoms as an American; one should respect the sovereignty of this country and not cross the border in the dead-of-night. One problem with temporary worker programs though, is that many are in the technical fields and not in those labor-intensive fields (i.e. agriculture, cleaning and home building), and there is a cap on the number per year and from different countries. To develop a temporary worker program that would fit those illegal immigrants here already, would be a hard chore to accomplish in that the exact number of illegal’s is unknown and what job fields would be included? The task would take years to accomplish, untold person-hours, and financial resources involved that could be placed elsewhere in government and better spent using taxpayer money.
I feel that the United States should be more strict on illegal immigrants slipping through now more than ever. We have too many starving children here who's parents would work if they could just find a job. Not everyone has the luxury of having an education. The jobs that the government seems to "supply" for the immigrants could be wonderful opportunities for some of these jobless people. I know everyone is out to make a dollar and it's cheap to let immigrants work for you but let's give some of that opportunity to some of our own people. America is so powerful that you would think they could prevent who came into our country but so it seems that isn't happening. Don't get me wrong, I know everyone in the world would love to better themselves but for anything to work right in your life you have to do it legally. Sneaking into the United States and living in fear that any day you could get caught is no life anyway.
I believe that the US needs a stricter immigration policy. I think that if these immigrants want to live in America then there should be some sort of process in which they should have to go through that will legally make them citizens. If these immigrants want to live here they need to uphold the duties of normal citizens, such as paying taxes. I also think we should limit the number of immigrants we allow to become citizens. In a few years our already dwindling social security funds will be gone and welfare costs will raise greatly. I think our government should make stricter immigration laws to prevent this from happening.
Danielle,
Have you ever read Ayn Rand?
I believe the issue on immigration is a very unique matter in the United States government. On one side of the issue the United States was settled by immigrants; on the other side illegal immigrants are abusing the rights of American citizens. I personally believe that the United States should begin to adopt a strict policy on foreign immigration and enforce such laws that are in affect today. I think that the illegal immigrants should apply for their citizenship in the United States. I agree that the immigrants living in the United States, who wish to be American citizens should be allowed to do so, however I feel they must pay taxes and social security as do the American citizens. The Hispanic immigrants who are illegal do jobs that some Americans would not do, but they should also be paid the same wages and have the same responsibility as people who are working and having to pay taxes. I believe that if we do not get a control on the illegally immigrant issue we may be a minority in our country. The cost of schools and community programs is rising do to the issue of language, many illegal immigrants do not speak English and therefore our tax money is used to teach people who are not citizens how to communicate our language. this can be very challenging on a day to day basis. In closing I believe that illegal immigrants that are in the United States to be allowed to stay but take citizenship classes and become citizens of our country.
I'm quite certain that I'm not in the minority when I say that both topics have an impact on the area in which I live. The immigration issue has reared it's ugly head in my town with all the new construction taking place. Needless to say, much fuss has been made by "union" workers over the hiring of non-union (immigrant) workers. Where I teach, individualism certainly becomes an issue as students try to "do their own thing" (in my 70's vocabulary). I choose, however, to limit my comments to the immigration topic. In capitalist America, I believe we have created our own monster. By increasing the minimum wage, we in Ohio have opened the floodgates to immigrants willing to work for less than that required by our government. Being in a relatively rural area, agriculture tends to dominate the local economy. It's no problem for a local farmer to hire transient immigrants when harvest time comes along. However, problems do arise when these transients are offered work in the newly revived contruction period that we are experiencing. I can't blame them for taking the work. Obviously, they are paid far better than they would be in their native country, but, and its a big but, they do not contribute to the social welfare system or the tax ledgers of local, state and federal government. Working "under the table" is a staple of our local business climate. Just yesterday, I was offered construction work at 5 dollars an hour less than union wages. You can do the math if you're familiar with that kind of work. No taxes, cash on the barrel head every Friday. I could make out like a bandit. Why do we allow this to happen in America? Simple. Capitalism! Sell for the highest dollar while shelling out the least amount possible in human capital. Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of private enterprise, The American Dream and all that, but if Americans continue to turn their collective heads to this problem and let the politicians hash it out, the problem will get worse. With "The American Dream" comes the idea of entitlement. We are owed a good living. Americans must push for stricter immigration laws. Sure, prices may go higher, but in the long run, we will have hopefully created a new generation of workers that "WORK" for their American Dream instead of allowing the government to provide for their every need through that monthly check. I guess you could say that this is a bit of a sore subject for me.
Bill,
No, I have not. Also, is there a different way to reply to a comment?
It seems that everyone is agianst illegal immigrants coming into America. Regardless if it's a working visa or not. I agree but also disagree with everyones opinions. No one has stated the fact that we are all illegal immigrants except for those people living on reservations. How do you think they felt about us just coming in taking their land and sticking them somewhere no one else wants to live. But on the other hand I see were everyone is coming from. It has to stop sometime for the United States to become the country we are all looking for.
In response to topic one, i personally believe that the appropriate decision in regards to immigration is for our government to moniter and restrict it in a very strict fashion. Honestly, i felt otherwise until i read chapter one in our textbook. On page 19, the "Debating the Issues" portion of the chapter changed my opinion on the matter. In order to maintain proper national security, we must have very strict immigration policies. Any person that violates these policies should be deported. Granting an illegal immigrant the opportunity to join a temporary worker program after he broke the law to become eligable doesnt seem very constitutional. I understand the principle behind the temporary worker program, but what are we as a nation if we dont stick to our guns and carry out the law to the fullest. Also, as Tom Tanacredo mentions in the chapter, if these immigrants came illegally, what makes us think they will abide by the law and go back home after the temp program is through? It is for our best interest to implement strict immigration laws; it is important from a security standpoint. Foreigners who desire to become Americans need to understand one very important thing about America; we abide by our laws, and when we dont there are negative consequences. The same principle applies to laws of immigration.
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