I was born and have lived most of my life in a city with a huge, commodious harbor in which a tall statue of a woman holds a lit torch high to welcome all…especially whatever tired, poor, huddled, homeless masses arrive from wherever it is they come from. Even the specific word “homeless” is engraved on the plaque inside the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal.
I started school in the 1950s and had my head filled with doctrine about everything this country is still supposed to stand for, including a staunch and absolute adherence to the Statue of Liberty’s promise.
Despite the multitude of flaws I’ve discovered with maturity, I still love my country, all its people (even the ones I violently disagree with), and everything it’s supposed to stand for, including the Statue of Liberty’s promise.
It is unconscionable, not to mention flying in the face of a code of etiquette the entire planet respects, to turn down a single, desperate person seeking asylum in this land.
That said, I totally respect the massive problems inherent to unlimited, uncontrolled immigration. While I would extend my hand without question to anyone struggling to swim to our shores, the moment that person set foot here…or even lay exhausted on the beach here…I would hold them responsible for the same codes of behavior that bind me, a citizen. And, unlike a citizen who has a proven track record and a well-established right to remain, I wouldn’t have any problem whatsoever shoving that poor exhausted swimmer right back into the ocean if…say…their first act after catching their breath was to snatch my purse.
As a citizen of this country, I have to pull my own weight and pay taxes that (presumably) contribute to the common good. The same should…and could, despite all the carping to the contrary…be expected of almost all (with the possible exception of the extremely old or disabled) who come here. I do not feel that I or any other citizen of the USA should have to support them or bend over backwards to accommodate them.
In summation, what I’m saying is always, always, always, let ‘em in, let ‘em all in. But after that be every bit as ruthless in your demands and expectations of them as is necessary to guarantee that they contribute, rather than detract from, their new land. And if they do contribute by working harder and cheaper than you do, accept that that’s free enterprise and the American way.
