Give me Your Tired

With all the talk so often today about the immigration problems in this country, when this survey came up today, I decided to voice my opinions on this topic.

I do not believe that people who want to immigrate here should be charged a fee -by the United States -for the privilege of immigrating here. I do believe they should be prepared to pay the costs though for them to leave their homeland -and to move here.

If they are immigrating here legally, many of them would already have to do that though -plane fare, or by boat, whatever. Those who are able to walk across the border too should have paid for the necessary paperwork for a passport that then allows them to LEGALLY enter this country. Enough of wading across rivers or struggling to sneak through deserts -just come through the gates -the legal gates that is -with papers in hand.

Then, if you are coming here as an immigrant, a student, or just someone who wants to come here for work for a while and move back to the homeland, be prepared to abide by the rules, regulations, laws of this land -like everyone of the rest of is expected to do too!

And also, please be prepared to learn our language too!

Let's face facts -unless you are reading this and your ancestors were native Americans, then your ancestors -like mine -no doubt arrived here with very little education and most had no knowledge either of the English language. But our ancestors realized they had left the "old country" and the ways of that land behind for the opportunity afforded them here and as new citizens, most of them adapted to our language, to our laws and became outstanding members of society in these United States. (Ok, a few here and there maybe didn't learn the language all that well, some didn't comprehend some of our rules either perhaps for a time, but the overwhelming majority of them did change to the American ways.

I have no problem trying to help anyone who wants to come here to live -who is willing to adapt to this new and great land, to our Constitution, our laws, our ways.

I have no problem either with immigrants carrying on some of the traditions from their homeland either. I rather like the idea of learning more about other countries -their traditions, their foods, dress, and many other things about their particular homeland.

But, if someone has opted to move here, then that person -or group of people -should not expect that we are going to change our language, our laws, our educational process, taxing systems -you name it -for each person from each ethnic group who lands here!

If I were to leave here and move to another continent -Europe, Asia, Africa, South America -who do you think is going to be the one who will, who should, learn the rules, the traditions, the language of that new country -me or the people who have always lived there? We all know the answer to that without even thinking, don't we? It sure as heck isn't going to be all the people in some foreign country who are all going to revamp their ways just because I decided to move there and make their country my home. Right?

Be prepared to adapt if you intend to adopt another nation as your homeland I think should be the rule there! Whether it would be someone from here moving to another land or someone coming here, to me, that's just common sense and not discriminatory.

To move to another country and expect that group of people to provide all kinds of assistance -when the move is a volunatary one to begin with -is just ludicrous. That doesn't mean I don't think we here, can't do whatever we can to help people get their footing, to show them common courtesy, to share what we can -knowledge, food, other things as each has available to provide, but don't expect the government here to provide every single thing for you if you come here either. That's just pushing the envelope a hair too much in my opinion anyway.

If you come here to our country, please remember to give the respect that is due -respect our flag, respect those in authority -the police, for openers. Learn our laws and abide by them. Respect that we are an open country pertaining to religious beliefs especially and you are free to worship however you please but don't expect us to take your religion as ours either. (But then, there are those who have been born and raised here who don't always want to adhere to that principle so maybe that one isn't as easy to learn and remember as I may think it is.)

On this survey, I didn't really approve of the initial question -"Would I sell my citizenship and for how much money?" I answered that with a zero -as I would never sell my citizenship here for any amount of money. The freedoms I enjoy, appreciate here are absolutely priceless -therefore, how could I place a monetary value on them?

I think if someone wants to immigrate here, they should apply for papers to come here through our embassy in their homeland. Kind of like applying for a credit card or something to that effect. The application should be subject to approval based on their reasons for coming here and their willingness to adopt honoring our laws and methods. And those papers should not be something controlled by people from their country and subject to the potential for falsification, bribery and fees that are just wrong!

The immigration process should be one that is accessible to anyone -to keep the motto on the Statue of Liberty intact that way -but no one should be subjected to having to pay exhorbitant fees either in their homeland or here if they want to come and join us in life in America!

Just a desire to share in the freedoms we enjoy and to participate by learning, working, adapting and adopting the tenents of this most wonderful, gloriously beautiful land!

And now -what's your theory?