Despite the best efforts of the far Left (and their allies, the regular Democratic party,) I still believe that I won the lottery in life when I was born in the United States. I went back to “the old country” and after that visit, I was even more thankful for the bravery and sacrifices of my grandparents for immigrating to the United States. Without their bravery, I could picture myself growing up in a Communist nation with little freedom and little opportunity.
Their migration to the U.S. was not easy and like most immigrants, they decided to live in an ethnic neighborhood (south side of Chicago), near steady work (steel mills). I remember one of my grandmothers talking about how she thought Chicago was so backward; the sidewalks were wood (unlike Warsaw which used concrete) and the bathroom was in the back yard (unlike Warsaw which had indoor plumbing). They worked hard, saved, invested their money and their children spoke perfect English and could and did go to college. The great American dream fulfilled.
A friend of mine came over to the U.S. much later and he still talks about how the immigration process was so strict. You could only come over if you had the promise (in writing) of a job and a sponsor. You had to register where you lived, and he had an immigration officer visit him to make sure he was working and at that address! He received no welfare of any type because if he did, back he would go to “the old country.” He married, opened a business and his four children are all strong Americans.
How times have changed! You can easily read of cities and states where non-citizens, including illegal and legal immigrants, foreign students and diplomats can vote in local elections, get driver’s licenses, etc. (Washington D.C., Minnesota, Rhode Island, Vermont, etc.) The state of California just announced that despite its deficit of nearly seventy-billion dollars ($70,000,000,000), it will provide free health care to all illegals in the state. Where will the state find the money? Take a guess; the citizen who pays the legal taxes due. Of course, illegals already receive a free education and yes, many receive welfare.
At the same time, citizens need to pay for their health care, pay their state and Federal taxes, are required to show identification when boarding an airplane (unlike illegals), can lose their car if they are guilty of drunk driving (unlike illegals in California), etc. Something is very wrong with this picture! The backbone of any successful society in the West is a strong middle-class and yet it seems our governments at various levels are doing all they can to denigrate and destroy that group.
It may be a good time to ask, why is American citizenship being so degraded by many of our political leaders? What exactly is the upside for our nation of allowing five, or eight or ten million illegals into our nation? Most do not speak English, most have no real job skills; yet we give them free food, shelter, clothing, work permits, cell phones, etc. Millions of people around the world would love to become U.S. citizens, so it is not out of fear that no one would show up if we enforced our own laws. What is the purpose of ignoring all the laws, rules and guidelines that are there for our nation’s benefit? Immigration is designed to benefit the receiving nation; that is the first priority. We can have the pick of the best and brightest, the ones who would be thrilled to be U.S. citizens, but instead we let in millions of unknowns and who picks up the bill? Have you watched the news in the last three years? Those who pick up the bill see their neighborhoods overrun, their children’s schools being turned into migrant camps and the crime rate spiraling out of control. Who pays? It is the millions of U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who play by the rules, pay their taxes, and expect a minimum amount respect from our elected officials. Apparently, that is asking too much.
