Immigration Is Not The Problem

There's a lot of talk regarding illegal immigration, and as long as the issue remains unresolved by country's leadership, it will only serve to polarize our nation.

I would submit to you, however, that illegal immigration in itself is not the problem. Instead, it is merely a symptom of a much bigger problem.

I think it is quite obvious that the United States is becoming or has become a welfare state. The Democratic Party under Franklin D. Roosevelt made some sweeping and progressive moves to help those who can't help themselves. I applaud FDR for this. Unfortunately, every Democratic administration has somehow perverted Roosevelt's policies to the point where we are close to living in a socialist state. Both candidates vying for the Democratic nomination are certainly capable of tipping our nation over that edge if elected.

I don't have a problem helping those who truly need it. But our government makes it relatively easy to enable many who don't work just because they don't feel like it. Conversely, it is also difficult for people to get out of the vicious circle of the welfare system.

Our country is not in very good shape. The health care system is near meltdown, schools are not adequately educating our children, drug abuse is as rampant as ever, and our prisons are overcrowded. These may be a contributing factor to the moral decay in this country.

A good case in point is Hurricane Katrina. A lot of folks in New Orleans are angry at the government. They feel let down because they expect the government to take care of them, but the government has not been able to take care in the manner that they are used to. Meanwhile, the rest of the Gulf region, and other areas hit by disaster (i.e. - the California wildfires) are quietly rebuilding without bitching to the government for a handout.

Despite all the indications that we are or will soon be a welfare state, we are an attractive country, especially to those who have a rough life in places like Mexico or Central America. It's not their fault.

Since our country was born, many have immigrated here. They came here for a better life than what they left behind. It wasn't necessarily an easy life. They didn't come expecting a handout from the government - nor did they get one. These immigrants took care of themselves and each other. That's still true today (if you go to a homeless shelter you will see very few Hispanics).

So if it seems that immigrants today - regardless of where they're from - are taking advantage of the system, it's because they can. It's not their fault. If you give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day; if you teach him how to fish, you can feed him for life. People are deemed disadvantaged because the standards set by our government are set too low. We're giving out too many fish and not teaching enough how to fish. We need to get our act together before it's too late.

And the way I see it, immigration is not the problem.