I am a fifth generation American. My family arrived here in the 1890s. We were loggers and farmers for the next three generations. We bought a farm and it is now considered a national landmark out in Scholls Oregon. We've paid our taxes, learned to join this society of many nationalities and have grown to adopt this as our home. We do not speak of the Ukraine as the "old country". We have long been proud to be Americans. Why do I say this? Because it took a huge sacrifice to come here, and it has been worth it.
The issue of immigration is not as complex as some would like to make you think. When most of our families came here we went through the channels that were available to us. My family came through Ellis Island, others came through San Francisco. But the vast majority of immigrants who came to this nation, up until the last 20 to 30 years, arrived here legally. We became citizens and we learned the rules of citizenship. But now there are millions of people here who have no respect for those rules. Have little or no knowledge of our history; no idea about who we are and many don't care to know. They are the ones which come here, work illegally and send the money they make back home. The rationale for letting them stay comes in many forms. Some believe they take the jobs others would refuse to do. Some think that anyone who comes to this country has the constitution to rely upon for rights and guaranty. Some believe that they will become good citizens. I believe they are all wrong. Simply put, Illegal immigrants are here illegally, and therefore are entitled to nothing more than being deported from our nation. Anything less, paying for their children to go to school, giving welfare, social services to help them feel at home, voting rights, drivers licenses, etc. is an assault on the rights and privileges of every legal citizen of our country. I know this sounds harsh to liberals, but basically speaking, millions of people came here legally, why should we allow others to come here without the restrictions and security measures that all the rest of us had to endure on our road to the American dream? It cheats the rest of us out of our rights and cheapens our efforts to become citizens and contribute to this nation's prosperity. I for one cannot believe our politicians would look to those that break the laws of this nation as political capital, and a source of power. It is time for reform, and to take back the authority the legitimate citizenry should have.
