Error: I'm afraid this is the first I've heard of a "trackback" flavoured Blosxom. Try dropping the "/+trackback" bit from the end of the URL.
Thoughts on Immigration
I encourage you all to give this a quick read for some 'common myths' regarding immigration
http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/Documents/CommonMyths-Immigrants-FINAL.pdf
And a personal anecdote -
My girlfriend right now is Colombian, currently involved in a legal immigration process to get her greencard. She owns a house, holds a job, and pays the same taxes everyone else does. She is applying for legal 'US Residency' which you think would be easy for an educated electrical engineer.
Well here are some things you may not know about the legal prcoess of being allowed to live in the USA as a non-citizen (as a worker, not a college student):
* she has to work for a company willing to sponsor her H1-B VISA. It costs her employer $3000 to sponsor the VISA, and it will cost her $3000 more in the end to foot the bill for the immigration lawyers. I have a hard time picturing a job for an immigrant w/out a college education finding someone to pay $3000 for someone to start working for them, or to have the other 3 grand on hand to pay 'the man'.
* if she gets fired or quits, she has to leave the USA in 30 days. Imagine if someone told you that by law you had to sell your house and leave all your friends/other immigrant family members in the US within 30 days due to problems at work. Imagine having to stick w/ your job even if it is not what you want to do, just because you want to live in this country.
* if she gets into any legal trouble, it means exportation. The same offense that would land a frat-boy a $200 fine and a slap on the wrist for possession of marjiuana or the like would kick my giflreind out of the country!
anyway, i'm only writing this because i think that it is worth cutting the illegals a little bit of slack - they are doing jobs that most americans don't want to do, and they're paying taxes just like the rest of us. In reality, this helps both sides: US economy benfits because outsiders help the economy keep going, and the international person gets to live in a country that offers higher quliaty of life.
anyway, please leave comments about this if you feel compelled...
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