America the Punitive
It's bad enough that the current administration is so hell bent on the punitive solution to everything, but why must we always punish the wrong people?
The big debate on the Sunday talk shows yesterday was Immigration law. Some are proposing new laws to make illegal immigration a felony. That would make all undocumented residents of this country felons--even the ones who were brought here, by their parents, when they were children. I'm not sure of all the specifics of this proposed new legislation, but one thing I'm clear on: the real source of the immigration problem is being ignored.
There is a saying in ancient wisdom: the solution is in the problem. That is to say, if you want to solve a problem you have to look at it. Clearly, the present path of new legislation, aimed at doing what our old legislation could have done had we enforced it, is not based on that ancient principle. Instead of looking at the problem in order to fully understand it, we are (as we are so fond of) simply acting out our frustration on the victims of our own failed policy.
For example, we have failed, miserably, to enforce immigration law for years. As a result, the laws have been broken regularly. Foreigners heard, through the grapevine, that if they could get into the United States, they could find employment. How did that happen? Companies like Wal-Mart hired contractors whose ability to stay in business depended on ultra-cheap labor. And where does one find such labor? From the pool of illegal immigrants who are too frightened of being exposed to complain. Corporate farming concerns have been using illegal immigrants the same way. And who doesn't know somebody who brags at upscale dinner parties about the great "find" they discovered in the form of a gardener or a nanny who is top notch but charges virtually nothing?
While we looked the other way so big business and the wealthy could take advantage of frightened immigrants who believed they were coming to the land of plenty, more and more foreigners heard more and more about the opportunities here. And as with most stories, each time they are told they are more and more dramatic. In other words, the folks in Cuba and Mexico (and wherever else illegal immigrants tend to come from) are playing "telephone" with the truth. By the time they save up what they need to pay the smugglers, they've become totally convinced that getting to the States is the answer to their prayers. Hence, the doctor who is flipping burgers; the engineer who cuts your grass; the scientist who clerks at Walgreen's. This is what the American dream has morphed into.
You'd think at some point these folks would get the picture and stop selling everything they own to come here and work for peanuts, wouldn't you? But no, they won't. Because they have something we don’t: they have the ability to think beyond themselves. They are capable of delayed gratification, a concept totally foreign to most of us. And they aren't selfish, oddly enough. Despite how little they have, they actually come here more concerned about how they might position their children for a better future, rather than worrying every moment about how they can take, take, take, for themselves and foist the payment off on future generations. It's really no wonder Americans are so fed up--they are dealing with people they simply can't comprehend.
And now, we are going to blame another failure, the failure to protect ourselves from terrorists, on the wrong people. Instead of securing our ports, improving airport security, fixing obvious communication problems and logistical snafus, we are blaming our sense of insecurity on the people who are cleaning our toilets. Instead of taking responsibility for our own failures, we are going to use new immigration legislation to point the finger of blame on people whose only crime was wanting a better life, and who observed the lax enforcement of immigration law long enough to believe that it might allow them to provide more for their children. Had the United States been diligent in its own enforcement of these laws, as written, in prior years, these people would not be here in the first place. And had we not quietly, covertly, taken advantage of their presence to greedily profit ourselves, they'd have had no reason to stay.
Come to think of it, this is not unlike what we've done in Iraq. We waltzed into their country, uninvited; we removed their government and destroyed their infrastructure and then left them without water, power or a functioning government, essentially we created a political vacuum. And now, when they're having trouble getting squared away, we pompously pronounce that all the problems they are having are due to their own inability to "get their act together."
We may not be able to see into the future; we may even be failures at taking care of our own; but there is one thing we do quite well: we play the blame game with the best of them. We play it so well, in fact, that it has long ceased to even matter what's true--only that we know how to win.
The big debate on the Sunday talk shows yesterday was Immigration law. Some are proposing new laws to make illegal immigration a felony. That would make all undocumented residents of this country felons--even the ones who were brought here, by their parents, when they were children. I'm not sure of all the specifics of this proposed new legislation, but one thing I'm clear on: the real source of the immigration problem is being ignored.
There is a saying in ancient wisdom: the solution is in the problem. That is to say, if you want to solve a problem you have to look at it. Clearly, the present path of new legislation, aimed at doing what our old legislation could have done had we enforced it, is not based on that ancient principle. Instead of looking at the problem in order to fully understand it, we are (as we are so fond of) simply acting out our frustration on the victims of our own failed policy.
For example, we have failed, miserably, to enforce immigration law for years. As a result, the laws have been broken regularly. Foreigners heard, through the grapevine, that if they could get into the United States, they could find employment. How did that happen? Companies like Wal-Mart hired contractors whose ability to stay in business depended on ultra-cheap labor. And where does one find such labor? From the pool of illegal immigrants who are too frightened of being exposed to complain. Corporate farming concerns have been using illegal immigrants the same way. And who doesn't know somebody who brags at upscale dinner parties about the great "find" they discovered in the form of a gardener or a nanny who is top notch but charges virtually nothing?
While we looked the other way so big business and the wealthy could take advantage of frightened immigrants who believed they were coming to the land of plenty, more and more foreigners heard more and more about the opportunities here. And as with most stories, each time they are told they are more and more dramatic. In other words, the folks in Cuba and Mexico (and wherever else illegal immigrants tend to come from) are playing "telephone" with the truth. By the time they save up what they need to pay the smugglers, they've become totally convinced that getting to the States is the answer to their prayers. Hence, the doctor who is flipping burgers; the engineer who cuts your grass; the scientist who clerks at Walgreen's. This is what the American dream has morphed into.
You'd think at some point these folks would get the picture and stop selling everything they own to come here and work for peanuts, wouldn't you? But no, they won't. Because they have something we don’t: they have the ability to think beyond themselves. They are capable of delayed gratification, a concept totally foreign to most of us. And they aren't selfish, oddly enough. Despite how little they have, they actually come here more concerned about how they might position their children for a better future, rather than worrying every moment about how they can take, take, take, for themselves and foist the payment off on future generations. It's really no wonder Americans are so fed up--they are dealing with people they simply can't comprehend.
And now, we are going to blame another failure, the failure to protect ourselves from terrorists, on the wrong people. Instead of securing our ports, improving airport security, fixing obvious communication problems and logistical snafus, we are blaming our sense of insecurity on the people who are cleaning our toilets. Instead of taking responsibility for our own failures, we are going to use new immigration legislation to point the finger of blame on people whose only crime was wanting a better life, and who observed the lax enforcement of immigration law long enough to believe that it might allow them to provide more for their children. Had the United States been diligent in its own enforcement of these laws, as written, in prior years, these people would not be here in the first place. And had we not quietly, covertly, taken advantage of their presence to greedily profit ourselves, they'd have had no reason to stay.
Come to think of it, this is not unlike what we've done in Iraq. We waltzed into their country, uninvited; we removed their government and destroyed their infrastructure and then left them without water, power or a functioning government, essentially we created a political vacuum. And now, when they're having trouble getting squared away, we pompously pronounce that all the problems they are having are due to their own inability to "get their act together."
We may not be able to see into the future; we may even be failures at taking care of our own; but there is one thing we do quite well: we play the blame game with the best of them. We play it so well, in fact, that it has long ceased to even matter what's true--only that we know how to win.
posted by LA Fosner at 11:39 PM
2 Comments:
Great article. I am glad someone is willing to say what needs to be said and not afraid to say it. My family emigrated to America illegally, not because of promise of fortune, we were okay by developing country standards, but because my sister was deaf and our country did not provide a way of properly helping handicapped people. So although a lot of people come here in hopes of finding a better life, there are varying circumstances.
Also, the truth of Iraq has never been more eloquently stated. Most Americans are unwilling to concede the truth or even acknowledge the facts. I am glad someone who is American can say what I have been saying all along and not be told to go home or be called a traitor.
I enjoyed your article very much and I will continue to read what you have posted.
Go girl! You're a great writer and I hope you will find more outlets for publishing. Voices like yours have never been more important. I am American living in Canada for many years, and Canadians (having not gone along with the invasion of Iraq) are quite conflicted in their view of the current US administration. However our country is beginning to lean to the right as well and our military involvement in Afghanistan is under US, not NATO command, which rubs many Cdns the wrong way. I am also glad to read some good commentary on the current US immigrant legislation issue, as the mainstream media here does not cover the details. Like your other commentator, I have bookmarked your site and will continue to follow and disseminate your writing.
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