Illegal Immigrants

S.B., contributing editor

One thing I can't understand is why people in this country are advocating the illegal entry of immigrants to our country. It would seem that we have procedures set in place for the legal immigration of people into our country, and for good reason. I think the best reason is to keep known criminals from coming to our country.

I certainly support people coming to our country, as long as they do it legally. I also would like people coming to our country to be productive citizens who can bring something to our society. That's what's made this country great, the fact that we can go to a large city, and have many different kinds of foods, and experience different cultures, without leaving our own borders. It just seems ludicrous that we should have someone come over to our country, ask us to adopt their customs, speak their languages, and completely diregard everything that we have added.

It would be a different matter if anyone of us went over to another country, and asked them to adopt the Amercian way of doing things. We would be laughed at, and pretty much run out of the country. I think that it's a good idea to preserve one's heritage, and to teach it to the one's family. I don't think that everyone needs to adopt someone else's culture , when we have an established way o doing things here.
I had some ancestors who came to this country many years ago, and in the home, they spoke their native languages, but out in public, they spoke English . They made every effort to be good Americans, and were proud that they were Americans.

If, by that rationale, people were proud of being Americans then, what reason would legal immgrants have, when they come over, after doing the paperwork, going through the processes, and finally make it, only to have someone who came illegally come over, and have the same rights? If a person is here illegally, they should have very few rights, other than a free trip home. I understand that people want better lives for themselves and their families, but if they come over illegally, they need to be booted back to the country of origin, and made to stay out until they can come in legally.

I think one of the coolest things is that we can have so many people coming to this country, and bringing so many things with them. We eat such a variety of foods, and don't even think about it. We just take for granted they are on the menu, or available at the local grocer's freezer aisle. We never think of the history behind the foods we eat, and what brought them to our country. But, the main thing is, I think that by and large, Americans are a really receptive people, and we like to learn new things, and bring new ways into our culture, if it benefits the group as a whole. Why should a particular thing benefit a small group, when it could go for the benefit of our society?

In closing, I will say this. I think that it's great that people are still coming to this great country, which, even with all it's faults, is still the best damned country on this planet. I think it's great everyone has an opportunity to make a better life for themselves. I think that you should try to speak English when you can, and try to be a productive member of society.The reason I say English should be spoken is simple. English is the language traditionallly spoken here. Teddy Roosevelt once said " Every Immgrant to this country should be required to learn english within five years or be required to leave the country." He was right. There are a great many freedoms enjoyed by people in this country, and among them is the freedom to leave if you don't like this country. There are places worse than this, with much worse conditions, and a lot less freedoms.