Immigration...

Okay, this is a huge issue for our country right now. Here's my two cents. No, I don't like that there are people here illegally. I certainly don't like my tax dollars going towards that. I enjoy talk radio some, and that's about all you'll hear in the afternoons on 99.7 is ranting about the Mexicans that don't speak English. I totally get the political problems and financial and even legal problems they pose. And, I do think ENGLISH should be our national language... BUT... I also have somewhat of a soft heart for a couple of reasons.

First of all, we lived in TX for four years. Two of those years I taught in an EXTREMELY low income school where many of my students were probably illegals or whose families were. They'd be gone to Mexico for a month during Christmas break. Most of their parents did not speak English at all, and we had to have translators for conferences. I really love the Hispanic culture. The parents are actually respectful of the role of the teacher and just want the best for their kids - unlike MANY American parents! They are a quiet, appreciative group. And great food....! I will say when we lived in the ghetto house and they had big parties every Saturday night it was a tad annoying, but I loved their culture. And, I loved those kids. They came from so little and worked very hard for everything they got. Most parents worked 2-3 jobs doing whatever they could to make ends meet. I just really respect them.

The other is what I've noticed recently. Being in an unfinished subdivision, there are about three houses right around us still under construction. Most of the men are Hispanics. I've noticed two things about them. 1) They are VERY hard workers... one day I watched them RUNNING huge bricko (?) blocks up and down hills, tossing them to the next person and building with them very quickly, nonstop for HOURS. They are hard, hard workers. And 2) We have put out several things in the trash (some Christmas decorations last week and a boxspring and mattress set today), and within minutes they were picked up by the workers.

I think that "Mexicans" are not really ruining our country. We are ruining our country. Most of us have become very lazy; honest work is no longer considered to be honorable. Americans want to be in charge and telling someone else to do the grunt work. Whole books are written about how to delgate! We've become afraid of hard work, and the Hispanics are simply grabbing the jobs that we refuse to take.

Also, we are spoiled. Who would be satisfied with a used mattress from someone's trash? (And being my sanitary germo-phobe self, I would be the first in line to say I'd rather sleep on the floor than someone else's old mattress!) Many Hispanics have recently come from poverty. Some of my kids in TX had houses in America with dirt floors! Like in DFW! And it was far better than their houses in Mexico. Mexico has deplorable living conditions which makes them so much more appreciative for anything they have, used or not! We, as a country, have to have the newest and best. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it's gotten to the point of being spoiled in many instances.

America is deteriorating not because of who is coming in, but what we are allowing to happen as a society. We are becoming weaker because we are not sticking to the same beliefs and ethics that this country was built upon. Too many people are hating the Hispanics for taking advantages of opportunities. I know there is work to be done, and I do think something has to be done to make our borders stronger. But, who can blame them?