How much does it piss you off!!!???? Illegal immigration.......

[Danno 1,228]

In the end, it is a formality and one that is out of reach for many. If you happen to be a single Filipina willing to marry a Kano, then you get in. If you're a poor Mexican trying to feed your family, it's a big ** you. Sorry, but that's not the America I envision us to be nor does it jive with our traditions of being a country of immigrants. A century ago, my grandmother came over on a boat from Ireland. The process for immigrating here was simple and didn't shun those who were poor.

They came here for several centuries for the same reasons – freedom and hope -- and then a Frenchman created a statue that embodied their hopes and dreams. And it embodied America's promise as well. "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..."

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

-A century ago people had to take a number of steps to get in .....A test of intelligence was one of them..... MANY WERE TURNED AWAY.

-That massive number that came at that moment was a colossal failure and it inspired the "EMERGENCY QUOTA ACT".

That act which limited immigration, not only in numbers but prevented any excessive immigration from any one European group. When that act was passed immigration was reduced to 300,000 annually.

As far as "Give us your poor your tired huddles masses" line found on the Statue of liberty, that was an artist who included that on the statues base, never a policy voted on by any american....

I hardly think we are bound to set our immigration policy by a French artist.

-We might also note, when that statue was erected, severe limits were in place as to what nationality and race could even immigrate here so context is everything when you quote that placard.

The Emergency Quota Act, also known as the Emergency Immigration Act of 1921, the Immigration Restriction Act of 1921, the Per Centum Law, and the Johnson Quota Act (ch. 8, 42 Stat. 5 of May 19, 1921) restricted immigration into the United States. Although intended as temporary legislation, the Act "proved in the long run the most important turning-point in American immigration policy"[1] because it added 2 new features to American immigration law: numerical limits on immigration from Europe and the use of a quota system for establishing those limits.

The Act restricted the number of immigrants admitted from any country annually to 3% of the number of residents from that same country living in the United States as of the U.S. Census of 1910.[2] Based on that formula, the number of new immigrants admitted fell from 805,228 in 1920 to 309,556 in 1921-22.[3]

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Leave it to Danno to dismiss the significance of the engraving on the Statue of Liberty. Yes, lets just call her what she really is - the Statue from France.

[GringoD 33]

class war? those were the kids shooting spitballs from the back row

And, that'll be about the most war they'll ever want to be in.

[Darnell 8,479]

Run for office then Darnell. You'll be surpised how fast that kind of opinion changes when you're bought and sold like every other politician.

No No No - I've a long history of buying my politicians. Why to run for office? It's a fool's errand, but you knew that, already.

[GringoD 33]

give the illegales an option: go home, or.... Go Fight on the Front Lines for 3 years do defend American and earn your way in.

Hey,... it's a new thought , outside the box.

You can only let so many people into a country. Any country. And, then it gets to be a problem, that likely needs restricted.

I'm all for immigration... OF THE LEGAL KIND, like most of us here, are involved with.

[dalegg 143]

You're missing my point. Whatever services there are available for your legal immigrant spouse aren't any less a burden to society than whatever help you believe undocumented citizens are getting. In fact, statistically, they pay income taxes, Medicare and Social Security taxes but don't collect on them. So what exactly are these people getting that isn't available to your legal immigrant spouse? Does the Dream Act of California give them any special privileges that your legal immigrant spouse doesn't have?

Uh yes. She is not entitled to a grant for education. Damn, you make this easy.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Uh yes. She is not entitled to a grant for education. Damn, you make this easy.

Dale, are you talking about the Cal Grant? I am a USC who went to college in California and I didn't qualify for a Cal Grant. Cal Grants are given to college students who have established residency in the state of California along with other qualifying criteria. The Dream Act allows those students who've residents of California since childhood to be eligible for the grant as any other student with the same background. In other words, it removes the penalty of not having legal documentation to qualify for it.

How do I qualify for a Cal Grant?

• submit the FAFSA and your verified Cal Grant GPA by the deadline
• be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
• be a California resident
• attend a qualifying California college
• not have a bachelor's or professional degree
• have financial need at the college of your choice
• have family income and assets below the minimum levels
• be enrolled or plan to enroll in a program leading to an undergraduate degree or certificate
• be enrolled or plan to enroll at least half time
• have registered with the U.S. Selective Service, if required to do so
• not owe a refund on any state or federal grant or be in default on a student loan
• maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards as established by the school. Recipients who do not meet the standards are ineligible for Cal Grant payment and will not use eligibility during the terms they are ineligible for payment.

http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=906

ETA: So basically, she wasn't disqualified because she was a legal alien vs. someone without legal documentation.

Edited October 21, 2011 by DFH

[Danno 1,228]

Most people don't realize the Statue of Liberty was another moment in History where Democrats were on the wrong side of things.

Even with these efforts, fundraising lagged. Grover Cleveland, the governor of New York, vetoed a bill to provide $50,000 for the statue project in 1884. An attempt the next year to have Congress provide $100,000, sufficient to complete the project, failed when Democratic representatives would not agree to the appropriation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty

The icon would have never even been erected if it were left up to them.

As usual "The People" stepped up and got the ball rolling.... you can't depend on Government to get things done so often.

THis is interesting, after the Democrats gave the project the middle finger, here's what happened-

Pulitzer pledged to print the name of every contributor, no matter how small the amount given.[75] The drive captured the imagination of New Yorkers, especially when Pulitzer began publishing the notes he received from contributors. "A young girl alone in the world" donated "60 cents, the result of self denial."[76] One donor gave "five cents as a poor office boy's mite toward the Pedestal Fund." A group of children sent a dollar as "the money we saved to go to the circus with."[77] Another dollar was given by a "lonely and very aged woman."[76] Residents of a home for alcoholics in New York's rival city of Brooklyn (the cities would not merge until 1898) donated $15; other drinkers helped out through donation boxes in bars and saloons.[78] A kindergarten class in Davenport, Iowa, mailed the World a gift of $1.35.[76]

As the donations flooded in, the committee resumed work on the pedestal.[79]

[dalegg 143]

ETA: So basically, she wasn't disqualified because she was a legal alien vs. someone without legal documentation.

Did you miss the part where I said I don't care whether someone is legal, illegal, or a naturally born citizen? I hate the Cal Grant system altogether. The fact that they have now added another class of people to this waste bucket just makes it worse.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Did you miss the part where I said I don't care whether someone is legal, illegal, or a naturally born citizen? I hate the Cal Grant system altogether. The fact that they have now added another class of people to this waste bucket just makes it worse.

So it's your opinion that even extremely gifted children shouldn't get a college education if they are born into a family that doesn't have the money for college? So a guy like the President of the United States should have picked cotton, just like his daddy, the Harward mathematician, whereas Baby Bush had a right to education, no matter how wasted it was on him, because he comes from a wealthy family?

So all that matters is money? Is that the American way?

I thought that was exactly what the people from Europe tried to escape from when setting in America? I thought that's what the people from Indian tried to escape from when abolishing the caste system?

Am I missing something?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Did you miss the part where I said I don't care whether someone is legal, illegal, or a naturally born citizen? I hate the Cal Grant system altogether. The fact that they have now added another class of people to this waste bucket just makes it worse.

Why? It provides opportunities for people to get an education who otherwise might not be able to. The more college educated residents in California translates to better jobs...or at least that's the idea behind college grants. IMO, Cal Grant recipients should be obligated to working in the state for a certain number of years as a condition or pay a penalty. That way, the investment doesn't go to another state.

[dalegg 143]

So it's your opinion that even extremely gifted children shouldn't get a college education if they are born into a family that doesn't have the money for college? So a guy like the President of the United States should have picked cotton, just like his daddy, the Harward mathematician, whereas Baby Bush had a right to education, no matter how wasted it was on him, because he comes from a wealthy family?

So all that matters is money? Is that the American way?

I thought that was exactly what the people from Europe tried to escape from when setting in America? I thought that's what the people from Indian tried to escape from when abolishing the caste system?

Am I missing something?

Yes, for the second time you are missing something I said in my second post in this thread.

My post # 43

I'll repost the whole thing again-

Oh my God.

First of all, every bit of tuition that has been paid for my immigrant spouse has been paid for either directly out of her salary and mine (save except the fact that most of it will be covered out of Obama's tax credits). We did not receive grants from the government for any of it. All of her medical expenses are covered from our own private insurance. How the F can you say that she is just as much a burdon to tax payers in California as illegals? Seriously???

Second of all, if it makes you feel any better, I deplore Cal Grants for education for anyone- whether they are legal, illegal, or they are a naturally born nascar race car driving citizen. The fact that now they are going to illegals too just pushes me to the boiling point about them.

People take these grants, sit in classrooms for a month, and drop out. It wastes tax dollars and unnecassarily fills seats that my own kids (who are ineligible for grants) cannot get. Because I have children of this age and 3 people in my house who go to college I know of a few of their friends who have taken the grant money and done nothing with college, and all of them can vouch to the fact that half of the people in their classes aren't there by the end of the semester. If you were going to give these grants to truly exceptional students (4.0 GPA in honors classes) whose only problem with succeeding in College is that they can't afford it- then you know what? I don't have an issue, legal or illegal. But the grants are handed out indiscriminately based on income.

Where the hell do we get the idea that EVERYONE is entitled to a college education? Where do we get the idea that everyone NEEDS a college education to succeed and unless we get all these poor people into college our society is going to collapse? Guess what? I don't have a college education!!! I make over $100,000 a year. Am I not contributing to society? The whole thing is ludicris.

[Ban Hammer 13,746]

In the end, it is a formality and one that is out of reach for many. If you happen to be a single Filipina willing to marry a Kano, then you get in. If you're a poor Mexican trying to feed your family, it's a big ** you. Sorry, but that's not the America I envision us to be nor does it jive with our traditions of being a country of immigrants. A century ago, my grandmother came over on a boat from Ireland. The process for immigrating here was simple and didn't shun those who were poor.

They came here for several centuries for the same reasons – freedom and hope -- and then a Frenchman created a statue that embodied their hopes and dreams. And it embodied America's promise as well. "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..."

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

[Danno 1,228]

So it's your opinion that even extremely gifted children shouldn't get a college education if they are born into a family that doesn't have the money for college? So a guy like the President of the United States should have picked cotton, just like his daddy, the Harward mathematician, whereas Baby Bush had a right to education, no matter how wasted it was on him, because he comes from a wealthy family?

So all that matters is money? Is that the American way?

I thought that was exactly what the people from Europe tried to escape from when setting in America? I thought that's what the people from Indian tried to escape from when abolishing the caste system?

Am I missing something?

-Obama grew up in Hawaii not Georgia, He had a Loving White mother and her parents to raise him after his Father bailed out. Hardly a racial disadvantaged life.

-His father to the best of my knowledge is from Kenya.. what makes you think he... or anyone else in Obamas family history ever picked cotton?

-Obama is an intelligent guy but he got into Harvard due to race not his achievement, he got in the harvard law review because of his race as he admitted.

- YOu chose a poor example, Obama was neither exceptionally "gifted" in academics nor was he from a place of poverty.

Never mind that his skin was black and so the box was checked.

ON the bright side he actually made something of himself where the money spent on his dads education was a waste.

Edited October 22, 2011 by Danno

[Ready to do it 101]

Whoa, are you in the 1%? Anyone has the right to "speak" on the issue, but at the end of the day if you aren't in the 1% or at least top 25% then you have no more say in the matter than the illegal himself. People are all human, regardless of the longitude and latitude line they were born on. The one certainty is if you aren't in a top income bracket then your tax money means. An illegal has just as much a right to all the freebies as a legal does in my view. We're all people. All for everyone or nothing for anyone. I personally prefer the latter.

You state that embracing legal immigrants has always been the American way. Yet you fail to recognize that it is OUR corporations and OUR govt that have opened the door for illegals to come to our country for a century? I call bullsh*t on your analysis. The only reason people are complaining about illegals is because their own life has somehow been affected by the recession. They use illegals as a scapegoat. It is simply wrong. If you want to complain about immigrants stealing your jobs, complain about the "legal" immigrants. Unless you are washing dishes or picking berries an illegal has done absolutely nothing to change your personal situation. Actually, the illegal guarantees that life is easier for your personal situation and guarantees that some goods and services are still affordable.

"The only thing that pisses me off about illegal immigration" as the title of this thread suggests are the ignorant folks who want a scapegoat for their own dire situation. Go complain to your govt... but not about the illegal immigrants. Go complain to them about all the wars, because that my friend is the real issue of why the US is in the mess it is in. There are 14 million people unable to find work in the US. I am glad Whynot used that terminology as opposed to saying 14 million unemployed. Why? Because of that 14 million people, I'd guess over half of them are unemployable.... meaning they don't have the skills that an employer wants, has a bad attitude, etc. I got news for you... those 14 million people don't want to pick berries or wash dishes. More newsflash information... the owners of the farms, nor the restaurants want them either. None of it has anything to do with illegals taking their jobs. If anything, it's the "legal" immigrants that have the potential to take the job aways from a skilled or educated American. An American with no skills or no education? I have no pity for them.

That piece of paper gives me the right to be here legally. And in the end, it does make a world of difference. It means that I have gone through the hoops and I have followed the laws of the land in which I intend to live. I think that gives me enough right to speak on the issue.

America is a country of immigrants. Embracing legal immigrants has always been the American way.

Edited October 22, 2011 by Ready to do it