While this decision doesn't make reference to whether or not the "children of illegal immigrants" are US citizens or not (I'm not in the mood to look it up) - I'm going to assume it's referring to LEGAL children. If they're legally here, I say they have the right to an education, same as everyone else. While I'm fairly sure that the above decision was referring to illegal immigrant children, I say "no" to the idea of them taking up the taxpayers' money and filling another seat in an overcrowded and understaffed classroom. Maybe if there weren't any illegal immigrant kids in our public school system, teachers could teach better, students could learn more, and we wouldn't be failing all of our tests as a nation.
Either way, whether the child itself is a citizen or not, the fact remains that neither parent is a legal citizen. Which means that they shy away from the school system to enroll their child for fear of being asked a bunch of questions about their immigration status and getting arrested and deported like the criminals they are. They also shy away from hospitals, for the same reason, and refuse to do their part in stopping crime because to attempt to be a witness in court or make a police statement, they'd be at risk of getting "found out" and they again would be arrested and deported because they're here illegally and that's a crime.
Rudy Giuliani wants that to stop happening. He favors a "don't ask, don't tell" policy involving illegal immigrants, that police officers and school officials and hospital workers shouldn't be allowed to inquire about a person's citizenship status unless it's part of an actual investigation of a crime. By which I'm sure he means "A crime BEYOND the initial crime of breaking the law and entering our country illegally."
Mitt Romney represents the other side of the equation - that illegal immigration is illegal and maybe it's a good thing that these criminals are afraid of stepping into the light because they'll be seen as the criminals they are. After all, if a man robs a liquor store and gets shot by the clerk in the process, is he likely to go to a hospital to get treated for his "GSW" (gunshot wound, to those who don't watch any hospital-themed TV shows)? Or is he likely to stay in the shadows, get poor or unreliable medical treatment (if any), and possibly die of infection or blood loss? Sure, he's caught between a rock and a hard place - possibly dying from the injury or going to jail when the GSW is reported by hospital staff - but if he didn't want to be put in that position, he shouldn't have robbed a frickin' liquor store!
Giuliani actually tries to bring up one valid point - that something affecting an illegal immigrant runs the risk of spreading to the legal community. An illegal child sick with a fever and possibly-contagious illness runs the risk of spreading it to the community if not allowed to be treated at a hospital. An illegal witness to a violent crime runs the risk of having the criminal continue the crime spree in the community if damning witness testimony isn't being provided by those too afraid to give it. Allowing kids who don't go to school runs the risk of having them grow up to be dumb gangbangers and continuing the stereotype of illegal immigrants committing MORE crimes of a violent nature if their illegal parents are too afraid to enroll them.
But some of these are risks we're willing to take, according to Romney.
We're fine with turning our backs on illegal children who want to leech time and energy from our school system and the poor teachers. After all, they don't belong here, and the less they learn and assimilate, the easier it'll be to find them and send them back to their country. As for a sick person who'll be infecting others - luckily that's why we have hospitals, health insurance, doctors, HMOs and a crappy-but-existant healthcare system. For our citizens. Maybe that'll teach citizens to either stay away from or report all illegal immigrants - especially the sick ones. Then they can be picked up and taken back to Mexico and the healthcare system Mexico offers its own citizens. You're a Mexican citizen, not an American - take up space in THEIR healthcare system! As for the idiots who don't go to school because their parents won't enroll them? We need better truance officers, I guess. You know, people on the lookout for children who aren't in school? Find the children, keep them off the streets (and preferably back in their own damned country if they weren't born here) - maybe then they'll learn the only lesson they need and probably wouldn't learn in school: You don't belong here, because you're not an American citizen!
Me? I'm siding with Romney on this one. Sounds like there's actually a candidate who's as against illegal immigration as I'd LIKE our President to be. Unfortunately, I haven't heard much coming from him in the form of plans to put the opinion to action. That's what I'm waiting for. So Mitt, if you're out there, reading this - let me know...
...I've got PLENTY of ideas to share with you.
(Some of the Romney v. Giuliani info)
1 comment:
One of the main issues that you appear to have with Illegal immigration is that the parents and children are a substantial drain on US resources, that US tax dollars are being spent on them rather than US citizens. It is important to note that annually, illegal immigrants will pay more in taxes than they receive in services, on average $1,800 per year, and over a lifetime it adds up to approximately $80,000. It should also be noted that US citizens are far more of a drain on welfare and other social services, as illegal immigrants are not eligible for them, which includes the health care system that you claim they are abusing. All of this pertains to the education debate, as the unequal balance of payments that illegal immigrants put into our government more than makes up for the cost of educating their children. The long term benefits to educating immigrant children is the fact that by the second and third generation they tend to excel in school, quite contrary to the stereotype that immigrants are stupid, or “idiots” as you kindly used.
To speak to the reference that you made to Plyler vs. Doe, the ruling itself deal with children who are considered to be illegal immigrants. If a child is born in this country, it does not matter weather or not his or her parents are illegal, they themselves are legal and are entitled to the same rights as children with parents who are legal citizens. Plyler vs. Doe established that the children of immigrants should not be punished for the actions of their parents, as they do not make the choice weather to live in this country. Schools are not a place where children should have to fear for their own welfare and the stability of their families, and Plyler ensures that INS does not have access to student records, nor are the schools allowed to discriminate against any students that attend.
On a final note, immigrants and their children are on average healthier than native born US citizens. When immigrants enter this country they tend to be young and healthy, and in general, infant mortality among recent immigrants is significantly lower that those of US citizens and less recent immigrants. Before you go spouting myths about the sick illegal immigrants that are infecting our country while simultaneously draining our resources, perhaps you should do a bit more research on the topic. For more info check out http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/pr-imsum.html or http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?sid=173
Post a Comment