This blog may anger some of you and may cost me plenty of friendships. But if it shouldn't, I hope to engage many of you to pick up the cause on my behalf, a legal, tax-paying but non-voting resident of the U.S.A.
Some of you may be aware of the political storm brewing around the Immigration Reform Act as of late. The McCain-Kennedy bill wanted to grant amnesty to illegals the guest-worker program. According to The Washington Times: "Sponsors said it is not an amnesty because it would require illegal aliens to pay all regular fees as well as a $1,000 fine to join a guest-worker program and, after six years, another $1,000 fine to obtain a green card signifying legal permanent residence. Green card holders eventually can apply for citizenship." What is $1,000 these days, even for struggling illegal farm workers? They send more than that home.
Many of my friends had witnessed first-hand the angst I went through for my legal H1B working permit. The cost was more than $1,000, and the paperwork was torturous. Each H1B visa lasts 3 years and an applicant can only have up to 6 years of H1B permit total. After that, if one chooses to continue to work in this country, the application for Green Card is next. That also took umpteenth paperwork, time and money, and emotional investment. All said and done, I had endured about a decade's worth of paperwork and anxiety while daily awaiting approval or decline from the government.
Since my college days, I had treaded with care not to break the laws, paid my taxes and medical bills, while these illegals have been given free medical care because they don't meet the income.
Now, this bill is going to grant an easy walk-on to those who had disregarded the law of the land, and reward them this easily? Granted, the greedy, profit-crunching employers are to be blamed for the permissiveness of this culture. So's the government who are obviously playing politics and trying to garner votes for their sweep into Congress this upcoming election.
Do I have a better solution? Not necessarily. But I do have some criteria to crack down on illegals. I understand that workers from Mexico are generally entering the U.S.A. to perform work considered undesirable by the North American population. Since these are seasonal jobs for the most part, why not provide a seasonal pass? In addition, they need to contribute to the taxes. Right now, our taxes are partly channeled to their welfare. That is incredibly unjust.
For those who had brought their families over or had offsprings born in this land, hence granting the latter their legal U.S. status, have them sponsor their parents. That's what I have to do if I were to have my family join me. Do I whine and cry about how unfair it is that I'm separated from them? No. I'm sad to be of such great distance but if I want them to join me, I would go about it the lawful, albeit arduous way.
Senator John Cornyn, Texas Republican and chairman of the Judiciary immigration subcommittee, sums up my idea of reform better: ' "I favor a work-and-return bill, not a work-and-stay bill," he said. "We already have laws in place that allow people to apply for legal permanent residence and American citizenship, so I think that's going to be a subject of some debate and perhaps disagreement in the Senate and in the House." Mr. Cornyn is working on his own bill, and he said that to meet his approval, a bill would have to include enhanced border security, enhanced interior enforcement, employer accountability and a temporary worker program.' Furthermore, Mexican President Vincente Fox had the gall to chastise the U.S. a few weeks ago that we'll be begging for their citizens to return to the U.S. in a few year's time. This government, if nothing, is kowtowing to him. The biggest problem I have with this entire bill right now is the reward program they grant those who are illegal, while I, who am legal, is not even granted the right to vote by the government.
If I had struck a sympathetic cord, please join in the fight to stop this by calling your congressman at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/webreturn/?url=/usbc/issues/alert/?alertid=8591911
Thank you for your support.
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Responses to earlier post:
Karen Ryan: i TOTALLY understand and support what you're saying here. especially the work-and-return bill. why can't the u.s just do what singapore does for foreign workers?! make the employers pay a levy, their health insurance, everything!! and no, the family can't follow suit unless they have employers sponsoring them as well. it's obvious that the mexicans are doing work that the americans don't want and if the employers need them, then they have to pay the government! it's not that complicated is it? we, as LEGAL immigrants, go through hell and back during the green card application process. i am sick and tired of being treated like dirt by the ins - and some ignorant citizens. i have applied to be a permanent resident in this county because my husband is american and we have decided to start our lives here. not 'coz i have nowhere else to go. certainly not 'coz i think my life is better in this country. i am not taking any of your jobs away. in fact, i pay taxes and maintain to help the u.s economy through my weekly manicures and pedicures, retail industry and certainly the sorry, on-again off-again collapsing airline industry.why should the illegal immigrants be rewarded?! i say NO! there are many ways to come into this country legally. if you can't do that, stay in your own.
Bob Oh: I don't know what the new law may be about but maybe they were considering the cost of sending immigration officers finding these illegals (very hard and costly) or just awarding them amnesty so they can come out from wherever they are and apply for it. Thus, cutting cost and earning revenue instead. How many illegals x $1000? That itself will create some new positions for legal migrants or americans!Maybe (cunningly), a big percentage won't get it (citizenship) and maybe alot would get deported?They also would start paying taxes, yes not direct taxes, but I am sure you have lots of indirect taxes over in the US of A right?What about the jobs that can be created for middle management or white collar workers? For every 10 foreign workers, you need maybe 1 local supervisor? Ok, maybe 100 FW and 1 local manager...it is STILL one more job created. Then we have the sales team right? Selling the stuff these workers produce? I am sure the sales team are true blue Americans?Then the accountant, the techie guy, the CEO....**********************************************I fully agree with the concerns displayed, they are real and definitely sucks big time, as it seems honesty don't seems to pay off right?At the larger scheme of things, we are one way or the other also beneficiaries of some other historical figure or some tax loop hole or some law that came about from such incidents.Let us not deprive others their luck (if u can call it).
Patrick: I disagree with you, but not so much that I'd consider losing your friendship. Here's the thing:"Amnesty" is a loaded political term invented by demagogues who are trying to cloud the debate here. Bearing in mind that I have the utmost respect for you, I take serious issue with you quoting the Washington Times as a source. It's a rag if there ever was one, run by the Reverend Sun Young Moon as an unapologetic mouth piece for the most conservative wing of the Republican party. Likewise, John Cornyn is not a paragon of responsible rhetoric.If you can't come up with a better alternative than the ones being floated, you're not helping. The House version of the immigration bill, as I understand it, would make it a crime to not only be here illegally, it would make it illegal to even give shelter or food to those people. It's very easy to just say "Well, go home if you're not supposed to be here," but the practical implications are not so simple. Are you really prepared to ask a priest to ask every one at his soup kitchen to have I.D. proving citizenship so he doesn't get arrested? Do you know how much chaos and civil disobedience that will generate? The real political pandering is not going on in the Senate, it's in the House, which is no surprise, since everyone there is up for re-election (the Senate is, coincidentally, not)I can't understand how frustrating thsi must be for you, because I'm not in the same situation. But I do sympathize. What's the point of jumping through hoops if everyone else seems to get a free pass? But we can't pretend that these people aren't here, nor can we pretend we don't need them, espescially in places like New York City. In a perfect world, we would not have allowed them here in the first place, but it's too late for that. And guess passes suck too, for the obvious reason that they're basically indentured servitude. Dubai anyone? Also, why would you bother learning anything about a country or it's culture if you knew you had no chance in hell of becoming a citizen?Interesting little side note. This argument should have taken place back in 2001, because before 9/11, immigration was supposed to be Bush's big issue. I guess it's better late than never.
My response to Patrick: There are going to various sides to this issue and I'm glad that the voices are coming out. I also appreciate your sympathies and my movement comes out exactly from own personal circumstances. However, amnesty is not the loaded word for this immigration proposal set by Bush, McCain and Kennedy. As for the demagogues, aren't all politicians one? The Washington Times may not be the most respectable rag out there but neither are a lot. Even those we had worked at. But that doesn't mean that the people who work at these establishments are avid subscribers of the owners' philosophies. I merely quoted the Times as it clearly explained to the uninitiated bloggees what this whole immigration reform bill is.You know, I am a hardliner when it comes to this issue. If I were to encounter an illegal (and I had and there are various reasons why they are), I wouldn't so much as turn him in but ask him to turn himself in. If I had the guts and the ability to use a firearm, I may even join the minuteman movement.But the feasible thing I could do now is to engage everyone who's able to vote and hopefully, influence their government to do so on my behalf.I don't see guest passes as indentured servitude. The latter is not synonymous to slavery. Guest pass is a choice and a legal one, one where immigrants register and pay taxes. Indentured servitude is employment without the chance of ever leaving it.
Yes, this argument should have taken place decades ago. The government and special interest are to be responsible for letting it come to the mess it is today. Let's hope and pray they fix it. As for me, I'm holding on to my present citizenship for now in case this country becomes not the country I respect.Then I have a place to return to.
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