I have to apologize for the misinformation I gave out in the last post.
Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act
correction: Not citizenship, but conditional permanent residency status for 6 years.
correction: They would not be granted this status after college, but upon acceptance to college, completion of high school or the reception of a GED BUT as a stipulation, they must complete two years of college or serve in the military. After the sixth year, they would be able to petition the government to remove the restrictions placed on them. Within those 6 years a student would have had to graduate from college or at least have accrued two years of college. Students would have had to come into the country five years ago and be under the age of 16 in order to qualify.
2005 champions of the DREAM Act (in case you want to research some):
* thing to notice: a democrat and a republican from the same state working together. If it can bring these two together, it's worth fighting for.
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IL)
I was doing some online research about this and came across this article that states a girl from New York has been in this country since she was 3 (now she's 21) and since her father nor her mother are citizens (that had originally came into the country on tourist visas) she fears graduating from college because with her "illegal" status, she is limited on what she can do. The only reason she got as far in school as she did was because her father worked hard enough to acquire his own business and paid for private school. She even has to be weary of being deported to a country (Columbia) she doesn't know because her family came here to leave the dangers behind them.
Talk about being American!
Can you get any more American than this: a father comes to the U.S. to better his family's life, gets a minimum wage job, works hard, acquires his own business, sends kids to school. IT'S CALLED CAPITALISM, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! The man is allowed to pay taxes on the home he bought for his family, but when he needs We the people the most, the doors are closed (or golden paved streets are taken up and hid away). I know of some "citizens" that would rather sit on their arses and let We the people pay for everything. I know of beggars and thieves. I know of criminals and drug dealers. MOST OF THESE ARE "CITIZENS".
When they are needed, We the people remove the fences and call out to the immigrants, "Come, bring us your backs but bow your heads." "Bring us your women and children, but not your problems." "If you help us, we help you until we are satisfied, but then you must return." "We'll help you as long as you stay where you are."
Am I making too much of this? Have I overly exaggerated things? Anyway, this is something that strikes home for me, not because I'm LABELED, but because my maternal grandfather was LABELED. Without the LABELED, I wouldn't have so much opportunity in my life. Without the LABELED, this country wouldn't have the history that makes it so arrogant. Without the LABELED, this country wouldn't have created itself from wilderness.
If there is anything I know, it's American history. If there is anything I believe in, it's that We the people CAN be selfless, but we are afraid. We fear another 9/11. We fear something greater. Don't let your fears cloud this because it's not about our generation. It's about the generations behind us, following in our footsteps. Remove the labels and remove the crayola distinctions because they don't matter. I won't say "can't we all just get along", but I will say GIVE THE YOUNG A CHANCE!
Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act
correction: Not citizenship, but conditional permanent residency status for 6 years.
correction: They would not be granted this status after college, but upon acceptance to college, completion of high school or the reception of a GED BUT as a stipulation, they must complete two years of college or serve in the military. After the sixth year, they would be able to petition the government to remove the restrictions placed on them. Within those 6 years a student would have had to graduate from college or at least have accrued two years of college. Students would have had to come into the country five years ago and be under the age of 16 in order to qualify.
2005 champions of the DREAM Act (in case you want to research some):
* thing to notice: a democrat and a republican from the same state working together. If it can bring these two together, it's worth fighting for.
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IL)
I was doing some online research about this and came across this article that states a girl from New York has been in this country since she was 3 (now she's 21) and since her father nor her mother are citizens (that had originally came into the country on tourist visas) she fears graduating from college because with her "illegal" status, she is limited on what she can do. The only reason she got as far in school as she did was because her father worked hard enough to acquire his own business and paid for private school. She even has to be weary of being deported to a country (Columbia) she doesn't know because her family came here to leave the dangers behind them.
Talk about being American!
Can you get any more American than this: a father comes to the U.S. to better his family's life, gets a minimum wage job, works hard, acquires his own business, sends kids to school. IT'S CALLED CAPITALISM, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! The man is allowed to pay taxes on the home he bought for his family, but when he needs We the people the most, the doors are closed (or golden paved streets are taken up and hid away). I know of some "citizens" that would rather sit on their arses and let We the people pay for everything. I know of beggars and thieves. I know of criminals and drug dealers. MOST OF THESE ARE "CITIZENS".
When they are needed, We the people remove the fences and call out to the immigrants, "Come, bring us your backs but bow your heads." "Bring us your women and children, but not your problems." "If you help us, we help you until we are satisfied, but then you must return." "We'll help you as long as you stay where you are."
Am I making too much of this? Have I overly exaggerated things? Anyway, this is something that strikes home for me, not because I'm LABELED, but because my maternal grandfather was LABELED. Without the LABELED, I wouldn't have so much opportunity in my life. Without the LABELED, this country wouldn't have the history that makes it so arrogant. Without the LABELED, this country wouldn't have created itself from wilderness.
If there is anything I know, it's American history. If there is anything I believe in, it's that We the people CAN be selfless, but we are afraid. We fear another 9/11. We fear something greater. Don't let your fears cloud this because it's not about our generation. It's about the generations behind us, following in our footsteps. Remove the labels and remove the crayola distinctions because they don't matter. I won't say "can't we all just get along", but I will say GIVE THE YOUNG A CHANCE!
posted by Crescamus in Christos at 3/29/2006 08:20:00 AM
3 Comments:
Wow!!! This entry is great. Being part of the first generation of my family to have been raised "American" this topic hits so close to home. Even with my "legal citizen" status at times I feel out of place perhaps because of that "Label" you mentioned. BUT going back to where my parents are from is not an option either. Ni de aqui, ni de alla! Go figure. Above and beyond the arrogance of the US I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I hope this becomes an opportunity to educate the ignorant. We LATINOS -- not all stupid. Just need opportunity. Thanks for this entry.
"we the people" originally referred to only old, rich white men who owned property that was stolen from the native americans. pretty smart people.
i haven't given much thought to this issue as other things plauge my mind. but there are going to be flaws in any plan that anyone comes up with. a bunch of random and incoherent thoughts, though: there is a process (yes, very flawed and biased, but still) to gain citizenship. some people are lucky enough to get through it. people everywhere would love an opportunity to come here and escape their countries. yeah it's unfair to work that hard and be taxed and have the only thing separating you from the drug dealers and such be the fact that one is a "citizen" and so given so many more rights, but any country you go has immigration laws. look at the xenophobia europe has now that the countries in the EU have opened up their borders. we're not globalized to the point where anyone can go anywhere. we're scared of terrorists and enough of us allow fear to misguide our decisions. we're selfish people. we want to stop smuggling rings to stop the handlers from profiting off of humans, but we want to use illegals to our advantage and not get caught. they get a little, we get a lot. if you apply for a tourist visa, come over and decide to live here permanently without going through the system, you made the decision and that's the risk you took. there are always ways around everything, too, so if you're good enough to be over here for 18+ years without getting caught, you can come up with something to stay. if not, try again. you got caught by the principal cutting the lunch line.
it's like you said, capitalism. labels are what distinguishes one from the other. helping others rise as long as [the person helping] continues to rise way above them. that's the way of "we the people."
that's exactly the way it is, but the thing is that it shouldn't be that way. this Act isn't just for Latinos, although it does effect them, but anyone who has come here and gone through the educational system, where ever that may be. the point is that these young adults get a limited education, and then they can't continue because of their status as "Labeled". the only way for them to get a higher education is through citizenship, or atleast through that restricted permanent residency status. it's alright to come "at your own risk", but this effects the educated. like the article said, this would give them something to strive for and keep them out of trouble. it's the same as one of those after school programs for the same effect. the only difference is that the young adults will have a bigger door open for them.
you're right about "we the people", as it was first thought of, but times have changed and people must change with the times. it would be sad to fear change.
i guess time will tell.
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