Stirring up a bit of controversy

[RAM]

Opinion to shoot down: No reflection on their work ethic but if no undocumented aliens had arrived in the U.S. in the past twenty years (11,000,000 have) the following would still somehow have been done:

All lawns would have been mowed
All roofs would have been put on
All restaurants would be staffed
All chickens would have been killed, plucked, gutted, cut up, and packaged
All construction would have been completed
(the list goes on )
Wages in the U.S. would be significantly higher than they are now
The economy would certainly have benefited from higher wages

If we have a problem, it is us who have created it, not the undocumented aliens.

Just opinion.

Bad Bob (who admittedly knows nothing about economics but has been forced in life to use common sense on occasion)

[Midway Tommy D]

use common sense on occasion

I thought that was one of those extinct species.

[john elder]

Unions certainly would be a lot stronger, since foreign labor has been the tool The Haves have used to undermine them....it is arguable whether that's a good or bad thing, depending on which side of the desk (or clipboard) you inhabit.

[Mike N]

We all have our personal biases based on our life experiences. I guess I am a Blue Dog Democrat, or a southern conservative Democrat who believes in a strong military and less government, but has a more moderate bent on civil liberties than most conservatives.

I have thought about the illegal immigration situation a great deal. My training and education and professional life for the past 4 decades have made me believe that the "rule of law" is what makes America great. In fact, our American adherence to the rule of law is what makes people want to come here. And so it troubles me that the rule of law has broken down on our border. If you entered illegally, you broke the law in my view.

However, the flip side is that all four of my grandparents emigrated to the US from Poland through Ellis Island and eventually became naturalized citizens. Within 25 years of arriving, those 4 immigrants produced 5 sons (my dad and uncles on both sides) that served their country, including one killed in action at Normandy, a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge and one who flew 45 combat missions. They felt they "earned" the right to be called Americans, other than just having been born here.

My thoughts: a path to US citizenship through military service to the country. We want to keep families in tact, so allow one immediate family member to become a citizen for every 2 years of military service. A son or daughter serves 4 years in the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard, and both parents have a right to become US citizens (this deals with the problem of those who are too old to serve themselves). Just my personal thoughts based on my own family background.

[Reel Geezer]

My thoughts: a path to US citizenship through military service to the country.

Mike, I spent the tail end of the Korean War in the US Army teaching kids who couldn't pass the military qualification test. The Army had a school to help them learn English and do basic math. Most were foreigners, but some were just dropouts. Some were even college educated but couldn't read or speak English. By the time we got through with them most could pass the test and the foreigners became US citizens through military service. This was 60 years ago.