I've decided to add a "A Young Girl's Ramblings" category to my blog. Basically, I will explore current issues and controversies,taken mostly from the perspective of my government class. Don't expect answers, but merely a multitude of questions. I don't know how I feel about many of these issues, I'm just testing the waters and exploring. I encourage you to do so with me :)
Immigration. I like to think that as someone striving to become a global citizen, that is, a proactive member of the world, not just my home country, or state, or city, I would be in favor of immigration. After all, I do work for a refugee resettlement agency. I believe in helping people in compromising positions reach greater opportunity, which just might lie in the US.
However, I realize this is not practical. There is no way the US can help so many people. I know many would argue that we have to help our own people before we help others. This is a perfectly valid, understandable claim. It was voiced to me last Saturday at a car wash I was participating in for victims of the horn of Africa. I was standing on the street corner with S (name not provided for privacy), a child of Kenya with a Somali mother, and now a refugee in my home town. We were holding signs and asking for donations, when one gentlemen rolled down his window and asked in a sad, strained voice, "What about your own people?" "Help your own people first". That was before he flipped us off. He is not alone. Another man asked me "Where is the drought?", "Is it here?" "Let's focus on our own problems".
Their comments really struck me for a moment. They are perfectly rational, perfectly reasonable. They were rude, but I understood. Yes, I believe the US should help its own citizens first. I love my people and I'm not trying to give a blind eye towards their problems in exchange for another country's issues. Yes, our country has many problems right now. We are in a recession, many are struggling, and unemployment is at an all time high. I speak from a very privileged position. I have enough food, a three bedroom house, and am on my way to a first-rate education. Perhaps I don't understand the depths of our nations problems.
Yet, I have this itching sensation in the pit of my gut. We may have problems, but look around. We're not alone. The poorest in our country still have a standard of living far higher than the rich in other countries. How can we ignore other's problems, more grave than our own, because we need to focus on our country. This is probably silly and naive, but I really just wish we could focus on the collective globe as a whole, rather than sticking to labels and isolated, uncooperative beings (Not to say all nations are uncooperative, which certainly is not true).
That was a long tangent, but how involved should we be with other countries and their sea of problems? Should we welcome others to our country if they are peaceable and hardworking? I'm still torn. When does someone become an "American"? For example, if they have been in the States illegally for 20 years and have five American citizen children, can you really argue they're not American? I do NOT think that that person should be deported because they need to be with their children. You cannot just separate them like that! But at the same time, if you don't allow the parent to be deported, practicality strikes again. Now anyone can stay in the US simply for having a child born on US soil. That will obviously not be a very effective deterrent against immigration. Also, consider this: Illegal immigrant detainees are not guaranteed the right to an attorney in trial. They are not guaranteed the Due process clause of the fourteenth amendment. This really startled me when I found out. Personally, I find this a bit disgraceful. I believe the right to a lawyer is a human right, rather than a civil right embedded in the constitution. How can you take away the right for your case to be processed fairly simply because you lack a piece of paper declaring you a US citizen?
Immigration. I like to think that as someone striving to become a global citizen, that is, a proactive member of the world, not just my home country, or state, or city, I would be in favor of immigration. After all, I do work for a refugee resettlement agency. I believe in helping people in compromising positions reach greater opportunity, which just might lie in the US.
However, I realize this is not practical. There is no way the US can help so many people. I know many would argue that we have to help our own people before we help others. This is a perfectly valid, understandable claim. It was voiced to me last Saturday at a car wash I was participating in for victims of the horn of Africa. I was standing on the street corner with S (name not provided for privacy), a child of Kenya with a Somali mother, and now a refugee in my home town. We were holding signs and asking for donations, when one gentlemen rolled down his window and asked in a sad, strained voice, "What about your own people?" "Help your own people first". That was before he flipped us off. He is not alone. Another man asked me "Where is the drought?", "Is it here?" "Let's focus on our own problems".
Their comments really struck me for a moment. They are perfectly rational, perfectly reasonable. They were rude, but I understood. Yes, I believe the US should help its own citizens first. I love my people and I'm not trying to give a blind eye towards their problems in exchange for another country's issues. Yes, our country has many problems right now. We are in a recession, many are struggling, and unemployment is at an all time high. I speak from a very privileged position. I have enough food, a three bedroom house, and am on my way to a first-rate education. Perhaps I don't understand the depths of our nations problems.
Yet, I have this itching sensation in the pit of my gut. We may have problems, but look around. We're not alone. The poorest in our country still have a standard of living far higher than the rich in other countries. How can we ignore other's problems, more grave than our own, because we need to focus on our country. This is probably silly and naive, but I really just wish we could focus on the collective globe as a whole, rather than sticking to labels and isolated, uncooperative beings (Not to say all nations are uncooperative, which certainly is not true).
That was a long tangent, but how involved should we be with other countries and their sea of problems? Should we welcome others to our country if they are peaceable and hardworking? I'm still torn. When does someone become an "American"? For example, if they have been in the States illegally for 20 years and have five American citizen children, can you really argue they're not American? I do NOT think that that person should be deported because they need to be with their children. You cannot just separate them like that! But at the same time, if you don't allow the parent to be deported, practicality strikes again. Now anyone can stay in the US simply for having a child born on US soil. That will obviously not be a very effective deterrent against immigration. Also, consider this: Illegal immigrant detainees are not guaranteed the right to an attorney in trial. They are not guaranteed the Due process clause of the fourteenth amendment. This really startled me when I found out. Personally, I find this a bit disgraceful. I believe the right to a lawyer is a human right, rather than a civil right embedded in the constitution. How can you take away the right for your case to be processed fairly simply because you lack a piece of paper declaring you a US citizen?
