They Want You To Fight

So you want a wall at the border? They had a wall in Berlin...
If I remember correctly, it kept people in, not out.
Just another thing to think about.

       For a moment, I’d like you to ponder a possibility: the fight about immigration going on in our country right now has nothing to do with immigrants. It’s about broken government, apathy, and racism. Whether or not you are rolling your eyes at me right now, I ask some leeway and that you’ll continue reading – remember, we’re pondering a possibility.  The problem with illegal immigrants, as far as I’m concerned, has always been with their employers. They pay slave wages, and they practice tax evasion by not paying employment taxes for the workers they’re “not employing.” This stresses the system.
   

            There are laws in place against this kind of behavior. Yeah, would you believe it? We actually HAVE immigration laws and employment laws. I know, it’s a little bit like believing in the tooth fairy because OUR GOVERNMENT DOESN’T ENFORCE THEM. They are a bunch of SLOTHS. APATHETIC, LAZY, OVERPAID BLOBS. They go to work, when they feel like it. Their pay isn’t docked when they don’t show up to vote. And, they make tons and tons of laws that they don’t intend to enforce. “What’s the point?” you say? I don’t know. That’s a really good question. I was under the understanding that laws were supposed to be put in place to protect the people of the nation. As we have seen just this past weekend, that is no longer the case in this country.

            A young man in Florida, Mr. Zimmerman – you all know of him – was just left go free despite killing another man. It was a complete and utter media circus. It was played up to make you focus on race and gun control. The actual crime seems to me not much different than one acted out in cities every day. Young innocent black men (and probably some not so innocent) are shot on the streets of Boston and Chicago EVERY DAY and you don’t hear a word about it. Why? Is it because they aren’t shot by “white Hispanics?” Their lives are just as valuable no matter who shoots them (yet another case of hypocrisy in the media). What I saw was a failure of the laws, which have become obfuscated by the legislators. It should have been cut and dry. What should have happened was that the man who killed another man should have gone to court to be dealt his punishment for the crime NO ONE contested that he committed. Instead, he went to court so that Florida’s state prosecutors could (poorly) debate the label they would give the crime. Labeling the crime makes it look like they are showing their disdain, but does it actually require them to do anything?

             A mirror of the federal government. Think bigger. Let’s take a quick look at how things look from the people’s standpoint on this nonissue of immigration. There are plenty of immigrants living in this country illegally. I don’t believe too many of them are in danger of being deported. Why do I say that? If the powers that be were really interested in spending the money to send them back to their countries of citizenship or had the capabilities to send them all back, they would have done it already. Immigrants have access to medical care at hospitals, just like uninsured Americans. Anyone can go to a hospital and be treated. No one is refused care. If you don’t have money, you don’t have to pay. There are financial forgiveness programs in place to pick up the tab. (I have used these programs before!) The taxpayers pick up the tab. (Now I’m paying!) And in the case of non-emergent care and immigrants not in Massachusetts, they have access to the same shitty health care as everyone else and the same denial for coverage due to preexisting conditions as everyone else. 
           Illegal immigrants are on the roads driving – maybe not legally, but they are out there. How many people with rescinded licenses do you think are on the roads? Some of the immigrants are probably even voting. There are dead people voting, I don’t know why you would think some Mexican or Iranian citizens aren't showing up at the polls as well. (This is why some people think voter ID is a good idea, by the way). A quick review – there are laws in place that should keep all of these things from happening. OUR government is NOT ENFORCING THEM. That is my idea of apathy. It is also my idea of politicians who think they know better saying “We don’t like the laws, so we’ve decided we’re just going to do what we want.”

            If the new immigration bill passes, let me tell you what is going to change: Nothing. Illegal immigrants will no longer be “illegal” by label. These people will still live here, they will still have medical care paid for by taxpayers if they can’t afford it, they will drive, and they will vote. The only thing that will have changed is that the government officials won’t any longer be able to be held accountable for their apathy. Do you see? They want to change the law so that THEY DON’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. It’s not about making life better for the immigrants. Nothing will get better for the immigrants. If anything, they’ll lose their jobs. The people who hire them do so because they are cheap labor. Do you think these tax evaders are going to want to pay them a living wage? I don’t.

            The laws change and the politicians convince the “illegal” immigrants that they’ve done them a favor. I keep hearing that the goal is to increase their voter base. I’m concerned by this concept. Why are politicians eager to have so many more voters behind them? What is this push to stay in office for eternity? It’s like there’s some sort of larger scheme being planned that we don’t know about. There’s one other benefit the politicians get out of this whole immigration war – the ability to use racism as a political tool. It’s easy for them to make it a partisan blame game. The Republicans want to do this! The Democrats want to do this! They make you hate the other party. Talking about immigration turns people on their peers. Either you’re an immigrant or in favor of the immigrants and welcoming of other nationalities, or you’re that jerk who wants all of the people to get out. Or even worse, you’re a racist! You hate immigrants! You want every one to leave! Git im out! Tell all dem immgrants to go back down to mehico! Speak English! We’re in ‘Murica! It’s disgusting. (By the way, there are several countries out there where the citizens speak multiple languages – Switzerland, Canada, China, South Africa – it’s considered intelligent). Rather than being a nation united, you’ve become a nation divided. People who are divided and fighting amongst themselves are easy to control and completely unaware of what their government is doing. The politicians are keeping racism alive, and making you think they have your best interests at heart, and the best part for them – they can just sit back and watch.