America's Immigration Problem : What's Wrong and What Must be Done

American Thinker ^ | 02/19/2011 | Ron Lipsman

[rodguy911]

It makes lots of sense if your goal is to destroy the country. What other goal could the regime have?

[rodguy911]

Briliant ideas as usual. I would reduce the yearly tally to 150K and only take the best and the brightest from the world for a while.

[kabar]

Thanks Rod. Agree that less is more if we go to a merit based immigration system that brings in the best and the brightest to enable us to compete in the global economy. We don’t need to import poverty and high school drop outs.

[rmlew]

The answer is simple. Unlike in France or Sweden or Cambodia, the citizens of our nation do not derive their national identity from a specific piece of land or a religion or an ethnic heritage, a race or even a language -- although it is possible to argue about the last one. To be an American is instead to subscribe to an idea, which comprises a philosophy of government, a means of organizing society and an economic system.

The United States of America did not come into existence slowly over eons through the gradual, natural congealing of a people via one or more of the above categories. It was created essentially ex nihilo at the end of the eighteenth century by means of two founding documents -- the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution -- as well as through the writings and speeches of the men, and their associates, who penned those documents.

The author knows nothing of our history. The ideas were not universal. Our polity came from our culture and history. Ideas do not form ex nihilo, they are born of traditions and culture. Other countries copied large section of the Constitution and failed.

[rodguy911]

We don't need to import poverty and high school dropouts

Exactly, and that should not be rocket science for the politicos.

To keep open borders at the expense of destroying the country or at the very least changing its essence forever is idiocy.

[chesley]

His ancestors were immigrants. Mine were settlers and colonists. There is a BIG difference.

[Razz Barry]

Indeed, the latter is the key point. It is not that the new immigrant is from Latin America or Asia or the Middle East instead of Europe; it is not that he speaks Spanish instead of German or French; it is not that his work ethic is weaker than those of previous immigrants -- it's not; and it is not that she is not steeped in American history -- my grandmothers couldn't distinguish John Adams from Samuel Adams. It is that we the people, or at least a sizeable segment of us, have lost faith in our own ideals. You cannot inculcate newcomers into your way of life if you no longer subscribe to its tenets. So we make no effort to ensure that new immigrants possess or are given the ideas that quickly grant them access to an American identity.

I read a history book from the 1930's that said after we kicked Mexican butt all the way to Mexico City, some wanted to keep all that land as well. It was decided that we could not fold that many Spanish speaking people into our English speaking country.

I was told that the reason we have a public school system was to get everyone on the same page. To get all the immigrants speaking English and understand our history.