5 Comments to 'Can you build the American dream on illegal immigration?'
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Can you build the American dream on illegal immigration?
Posted By katie allison granju
See also: Michael Silence
Rich Hailey has an absolutely lovely post up today about his daughter’s fiance, and how hard this young man has worked to earn what he has now:
My oldest daughter is engaged to a young man who came here from Mexico with nothing but the shirt on his back, and through a strange set of circumstance too long and embarrassing to go into here, he soon didn’t even have that. Broke, homeless, a non English speaker, and here illegally, lacking even shirt sleeves to roll up, he went to work.
He took whatever jobs he could get, saved his money, and worked his butt off. Two, three jobs at a time, he worked his way across the country until he arrived in Alabama, where he joined others of his family. He continued to work hard, clocking in a total of 65-75 hour weeks, all the time saving money. Eventually, he bought a truck. Then he bought a mobile home and instead of moving in, he stayed in a cramped double wide with his family and rented out the mobile home. He traded in his truck for a nicer one. Then he bought another mobile home, and moved into it with my daughter.
All of this time, he worked his tail end off, trying to build something he couldn’t have had back in Mexico, a solid life.
And because he worked hard, and smart, and had the support of his family around him, he is succeeding. Just don’t call him “lucky.” Luck had nothing to do with it. Endless hours of hard work coupled with initiative, patience, common sense, and iron self control brought his to where he is.
That’s why so many Americans are failing to live the dream. That’s why so many say the dream is dead. It’s not because it’s no longer possible; it’s because most of us have forgotten that it takes hard work to achieve it. How many of us think that we could do what this young man has done? How many of us think that we could move to a foreign land, carrying nothing but the clothes on our back, and work our way up to prosperity? How many of us are willing to work long hard hours day after day, denying our impulsive purchases in order to save for the future?
It’s not ‘the man’ or ‘the wealthy’ that are keeping us down.
It’s ourselves and the choices we make.
Work hard; make good choices; exercise self discipline, and act with initiative.
But I suspect the ONLY thing many people reading Rich’s post will notice in reading about this man - who sounds like a great guy - is that the choice he made was to come here illegally. To many folks concerned about immigration issues (as many of the readers of Rich’s conservative blog surely are) that’s the only part of Rich’s story that will matter.
I think those readers might reasonably ask whether it isn’t a sullying of the American dream to which Rich refers to suggest that getting the ball rolling toward eventual self-earned prosperity via an illegal act is laudable.
Is it? Is it praiseworthy?
Isn’t it somewhat akin to a scenario in which someone uses a small amount of stolen money to start a business that eventually becomes wildly successful because that person works day and night to earn that success? Does the later success obviate the initial illegality?
Discuss.
In any event, congratulations to Rich’s family. It sounds like Rich is very, very proud of his new son-in-law, and I can tell you - because I know Rich - that the son-in-law is getting one heckuva a great father-in-law by marrying the young Miss Hailey.
Mar 21st, 2008
What you are asking is “Does the ends justify the means?”
Many pro athletes say “Yes, do anything to win” and so they justify drug use or other illegal activity. The “Win at all costs” mentality is not what makes a person great or a true winner in life. Yes, there may be fruits, but they are never as sweet as fruit from an honest effort. Win or loose. Even if cheaters do achieve a goal or have success it is hollow and tainted if done the wrong way.
Many time it is the ruination of a great quest for honest victory, be it in sports or any other part of a persons life.
The bottom line is he still broke the law by coming here ILLEGALLY!!
Wonderfully sugarcoated. Although, what I don’t understand is why breaking our immigration laws is deemed acceptable for some but not for all. I play by the rules,and my ancestors played by the rules. I’m very sorry, but everyone that has ever immigrated to our country has a story. Boundaries are boundaries. End of story.
If all illegal immigrants were to work as hard as Gustavo (who happens to be a delightfully sweet young man), I don’t think we would be having all those heated debates about the illegal problem and closing the borders and all. Unfortunately, there is a significant proportion of illegal immigrants that come here not to work hard, but to avail themselves of as much of America’s resources and largess as possible, and send most of what money they do earn (or steal) back across the border to family still there.
Coming here legally is not as easy as just signing up, learning about American history, government and civics, and taking a pledge. Most immigrants wait for years and years, fill out reams of forms, pay crazy fees and endure mountains of frustration … those that are lucky enough to make the allotment that is. I have a friend that came here from Canada to get her Master’s degree in teaching. She and her then-fiance (now married) wanted to stay in the US and she wanted to teach elementary school. After she graduated, and was no longer on a student visa, she converted to a tourist visa and got on the waiting list for a green card. That was 5 years ago. And still she waits. She cannot get a job teaching, or really any other kind of job due to her status. She works as a nanny for a family now. And every year, she must pack up and go back to Canada for 6 weeks to stay legal. She says its really tempting to just go illegal and take her chances. She’s educated, law-abiding and wants to teach elementary school … but the bureaucracy just drags on and on, and she waits.
Anyway, the story of Gustavo is more to point out that anyone can succeed here in America if they choose to put forth the effort to do so. He had no help from handouts from the government, he did it all himself. The issue of his status is really not germane to the intent of the tale.
Sure, immigration laws have been in effect for years, probably fifty or more, but only meager efforts have been made to enforce those laws. Can we expect immigrants who come here for the sole purpose of bettering their family’s life style to be knowledgeable of immigration laws that I doubt one reader in one hundred could recite in detail?
Immigrants of recent years, legal or illegal, who have weathered the adversities of getting here, the hardships of substandard working conditions, and the handicap of language barriers, and who have shown that they can be exemplary residents with clean records, should be given the privilege of fast-track citizenship.
It is a deplorable state of affairs when a story, such as that of the New Mexico school that was responsible for deportation of an eighteen year-old girl student from high school, becomes known.
Before passing judgment on the new residents in our country of immigrants, do a little research, like I did for my new novel, “The Immigrant”, soon to be released. Find out who these people are, where do they come from, what is their potential. And read “The Immigrant”. It might give you a new perspective on the issue.
charlesclarknovels
http://www.charlesclarknovels.com