OUR OPINION: Come learn, talk about immigration in GF-EGF
May 11, 2011 at 7:05 pm in Grand Forks Herald
In a farsighted move, Grand Forks city officials are inviting residents to come see a thought-provoking documentary and then talk about it, as well as about any concerns they may have about immigration in Grand Forks. Continue Reading
The concerns today are every bit as legitimate as they were back then. No one notices immigration when it works as its supposed to. If the Irish are filling up the prison system and costing the people money of course they are not going to be very welcome. If the Germans come and refuse to learn the language and follow the laws of the country of course they will not be welcome. It has zero to do with the nationality or the color of the skin, it has everything to do with simple fact that it is up to the immigrant to melt into our society since they are the ones choosing to locate here. Not the responsibility of the local citizens to adapt for them. I for one have no problem with the Somalis relocating here as long as they learn English, get a job and remember that religious law carries no weight here. Adapt to our society or stay where you are, its that simple. It truly bothers me how some people will treat people like they are racists or anti-immigrant if they show any negative concern towards immigration. I for one have zero tolerance for those running across the border illegally yet will welcome those that come across legally. We have a serious unemployment problem as well as a failing economy and we need to be aware of how many people we allow to immigrate here until it improves. Thats why we have an immigration policy to begin with. I believe this documentary does nothing to address the real concerns of the people, it tries to make the locals look bad without addressing their real concerns of which are simply, they dont want to change because someone else feels the need to move in and try to impose their culture on the locals. This country was nicknamed the melting pot for a reason, it was because immigrants were expected to be Americans first and foremost, not XXXXXX-American. Immigration only works when the person immigrating joins the society.
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Right On Captain!!!
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What Tom Dennis fails to acknowledge is that the German, Irish, and Chinese immigrants worked, or relied on voluntary charity.
Today’s immigrants live off of taxpayer-funded assistance. Charity based on the violence of the tax code is not charity at all, it’s government-supported THEFT of citizens’ money, transferred to “the needy” without our approval or permission.
When I was growing up, and for a century before, we were told that what made America great was that America was a “melting pot” where people came here, assimilated, and worked to become successful.
Now we focus on “diversity” and making sure the poor are encouraged to breed irresponsibly, without having to pay for anything. There’s an “entitlement” program for everything. Need medical attention? Isn’t that what the emergency room is for?
The United States has ENOUGH poor people acting as a burden on the taxpayers. Why are we importing more? Additional poor people act to artificially drive down wages and benefits making life even harder for the rest of us.
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Schurkey, Some people do not accept long haired hippy looking pony tailed people either.
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Yeah the Chinese worked long enough as slave labo to build the rail roads and then were sent home. Just like the Latinos during WW II until their labor was not needed and home they went also. The Irish worked ceratin menial labor jobs until a new batch of immigrants came and allowed them to move up the social ladder. Hey Schurkey when was the last time you even worked or are you like Don Barcome and lived off your dad also?
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I guess you failed to read the part where i mentioned that i welcomed them as long as they join our society rather than trying to convert locals to their way of life. You are exactly the type of person i was refering to when i spoke about the people who treat people like they are racists or anti-immigrant if they show any negative concern towards immigration. It is your short sightedness and refusal to listen to the concerns of others that will always leave you alienated among your peers. You speak first and think second, try to actually comprehend what you read before you start spewing garbage. There was no hidden message in my words, they were straight to the point with no room for misunderstanding, you just chose to make them what you wanted to hear because you just cant stand the community. I have read your hate filled garbage in the past. and my comprehension is quite good.
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I dont feel that getting a job, following our laws and learning to speak english is too much to ask.
If those standards are to high for you then your definition of assimilation may be the problem.
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Captain, Be assured that your well stated views on immigation are the views held by most Americans, not just North Dakotans.
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Go to Chinatown in NYC or San Francisco. Go to the Central American neighborhoods in NYC. Closer to home check out the Pakistani and Italian sections of Winnipeg. In each case you get an experience of being in those people’s cultures of origin. How much richer we all are to have those cultures to experience right here in our own country. The Captain must really lose sleep over these examples. It’s called chauvinism and is just the opposite of what America stands for.
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So you believe it is best for a group to segregate themselves from the rest of the society? Where is the betterment of society in that? If i want to experience what Italy or China has to offer i will travel to that country to get the true flavor, not some watered down version from a group that didnt care enough to stay in their homeland and didnt care enough to join the society in their new country. Its all about choices. And Rob, you said that i “expect them to assimilate but you do not expect to have to accept them first”. I am not in the chain that one needs to report to for permission to move here. I have adamantly stated before that i am accepting of any LEGAL immigrant that moves here. I cant offer a more accepting role than that. It is from that moment on that determines if they keep their “Welcomed” status by virtue of their actions. I was welcomed by the locals in Germany when i lived there, i did not cause grief, i was not a financial burden on the population and i tried my best to speak German and to observe their way of doing things. Other Americans in the same area were not so well rreceived, they wanted to live like Americans regardless of where they were and this caused them problems. Its all about respect, If i visit or move to your country, you have the right to expect me to respect your rules and way of life. Why do we as Americans not deserve the same respect that we are expected to extend to other nations. Somewhere along the line people started acting as if being American was a bad thing and that we need to apologize to the rest of the world for our beliefs and actions. I will not apologize for being an American and living in a country that enjoys Freedom and Democracy, i am proud of my country. I will continue to respect others nations and i will continue to expect the same from others coming here.
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